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Earlier this week, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund announced that Haiti has met the requirements to receive $1.2 billion in foreign debt relief. The money will reduce Haiti's debt by nearly two-thirds, a significant boost to a country where 80 percent of the population lives on less than $2 per day. Haiti's path to receiving aid has not been easy. In recent years, the country faced food riots, political crises and multiple tropical storms that killed hundreds of victims and caused over $1 billion in damages. Despite these setbacks, Haiti has implemented reforms that include improved management of government expenditures, an AIDS prevention and treatment program, government-financed school tuition for children and a plan to improve immunization rates. Alli Bailey Communications Assistant Friends of WFP
 Traditionally, the United States has delivered food to people in emergencies by shipping food from farms in the U.S. to the people in need. But a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concludes that purchasing food from farmers that live in countries and regions closer to the emergency could save both time and money. The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) already buys 78% of its food locally which means that it is able to stretch the budget farther, reaching more beneficiaries while strengthening local economies. It normally takes an average of 5 months to ship food assistance abroad and transportation can cost up to 55 cents of each dollar spent. By purchasing food locally, transportation costs are reduced and WFP and other aid organizations are able to save between 25 and 34 percent. The GAO also found that buying from regional farmers shortened the average response time by over three months – critical when drought, war and ecological disaster can lead to sudden crisis. Yet, buying locally is not always the solution. In testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Allan Jury, Director of WFP’s U.S. Relations Office, emphasized that buying and shipping food assistance grown in the United States and other donor countries will continue to be an important part of any solution. However, “flexibility in the use of U.S. funds and food provided,” Jury noted, “makes it easier for WFP to reach beneficiaries faster and cheaper.” The GAO report also documented some concerns with local and regional purchases, primarily over local price inflation and the difficulties of working with small local contractors. Jury addressed these worries, noting in his testimony that WFP only makes regional purchases when the quality is high, when results would be timelier and when the purchase would not disrupt local markets. -Martha Grant Public Policy Intern Friends of WFP
For the 1 billion people who will face hunger in 2009, food
represents more than the possibility of a full belly after a nutritious meal.
It represents an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty and provide hope for
the future.
The United
Nations World Food Program (WFP) works hard to ensure that its programs are
more than simply handouts to the hungry. Through programs like Food for Work, Food for Training, School Meals, and Purchase for Progress, WFP guarantees that the assistance
it provides will have an impact long after the food it distributes is eaten. WFP
programs provide stability in unstable regions by empowering local leaders,
farmers, and educators and giving them the opportunity to hold a stake in the
future of their families and their communities.
 WFP’s work
to establish long-term solutions to the issue of hunger by promoting
sustainable projects is particularly important in conflict areas. In camps in
Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province, where WFP provides food assistance to
2.2 million displaced people, WFP has set up community kitchens with brick stoves that people can use to cook meals for their families. Shahi Mana, a
mother of 7, is relieved to have a place where she can cook for herself after
many months of waiting in lines of 30,000 people for meals provided by the
government. She says, “I’m very happy with the food, with the WFP
rations, and now I can cook clean food for my family. Now I’ll make our food
with my own hands, and we don’t have to wait in lines. Even if I only
make a meal once a day at least we can eat peacefully and plentifully.”
By allowing
people like Shahi to provide for their families with shared meals, the brick
stoves that WFP set up provide a measure of autonomy to people who often have little control over the events in their lives. -Brooke Barron
Outreach Intern
Friends of WFP
In May, the Friends of WFP Committee of Santa Cruz teamed up with the Santa Cruz Film Festival to help present a moving film called H is for Hunger. It was pretty easy for us to get involved: we just contacted the film festival and asked if there were any films that aligned with our goals of alleviating poverty and hunger in the developing world--there were 2. In concert with the director of the film, we had a short Q and A with the audience after the film and a ton of people came over to talk to us about our work afterwards. The event was very easy to organize since the Film Festival already had a space and was willing to let us share it. It was a great way to talk with members of our community who were already really passionate about ending hunger and get some of them interested in joining or volunteering for the WFP Committee in their area. We even got some donations! H is for Hunger was an intense film that made a lot of people concerned, angry, and eager to help. It was a great venue to discuss hunger and poverty abroad and yielded great results. I would recommend teaming up with Film Festivals, Art Shows, Concerts, or other creative events as one good way to host a small event in your area. I hope this helps! ~Daniela Amodei,
Committee Coordinator,
Friends of WFP, Santa Cruz
Whenever I speak with our supporters, I always ask them one question: How did you learn about Friends of WFP? Now is my chance to ask you!
Please let us know how you found out about our organization by participating in our TwtPoll! If you answer “other,” feel free to comment on this entry about how you found us!
-Jessica Lennon
Web Associate
Friends of WFP
 The WFP Committee Program has been extremely successful since its inception in January 2008. The WFP Committee Program mobilizes volunteers around the country to build public support for the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and other hunger relief efforts. WFP Committees are led by 3-8 leaders within the community who complete a two-month orientation and look to help end global hunger through fundraising, educational and advocacy activities. WFP Committees are managed by a state coordinator. Currently there are 30 committees in 15 states, which are led by hundreds of volunteer leaders. We intend on heading west to five new states (including one eastern state).
