Josette Sheeran talks on the winning of da Silva as the new UNFAO Director General

In line with the winning of Jose Graziano da Silva of Brazil as the new Director General of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme Executive Director Josette Sheeran sends her congratulatory message to new FAO head.

"I would like to congratulate Jose Graziano da Silva on his election as the new Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Brazil has achieved so much in alleviating hunger and malnutrition through innovative programmes in recent years, and it is fitting that a Brazilian national is taking the helm of the FAO at a time of huge challenges and threats to global food security.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is working closely and collaboratively with the FAO, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to address immediate hunger needs in emergencies, and to support long-term sustainable solutions to hunger.

WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran congratulates the winners of World Food Prize

Josette Sheeran

United Nation World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Josette Sheeran gives her warm congratulatory message to President John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor of Ghana and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil on winning the highly respected World Food Prize. The said announcement was done last June 21 at Washington USA in line with the recognition of individuals fighting hunger at home and abroad. The said prize is in its 25th year and created by Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug. And for the first time the recognition was given to national leaders like Presidents Kufuor and Lula who played a very important role in combating hunger in their country.

President John Kufuor of Ghana has been a long standing supported of WFP and appointed as Ambassador Against Hunger since 2009. In his term as president of Ghana he improved food security and reduced hunger through public and private sector initiatives. He also targets the issue of malnutrition in his country which all his efforts were recognized internationally.

Check out the new look of World Food Programme's website

In order to reach out more to those who are in need of information and ways to help in fighting against hunger, United Nation World Food Programme redesigned their website to make it more user friendly and appealing to all. They launched the new look of the WFP website last June 15.

Walking against hunger with Walk the World 2011

Thank God it didn’t rain and for the cool breeze during the Walk the World 2011 of United Nation World Food Programme (WFP) with its global humanitarian partners TNT and Uniliver last May 29 at SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City. Philippines. This annual global walk that happens in more that 80 countries around the world in 24 time zones aims to elevate awareness on global hunger where children are very much involve and victims of it. Also the annual global walk will raised funds for the project of WFP in their respective areas; here in the Philippines it is in the conflict affected areas in Central Mindanao. The target beneficiaries of the funds being raised on the event is to provide children a warm nutritious meals during the school year in remote areas in Central Mindanao like in Lanao where most of the children go to school barefooted and haven’t eaten anything. With the help of all the supporters and WTW participants this campaign to fight child hunger will be possible.

 (Mr. Stephen Anderson, World Food Programme Country Director)

Join Walk the World Philippines 2011 on May 29 at SM Mall of Asia Ground

Be part of the global campaign against child hunger as United Nation World Food Programme (WFP) with its global humanitarian partners TNT, Uniliver and DSM brings Walk the World 2011 on May 29. Here in the Philippines it will happen at SM Mall of Asia Ground and aside from the usual 2K walk, there will be a running event divided in three categories (5k Run for Females, 5K Run for Males and 10K Run for a team of 10 members).

Mother's Day eCards by World Food Programme

As we celebrate Mother's Day, I would like to share a real scenario happening not only in Africa and Middle East but all so in most part of the world and it connects to all mothers. I am talking about the global concern about hunger. I most of the countries found in the continents I mentioned, there is a current situation of child hunger and when we talks about children, mothers are very much involve on it. This is where mothers come in as front liners of hunger.

World Food Programme welcomes large-scale Philippine governement rice commitment for community livelihoods in conflict-affected Mindanao

ALEOSAN, NORTH COTABATO – As part of ongoing efforts to address the early recovery needs of former internally displaced persons (IDP-Returnees) in Central Mindanao, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is expanding its partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) by committing to provide WFP with some 18,800 tons of iron-fortified rice for approximately 106,000 food-insecure families in Maguindanao, North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, and Sultan Kudarat.

