Tag Archives: World Food Programme

August 16, 2012 · 12:05 am

South Sudan: Life-Saving Air Drops Bring Food to Starving Refugees

Executive Director Ertharin Cousin says WFP has started urgently needed food to refugees in South Sudan (World Food Programme photo)

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has started life-saving air drops of food for refugees in South Sudan. Ertharin Cousin, the WFP director, said the air drops began today in Maban County of South Sudan‘s Upper Nile State.

Enough food was supplied to feed over 2,000 refugees for a month. More supplies are on the way. Cousin said today, “This is the first in a series of airdrops that aims to replenish rapidly diminishing food stocks for more than 100,000 people who have fled the fighting north of the border.”

Fighting in Blue Nile State and South Kordofan of Sudan has forced civilians to flee into South Sudan. The refugees are severely malnourished going for days without supplies after being driven from their homes by the violence. These are victims of the ongoing conflict between South Sudan and Sudan as both sides cannot win the peace despite numerous diplomatic efforts.

The air drops of food became necessary because of poor roads in South Sudan and the dramatic increase in the numbers of refugees. WFP is trying to feed millions of people throughout South Sudan, Sudan and Darfur. Drought and poverty alone are incredible challenges for civilians to overcome. The conflict between South Sudan and Sudan has further increased the numbers of hungry and malnourished.

Once Sudan and South Sudan end the conflict there is hope of rebuilding an area that holds much promise in the way of agriculture. Cousin adds, “We are working together in the quest not only to achieve a food secure nation, but also to help realise their agricultural potential to become the breadbasket of Africa.”

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August 14, 2012 · 5:43 am

The Power of Film and Ending Child Hunger

This Sunday was the Global Hunger Summit in London hosted by British Prime Minister David Cameron. With the eyes of the world focused on the London Olympics, the idea was to shift some of that attention toward the global hunger crisis afflicting nearly one billion people.

Adrian Lovett, Europe Executive Director of ONE, says: “The Prime Minister and the Vice-President of Brazil deserve real credit for seizing this moment to insist on the same ambition in the race to end extreme hunger and malnutrition. For too long, this scourge has failed to receive the global attention it deserves. Efforts to provide children the nutrients they need to grow and thrive have been under-funded and under-resourced.”

But now that the summit is over, the action must begin with child feeding for infants and meals for school-age children.

First priority is to secure life-saving food for children under five years of age. At that age the children are most vulnerable to physical and mental damage from malnutrition. Then for children over five you start providing feeding programs at school to help them grow physically and mentally.

If every nation has a comprehensive school lunch program we could drastically reduce child hunger and poverty while giving every child a chance to learn or even become an Olympian. Interestingly, the last time the Olympics were held in London was in 1948 when Europe was struggling to recover from World War II. School meals played a big role in helping rebuild from the destruction

Back in 2008, I wrote a short film called “Ending Child Hunger: School Lunches for Kids Around the World.” The film premiered at the College of Mount St. Joseph in February of that year. Now today, the film has been updated with more material about why school lunches are so important. World leaders need to align their foreign policy in support of child feeding.

So sit back and enjoy the film. You will hear from lots of people including Dwight Eisenhower, Herbert Hoover as well as correspondents from the World Food Programme discussing school meals in developing countries. You will hear from those who benefit from the feeding programs the most: children and their families.

Ending Child Hunger: School Lunches for Kids Around the World from William Lambers on Vimeo.

Ending Child Hunger: School Lunches for Kids Around the World from William Lambers on Vimeo.

Article first published as The Power of Film and Ending Child Hunger on Blogcritics.

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August 11, 2012 · 2:31 am

The Final Olympic Event: The Global Hunger Summit

Two-time Olympic silver medalist Paul Tergat says “As sports men and women, it is important for all of us to use our privileged positions to raise awareness about the challenges that some of the less fortunate among us have to face.” (photo courtesy of the World Food Programme)

This Sunday British Prime Minister David Cameron is hosting a summit on the global hunger crisis. This meeting, coming at the close of the London Olympics, hopes to draw the media spotlight toward the nearly one billion people worldwide who suffer from hunger and malnutrition.

