If you own a smartphone you can download the Charity Miles app and raise donations for the World Food Programme, the largest hunger relief organization. You do this simply by running, walking or biking. You carry the smartphone with you and the app keeps track of your distance and workout.
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The war in Iraq has left many civilians trapped and blocked from receiving humanitarian aid. Such was the case in al-Baghdadi, a town in the Anbar governorate of Iraq.
The town was under siege for months by the ISIL terrorists. The Iraqi army, in retaking the town, cleared the way last month for civilians to escape to Baghdad.
But now these Iraqi victims faced another crisis: hunger. Saker, one of those who fled from al-Baghdadi, said,
The militants shot at us and they shot our houses. We walked for four days to get to Baghdad. We left with only our souls. We are very poor, and don’t have money to buy food.”
In Baghdad, Saker and others would get help from the UN World Food Programme (WFP). Along with the Norwegian Refugee Council, WFP distributed immediate response rations for Saker and 18,000 Iraqis.
These rations are ready-to-eat food, packed with nutrients, to give newly displaced Iraqis some quick nutrition. This food does more too. The rations give some hope for those Iraqis who have suffered for months from hunger and fear while under attack by ISIL.
After immediate response rations are finished, WFP provides monthly food parcels to displaced Iraqis. This is when they are registered and settled enough to eat more prepared foods.
Saker told WFP the food csme at the most critical moment. That is the case for millions of Iraqis who are depending on WFP and their partners like the Norwegian Refugee Council for life-saving rations.
Yet these rations, which do so much good, might disappear. Low funding for the WFP mission could lead to 1.8 million Iraqis losing food assistance by May. A WFP report says there is a shortage of US $250 million for the Iraqi relief mission.
WFP depends on voluntary funding to do their life-saving work. With the conflict ongoing in Iraq, funds are needed from the international community to feed the hungry war victims.
Read the full article at Examiner.
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As Congress debates the foreign aid budget, they should hear the cries of hunger from abroad. They should also listen to the echoes of history.
In fact, one of these came at a recent congressional hearing on the foreign aid budget, which included activists Ben Affleck and Bill Gates. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) mentioned the 1948 Marshall Plan, which rebuilt Europe and won the peace after World War II.
Read my full commentary at The Huffington Post.
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The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said today it’s feeding 105,000 displaced persons in the Yemeni city of Aden. But the UN is warning that the conflict between government forces, militants and tribal fighters is quickly escalating humanitarian needs.
Read the full article at Examiner.
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The United Nations says there is an urgent need to feed over 670,000 displaced persons in the Eastern Ukraine.
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As the civil war in Yemen escalates, so too is a hunger crisis. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that 12 million Yemenis are now living in hunger.
Read the full article at Examiner.
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The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is demanding that armed groups in Syria allow humanitarian access to civilians.
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Malawi is a country in Africa that has suffered recently through massive flooding. Over a million people were affected according to the United Nations World Food Progamme (WFP).
This is a country that was struggling with poverty even before the floods. The people have little material resources to cope with such a disaster.
Just recently the WFP director, Ertharin Cousin, visited Malawi to see how the agency’s relief programs are helping. One of the biggest WFP relief programs is school feeding.
Over 800,000 children in Malawi receive WFP school feeding in over 700 schools. A grant from the US McGovern-Dole program is the largest donor making this possible.
Part of this WFP initiative is called Home-Grown School Feeding. This is where the food for the school meals are provided entirely by local farmers. Cousin visited the Ching’ombe Primary School which is taking part in the home-grown effort. WFP spokesperson Kaitlin Hodge says,
This school has been part of the pilot phase of this programme, supported by the Purchase from Africans for Africa (PAA) programme, which is funded by Brazil and UK aid, and by the Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA).”
By the end of April almost 80,000 students in Malawi are expected to receive the home-grown school meals. About 6000 farmers in Malawi are supplying the meals.
Ultimately you want all school feeding in a developing country to be provided by local farmers. That way the economy benefits and it’s a source of supply that can continue.
Getting the home-grown effort off the ground is the key. Small farmers need that initial support so they can start supplying the food. That is where donors are crucial. WFP relies entirely on voluntary donations.
The home-grown school feeding effort is a step toward a national school lunch program. It’s a step toward food self-sufficiency for a nation, which is the road to ending world hunger.
Read the full article at Examiner.
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This Easter, spending on candy, gifts, clothing and food is expected to pass $16 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. Even the Easter Bunny would say, “Wow!”
See my full column at the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
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As Yemen descends further into war, a hunger crisis is also escalating. The United Nations reports that food is “scarce” in the conflict zones in southern Yemen.
Read the article at Examiner.
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Author William Lambers 