Da Silva hailed for slashing hunger

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Agence France-Presse

Da Silva hailed for slashing hunger
BY AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE
Update 10 hours and 16 minutes ago

ROME, Nov 16 - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva accepted an award Monday for his efforts to combat hunger on the sidelines of a UN summit on food security.

"The Brazilian experience and that of other countries shows that the fight against this problem requires above all political will and determination," Lula said as the anti-poverty group ActionAid honoured him for "successfully reducing hunger in Brazil."

Accepting the award at the Rome headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, Lula criticised the indifference of the international community to the plight of the hungry.

"Many seem to have lost the capacity for indignation over such suffering," he said, calling hunger "the worst weapon of mass destruction on the planet."

"Millions and millions of dollars are being wasted on saving failed banks," he added. "With less than half of these sums we would have made it possible to wipe out hunder in the world."

ActionAid's research found that Brazil ranked first among 30 developing countries, the group said, adding that Lula has reduced child malnutrition by 73 percent and child deaths by 45 percent since assuming office in 2003.

Read more: http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/International/Da-Silva-hailed-for-slashing-hunger-6534.html

[Overseas]

1. K&R. Go Lula! //nt

[UpInArms]

2. those are some awesome statistics

I hope that the trend of goodness with Lula continues

:thumbsup:

[JNelson6563]

3. Wow! Impressive!

Bravo!

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

4. fascinating man! a humble beginning and real life experience:

From wikipedia, I had to look:

Education and work
Lula had little formal education. He did not learn to read until he was ten years old,<2> and quit school after the fourth grade in order to work to help his family. His working life began at age 12 as a shoeshiner and street vendor.<3> By age 14 he got his first formal job in a copper processing factory as a lathe operator.

At age 19, he lost the little finger on his left hand in an accident while working as a press operator in an automobile parts factory.<2> After losing his finger he had to run to several hospitals before he received medical attention. This experience increased his interest in participating within the Workers' Union. Around that time, he became involved in union activities and held several important union posts.<3> Brazil's dictatorship strongly curbed trade union activities, and during this time Lula's views moved further to the political left.

In 1969 he married Maria de Lourdes, who died of hepatitis later that year.<2> In 1974 Lula married Marisa, his current wife and at the time a widow, with whom he had three sons (he has also adopted Marisa's son from her first marriage).

more here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luiz_In%C3%A1cio_Lula_da_Silva

[Vidar]

5. The biographical information is much appreciated. His style is more

diplomatic than Chavez's, but equally effective & forceful. I suspect they have it choreographed to some extent.

[Vidar]

6. Recommended for a man who values his people more than the corporations.