WFP | United Nations World Food Programme - Fighting Hunger Worldwide



Famine in Somalia is over, says UN (Feb 3)
The famine is over in Somalia thanks to good rains, a bumper harvest and donor aid, but the next 90 days will be critical to ensure the country does not slip back into extreme hunger, United Nations officials have said. (..) The announcement came on the release of a new report by the FAO-managed food security and nutrition analysis unit and USAID's famine early warning systems network, which said the number of people in need of emergency humanitarian assistance had dropped from 4 million to 2.34 million, or 31% of the population. (..) The new report also warned that an estimated 325,000 acutely malnourished children are still at risk, with 70% of these in southern areas.


S.Sudan oil shutdown to increase food aid dependence: UN (Feb 3)
South Sudan's decision to shut down its oil output will make many more people dependent on food aid in one of the world's most undeveloped nations, the United Nations said. (..) "The situation in the country is extremely precarious, and the risk of a dangerous decline is very real," said Valerie Amos, U.N. under-secretary for humanitarian affairs. South Sudan in 2012 will see an earlier and "longer season of hunger" than last year, she said late on Thursday after visiting Pibor town in Jonglei state which has been hit hard by tribal violence. (..) The U.N. World Food Program warns one third of its population will require food aid this year.


New Gates Foundation tourist attraction in Seattle much more than a ‘museum of philanthropy’ (Feb 2)
People are already joking it’s a good thing the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation isn’t charging admission for its new visitor center, which showcases Bill Gates’ multibillion-dollar philanthropy, not his computers. While it’s not exactly a “museum of philanthropy,” it’s also not just a public promotion of the Gates Foundation’s work. (..) “We know that there’s interest and passion for our work. We haven’t had a way to invite the public in to learn about our history, what we do and how we partner with others, and to think about what they can do,” said Martha Choe, chief administrative officer of the foundation.


Global land grab could trigger conflict, report says (Feb 2)
The global rush for land in developing countries around the world could trigger a new wave of civil unrest if governments fail to recognise the rights of those using land without formal legal titles, according to new studies.


TechnoTalk - WFP launches 'World Freerice Week' (Feb 2)
The World Food Programme, the U.N. food aid agency, which is behind the Freerice game launched in 2007, is giving it a new twist for next week, which it has dubbed World Freerice Week (Feb. 6-11). Based on the "Six Degrees of Separation" theory, which asserts that everyone in the world is connected to every other person through at most six other people, it's asking players to recruit six friends to join in the online fight against hunger. (..) "With 6 Degrees of Freerice, we’re on our way to harnessing the power of online networks to make a difference in the fight against hunger," said Nancy Roman, WFP’s communications director.


WFP To Feed 70,000 People In Flood-Hit Mozambique (Feb 2)
WFP is working to provide emergency food aid to more than 70,000 people affected by cyclones and severe flooding in Mozambique. Distributions started on Thursday in the central Zambezia province.


WFP to feed 80,000 after Mozambique floods (Feb 1)
The World Food Programme (WFP) will give emergency food to more than 80,000 people in Mozambique after twin cyclones left 32 dead in the impoverished country in January, officials said Tuesday. Mozambique's government requested help for 16,000 families in flood-hit central province Zambezia, said WFP spokeswoman Naomi Scott. "Approximately 16,000 families -- that's what we've been asked to supply for and that will be in Zambezia tomorrow," Scott told AFP. "That's over 80,000 people."


On Digital Learning Day, Think FreeRice (Feb 1)
This Wednesday, February 1, is the first ever National Digital Learning Day. (..) One online tool helps students learn and also feeds the hungry worldwide. It is called FreeRice and it's an online trivia game in which you answer questions on vocabulary, math, chemistry, foreign languages, and even art. (..) For every correct answer, 10 grains of rice, paid for by advertisers, are donated to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the largest agency fighting hunger. The donations are used in WFP operations fighting hunger and malnutrition.


School Kids Eat Haitian Rice For Lunch (Feb 1)
Two years after the earthquake, many Haitian schools are serving their children with food grown locally. Knowing they have a buyer, farmers are motivated to produce more food. Knowing they'll get good food, kids are keen to go to school - where they get the nutrition they need, plus an education. It's the virtuous circle at the heart of the strategy by the government and WFP to make Haitians more food secure.


WFP Launches World Freerice Week To Fight Hunger Through The Power Of Social Media (Feb 1)
ROME    The theory of “Six Degrees of Separation” says that every person in the world is connected to every other person in the world through, at most, six other people. Through its online hunger-fighting game Freerice.com, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is encouraging Freerice players to use these connections to bring food to the world’s most vulnerable populations.