Right now Washington is playing with our global food aid programs, with regulations that protect special interests at the expense of hungry people. These regulations cost taxpayers up to $500 million per year.

It’s time to put an end to the wasteful special interest deals by reforming food aid programs in the 2012 Farm Bill. If we cut the red tape we can reach up to 17 million more people with life-saving aid at no additional cost to taxpayers.  Save millions more lives, without spending a dime.  It’s a no-brainer.

The video is a call-to-action for Americans to speak up and tell their members of Congress that we’re sick of these special interest giveaways that cost lives and tax dollars. Thousands have already signed our petition calling for reform. The push is part of Oxfam's GROW campaign to tackle the politics behind hunger.  We grow enough food on this planet to ensure everyone has enough to eat, but political obstacles, like unnecessary food aid regulations, get in the way.

Life-saving food aid represents a tiny fraction, just .05 percent, of the federal budget. Yet every year, millions of dollars end up in the pockets of special interest groups instead of helping to feed hungry people.

Tell Washington to stop playing with other people’s food.  Lives depend on it.

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.@SenateAg @HouseAgNews, #FoodGames are costing lives. Reforming US food aid in the #FarmBill would save 17 million! http://bit.ly/IoQdwi

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Think the cost of your groceries is on the rise? Now think about the tax money you spend on food aid to developing countries. If we reform food aid, we can get more food to the people who need it, more quickly, and at the same cost.

The call comes as the Peruvian government is debating whether to grant Doe Run Peru another extension for environmental remediation commitments it made when it purchased the smelter from the Peruvian government in 1997. If it’s granted, the smelter could reopen and put La Oroya’s children at risk again. According to government studies in 2011, blood lead levels in children have decreased since a 2005 study conducted by St. Louis University, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control, which concluded that 97 percent of the children in the town under age six had elevated blood lead levels. In recent statements, Peru’s government has sharply questioned Doe Run’s willingness to address the environmental issues at La Oroya.

“We hope the Peruvian government will maintain its firm position vs. Doe Run in the current negotiations and stand up for the health of workers and innocent children of La Oroya,” said Keith Slack, global manager of Oxfam America’s oil, gas and mining program. “The smelting operation should remain closed until the company takes adequate steps to control toxic pollution.”

However, US-based Renco Group, Doe Run’s parent company, has shifted blame for La Oroya’s environmental problems onto the Peruvian government by filing an $800 million lawsuit against Peru under the US-Peru Free Trade Agreement. Oxfam America believes the claim is one of several tactics the company is using to pressure the Peruvian government to grant Doe Run Peru reprieve from meeting its environmental commitments.

To add to the debate, 18 members of the US House of Representatives sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner expressing their concerns regarding the behavior of Renco Group and its subsidiary. It urges the US government to refrain from supporting the company in its trade dispute with Peru.

“We believe that the poor environmental record of this company reflects negatively on the image of the United States in Peru and Latin America and jeopardizes the credibility of American efforts to promote responsible foreign investment,” said the letter.

In a separate letter to Peru’s Congress, Russ Carnahan, another member of Congress, expresses his concerns over the lead smelter in La Oroya. Congressman Carnahan represents the 3rd district of Missouri, which is home to a lead smelter operation owned by the same US-based Doe Run Corporation and its parent, Renco Group. Similar to the smelting operation in Peru, children and families living near the facilities in Herculaneum, MO have been exposed to dangerously high levels of lead. However, in 2010, Doe Run reached an agreement with the US Environmental Protection Agency to pay $65 million for violating environmental laws, as well as a $7 million civil penalty to pay for environmental remediation.

“We are heartened that prominent members of the US Congress are taking a stand against environmental polluters like Renco Group’s Doe Run lead smelter,” said Rocio Avila, program officer for Oxfam America’s oil, gas and mining program. “The US government should not support companies like Renco Group who abuse investor-state provisions in trade and investment agreements.”

