We are close to finalizing a deal preventing nuclear weapons in Iran. But let’s not stop with just this one agreement.
Let’s enter into what President Kennedy called a “peace race.” There are other steps needed to improve nuclear security in the Middle East and worldwide.
Read my full commentary at The Hill.
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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.
Filed under global hunger
The United Nations says there is an urgent need to feed over 670,000 displaced persons in the Eastern Ukraine.
Read the full article at Examiner.
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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.
Read the full article at Examiner.
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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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Last month on the Huffington Post I wrote a feature on a unique St. Patrick’s Day celebration started by University of Rhode Island students. Their idea was to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, but to use the event to feed malnourished children across the globe.
The students, (Sergio Suhett ’15, Kylie Rice ’15, David St. Amant ’16, Kimberly DeLande ’15), called the event Make Your Green Count. They teamed up with Edesia, a non-profit in Providence which produces Plumpy’Nut.
The Plumpy’Nut is a vitamin enriched peanut paste used to treat children suffering from malnutrition. Children in disaster or poverty areas, or war zones, often cannot access food. This tragedy unfolds every day across the globe.
Plumpy’Nut is used to rescue these children from malnutrition, which can cause lasting physical or mental damage, or death. The Plumpy’Nut is a life-saver for children in developing countries.
The fundraising by the URI students, which goes to Edesia, so far has raised close to $5,000. According to Edesia, that is enough to feed 85 children the life-saving treatment of Plumpy’Nut.
The Make Your Green Count fundraising page is at Crowdrise. They are still accepting donations.
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Read the article at Examiner.
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In my History New Network feature on the Syrian crisis, I wrote about the Near East Relief Charity of the World War I era. Their original name was the The American Committee for Syrian and Armenian Relief.
They got started in 1915 in response to the humanitarian crisis of World War I. Near East Relief’s life-saving work during those years has been a model for humanitarian aid ever since.
This charity is still going strong over a hundred years later and helping Syrian refugees. In fact, they tweeted me after I wrote the article!
Now called the Near East Foundation, they are helping Syrian and Iraqi refugee women earn a living. They are helping them regain an income, which many have lost because of the war.
They also have expanded their work to Africa, including Mali and Senegal. They are fighting malnutrition in these countries.
Near East Relief also works in Sudan, helping that country deal with the effects of war. You can visit the Near East Foundation web site for more information.
lief.
Read the full article at Examiner.
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Author William Lambers 