· Arizona
· Colorado
· Iowa
· Massachusetts
· Washington
We are looking to recruit State Coordinators and WFP Committee Leaders to help build the movement to end global hunger in these states. We would like these recruits to go through our two-month comprehensive orientation in September/October. We are hosting open conference calls from late July to late August to help you learn more about the WFP Committee Program.
If you live in one of these states and are interested in one of these opportunities please contact the Friends of WFP outreach team at outreach@friendsofwfp.org or call (202) 530-1694.
-Brian J. Ward
Outreach Associate
Friends of WFP
 There are more hungry people now than ever before. More than one billion people worldwide are suffering from chronic hunger, which is a record high. This means that more than 1 in 6 people are hungry today.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently released new estimates on the number of people who may not get enough to eat in the coming year. It is expected that more than 1.02 billion people will experience hunger in 2009, compared to 963 million in 2008. This represents a projected growth of about 11 percent more hungry people.
The increase, FAO says, is due to the combination of the global economic crisis and high food prices. The global food crisis hit its high point in 2008, leading to social unrest in countries where people could no longer afford to feed their families. Although food prices have dropped since then, in many countries, food continues to be more expensive than it used to be. As a result, the number of those facing chronic hunger and poverty continues to rise.
In response to this latest development, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has launched an online campaign, “A Billion for a Billion.” The idea is simple: how can the online billion help the hungry billion? “A Billion for a Billion” gives a voice to all those who cannot advocate for themselves.
Please ask your friends to participate in “A Billion for a Billion” so that collectively we can raise awareness about the growing problem of hunger.
Visit WFP’s “A Billion for a Billion” campaign web site to learn about ways to help.
-Jessica Alatorre
Outreach Associate
Friends of WFP
 Just a few days ago, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced that the number of the world's hungry reached one billion -- an all-time, unprecedented high. The United States must act immediately to ensure that this number does not increase while looking to the future for a permanent hunger solution. Representatives Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) and Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) have already set forth a blueprint for the U.S. government to take action. They introduced the Roadmap to End Global Hunger and Promote Food Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 2817). This legislation calls for the following: the creation of a White House office on global hunger and appointment of a hunger coordinator, the rebirth of the Congressional Select Committee on Hunger and the development and implementation of a comprehensive plan to alleviate world hunger. The Roadmap to End Global Hunger initiative is being led by a broad-based coalition, including Catholic Relief Services. Bruce White, a food aid expert from Catholic Relief Services, was recently interviewed by author Bill Lambers about the importance of the Roadmap to End Global Hunger and what Americans can do to help. Maria Reppas
Media Relations Manager
Friends of WFP
 The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) aims to feed 105 million people this year in 74 countries -- from Nicaragua to Namibia to Nepal. While WFP programs always provide critical relief for each of the populations they serve, food assistance took on special significance for the 2.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS who received WFP food assistance last year.
For the millions of people worldwide who are struggling with not only hunger but also HIV/AIDS, adequate nutrition becomes all the more crucial in their fight for survival. Many HIV/AIDS patients who are fortunate enough to receive anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) do not have reliable access to food. When the powerful ARVs are taken on an empty stomach, the side effects can be severe, often discouraging patients from continuing their treatment. Additionally, ARVs lose their effectiveness when they are not paired with a nutritious diet. It can be easy to forget how far-reaching the implications of hunger can be, but for the people living with HIV/AIDS, the result of inadequate nutrition can be far greater than going to bed hungry.
This concept is the basis for WFP’s action in 19 of the 25 countries that experience the highest rates of HIV/AIDS. WFP works to ensure that the invaluable ARVs do not lose their effectiveness due to something as basic as a patients’ empty stomach. Just ask Vusie Maphalala of Swaziland, who lost his wife due to the compounding effect that undernourishment had on her illness. Explaining how difficult it was to take his own medication when food was scarce, Maphalala describes people he knew who were “too hungry to continue their treatment.” Now he is proud to say that, thanks to the monthly rations of WFP food he receives along with his ARVs, “I don’t miss a single dose any more.” Learn more about how WFP provides support to people with HIV/AIDS. -Brooke Barron
Outreach Intern
Friends of WFP
 The next hurricane season that could affect Haiti is not until July, but the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and the Haitian people are working together to help decrease the potential damage of this year’s hurricane season. To do this, WFP has teamed up with the International Labor Organization (ILO) to help stabilize the hillside.
Last year the streets of Gonaives were covered in mud after hurricane season. In an effort to avoid this same situation, Haitians themselves are building the infrastructure to support possible storms. In Gonaives, 260 Haitians are digging ditches, 300 are building barrages and 212 have helped to upgrade drainage systems on hillsides above Gonaives.
Those who work in this program receive $2 a day and 110 pounds of WFP rice for every 25 days they work; this is enough to feed a family of five. This program is considered “disaster mitigation,” rather than disaster prevention. The hope is to reduce the damage from storms as much as possible.
-Brian J. Ward
Outreach Associate
Friends of WFP
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