So far, more than 35,000 people have signed a petition calling on the US government to hold the company accountable, which has presented the Peruvian government with a number of onerous demands. These include, assuming responsibility for a 2007 personal injury lawsuit filed against Doe Run in Missouri courts on behalf of 137 sickened Oroyan children; covering the cost of Doe Run complying with the environmental remediation plan; and insisting the government cancel $21.7 million in fines and other penalties it has accumulated over the years.

Peru’s government will make a decision on Doe Run’s demands tomorrow.

In Boston women are innovators in building a better food system that provides healthy and sustainable choices.  Celebrate women’s achievements here and worldwide in changing the way we grow, eat, and share food so that everyone has enough to eat, always at a panel and dinner event this Saturday, March 10 at 6 PM at Northeastern University. Panelists include Anna Oloshuro Kalaita, Masaai farmer from Tanzania; Ashley Stanley, Founder, Lovin’ Spoonfuls Inc., Boston; Molly Anderson, College of the Atlantic, Partridge Chair in Food & Sustainable Agriculture Systems; Melanie Hardy, Farm Manager, Land’s Sake Farm, Weston; Keely Curliss, Youth Intern, The Food Project, Boston.  The panel will be moderated by Jennifer Hashley, Director, New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, Tufts University.  To RSVP contact hdasilva@oxfamamerica.org.

“Hunger and poverty affect women and men alike, but because women make up the majority of those living below the poverty line, they carry the heaviest burdens,” said Nancy Delaney, community engagement manager at Oxfam America. “While most of us think of hunger as lack of food, it is actually lack of power. We grow enough food to feed everyone, yet hundreds of millions of women continue to go hungry.”

Women produce a majority of the food in many developing countries, but they are often first to go hungry. Around the world 925 million people do not have enough food to eat, and women and young children are especially vulnerable.

In many poor countries, women are the ones who collect food, water and fuel, maintain the home and look after the children. When food is scarce, women often eat less so other family members can have enough. Most of these rural women rely on farming to earn a living. But although women produce most of the world’s food, they often lack access to vital resources, like a steady source of water or a market where they can sell their crops for a fair price. Climate change poses an added threat, with erratic rainfall and droughts that disrupt the growing season and risk further hunger. Meanwhile, women have fewer opportunities to learn new skills, access credit or find well paying jobs. Sixty six percent of the world’s nearly 800 million illiterate adults are women.

“Human rights are not contingent on gender, ethnicity or money in the bank,” said Delaney. “Human rights are fundamental and non-negotiable. In a world where there is still plenty of food, no one should go hungry no matter who she is and where she lives.”

Boldin and Fitzgerald will embark on a four-day trip across Ethiopia beginning March 27.  The duo will meet with villagers affected by the crisis, local Oxfam partner organizations and internationally known Ethiopian athletes to bring attention to the region.  They will also visit Oxfam programs in the field such as an irrigation project that brings water to much needed areas.

“Four months after Larry and I issued a public service announcement with Oxfam, we are excited to meet face-to-face with those affected by the food crisis in Ethiopia and witness some of the life-saving programs Oxfam is undertaking in the field,” said Boldin.

This is the second time in four months the players, who are widely known for off-the-field contributions to communities in need, have joined Oxfam to fight hunger in East Africa. In November, the Oxfam ambassadors released a thirty second public service announcement to spotlight the growing need for relief funds.

“We are traveling with Oxfam to see first-hand how communities are affected and how we can help,” said Fitzgerald. “By bringing further attention to the drought, we hope to energize our fans and the public to do what they can to assist.”

The United Nations officially recognized the disaster affecting over 13 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia in July 2011. Oxfam, in collaboration with local partner organizations, aims to reach over 3 million people affected by the crisis across the region with aid and sustainable development programs.

“We are grateful for the personal engagement of Mr. Boldin and Mr. Fitzgerald,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. “Continuing to raise public awareness of the food crisis in East Africa remains critical with emergency conditions expected to last well into 2012.  It’s a great opportunity to highlight what local communities are doing for themselves, and how Oxfam, and our supporters, can help.”

East Africa drought and food crisis: Donate now and help save lives.

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