“We engaged the support of WFP for the implementation of early recovery activities in line with DSWD’s continuing comprehensive programme of assistance to IDP-Returnee populations due to the agency’s proven capacity and experience in carrying out similar food-based activities”, said DSWD Secretary Corazon Soliman at a press conference in Aleosan, North Cotabato. “WFP has an on-going Food-for-Assets programme in Central Mindanao and was able to successfully replicate similar programmes for typhoon-affected families in Northern Luzon after Ondoy in 2009”, she added.

Celebrating Easter Sunday the WeFeedBack Way

Every year we commemorate the life, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ during the Lenten Season up to the Easter Sunday. This is part the religious tradition of every Roman Catholic in the world. For children and kids at heart we always look toward the fun and excitement of Easter Sunday, which everything if happy and bright as it ushers to the opening of spring in other country.

WFP provides meals in conflict-affecter areas in Lanao with support from Pizza Hut and Taco Bell

LANAO DEL NORTE, PHILIPPINES – “Karon pa jud ko nabusog, Ma’am!” (This is my first time to feel full, Ma’am!), replied Shiela Mae Gascon, a grade three student at Tugar Elementary School, to school principal Milagros Basang’s question as to why she was seemingly clutching her stomach in pain.

After the World Food Programme (WFP) had organized a nutritious hot meal at the Tugar Elementary School in Kauswagan Municipality, Basang approached nine-year old Gascon when she saw the pupil rubbing her stomach.

Pizza Hut and Taco Bell donates P4.5 M to World Food Programme

Pizza Hut, the world’s number one pizza chain, and Taco Bell have collected more than 4.5 million pesos for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to support its school feeding programme in Mindanao.

In November 2010, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell launched their fourth annual World Hunger Relief campaign in the Philippines. Over 165 restaurants in the country raised funds for WFP’s Emergency School Feeding programme, which provides nutritious meals to 80,000 elementary school children in conflict-affected areas of Central Mindanao.

The 4.5 million peso donation, which is 114 percent higher than the sum raised by the same campaign the previous year, was handed over by Pizza Hut endorser Diether Ocampo and Philippine Pizza, Inc. Chief Operating Officer Lars Peterson to WFP Country Director and Representative Stephen Anderson, in an event held at Pizza Hut SM Araneta Center.

“I am truly happy to be a part of the Pizza Hut family and to be able to do what I can to help its cause. WFP is supporting the process of bringing children back to school after years of displacement and I wish for their continued success in their fight against hunger,” said Diether Ocampo, who himself volunteered to be part of the World Hunger Relief campaign.

“The World Food Programme is very grateful to Pizza Hut and Taco Bell for their strong partnership and commitment, which has greatly helped WFP efforts to not only raise awareness about the issue of hunger, but in directly ensuring that, by having nutritious meals in schools, vulnerable children in the conflict-affected areas of Mindanao are able complete their basic education. This is one of the first steps in overcoming poverty and hunger”, said Anderson.

Through the 60-day fundraising campaign, which ended on December 31 2010, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants in the Philippines received donations from customers in different ways. Pizza Hut customers who donated P40 received a Christmas card autographed by the restaurant’s celebrity endorser Diether Ocampo. With every order of the Pizza Hut WFP Bundle Feast or the Taco Bell Nachos Bell Grande combo meal during the campaign period, customers contributed P10 to the cause. Many other generous customers filled the WFP canisters on store counters nationwide.

The World Hunger Relief campaign, launched in 2007, is the world’s largest private sector effort to address hunger. During the past three years, YUM! Brands has raised nearly $60 million for WFP and other hunger relief agencies.

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World Food Programme's KC Concepcion visits Africa

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) – Philippines’ National Ambassador Against Hunger, Kristina Cassandra “KC” Concepcion, embarked on her first field mission outside the country last week when she visited WFP operations in Uganda’s impoverished Karamoja region, as well as in the grain basket district of Kapchorwa in the east of the country.