For humanity, the most important Olympic event is this hunger summit. Ertharin Cousin, the director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), says, “The Global Hunger Event comes at a time when the eyes of the world are focused on the pinnacle of human physical achievement at the London Olympics. For far too many children, a lack of food and nutrition means that, sadly, they will never have a chance to compete in life.”

Right now hunger is striking conflict-ravaged South Sudan and Sudan, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Haiti. In the Sahel region of Africa humanitarian aid is needed to prevent famine after a severe drought. Over in East Africa there is still tremendous hunger one year after drought struck the region leading to famine in Somalia.

Drought in the U.S. this summer may cause higher food prices for an extended period of time, making the global hunger fight that much harder to carry out. Aid agencies like WFP depend on voluntary donations from the government and the public to fight hunger.

But will governments be able to provide funds during tough economic times and needs at home? It’s important to remember that food aid is a relatively inexpensive foreign policy expense when you compare it to programs like nuclear weapons spending. Targeting food aid for budget cuts is barking up the wrong tree.

The last time London hosted the Olympics was in 1948, the same year the Marshall Plan started to rebuild Europe after World War II. Following the conflict, the world was on the brink of the most massive famine in history. Former U.S. president Herbert Hoover was appointed as food ambassador in 1946 to coordinate a global response to save millions of lives. UNICEF was created during this time period to meet the needs of children who suffered more than anyone from the war. In 1947 Austria, Italy, and France received pre-Marshall Plan aid so they could have enough food for the winter before the recovery program started.

The food aid provided to Europe offered the foundation for reconstruction. As former Army Chief and Secretary of State George Marshall said, ” Food is the very basis of all reconstruction. Hunger and insecurity are the worst enemies of peace.”

This Sunday in London the starving peoples of the world are hoping the Olympic spirit can come to their aid via the hunger summit.

Article first published as The Final Olympic Event: The Global Hunger Summit on Blogcritics.

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August 8, 2012 · 2:55 am

Fight Global Hunger While Preparing for the SAT with Freerice

FreeRice has two goals: Provide education to everyone for free. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

Believe it or not, school will be starting again very soon. This means for high school students it’s time to prepare for the SAT to help with their college applications. The next SAT test is scheduled for October 6, 2012. Others are to follow November 3 and December 1. It’s never too early to start doing some preparation.

During these coming months food prices globally will likely rise because of this summer’s drought. How does this global crisis connect to SAT test preparation? Actually it can, because if you use Freerice.com to prepare for the SAT you can help donate rice to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the largest food aid organization.

Freerice is an online learning game where for every correct answer 10 grains of rice are donated to WFP, paid for by advertisers. The site has recently added an SAT preparation section in partnership with Kaplan. There are currently 500 questions in the Freerice SAT prep section.

Rene McGuffin, WFP senior spokesperson, says: “By playing the SAT subject on Freerice, students not only make a big impact on their test scores. They now also make a big impact on hunger. They build a brighter future for themselves while brightening the future for students like them around the world.”

Freerice also has vocabulary, chemistry, foreign languages, math, and other subjects available to play. You can also create teams. Your school, for instance, could create an SAT preparation team and keep track of how many grains of rice you have earned.

Worldwide there are nearly one billion people who suffer from hunger. This number could very well increase with a rise in food prices and continued conflict in countries like Sudan and Somalia. Playing Freerice is one way you can support the UN World Food Programme’s hunger relief efforts.

Freerice donations have supported hunger relief in Haiti and Cambodia, including school meal programs. It is school feeding that gives children in developing countries an opportunity to learn and build their future, much as students will be doing this fall by taking the SAT.

“Kaplan’s SAT questions help Freerice players to build their vocabulary, and playing Freerice helps the world’s most vulnerable populations reach their full potential,” said Nancy Roman, WFP Director of Communications, Public Policy and Private Partnerships.

Article first published as Fight Global Hunger While Preparing for the SAT with Freerice on Blogcritics.

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August 5, 2012 · 3:05 pm

WFP Facing Critical Funding Shortage for Syrian Relief

Even before the violence broke out in Syria, a food security survey found that 1.4 million people were struggling to meet their daily food needs. Many lived in areas currently affected by conflict. (WFP/ Salah Malkawi)

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) says its facing a “critical funding shortfall” of US $62 million dollars as it tries to feed victims of the conflict in Syria. The UN food agency depends entirely on voluntary donations from governments and the public.

