World Food Program USA Blog

What’s the big idea? Blogging against hunger

 

 Back in 2006 I received a very nice letter from Harlan Cleveland, a statesman and an academic who was Adlai Stevenson’s assistant during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was excited about entering the blogosphere, as he put it, with his numerous articles.

A prolific writer, Cleveland authored a piece titled “What’s the Big Idea,” talking about some of the great achievements he had been a part of or witnessed during his lengthy career in government. He mentioned the GI education bill, the Marshall Plan, NATO, civil rights and many others. His article called for big ideas for today's world.

 

What can be a big idea today? How about ending global hunger? The tools exist for it, just the will is needed. In fact, there is one tool almost everyone has at their fingertips. A computer.

 

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An update on school feeding in Iraq and Afghanistan

Last year I interviewed Lara Evans of World Vision about their school feeding program in Afghanistan. This was an initiative funded by the McGovern-Dole Food for Education program to provide school meals in the provinces of Badghis and Ghor.   

Evans just provided the latest update.  She writes, "We are still implementing the program. It continues to be very successful in getting students, particularly girls, to attend school."

 

In addition to supporting school meals, the program supports literacy courses for women. Evans adds, "The adult female literacy classes have really taken off, with about 3,500 women now." 

World Vision hopes to expand the curriculum of its McGovern-Dole Afghanistan program to address life skills in the near future. Also, The United States Department of Agriculture announced last week it was including Afghanistan on the fast track list for Food for Education funding for 2011.

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Updates on Haiti Earthquake Recovery

Though the Haiti earthquake struck several months ago, the enduring effects of the disaster have kept Haiti in the headlines. Here's an update on earthquake recovery efforts.

Hunger in Haiti: 3 Achievements, 3 Challenges - The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) takes a look back at some of its recent accomplishments in Haiti - such as reaching 3.5 million people with food assistance - as well as the challenges to come, including the approaching hurricane season. Read more.

Donors Meet on Massive Haiti Aid Drive - Reuters reports that international donors met today to pledge up to $4 billion for Haiti reconstruction efforts. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the United States would pledge $1.15 billion for long-term recovery efforts to be planned and executed by the Haitian government. Read more.

Displaced Haitians Strain Resources - According to the Voice of America, earthquake survivors who have fled the damaged capital city of Port-au-Prince for rural areas are now putting a strain on the food security of their hosts. Read more.

A Plan to Spur Growth Away From Haiti's Capital - The New York Times sheds light on an interesting plan to rebuild Haiti not around the single metropolis of Port-au-Prince, but in a network of smaller urban areas less vulnerable to natural disaster. Read more.

-Alli Bailey
Communications Assistant
Friends of WFP

The double global zero campaign -Nuclear disarmament and ending world hunger

 

 The Global Zero campaign, an international effort started in 2008, seeks a phased reduction and ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide.

But let's also propose a second Global Zero campaign, one which calls for zero hungry people on this planet. The two causes, both of which can further peace and development, would be wise to help each other.

The Global Security Priorities Resolution (H.Res 278) is one way the double global zero campaign can work together. This resolution, currently in the House of Representatives, calls for taking steps toward nuclear disarmament and diverting savings toward fighting child hunger.

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Harsh Winter Conditions Lead to Hunger in Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia

While many regions of the United States are welcoming the onset of spring and its warm weather, other people around the world are still struggling with long, cold winters.

In Kyrgyzstan, a heavy spring snowfall last year destroyed Talant Bakashov's chances of supporting his family with homegrown crops. In years past, Talant had worked in nearby Kazakhstan, sending about $1,500 home to his wife and three children each year. However, the global financial crisis in 2008 made it nearly impossible for him to find work, and Talant was forced to return home, where his best option was to grow kidney beans for export to Turkey.

After snow killed most of his bean crop, a subsequent drought caused even more harm. Though Talant and his family had worked hard during the growing season, they faced an impending winter with no money and little food. Fortunately, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) was able to provide the Bakashovs with food assistance to get them through the winter. The family received about 165 pounds of wheat and 2 gallons of vegetable oil. "The WFP wheat flour and oil came right on time, so that we could afford better quality food for our children and have homemade break every day," said Aliman, Talant's wife.

