Lenten campaign to support right to food

A campaign by Swiss charities is drawing attention to chronic hunger in developing countries – a violation of the basic human right to food, they say.

The associations Bread for All and the Swiss Catholic Lenten Fund made the announcement ahead of their annual fundraising campaign.

One major problem is that small-scale farmers around the world cannot access enough land and water to feed their families, they say. Both groups already work in developing countries to provide food security, but are calling on the Swiss government to do more.

The two non-governmental organisations are part of a larger lobbying effort pushing politicians to increase foreign aid. NGOs are seeking a boost of funding from less than 0.4 to 0.7 per cent of Switzerland’s gross domestic product.

The symbol for this year’s campaign is a loaf of bread. These loaves of “Bread for Sharing” will be sold in Swiss bakeries until Easter, with SFr1 ($0.91) from each sale going towards the campaign.