WFP just sent aid to Aleppo, the largest city in Syria, after reports of food shortages following an increase in fighting between the Syrian government and rebels. A WFP press release says, “The humanitarian situation is deteriorating in Aleppo and food needs are growing rapidly, with heavy fighting entering its second week – forcing about 200,000 people to flee the city. ”

Working with the Syrian Red Crescent, WFP provided food aid to over 500,000 war victims during July. However, the violence in the country prevented WFP from reaching its target goal of 850,000 Syrians. A recent report also reveals that three million Syrians will need help during the coming months.

The fighting has taken its toll on the livelihoods of families, many of which were already at poverty level. Abdulla BinYehia of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says, “The most vulnerable families in Syria depend entirely or partly on agriculture and farm animals for food and income. They need emergency support, like seeds, repairs to irrigation systems, animal feed and healthcare.”

BinYehia warns, “If timely assistance is not provided, the livelihood system of these vulnerable people could simply collapse in a few months’ time. Winter is fast approaching and urgent action is needed before then.”

The White House released a statement this week highlighting a 12 million dollar donation of additional humanitarian aid to Syria. This donation will be distributed among various aid agencies working inside Syria including WFP. So far this fiscal year the US has donated 27 million dollars to the WFP relief operation in Syria. Many more donations are needed as there is no end in sight for the conflict.

As the White House stated, “The quickest way to end the bloodshed and suffering of the Syrian people is for Bashar al-Asad to recognize that the Syrian people will not allow him to continue in power, and to step aside to enable a peaceful political transition to a government that is responsive to the aspirations of the Syrian people.”

WFP is also feeding a growing number of refugees who have fled to neighboring countries. There is expected to be well over 100,000 Syrian refugees in Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan by the end of this year.

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August 3, 2012 · 1:27 am

Donations Needed for Life-saving Air Drops of Food into South Sudan

WFP provides food assistance to refugees who arrive in Maban County in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State, Donations are needed to airlift more food to the starving refugees. (WFP/George Fominyen)

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is appealing for 6.5 million dollars so it can provide life-saving airlifts of food to starving refugees in South Sudan. WFP relies entirely on voluntary donations from governments and the public.

WFP wants to air drop 2,000 metric tons of food into Maban County to make sure civilians fleeing fighting in Sudan’s Blue Nile State have enough food to survive. These refugees have fled to the Upper Nile State in South Sudan to escape the violence and find aid.

Chris Nikoi, the WFP director in South Sudan, says “WFP is pulling out all the stops to keep providing desperately needed food to refugees in Upper Nile State. People in camps have told me how they arrived weak and hungry after weeks of trekking and foraging in the forest before crossing the border. Our food assistance has been a lifeline to more than 100,000 refugees in Maban County, but continuing that lifesaving support will require some extraordinary measures given the size of the refugee influx into an area with limited infrastructure.”

WFP also plans to air drop 3,000 metric tons of food to the Yida refugee camps in Upper Nile State. The number of refugees there is fast increasing. Malnutrition rates, particularly among children, are alarming according to WFP and other aid groups.

If children do not receive enough nutritional support they will suffer lasting physical and mental damage.

The air lifts of food become necessary because of the poor roads in South Sudan, many of which become impassable when rain hits. Food that was pre-positioned in crisis areas by WFP was not enough because of the fast increasing numbers of refugees.

Challiss McDonough of WFP says “we do hope that the donors will recognize the importance and urgency of this situation.” WFP needs funds to provide the airlifts and also to maintain a steady flow of food supplies. The longer the conflict continues between South Sudan and Sudan the more food aid will be needed to save lives.

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July 16, 2012 · 10:59 pm

Budget Cuts by Congress Would Impact Hungry South Sudan

One year after gaining independence South Sudan is still searching for peace. Conflict and hunger threaten to ruin the young nation.(Sara A. Fajardo/CRS)

South Sudan is facing a humanitarian emergency, with nearly five million people suffering from hunger. South Sudan’s conflict with neighboring Sudan is escalating the hunger crisis. Civilians fleeing the fighting are walking for days without food until they can reach aid stations.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) says, “In the past weeks, the refugee population in South Sudan’s northern Border States has rapidly increased to more than 160,000 individuals. More than 32,000 Sudanese refugees arrived in Upper Nile state alone, increasing the refugee population in Maban County to over 105,000 individuals.”

