Baldicer: A Simulation Activity about World Hunger
Lesson Overview and Goals:
Baldicer is a simulation activity where students assume the role of the political leader of a
country in an informal “United Nations”. It is student-centered in that the activity allows
students to learn from their own experience. The goal of the activity is to have students work
together to reflect on the issue of World Hunger. The simulation requires students to interact
with each other (because if they don’t, their country will starve!) The simulation, of course,
helps the class reflect on global issues; but Baldicer is a fantastic way to get students to take
on the role of an advocate for those living in absolute poverty.
Setting Up Baldicer:
1. Each student will need a copy of the Baldicer Tally Sheet.
 It works well to prepare ahead by writing the names of each individual country and the
number of starting baldicers on each Tally Sheet. See the list of countries below. Only
one country starts with 50 baldicers and should be an industrialized country. Two
other industrialized countries will start the activity with 30. The remaining countries,
all chosen from the United Nations list of the “50 Poorest Countries in the World”
should be given only 5 baldicers to start. You can have students do this by drawing
cards with countries and the number of baldicers on them. (The starting number of
baldicers for each country will go on Line 13 in Year 1 on the Tally Sheet.)
Industrialized Countries: Include any 3 of the following countries; Australia, Canada, France,
Germany, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom (Note: China, Japan, and the United
States have been purposely left off because of potential political issues that might arise or
the students playing the role of these countries might be put in a very difficult position
socially. You are certainly welcome to include China, Japan, and the U.S. as it will add an
element of realism! Discretion of your own classes and situation is the key here.)
Underdeveloped Countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso,
Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Chad, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Iraq,
Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique,
Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Samoa, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone,
Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sudan, East Timor, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Tanzania, Vanuatu, Yemen,
Zambia

Students can use the back of the Tally Sheet for their Work Periods; however, you may
need extra blank sheets of paper.
2. Prepare one set of National/Social Forces cards by copying them on card stock, cutting
apart, and laminating. You could copy the Natural/Social Forces on a deck of playing cards
if you like. You will need at least one card per country, but it is recommended to have quite
a few extra each round. You will also need to copy Food Machine cards on colored paper. If
you don’t laminate these, you will need to make new cards every year.
3. Copy student handout along with the World Hunger Facts which students will use to create
posters after their people have starved to death and they become the World Conscience.
4. Optional: Students can post their country’s flag on their desk and research statistics
about their country (ex. www.flags.com, go to United Nations Millennium website at
www.undp.org for hunger and poverty statistics per country.)
Rules for students playing Baldicer:
Baldicer is a simulation activity dealing with world food production, food distribution, and food
consumption.
In Baldicer, students are the political leader of a country and are responsible for feeding all of
their people. All other players have the same responsibility for feeding the people in their
country. Each student’s goal is to feed his/her people over the course of seven years by
acquiring as many baldicers as possible.
Baldicer is played in rounds that represent years of time. Each year has specific periods to
follow.
1. Work Period. Players can earn baldicers for their people by writing “dig, sweat, push, pull”
as many times as possible.
2. Natural/Social Forces Period. Players will be given a card from the Game Director – each
will have something written on it that will affect their country in either a positive or
negative way.
3. Tally Period. Players will compute the Tally Sheet. They need to remember to check all
their work carefully, their country’s survival depends on it.
4. Planning Period. This is a time for players to complete negotiations with other countries to
keep their people alive. This is also the time to purchase a Food Machine or a Super Food
Machine from the Game Director.
Should a country’s people starve despite a student’s best efforts, that student will become the
World Conscience. It is up to him/her to let the rest of the world know the facts about world
hunger. Players will do this by creating informational posters using the World Hunger Facts
from the handout. They are not to interfere with the continuation of the Baldicer activity.
Additional Rules
1. If a player has purchased a Food Machine or Super Food Machine, it is a capital investment
and may be kept throughout the game without further cost.
2. If players share their work with another student, they must average their production in
the Work Period (example: If one student earns 7 baldicers, and his/her partner earns 3
baldicers, that would equal 10. Divide this number in half and each enter 5 on line 1.)
3. Players must have 0 or more baldicers after purchases are made in order to continue as the
leader of the country. They may employ other leaders to work their Food Machine during
the Work Period. Payment for such service must be determined by agreement between the
two players. Records must be kept by whatever means the players devise (example: If one
player is willing to lend another player 6 baldicers to stay in the game, the lender can
demand that he/she receive 3 baldicers each year for the next three years. The borrower
repays the baldicers PLUS interest. This transaction must appear on both players sheets
to be valid.) Each player must keep his own Tally Sheet throughout the game. Deals should
be made in such a way that a player has enough baldicers to continue the game.
4. If the total at the end of a year is below zero, the player and his/her people have starved
to death. Leaders of “starved countries” become the World Conscience and will attempt to
communicate the horror of their fate. Students will have to make posters to warn other
countries not to starve! Any technique can be used to dramatize their plight as long as it
doesn’t interfere with the activity.
