WFP News Release
16 October 2011
FOOD ASSISTANCE BUILDS BRIDGE BETWEEN HUNGER AND HOPE AS MILLIONS MARK
WORLD FOOD DAY
ROME – The World Food Programme (WFP) today marks World Food Day by highlighting the vital role that food assistance plays during humanitarian crises, supporting recovery in the immediate aftermath of disasters, and building the resilience that is necessary to ensure food security.
“Across the world, we are the bridge between hunger and hope for millions of people,” said WFP Executive Director, Josette Sheeran. “WFP is providing life-saving food assistance in the midst of crises like the drought in the Horn of Africa. In countries like Libya, we are supporting communities that are striving to recover from crisis, and in places like Haiti, we continue to work with governments and civil society to build resilience so that the vulnerable are better able to cope when the next disaster strikes.”
Relief, recovery and resilience are the three defining pillars of WFP’s work in more than 70 countries around the world, where we bring the most effective and appropriate food assistance to close to 100 million people every year.
“Here in South Sudan, WFP's food assistance programs continue to save lives and ensure that the neediest members of communities are able to protect and build on the little that they have for a better future. WFP will continue to implement programs that support South Sudan in its efforts to rapidly improve food security and rural infrastructure for its citizens”, said Chris Nikoi, WFP Country Director, South Sudan.
For more information on the WFP’s work in South Sudan, visit our dedicated country page:
http://www.wfp.org/countries/south-sudan.
This year’s theme for World Food Day, “Food Prices – from Crisis to Stability”, underlines the role that food assistance can play in protecting vulnerable communities that are affected by food price volatility.
WFP is deploying an increasingly sophisticated array of innovative tools to address the needs of people who are struggling to access the nutrition they need for their families on a daily basis – including those in many developing countries who have borne the brunt of the turbulence on global food markets.
• NUTRITION – Working with governments and the private sector, WFP is building the capacity in developing countries to produce home-grown solutions to hunger, such as the highly nutritious supplementary food products for children that we are helping to produce in Pakistan, and planning to produce in Ethiopia.
• CASH OR VOUCHERS – When the biggest challenge is access to food, rather than availability, WFP is increasingly deploying innovative tools such as e-vouchers, or cash to help families who are unable to afford the food that is sold in their shops and markets.
• SUPPORTING SMALL FARMERS – Food security in developing countries can be strengthened by empowering smallholder farmers. WFP’s Purchase for Progress (P4P) initiative is a pilot programme in 21 countries that is providing farmers with the expertise to improve the quality and size of their yields, and better connect them to markets.
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WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Each year, on average, WFP feeds more than 90 million people in more than 70 countries.
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