WFP, the world’s largest hunger fighting agency, is racing to provide aid. One its key partners is the US Food for Peace program, the largest single source of funding for WFP. Congress, though, is planning to reduce funding for Food for Peace and other global hunger fighting programs.

The House Appropriations Committee just approved a bill that would cut the Food for Peace program by 22 percent, down to the level of $1.15 billion for the coming fiscal year. Who will this hurt? South Sudan as well as other nations that need food assistance.

Kathleen Kahlau of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) said last week that proposed cuts to Food for Peace are a severe threat. In a CRS webcast on South Sudan Kahlua said that “we are very concerned about the cuts to international food aid as proposed by the Congress. Please help us keep these drastic cuts from happening.”

CRS has written a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stating, “Please ensure that the Administration is engaged in every way possible with the governments of Sudan and South Sudan and with important partner countries and regional bodies to prevent a return to war, to end attacks on civilians, and to protect the basic rights of the Sudanese people, including the freedom of movement and access to humanitarian aid.”

Diplomatic efforts at demilitarizing the border and resolving the dispute over oil revenues need to be reinforced with food for the hungry.

South Sudan’s troubles go far beyond its border areas. The country is facing low food production resulting from drought. Internal conflict between rival tribes has caused large-scale displacement and hunger.

WFP warns the crisis may get much worse, “with thousands more refugees expected to arrive in the coming weeks before the rains make the trek across the border impossible.” The agency is currently short $86 million in funding to fight hunger in South Sudan.

See also An Independent Nation’s Parallel Path to Lasting Peace.

Article first published as Budget Cuts by Congress Would Impact Hungry South Sudan on Blogcritics.

 

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July 11, 2012 · 3:20 am

Unrest and Funding Shortages Threaten Yemen School Feeding

Funding shortages and lack of security have limited the ability of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to provide school feeding for Yemeni children. The school feeding is part of WFP’s response to the hunger crisis in Yemen where nearly half of the population is “food insecure.”

WFP depends entirely on voluntary donations from the international community. As WFP notes, its school feeding project for Yemeni schoolgirls, “has been under-funded for much of its implementation period.”

Civil unrest in Yemen has made it much more difficult for aid to be delivered in parts of the country. A WFP report says, the “school feeding activity will therefore be suspended in Sa’adah, Al Jawf, Mareb, Abyan (currently inaccessible under UN security regulations) and parts of Amran governorates. Should the situation and hence access improve, WFP will look to reinstate the programme in these currently suspended areas.”

In 2011, the WFP school feeding “project reached only 59,000 school girls during May 2011 compared to the planned figure of 114,639 participants during the three distributions in the school year (September to June).”

This year the project has been reduced to 53,000 students. A distribution of school feeding rations, with 2 months supply of food, took place in February but none has occurred since. WFP says the next school feeding distribution is scheduled for September or October.

WFP school feeding in Yemen provides take-home rations to schoolgirls. This also means food for the family of the student. For instance, this year’s distribution to 53,000 schoolgirls meant about 371,000 Yemenis received a food supply.

If the school feeding project were able to return to the level of 114,639 students, then the food rations would be reaching nearly one million Yemenis total.

School feeding is also a way to increase the enrollment of girls. If parents know food is provided, they are more likely to send their children to school.

It’s the kind of program that you would want to see established throughout the whole country. More funding though is needed from the international community. The US McGovern-Dole school feeding program would be a potential source of funding provided the Congress shows more support for this global initiative. McGovern-Dole has not received the funding levels advocates have called for in recent years.

WFP also runs a school feeding project as part of its aid to Somali refugees who have fled to Yemen. This program too is facing funding shortages.

All the people of Yemen have to choose peace and progress over the violence and instability that currently exists. This will allow Food for Education and other projects to go forward at full strength to defeat the crushing poverty that exists in the poorest country in the Middle East.

Article first published as Unrest and Funding Shortages Threaten Yemen School Feeding on Blogcritics.

