Displaying items by tag: World Food Programme

Hunger is stalking the world. In 2017 the UN vowed to eradicate it by 2030. Yet the number of people affected globally reached 828 million last year, and an unprecedented 345 million are currently experiencing acute food insecurity. Since May 2020 there has been a 55% increase in the food price index. The head of the World Food Programme said, ‘We thought it could not get any worse’ - but the Ukraine war has worsened freight and fertiliser costs due to rising fuel prices, and has blocked ports. Ukraine and Russia previously accounted for almost one-third of global wheat exports. Many middle-income countries have spent large parts of their reserves due to the pandemic. Even in wealthier countries, more parents are going hungry to feed their children. In low-income countries rising prices are deadly. Around 2.3 billion people face moderate or severe difficulty obtaining enough to eat, which could result in social unrest and political violence.

The World Food Programme delivering food in Afghanistan said, ‘The Afghan people need our support now more than ever before. 1 in 3 people are hungry and 2 million children are malnourished. With drought, pandemic, and conflict, the food security situation will continue to worsen, and hunger will rise. Despite security and logistics challenges, we deliver food and nutrition assistance to people uprooted from their homes, but we need your help to reach more.’ We can pray for an increase in donations to this mission which has been in Afghanistan for almost sixty years. See Save The Children reported that more Afghan children are going hungry than ever before. Almost 14 million children are expected to face crisis this winter. These millions of children are hungry, cut off from aid supplies, out of school, and facing the threats of violence and the approaching winter. Temperatures can drop to -16 C on some nights.