“It was an eye-opening, even life-changing, experience,” the recording artist, dancer, actress and talk show host said on her return to Manila.
After more than two decades of conflict, peace has returned to northern Uganda. As a result, more than 80 percent of people who had been displaced by conflict have now returned to their original homes and farms. While Uganda produces enough food to feed its population, access to sufficient nutritious food remains a challenge countrywide.

“I saw a country of extremes,” KC said. “In Karamoja, I met a half-blind grandmother with six children in her care cooking wild vegetables as the family’s only meal for the day. In Kapchorwa, on the other hand, I found women whose quality of life has improved significantly since they’ve been able to sell their surplus food to WFP.”
KC’s five-day field mission allowed her to visit remote areas of Uganda where WFP is working towards lasting solutions to hunger, whilst providing assistance to the most vulnerable, hungry communities. In addition to interacting with different WFP programme beneficiaries – from women farmers to babies in therapeutic feeding centres – she was also able to see how people live.

KC visited a traditional Karimojong homestead, sat with the people and listened to their stories before heading out to meet with mothers of malnourished children at a WFP-supported hospital. In addition, she talked with people trained by WFP to make fuel efficient cooking stoves so that they can cut fewer trees and limit damage to the local environment in the search for fire wood.

In Kapchorwa, KC participated in the corn harvest, loading produce onto donkeys and stacking the food into the granary of a farmer who sells to WFP. She also visited a site where WFP is constructing a warehouse to help smallholder farmers more easily dry, clean, store and bag their maize.

Besides poverty, Karamoja is also troubled by insecurity, environmental erosion and severe natural disasters which are partly caused by climate change. As a result, the region suffers chronic food shortages and malnutrition.

WFP provides relief assistance to people that cannot meet their basic food and nutrition needs. Its main focus, though, is addressing the root causes of vulnerability by supporting programmes that strengthen and help diversify people’s livelihoods.

In Kapchorwa and other surplus-producing parts of Uganda, WFP’s Purchase for Progress (P4P) programme supports households that can meet their food and nutrition needs but require increased incomes to become fully food-secure.

WFP is committed to helping the Government of Uganda and the communities it serves to find lasting solutions to hunger, applying whatever tool is most effective in a particular situation – whether it is food assistance, livelihood support, education and sensitization, or support for local production and markets. In fact, more than 70 percent of food that WFP distributes in Uganda is bought within the country. WFP is the single largest buyer of food and the largest quality-oriented purchaser of grain in Uganda, currently spending over US$50 million a year.

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Join WFP’s campaign to help the women in Darfur in their fight against hunger

World Food Programme launched a campaign for the women in Darfur in the quest to provide their family with sufficient meal free from any form of risk. Darfur is located in Sudan since 2003 the region is considered in the state of humanitarian emergency after Sudanese government against the non-Arab indigenous population, making each family in that area vulnerable.

Each day according to the reports gathered by World Food Programme, women in Darfur search firewood under high temperature in a dry-sandy land. Sadly, tens of thousands of women and girls were attacked or raped every year while collecting wood. And almost 2 million people are killed by stove smoke.

This is the current situation in Darfur that WFP want to address, to protect the women who is known to be as the front liners of hunger from any form of violence, and also save their family from health risk caused by stove smoke. World Food Programme with the help of everyone’s support and donation can provide fuel-efficient stove for the women in Darfur to prevent them from searching firewood from risky areas and it also eliminates the emission of smokes that leads to indoor air pollution. For as low as $5 donation you are providing a lifesaving stove for a woman in Darfur and saving 2 trees every year.

Watch the video below to know more about the campaign of WFP in Darfur:




With your support here is the direct and long-term impact of what you can do for Darfur:

$5 A lifesaving stove for a woman in Darfur (and 2 trees every year)
$50 Your lifeline for 10 women (and 20 trees every year)
$100 Your lifeline for 20 women (and 40 trees every year)
$1000 Your lifeline for 200 women (and 400 trees every year)

You can send your donations via Paypal and Credit Card by visiting https://www.wfp.org/donate/darfur-HP. Be part of this global campaign to eradicate hunger and protect women from violence. Be part of World Food Programme’s campaign for the women of Darfur and visit their website http://www.wfp.org for more of information about the campaign and other activities of WFP.