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July 7, 2012 · 5:00 am

Olympic Torchbearer: Games Can Highlight Global Hunger Crisis

Vadsana Sinthavong carrying the Olympic Torch (WFP/Caroline Hurford)

The Olympic Torch Relay is underway in the United Kingdom leading up to the opening ceremonies of the Games in London. One of the Olympic torchbearers is Vadsana Sinthavong, who represents the largest hunger fighting organization, the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

Nearly one billion people worldwide suffer from hunger and malnutrition and WFP is active in over 70 countries. Vadsana works with the school meals program that fights child hunger in her home country of Laos.

Vadsana recently took a few moments to talk about her experience being part of this Torch Relay. She also talks about her mission trying to end global hunger and how she thinks the Olympics can play a role.

Tell us your reaction when you found out you were going to be the WFP representative at the Olympic Torch Relay?

I was in Vietnam, on vacation, and didn’t have access to the internet. All my colleagues started calling me — eventually they reached me to tell me the news. I thought it was so amazing. I couldn’t believe it — I was thrilled, just so happy. It’s a great honour for my family and for my country, too. I was very proud I would be able to represent WFP and our work with people watching from all over the world..

Are you experienced in running and relay races?

Not really. I never ran a relay before, and our sport lessons in school didn’t really include running. But when I was younger I walked a lot – to school, of course, but also many other trips were made on foot. One time when I was 11, I walked 40km in one day to bring a buffalo that was a present for my older brother on his wedding day. There were very few trucks at the time and our family could not afford one, so I had to walk.

But even though I didn’t run much before, I started preparing myself when I heard of my selection to carry the Olympic Flame. Even when I went to remote villages to do trainings and assessments for our school meals programme, I always found some time to train a little.

How important do you think school feeding is for any country to have a strong Olympic Team?

Well, first of all, with the daily nutritious snack we provide, children have more energy and they can concentrate better in school, and be more active during breaks. They have more opportunity to build their brains and bodies, and to become good sports people, or do anything else they want to achieve in life.

But I think the real impact is much more long term. In Laos, for example, every second child in rural areas is chronically malnourished. These children don’t grow up as tall or strong as they could be, and of course that also impacts their ability to be competitive in sports.

Studies have shown that educated children grow into men and women who produce and earn more, and who are less likely to have malnourished children. So school meals help prevent chronic malnutrition in future generations, and those kids will have a better chance to participate and succeed in the Olympics than their parents and grandparents did.

(Note: There is an interesting correlation between stunting rates in a country and Olympic performance; if broken down to per head of population, nations with high stunting rates are significantly underrepresented in regards to medal scores and team sizes at Olympic Games. You can find more information about this here: Banerjee, Abhijit and Esther Duflo (2011): Poor Economics. A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty. Chapter 2)

What role do you think yourself and the London Olympics can play in furthering the cause of ending child hunger?

The Olympics are one of those events that focus the attention of the world on one place. Even the Torch Relay leading up to the Games really engages people, both locally and from all over the world.

When I ran my portion of the relay early in the morning on a Sunday, but still so many people came to watch and cheer me on.

So the Olympics are a great opportunity to highlight the problem of child hunger and show how WFP fights hunger all over the world. I was so proud to be the one who represents WFP’s work in front of the eyes of the world.

Here in Laos, the main focus of my work is to cooperate closely with the Ministry of Education to assist them in building their own National School Meals Programme. The Lao Government recognizes the value of school meals in bringing children to school and keeping them in class longer, and they plan to ultimately provide school meals to every student in the country. I am very happy to be part of WFP’s effort to help Laos achieve this goal.

How far was your part of the torch relay? 

I ran quarter of a mile, or 300 meters, but it felt much shorter. This was such a special moment for me! I felt proud and happy to represent WFP, and was overwhelmed with the support from the people along the road who had come to see the Olympic Flame travel through Birmingham, even though it was so early in the morning on a Sunday. I could have run a lot farther – the moment was over much too soon.

What were some of the landmarks along your route? 

I started in front of Bullring Shopping Centre, and on my stretch of the relay I noticed a lot of Indian restaurants and shops. I was surprised, I didn’t know the UK is such a diverse country!

For more information about the World Food Programme visit their home page.

Article first published as Olympic Torchbearer: Games Can Highlight Global Hunger Crisis on Blogcritics.

