World Food Programme

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The World Food Programme (WFP), the world's largest humanitarian agency, is the food aid branch of the United Nations. From its headquarters in Rome and more than 80 country offices around the world, WFP works to help people who are unable to produce or obtain enough food for themselves and their families.

Contents 1 Goals and strategies 2 Activities 3 Funding 4 Grassroots efforts 5 See also 6 Reference 7 External links

[edit] Goals and strategies

WFP strives to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, with the ultimate goal in mind of eliminating the need for food aid itself.

The core strategies behind WFP activities, according to its mission statement, are to provide food aid to:

1. save lives in refugee and other emergency situations;
2. improve the nutrition and quality of life of the most vulnerable people at critical times in their lives; and
3. help build assets and promote the self-reliance of poor people and communities, particularly through labour-intensive works programmes.

WFP food aid is also directed to fight micronutrient deficiencies, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, and combat disease, including HIV and AIDS. Food-for-work programmes help promote environmental and economic stability and agricultural production.

[edit] Activities

In 2005, WFP distributed 4.2 million metric tons of food to 96.7 million people in 82 countries; 35 million beneficiares were aided in emergency operations, including victims of conflict, natural disasters and economic failure in countries like Afghanistan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Pakistan and Niger. Direct expenditures reached US$2.9 billion, with the most money being spent on protracted relief and recovery operations. WFP’s largest country operation in 2005 was Sudan: in Darfur, the Programme reached 3.4 million people.

WFP focuses much of its aid on women and children, with the goal of ending child hunger. In 2005, food assistance was provided to 58 million children, 30 percent of whom were under five. School-feeding programmes in 74 countries help students focus on their studies and encourage parents to send their children, especially girls, to school.

[edit] Funding

WFP operations are funded by donations from world governments, corporations and private donors. In 2005 the Programme received $2.8 billion in contributions. All donations are completely voluntary. The organization’s administrative costs are only seven percent—one of the lowest and best among aid agencies. The program as of November 6, 2006 has been headed by Josette Sheeran Shiner, who previously had worked in the United States Department of State as Under Secretary for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs and as managing editor of the Washington Times.

[edit] Grassroots efforts

In 2004, the WFP tasked Auburn University with heading the first student-led War on Hunger effort. Auburn founded the Committee of 19 which has not only led campus and community hunger awareness events, but also developed a War on Hunger model for use on campuses across the country.

WFP has launched a global advocacy and fundraising event called Walk the World. On one single day each year, hundreds of thousands of people in every time zone all over the world walk to call for the end of child hunger. In 2005, more than 200,000 people walked in 296 locations. In 2006 there were 760,000 participants in 118 countries all over the world. This event is part of the campaign to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, specifically to halve the number of people who suffer from hunger and poverty by 2015.

In 2006, the Committee of 19 hosted a War on Hunger Summit at which representatives from 29 universities were in attendance. At this summit, the model for a student-led War on Hunger initiative was presented with strong support.

[edit] See also

• Food security
• Food Force, an educational game
• World Food Council
• Fight Hunger: Walk the World
• Asia Emergency Response Facility

[edit] Reference

• Pisik, B. "Sheeran, former Washington Time editor, will lead U.N. food program." Washington Times National Weekly Edition. November 13, 2006: 24.

[edit] External links

• World Food Programme (official site)
• FightHunger.org - WFP's global campaign to end child hunger by 2015
• Auburn University War on Hunger campaign - Student-led effort sponsored by WFP
• We Need to Escalate the War on Hunger (Cincinnati Enquirer, July 3rd, 2006)
• Afghanistan Needs Food Aid (Monterey Herald, September 14, 2006)
• Food Quality Control (WFP's Food Specifications, Processing and Loss Mitigation )
• McGovern-Dole Food for Education in Need of Funding North Adams Transcript (MA) November 20,2006