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Send World Food Programme Christmas e-Cards and help fight World Hunger

In line with the Yuletide Season, World Food Programme launched their Christmas e-Card where for every purchase you will be donating the exact amount to the WFP project you will be supporting. There are four designs to choose, each e-cards represents a community that WFP is supporting.

Helping Women in Ethiopia in their fight against Hunger and Poverty – The Christmas e-Card costs $6 which proceeds will go to the livelihood program of WFP for the women of Ethiopia where it will help them to earn for their family.

More Rice – World Food Programme launched Freerice.com campaign, where every right answer 10 grains of rice will be donated to the WFP beneficiaries. The Christmas e-Card cost $5 where it is equivalent to cups of rice already.

A Warm Meal in School – 7 out of 10 students go to school hungry, where it interrupts their focus in school. The e-Card that cost $5 can ensure a cup of warm nutritious meal to 4 children and that meal will ensure their concentration in school.

Disaster Relief – We had seen how typhoons and earthquakes burdened the people in Haiti, Pakistan, Philippines and other countries. Survival is the key point of the $10 Christmas e-Card of WFP, where it will feed 9 people in times of emergency and hunger.

To avail the e-Cards, you must choose which card you will purchase, pay via credit card or paypal and customize your message. Visit http://gifts.wfp.org/ for the e-Cards

This Christmas, let’s step forward and make it more meaningful and expanding our reach on what we call gift giving. For every Christmas e-Cards that you will avail, is the help you can give to those who are in need aside from making your receiver happy. Let’s do something good today and everyday be part of crusade against hunger with World Food Programme, visit http://www.wfp.org for more information.

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Pizza Hut and Taco Bell extends assistance to UN World Food Programme

After the Christina Aguillera merchandise that Pizza Hut and Taco Bell offered last year in support for the UN World Food Programme’s effort to reach out the Filipinos in the conflict-affected areas in Mindanao. Pizza Hut and Taco Bell continue its support the WFP by offering a share to the earnings they will get from the selected food purchase in their store. Right now, WFP is supporting 76,000 elementary school students in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao through their program Emergency School Feeding programme which is mostly located in Central Mindanao

Pizza Hut will be selling signed World Food Programme’s Christmas post cards by Diether Ocampo which is their endorser; it cost P40 pesos per piece. Aside from the post card, for every order of Pizza Hut-WFP Bundle Feast, Pizza Hut restaurants will give 10 pesos to the World Hunger Relief campaign. For Taco Bell, like Pizza Hut, they will donate P10 for every order of Nachos Bellgrande Combo Meal.

Stephen Anderson, Country Director of World Food Programme encouraged everyone in taking their part in fighting hunger. "World Hunger Relief is an innovative global campaign which allows the public and private sectors to come together and address one of the most pressing issues of our time – the silent crisis of world hunger," he ended.

The World Hunger Relief campaign, first launched in 2007, is the world’s largest private sector effort on the issue of hunger. In the past three years, YUM! Brands has raised nearly US$60 million for WFP and other hunger relief agencies globally. To date, the campaign spans 110 countries and has mobilized 37,000 restaurants and over one million employees to volunteer, raise hunger awareness and funds. Multi-Grammy Award winner, pop superstar and WFP Ambassador Against Hunger Christina Aguilera is also the global spokesperson for World Hunger Relief.

For more updates and how you can take part on the projects and campaigns of World Food Programme visit http://www.WFP.org.