 

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June 26, 2012 · 3:14 am

The Challenge of Getting Food to Afghan Schoolchildren

Imagine you have been given a special assignment: to make sure every child in Afghanistan is able to receive school meals. If you are successful, you can save Afghan children from hunger and malnutrition. The meals will help children have the energy and strength to come to school and learn. In essence, you will be playing a huge role in building Afghanistan’s future.

Your mission begins. You line up funding, of course, or you won’t get anywhere. Once you have funding to purchase the food for the school feeding, can you buy it locally and help out Afghan farmers and food producers? Maybe you can, maybe not. You might need to mix local production with some imported food.

Then there is the transportation of the food. This is a decent challenge no matter where you are in the world. In Afghanistan though it is especially difficult as the road system is not well-developed. Weather can wreak havoc in parts of Afghanistan. There is also the issue of security for your food transport in a country plagued by conflict and unrest.


Stuck In The Mud in Afghanistan: Drivers have to dig trucks out of the mud or shovel dry dirt onto the roads in order to get vehicles moving again. (WFP / Hukomat Khan)

In a nutshell, these are some of the challenges facing the UN World Food Programme (WFP) as it tries to provide food for schoolchildren in Afghanistan. WFP is the largest food aid organization in the world and it is entirely voluntarily funded by governments and the public. WFP’s goal is to work with the Afghan government to provide meals for every child at school as well as take-home rations. This food also serves as an incentive for parents to send their children to school. The stronger the school feeding program, the stronger the enrollment and class performance.

Back in April WFP sent out a convoy of trucks to bring 200 tons of school meals to the remote Daykundi province of central Afghanistan. The mission had to be delayed briefly when violence flared up around the country. But WFP was determined to get the food there.


High Climbers: The unpaved roads – some at an altitude of more than 2,000 metres – become impassable in the winter months, and are left muddy and slippery in the spring. (WFP / Hukomat Khan)

Shershah Wahidi, the Senior Logistics Assistant, said, “The roads in this part of Afghanistan don’t usually reopen until late May. But we had to send food to these villages early this year because this region remains without food during winter. We wanted to make sure that supplies for the schools were in place in good time to convince students to start attending classes as early as possible.”


On The Edge: Many of the drivers working for WFP in Afghanistan have been driving these routes for more than 20 years. (WFP / Hukomat Khan)

A week-long trek, through rain, mud, and sometimes snow, followed. It was Afghanistan’s version of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, but WFP made the deliveries of high-energy biscuits and vegetable oil to the school feeding program.

Another convoy in June was not as fortunate. WFP reports: “On 4 June, a WFP convoy carrying food – 15 light trucks clearly marked with WFP logos – was attacked by anti-government elements in Parwan province. Although the drivers escaped unharmed, three trucks were burned, with their cargo of High Energy Biscuits lost.”

Funding for Afghan hunger relief continues to be an issue as WFP has “received less than one fifth of its 2012 funding needs so far” for its country operation. This includes the school feeding program as well as nutrition and food for work programs.

This shortage of food aid funding becomes a critical topic for debate as the US plans to reduce its Food for Peace program (Title II). The US makes donations through Food for Peace to countries around the world suffering from hunger. The less funding Food for Peace has, the less potential for donations to Afghanistan and other countries. The McGovern-Dole international school meals program is another US aid program whose funding is also being considered by Congress.

The World Food Program USA said last week that “recent congressional budget cuts reduce the impact of emergency funding by limiting both short- and long-term assistance programs. At a time when the need for food assistance is greater than ever, Title II programs should be fully-funded to improve the lasting success of the U.S. and recipient countries.”

It’s a daunting challenge getting food to Afghan schoolchildren. When one obstacle is cleared, another one is sure to present itself. What’s at stake is the future of every Afghan child as well as their country. If the children are fed and educated, Afghanistan can build a future of prosperity.

 

Biscuit Power: When distributed regularly to schoolchildren, high energy biscuits (HEBs) can act as an incentive for students to attend class regularly, as well as help to combat micronutrient deficiencies. WFP plans to give HEBs to nearly one million schoolchildren in Afghanistan this year. (WFP / Assadullah Azhari)


Buying Domestically: Most of the biscuits distributed by WFP in Afghanistan are imported from India, but WFP is working to build local capacity in order to buy more locally in future. (WFP/Silke Buhr)

Article first published as The Challenge of Getting Food to Afghan Schoolchildren on Blogcritics.

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