5. Inflation occurs every year and everyone is affected by the rate of inflation. Another
thing that affects everyone is the cost of living.
6. An international lending institution or changes to the rules can only be created with the
agreement of all countries. Any proposals must be submitted to the Game Director.
Notes:
Introducing & Playing Baldicer:
1. Ask students several questions including:
 What did you have for breakfast, lunch, or dinner? How does it feel to be hungry?
 Do you think there are countries in the world where people don’t have enough to eat?
Where? Is this true in China or the United States do you think?
 Can world hunger be ended? Why or why not?
 Optional: Students can use the Hunger Facts as a True/False quiz.
2. Tell the class they will have a simulation activity that explores the issue of World Hunger
and how to end it.
3. Hand out a Tally Sheet to each student. Note: You can have the students work in pairs in a
large class, but it is recommended to have them work as independent countries.
4. Show out the Baldicer Rules sheets.
 Read the Baldicer Rules with students. Check for understanding. If they don’t
understand how the activity works, assure them that once the activity begins, it will
become clear.
5. Tell the students to turn over their Tally Sheet. Tell them that when you say to begin, you
will give them one minute to earn food for their people by writing, “dig, sweat, push, pull” as
many times as they can. They will earn one baldicer each time they write the “dig, sweat,
push, pull” phrase, WITH COMMAS AND SPELLED CORRECTLY. If they work in pairs,
they have to average the amount they write. You can tell them to begin. Walk around the
room to monitor things. Stop them between one minute and 1:15. You can adjust this to a
shorter time later in the game if you’d like.
6. Walk students through lines 1 – 5 on the Tally Sheet.
7. Pass out a National/Social Forces card to each student or have them draw one from the
deck. You can have each student read their card aloud to the class! If you are doing this,
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
students should speak with emotion as they describe the event whether it was good or bad.
In the event of a disaster, students should be sure they can be heard so countries can
come to their aid! Note: Learning new vocabulary might arise here from words on the card.
Walk students through lines 6 – 16. Please note that Lines 9 – 11 are difficult for students
and require more time to explain.
After figuring the Tally Sheets through Line 16, ask students if anyone is starving.
Give the class 5 minutes (first round) and perhaps a few more minutes in later rounds, to
make negotiations. Students should be encouraged to get up and talk to other countries.
They may borrow or lend baldicers during this period.
This is also the time to purchase Food Machines from the Game Director.
Start a new Work Period and repeat the process for all seven years or until everyone dies.
 Option: You can have students do one year each day and extend the activity for seven
days OR complete the entire activity in two days.
As countries starve, the leaders are required to make posters about World Hunger using
the facts from the back of their handout to be displayed around the room. These students
will become the World Conscience to inform the rest of the world about this issue.
Reflecting on Baldicer:
Discuss the students’ answers on their handout after the activity is complete.
1. Describe the food situation of the people in your country.
2. Did you think you worked hard enough for your people?
3. Based on this activity, make a connection between hard work and the ability of the people in
a country to survive.
4. Did you form any coalitions with other countries? How did these help or hinder your
people’s survival?
5. What countries were helpful? Which ones were not? Why do you think some were more
helpful than others?
6. What kept people from sharing in Baldicer?
7. What keeps countries from sharing in the real world?
8. Explain the importance of a food machine in this activity.
9. The food machines represent modern technology. Using specific examples, what technology
can be used to end hunger today?
10. What is absolute poverty?
11. Why is it important to understand absolute poverty?
12. How are people in Sioux Falls affected by absolute poverty? Give examples.
13. Using three of these words (absolute poverty, status quo, welfare, industrialized,
developing countries) create a plan that would decrease absolute poverty in our world
today.