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UN World Food Programme condemns shooting incidents in Lanao del Sur

MANILA, Philippines – In relation to recent media reports about a shooting incident, currently under investigation, involving a World Food Programme (WFP) contracted truck that was off-loading rice and mung beans for a WFP food-for-work distribution on Friday, November 26, in Barangay Maul, Marantao, Lanao del Sur, which resulted in the death of the truck driver’s assistant, the WFP Country Office in the Philippines would like to convey the following:

WFP strongly deplores this act of wanton violence that has led to the tragic and senseless loss of life of an individual who was assisting in the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

WFP, in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), has been providing food assistance to vulnerable populations displaced by the conflict in Mindanao since 2006, with relatively minimal security incidents compared to the scale of operations. The organization currently distributes approximately 2,000 tons of food a month, or an average of 100 truck deliveries per month, mainly for livelihood programmes targeted to food-insecure populations who were displaced by the upsurge in conflict in 2008/2009 and have now largely returned to their places of origin.

Delivering food assistance in conflict-affected areas entails managing risks that are well known to WFP, given its strong operational presence in volatile and insecure areas worldwide.

In addition to adhering to the United Nations’ standards of security in the implementation of its programmes in the Philippines, WFP coordinates routinely with the DSWD, concerned local government units, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and other stakeholders in order to continuously ensure the safety and security of all staff, including contracted staff, in its areas of operation.

WFP is working with all concerned government authorities who are investigating this incident and will share more information as it becomes available. As of presstime, based on the evidence on the ground, WFP is treating this incident as an isolated case, and will do everything possible to ensure that operations in Central Mindanao will not be hampered.

WFP staff are in touch with the family of the bereaved and are extending the necessary support in their time of grief.
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World Food Programme celebrates National Leadership to end Hunger and Malnutrition

ROME –The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today marks World Food Day by celebrating the bold leadership and outstanding contributions of national governments toward lasting solutions to hunger and malnutrition.

“When we act together we have the power to bring about real change in the lives of millions of people who would otherwise struggle to feed their families,” said WFP Deputy Executive Director for Hunger Solutions, Sheila Sisulu. “Through our partnerships with governments, local authorities and small-scale farmers, WFP is helping to roll out innovative programmes that boost nutrition, and build sustainable solutions to hunger.”

Just last month, the government of Cape Verde took over full ownership of the national school meals programme after more than three decades of cooperation with WFP. The transition is a glowing example of a country-led solution to hunger, and maintains a programme that helps children to develop healthy minds and bodies while investing in the future of Cape Verde and its people.

“Leaders are seizing the opportunity to align effective policies, programmes and resources behind national and regional priorities,” Sisulu added, highlighting the impact of comprehensive national strategies designed to boost farm production, improve nutrition, strengthen social protection systems and ensure that children have access to the right food at the right time.

With unparalleled deep field presence in more than 70 countries around the world and more than four decades of experience meeting the food and nutritional needs of women, children and families, WFP is proud to work closely with national governments, foundations, private sector businesses, NGOs and others to inform the development of country-led food security plans and support their successful execution.

In many of the regions where WFP works, countries are leading the way in developing food and nutrition safety nets. WFP plays a vital supporting role by providing the expertise, resources to design, scale up and connect these sustainable and innovative programmes and transform a bold vision for lasting food security into a concrete reality for many in need.

“We believe that, working together with the communities we serve as well as with our government and NGO partners, the fight against hunger is a winnable one”, said WFP Philippines Country Director and Representative Stephen Anderson.

An innovative combination of political will, resources and convergence of efforts and application of appropriate technology is crucial for the Philippines.

“We need a ‘business unusual’ approach in the country –that is, boosting our support to the government’s expanding safety net activities while also implementing programmes aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity and nutrition at the household level and promotion of decent employment opportunities to ensure sustainable access to food,” Anderson added.

