School Meals

A long dry spell in the El Chaco region of southern Bolivia has decimated maize harvests, threatening an entire culture of indigenous corn growers with destitution. As thousands sell their land and move to the cities, WFP is helping to make staying on their farms a real option.

WFP is calling young people around the world to join the fight against hunger on 12 August for International Youth Day recognizing the next generation’s potential to solve the problems of today. The 2010 edition kicks off the International Year of Youth, 12 months of projects and events empowering the world's youth.

The Afican Union’s NEPAD and WFP organized a side event on food and nutrition during the AU summit in Kampala (24-26th July). The theme was: “Africa must feed itself. No child should go to bed hungry. Reduce child stunting by 50 percent in the next five years and beyond”

Parents in the Kangemi slum near Nairobi used to spend $450 a month on the firewood used to cook their children’s school meals. Now they spend less than a quarter of that thanks to a new fuel-efficient stove that's kinder to the environment and safer to use.

Six months after the catastrophic earthquake on January 12, WFP has fed some four million people in Haiti. Now, its operation is shifting gears from emergency food relief to a long-term strategy using food assistance to fuel the recovery.

As the World Cup 2010 builds to a climax, the 1Goal campaign is using soccer fever to draw attention to the over 72 million children denied proper schooling. By providing daily meals to schools around the world, WFP is using nutrition to help meet the goal of universal education.

Myriam Parra was rescued from poverty by a turn of good fortune. Now she’s set up a school in rural Colombia where kids who aren’t as lucky can get an education. As Myriam’s first partner, WFP is making sure her students get the nutritious food they need to learn and grow.

A fundraiser by students at WP Wagner High School in Edmonton, Canada has brought in enough money to provide 1,440 children with nutritious school meals for an entire year. Their 24-hour Bike-A-Thon saw over 800 kids cycle through the night to beat hunger.

Tens of thousands of people on Sunday took to the streets in cities across the globe to “Walk The World” in show of their support for WFP and the fight against hunger. Events from Calgary to Calcutta raised enough money to provide 10,000 children with nutritious school meals.

Tens of thousands of people across the globe will join WFP and its major corporate partners, TNT, Unilever and DSM, in a walk to raise awareness and money to feed hungry school children. The event, now in its eighth year, will take place in 70 countries on Sunday.