14. What was your role as the “World Conscience”?
15. Who is the “World Conscience” today?
16. Compare Baldicer to the reality of solving World Hunger today.
17. Please explain what you learned about World Hunger after participating in this activity.
18. Given the chance to play the simulation again, explain what you would do differently.
Baldicer: Natural/Social Forces Cards, Food Machines & World Hunger Facts (on the next pages)
Status Quo
Status Quo
Status Quo
Status Quo
+0
+0
+0
+0
Built a new airport
Silver mine discovered
New pipeline built
Welfare reform enacted
+2
+2
+2
+2
Discovery of a new drug
Unemployment rate improves
New farm equipment developed
Construction of new canal finished
+3
+3
+3
+3
Tax relief laws passed
Rocket launched into space
New mineral discovered
Natural fiber for building
materials discovered
+4
+4
+4
Improved medical care
Surplus of immigrant workers
Oil discovered
Discovered a cure for cancer
+5
+5
+6
+6
+5
Fire destroys one of your
manufacturing plants
Devaluation of currency
Farmers go on strike
Tornado rips through your country
-2
-3
-3
Ozone level worsens
Volcano erupted
Dam breaks and floods the land
Electrical grid fails causing a
blackout
-3
-3
-4
Hurricane
Stock Market takes a dive
Oil spill harms the environment
Terrorist attack
-4
-4
-5
-5
Earthquake
Epidemic sickens thousands
Severe drought
Famine – thousands of people are
starving
-5
-5
-6
-2
National Revolution
Countries with a food machine -10
Countries without +4
Nuclear reactor disaster
Food machines are disabled for
two work periods
OR -6
Labor Strike – scabs hired
For the next work period, you must
use the hand you normally do not
write with
-4
-6
Civil War continues
Subtract half of your
country’s current Baldicers
FOOD MACHINE (x5 for the Work Period)
FOOD MACHINE (x5 for the Work Period)
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
FOOD MACHINE (x5 for the Work Period)
FOOD MACHINE (x5 for the Work Period)
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
FOOD MACHINE (x5 for the Work Period)
FOOD MACHINE (x5 for the Work Period)
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
FOOD MACHINE (x5 for the Work Period)
FOOD MACHINE (x5 for the Work Period)
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
FOOD MACHINE (x5 for the Work Period)
FOOD MACHINE (x5 for the Work Period)
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
SUPER FOOD MACHINE (x50 for the Work Period)
SUPER FOOD MACHINE (x50 for the Work Period)
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
SUPER FOOD MACHINE (x50 for the Work Period)
SUPER FOOD MACHINE (x50 for the Work Period)
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
SUPER FOOD MACHINE (x50 for the Work Period)
SUPER FOOD MACHINE (x50 for the Work Period)
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
SUPER FOOD MACHINE (x50 for the Work Period)
SUPER FOOD MACHINE (x50 for the Work Period)
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
SUPER FOOD MACHINE (x50 for the Work Period)
SUPER FOOD MACHINE (x50 for the Work Period)
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
This machine belongs to: ___________________________________
World Hunger Facts (from Bread for the World www.bread.org)
1. An estimated 1.02 billion people in the world are hungry.
2. Each year, 3 million under-five children die because they are undernourished.
3. Far more children live with undernutrition than die from it.
4. For infants and young children, the effects of chronic malnutrition in the early years of life are largely irreversible.
5. Every day, more than 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes--one child every five seconds.
6. In the United States, 11.7 million children live in households where people have to skip meals or eat less to make
ends meet. That means one in ten households in the U.S. are living with hunger or are at risk of hunger.
7. A scarcity of food is rarely the cause of hunger. There is more than enough food to feed everyone in the US.
8. In essence, hunger is the most extreme form of poverty, where individuals or families cannot afford to meet their
most basic need for food.
9. Almost 11 percent of U.S. households experience food insecurity. In most cases, parents skip meals so their children
have enough to eat. Many families scrape by with enough to avoid real hunger, but still lack the money to buy the
healthy, nutritious foods needed for a balanced diet.
10. Hunger manifests itself in many ways other than starvation and famine. Most poor people who battle hunger deal
with chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which result in stunted growth, weakness and
heightened susceptibility to illness.
11. Countries in which a large portion of the population battles hunger daily are usually poor and often lack the social
safety nets we enjoy, such as soup kitchens, food stamps, and job training programs. When a family that lives in a
poor country cannot grow enough food or earn enough money to buy food, there is nowhere to turn for help.
12. In the developing world, more than 1.2 billion people currently live below the international poverty line, earning less
than $1 per day.
13. Among this group of poor people, many have problems obtaining adequate, nutritious food for themselves and their
families. As a result, 815 million people in the developing world are undernourished. They consume less than the
minimum amount of calories essential for sound health and growth.
14. Undernourishment negatively affects people’s health, productivity, sense of hope and overall well-being. A lack of
food can stunt growth, slow thinking, sap energy, hinder fetal development and contribute to mental retardation.
15. Economically, the constant securing of food consumes valuable time and energy of poor people, allowing less time for
work and earning income.
16. Socially, the lack of food erodes relationships and feeds shame so that those most in need of support are often
least able to call on it.
17. Poor nutrition and calorie deficiencies cause nearly one in three people to die prematurely or have disabilities,
according to the World Health Organization.
18. Pregnant women, new mothers who breastfeed infants, and young children are among the most at risk of
undernourishment.
19. 153 million children under the age of 5 in the developing world are underweight. Worse yet, 11 million children
younger than 5 die every year, more than half from hunger-related causes.
20. Most of these deaths are attributed, not to outright starvation, but to diseases that move in on vulnerable children
whose bodies have been weakened by hunger.
21. Every year, more than 20 million low-birth weight babies are born in developing countries. These babies risk dying in
infancy, while those who survive often suffer lifelong physical and cognitive disabilities.
22. The four most common childhood illnesses are diarrhea, acute respiratory illness, malaria, and measles. Each of
these illnesses is both preventable and treatable. Yet, again, poverty interferes in parents’ ability to access
immunizations and medicines. Chronic undernourishment on top of insufficient treatment greatly increases a child’s
risk of death.
23. Go to the World Food Programme website and click on either "Counting the Hungry" or "Interactive Hunger Map" for
presentations on hunger and poverty around the world.