The theme of this year’s World Food Day - “United Against Hunger” – was chosen to recognise efforts made in the fight against hunger at national, regional and international levels. WFP’s contribution to country-led food security plans builds on this theme through the deployment of an array of innovative tools that vary from country to country. All are focused on harnessing agricultural potential to improve access to the nutritious food that is the building block of life. Examples include:

EGYPT –WFP and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) have been working with the government of Egypt on a nationwide project to fortify wheat flour – the basic ingredient in the staple food, baladi bread – and thereby protect 50 million Egyptians from anaemia and other micronutrient deficiencies. The successful implementation of the flour fortification programme resulted in the Government of Egypt's adoption of a new national programme with WFP to fortify subsidized vegetable oil with vitamins A and D, reaching over 60 million Egyptians.

GHANA – WFP’s school meals programme in Ghana now provides midday meals for 150,000 children a day, using food that is grown by Ghanaian farmers. Working with the government and purchasing school meal food locally, WFP is supporting education, increasing the income of local farmers and reducing short-term hunger and malnutrition by providing food fortified with vitamins and minerals.

GUATEMALA – WFP’s innovative Purchase for Progress (P4P) initiative utilises WFP’s purchasing power to help connect farmers to markets and enhance agricultural production. In Guatemala, this meant that 48 women from a farmers’ organisation were empowered to sell directly to WFP, rather than through a middle man, and to dry and clean their maize themselves rather than through a local mill. This enabled the women to achieve a better price for better quality produce.

BANGLADESH – WFP is working closely with the Government of Bangladesh to build community resilience to natural disasters. Climate change adaptation strategies have already resulted in 30,000 homesteads being raised above flood levels, and 1.6 million women being trained in disaster preparedness. This partnership has spanned 30 years, during which time 26,000 km of raised rural roads have been built keeping millions of people linked with markets during floods, and 17,000 km of river and coastal embankments constructed/rehabilitated, protecting agricultural land from salt water intrusion, siltation and erosion.

PHILIPPINES – WFP, through the EU-funded Food Facility, is working closely with the Government of the Philippines in implementing Food for Asset (FFA) programmes in the conflict-affected areas of Central Mindanao. Under the FFA programme, food assistance is provided through community-managed livelihood activities focused on early recovery in the internally displaced persons (IDPs) return areas. Such livelihood support activities—rehabilitation of farm-to-market roads, farmer field schools training, reconstruction of irrigation canals and the like—encourage communities to be progressively self-sufficient whilst rehabilitating important communal assets and developing relevant livelihood skills.

In the Philippines, WFP is celebrating World Food Day on Sunday, 17 October, in coordination with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) and government agencies in Lanao del Sur where the community and the local government has targeted to plant a total of two (2) million fruit trees all over the province as a sign of their unity to fight against hunger and establish food security in the region.

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Accessible and Safe Water for All on Blog Action Day 2010

According to World Health Organization, every year there are 1.4 million reported child mortality because of water related diseases like diarrhea, most this cases happens in developing countries in Asia and Africa. The main reason of those reported death is because of most of the people on this nations doesn’t have access on clean and safe water.

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The United Nations declares 2005-2015 as International Decade for Action on Water for Life, putting importance on water and how it will affect on the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goal at the same time this is our 2010 Blog Action Day to put emphasize on water as basic and important to the lives of everyone. Mentioning the UN MDG, water plays a vital role on the 4 Goals, (MDG 1) Eradication of Hunger and Poverty, (MDG 4) Reduce Child Mortality, (MDG 6) Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases and (MDG 7) Ensure Environmental Sustainability.

In our campaign to achieve the MDGs 1, 4 and 6, water plays a very important role, in Africa children and women who are basically front liners of hunger were forced to bring a water container in their back which weighs more than their weights in order to bring home safe water for their family. But because of the scourging heat of the sun and long walk, some of them end up drinking unsafe water that leads to waterborne diseases and leads to their death because even medical help can hardly reach them. Africa is one of the developing nations that are suffering of safe water scarcity. In the International Decade Action for Water for Life, Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General give emphasize on the importance of sanitation in regards to water. "Access to sanitation is deeply connected to virtually all the Millennium Development Goals, in particular those involving the environment, education, gender equality and the reduction of child mortality and poverty" he says.

