An Olympic dream we can all share

As the Olympic Games in Tokyo begin, think of the challenges each athlete had to overcome to get there. I remember interviewing silver medalist Paul Tergat of Kenya who told me about some of his obstacles.

For Tergat, his road to Olympic dreams as a long distance runner was blocked by hunger. As a child Tergat was weakened by the lack of food in his impoverished community. No one should ever have to experience that.

What made the difference for Tergat was getting meals at school from the UN World Food Program. The food gave him the strength to grow, practice and become an awesome runner. Tergat won two Olympic silver medals (1996, 2000), set a world record and won the 2005 New York City Marathon.

Think of how many future Olympians are out there now, that just need school meals to reach their potential.

In the spirit of Olympic goodwill, let’s provide meals to every child in the world so they too have a chance to reach their dreams.

For as these Olympics begin, there are 43 nations undergoing emergency levels of hunger according to the UN World Food Program. There are millions of people on the edge of famine. Children suffer the most because they are vulnerable to deadly malnutrition, especially under the age of 5.

In Madagascar and other countries experiencing drought, children are often forced to drop out of school to search for food. If they have meals at school they can receive nutrition and keep their education. That is why it is so important to fund relief agencies like WFP so they can provide school meals. With more funding ,we can reach more children with school meals

Hunger has a downward spiral effect that destroys families and ruins children’s dreams. If there were more investment in infant nutrition and school meals we could save many children's lives. We could be saving a future Olympian like WFP did when they gave meals to Paul Tergat. Most importantly we would be saving children who might go on to become doctors, lawyers, teachers, business owners or community leaders.

We can all share Paul Tergat's Olympic dream of meals for every child in the world. We can all do something to achieve this dream.

By educating and encouraging others, including your elected officials, you can support hunger relief worldwide. Famine threatens millions of children right now. Your actions may very well save lives and even future Olympic dreams.