For a hungry child, learning is not a priority.

Education is an inevitable secondary need for everyone. It is the power that will set you and others free from dependency on others. With the help of education one has the ability to liberate themselves from poverty by breaking its cycle and getting an exit to a safe surrounding outside the cycle. Many genius fellows had made our living in this world better that it would have been without their discoveries, inventions or innovations. For instance, the existence and functioning of every machine important in our lives revolves around the availability of electricity and a functional engine. In their absence there would have been darkness all over and the huge industrial output we are able to make today and supply to the world in an hour would not be possible.

Generally electricity and engine are inseparable almost in all aspects and their combined output is the reason as to why we have a global village. Thanks to knowledge that had enabled them make that magnificent discovery or invention that we enjoy up to today. That is how important education is and why the third milestone target of the millennium development goals is to achieve universal primary education.

Education is the most reliable way that leads us towards lasting and sustainable development in our society. Going through a system of education, whether formal or informal, is an outstanding investment that gives back positive results equally or overwhelmingly. However, given that education is that relevant there are major impediments to getting it; poverty and hunger. A poor person is a hungry person and obviously a hungry person is most likely going to become poor especially when it is a prolonged hunger that links you to inactivity or reduced productivity. It is not easy to learn when you are hungry or when you come from a poor background. In these two scenarios a person will not be settled psychologically. Learning, been a process that takes place in the brain, cannot take effect when the body does not have enough energy for all its physiological process.

A copying strategy very common in our body is prioritization on energy expenditure when the supply of energy made available from the food we eat is less than the total energy requirement of the body. The available energy is used to sustain life saving systems ad organs for example the brain. So, if a function of the brain is not linked to saving of life at that time then automatically there is no energy available for it to take place. And that is what happens to learning during hunger or starvation. According to the millennium development goals, we need to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger before coming to the second milestone achievement; achieve universal primary education. What a perfectly thought out plans it is!

Dear professionals on LinkedIn remember the nutritional needs of your school going children or those of your relatives and friends. I like the job of WFP and UNICEF in devoting their efforts in saving the lives of children from hunger.