In the Human Development Report 2006 of the United Nation Development Programme, in 2006 there’s only 62% of world population has access to improved sanitation which includes clean water, but the sad part is on the 2015 even we reach the half of sanitation in the MDG Target 10 there is still 1.7 billion people without access of basic sanitation. When we talk about sanitation in water as our campaign for the MDGs 4, 6 and 7, water doesn’t only thirst quencher, but it connects to human hygiene, as mention in the International Decade Action on Water for Life, they emphasized on water as basic and improved sanitation.

Connecting Water and Sanitation, we end up on one of the major reason why water became unsafe and hinders the achievement of sustainable environment. Water pollution is the product of human irresponsibility. Human throws their waste on the water and pollutes it with chemicals, in the end water like seas and rivers as basic source of food can no longer sustain our needs. Sometimes, those chemicals and garbage thrown in the sea and rivers blocks the flow of water, we Filipinos saw the wrath of Ondoy and Pepeng that kills hundreds and leaves thousands homeless.

Sometimes we missed the basics and sometimes we see it not that important because it is not popular as it not shown on headlines on media. Water is a basic human need, but most of us don’t give importance on the conservation and preservation of water. Sadly, for countries who neglect it, doesn’t see how it is precious more than gold in other countries that is facing drought and kills each other just to have water. Let Blog Action Day on Water, be an eye opener along with the campaigns of UNICEF, WWF, GreenPeace, UNDP, WFP and other NGOs that water conservation and preservation is now, not tomorrow neither next month and next year.

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UN World Food Programme Assists 250,000 Food-Insecure Persons Monthly in Conflict-Affected Central Mindanao

Contrary to some recent media reports that incorrectly quote the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) as stating that 250,000 displaced persons are “starving” in Mindanao, WFP would like to clarify the situation as follows:

WFP, in close partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and other government departments, is currently providing food assistance, through community-managed livelihood activities, on a monthly basis to 250,000 food-insecure persons in conflict-affected areas of Central Mindanao. These communities were previously displaced due to the upsurge in conflict in August 2008. Starvation is an extreme form of hunger and the prevailing situation in Mindanao, while requiring ongoing support to strengthen resilience, cannot be categorized as “starvation”. Food-insecure people are those who do not have sustainable access to food due to socio-economic reasons as well as shocks such as conflict and natural disasters.

WFP’s current programme of assistance in Central Mindanao is based on a Food Security Assessment that was carried out in January 2010, which highlighted food security constraints among internally displaced persons (IDPs) returning to their places of origin. In line with government priorities, the main focus of WFP assistance is on “early recovery” activities in the IDP return areas.

Based on the recently-released 2010 Global Hunger Index, produced by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the Philippines as a whole, ranks 34th out of 84 countries analyzed, with the 84th country having the worst hunger index. The Philippines has been classified as having a “serious” hunger index, as opposed to other countries in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa classified with “alarming” and “extremely alarming” hunger indices.

The Government of the Philippines is consolidating and expanding social safety net programmes aimed at enhancing resilience of the most vulnerable throughout the country, including in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao. WFP supports these efforts.

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UN World Food Programme Philippines introduces mobile phone-based cash disbursement via Globe G-CASH

As part of its drive to find innovative solutions to hunger worldwide the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) is partnering with Globe GCASH mobile technology platform for fast, secure and low-cost delivery of its financial assistance to Ondoy and Pepeng typhoon-affected communities in the Philippines, in metropolitan Manila and in Northern Luzon.

WFP is piloting a mobile phone-based cash disbursement service for its Cash-For-Work (CFW) programme beneficiaries. The CFW programme is a cash transfer endeavour designed to assist the rehabilitation of disaster-affected communities in Luzon.