Many people in Mongolia are also now suffering from a harsh winter following a severe summer drought. According to the Associated Press, Mongolia's coldest winter in three decades has left thousands of nomadic herder families without food after extreme temperatures killed many of the livestock that they depend on. The United Nations has allocated $3.7 million in emergency funding to support UN agencies as they provide food and medical assistance to those affected by the cold.

-Alli Bailey
Communications Assistant
Friends of WFP

School meals offer hope and stability for children in Haiti

 

Silke Buhr of the UN World Food Programme recently published a report on some of the first school feeding distributions in Haiti since the earthquake.

Buhr described the great excitement of children gathering in a school yard, with music playing.  This was about the only place they could gather. The kids' regular school building was inaccessible due to damage. Other buildings in their neighborhood lay in rubble.

In the safety of the school yard, the kids received a cooked meal of beans and rice. This has continued on weekdays. There are no classes for these children, but they will start once facilities can be built.

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Silent Emergency Affects Millions

Niger is facing an extremely poor harvest season with a lack of rain. This is forcing many people in Niger to fall into hunger because of the lack of food.  

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) is already providing food for 1.2 million people in Niger and this number may increase to 3 million people as a result of the poor harvest. The United Nations is assessing Niger’s needs in cooperation with government authorities, and the crisis could peak in June, affecting up to 7 million people. Unfortunately this is not new for the people of Niger, as it is largely a desert country. In 2005, 3.2 million people faced famine because of a major drought that happened after major crops were destroyed by locusts. We can only hope that with the help of WFP, this won’t happen again.   

This is one of many silent emergencies that affect millions around the world. These emergencies are not in the headlines, which is why there is a need to support WFP and its greatest need efforts. Please help support WFP’s efforts around the world, especially to help the people in all those silent emergencies that don’t make it into the headlines. 

Read more about the drought in Niger.

-Brian J. Ward
Outreach Associate
Friends of WFP

Snow leopard, Yeti bring a little fun and hope in Haiti

Just days after the earthquake struck in Haiti, Blogcritics writer Kate Kennon forwarded me an e-mail from Dr. Pilar Martin. This was an urgent message about the Rose Orphanage in Port-au-Prince needing aid.

I forwarded this message to my contacts at the World Food Programme (WFP) and they took action quickly. David Orr of WFP reported to me that Rose was included in a series of deliveries targeting orphanages.

Dr. Martin, of Florida International University, visited the Rose Orphanage last week. She brought a special delivery for the children there, a stuffed animal snow leopard! The leopard arrived from Amazon.com just in time, before Dr. Martin left for Haiti. In addition, she gave the children copies of the coloring book, "The Snow Leopard, the Yeti and the Girl who Climbed Mount Everest."

The coloring book was illustrated by Angie Espelage, who is an art graduate from the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati. The coloring book, the snow leopard and the inspirational story of Nimdoma Sherpa hopefully can offer a little fun and some hope for children in Haiti. Anyone can download a free copy of the book. ....

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Ella Brown of WFP talks about keeping Haiti and global hunger in the news

 

Ella Brown started an internship at the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) office in Washington DC during January. Almost as as soon as her new job got started the massive earthquake struck in Haiti.

The most complex operation WFP has ever undertaken started to deliver life-saving food to millions of Haitians. Recently, Ella took time to answer some questions about her work as an intern at WFP. She talks about Haiti, the importance of media coverage of global hunger issues, and how you can get involved.

Your internship started at the time of the tragedy in Haiti. Tells us about when you first heard the news of the earthquake? What were some of the tasks you had to undertake, as a new member of WFP, once the earthquake struck. 

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Humanitarian aid critical for peace process in Yemen

Last year, the fighting between the government and rebels in northern Yemen escalated.  Many Yemenis fled the conflict zones, with some living now in camps. Other civilians were trapped by the fighting.

The February ceasefire is allowing aid agencies more accessibility to civilians. A UN office is being reopened in Sa'ada city, which is the capital of the northern province of Sa'ada.  

Aboudou K. Adjibadé, acting United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, says, “There is an urgent need for humanitarian relief in Sa’ada. Our paramount concern at this time is securing unhindered and immediate access to the affected people."

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