Through CFW, WFP together with Globe and its key partners, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and NGO, Community Family Services International (CFSI), aims to bridge communities and rebuild lives by supporting community-driven rehabilitation projects. The cash is intended to enhance the purchasing power of families for essential and complementary food items that would improve the overall food security and nutritional status of disadvantaged Filipinos.

This innovative approach to early recovery and disaster rehabilitation and preparedness will use Globe GCASH electronic mobile money transfer system to enable Globe and TM subscribers in identified affected areas access to incentives provided by WFP through a simple text message.

Globe SIM cards will be distributed to beneficiaries for free in October through community awareness campaigns on how to use GCASH in order for the participants to receive their entitlements by either cashing out money at any of the 18,000 GCASH outlets nationwide or by using it directly at accredited GCASH establishments.

“We are very pleased with our partnership with Globe,” said Mr. Stephen Anderson, WFP Philippines Country Director and Representative. “Their support in providing a mobile-phone based cash disbursement service for our pilot Cash-For-Work programme is not only a first in the Philippines, but a first for WFP’s operations in Southeast Asia,” he said.

Of the 35,000 households targeted by WFP in the overall CFW pilot programme in the National Capital Region, Region IV-A and the Cordillera Administrative Region, 2,000 indigent households will be reached through Globe GCASH distribution in selected areas in Metro Manila and surrounding urban vicinities. These areas were also served by Globe through its Bangon Pinoy program which was launched last year to provide relief operations, financial assistance, network restoration and a series of community-building activities to places severely hit by calamities.

In line with DSWD’s guidelines for cash-for-work programs and enhancing the ongoing early recovery Food-for-Work programme which started in April 2010, WFP’s CFW pilot is expected to serve 175,000 flood-affected beneficiaries for the project’s four month duration until November 2010.

Through this revolutionary and efficient method of delivering humanitarian assistance via mobile technology—a strategy that makes sense in the “Texting Capital of the World”, DSWD and WFP will be ensured of a transparent and accountable means of sending money directly to the disaster-affected households and a real-time monitoring of cash disbursement.

To date, WFP has assisted over one million typhoon-affected households in Luzon through combined emergency relief and early reconstruction and rehabilitation activities.

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MDG 1: Standing Up for the 1 Billion Hungry

World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), there are 925 million people who are undernourished as of 2010-- almost a billion individuals including women and children experience chronic hunger.

WFP and FAO launch the campaign “1 Billion Hungry” to educate everyone about the present situation of those who are under extreme poverty and victims of calamities such as drought that are facing hunger. This campaign takes part on the quest of the United Nation Millennium Campaign (UNMC) to achieve MDG number 1, which is eradication of poverty and hunger. Three-fourths of the world’s population is experiencing chronic hunger, especially in Asia and the Pacific and Sub-Sahara Africa regions. The campaign involves hunger fighters, advocates, and individuals to take part with this advocacy to be part of the one billion people who will stand up for the one billion hungry and reaching out to them. A signature campaign is currently ongoing on FAO’s website (http://www.1billionhungry.org) as sign of support.; There are also donation pages at WFP’s website (http://www.wfp.org) to raise funds to support their projects that include nutrition for children and pregnant women who are front liners of hunger, school meal, calamity and agricultural support.

WFP also opened its donation page to Paypal users for easy transfer of financial support for its projects. For every five dollars donated, it would give healthy school meals for a child, or $25 dollars could provide nutritious food for a new mother and her child.




On September 20 to 22, world leaders will convene at the United Nations headquarters in New York for the UN MDG Summit. Leaders from nations that are facing chronic hunger should have concrete and comprehensive projects from their countrymen, and at the same time, establish global relationship to strengthen the support coming from developed nations. The countdown towards 2015 begins as MDG 1 challenges us on how we would fight hunger, and be part of the one billion people helping the one billion hungry. As FAO and WFP said, “One billion people live in chronic hunger and I’m mad as hell.” Let’s be aware of it, stand up, take action, and make noise to achieve MDG 1!

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