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Most of us have never experienced what it is like to truly go hungry, to live in a cycle of poverty, where a bowl of rice can mean a chance of survival. Yet, hunger and malnutrition remain the most common threats to health across the world and the statistics are overwhelming: 25,000 lives are lost every day and over 800 million people around the world do not have enough to eat more than the combined populations of the United States and all the European Union countries. Mandated by the United Nations to tackle the global problem of hunger, the World Food Programme (WFP) is the largest humanitarian agency in the world.
Every day the agency flies 20 planes, has 5,000 trucks and 40 ships delivering food aid to those most in need.
According to WFP, children and women remain the most vulnerable and at risk, particularly in the world's poorest countries, with estimates categorising over 90 per cent of the world's hungry as 'prisoners of poverty'. "Ending hunger is something that we can achieve, if we work together," said the head of WFP's Dubai Support Office, Finbarr Curran.
"It is important to consider that only 100 years ago, some Western countries suffered immense wide scale poverty, with millions suffering from hunger. So we know that the cycle of poverty and hunger can be reversed." Originally set up in 2001 as a temporary base for nearby humanitarian emergencies, WFP Dubai has since grown into one of the world's largest humanitarian fast intervention service bases, providing support and logistics to crisis situations worldwide. According to WFP, the Dubai office is the only one of its kind in the world, a highly successful prototype where technology is used for humanitarian purposes. Driving past the agency's base at Dubai Aid and Humanitarian City, the large blue warehouses are hard to miss, yet it is not food stored inside these vast buildings but telecommunication equipment. "When an emergency hits or even in a protracted humanitarian disaster, one of the things that is most affected is the ability to communicate. This is a critical factor in saving lives, as without communication tools you cannot coordinate a relief effort," said Mats Persson, head of WFP's Fast IT and Telecoms Emergency and Support Team (Fittest). Based in Dubai, the Fittest team consists of around 20 telecommunications experts, who are deployed to different emergency situations around the world to establish and install communications equipment. "Our function is basically to support people in the field, where we are sent off with our equipment for periods of upto two months. Because we are often sent to disaster areas, we do not need much other than a tent and some food," said Martin Kristensson, head of Operations. Kristensson said that members of the team are currently in Somalia, Indonesia, areas of West Africa and some other countries.
In Indonesia, they are helping the people deal with the recent earthquake. In West Africa, they are helping to upgrade the telecommunications capacity of missions there. "It is far more difficult to work in a hostile environment such as in Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan. The people are always kind and welcome us because they know that we are there to help but when there is the external threat of mines or militias, it makes our work far more difficult," he said. The work of the Dubai office supports WFP's global operations, which provides food aid to more than 90 million people, including 56 million children. "The world is currently faced with many crisis, including dire situations in Darfur, Somalia, Mauritania, where WFP has run out of food and Palestine, where the already serious situation is deteriorating and we have had to increase our food assistance," WFP Donor Relations Officer, Tarek Shayya told Gulf News. "The fact is that 300 million children go to bed hungry, which is an issue of human suffering," said Curran. "On this scale it is hard to contemplate, but more and more people are becoming active in humanitarian work. Building partnerships is the real way forward." One person who has taken up the cause of world hunger is Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. "As WFP Goodwill Ambassador, Princess Haya has been out in the field to countries like Malawi, to see the impact of a food crisis first hand," Curran said. Helping hand
Innovative approaches to food aid According to WFP, as little as 19 cents (70 fils) a day can provide a child in a poor country with a meal. With the aim of helping the poorest to break out of the cycle of hunger and poverty, WFP-run projects include innovative approaches to food aid, such as providing meals for children, to encourage them to stay in school for only $34 a year. "People are very keen to help, as was seen in the WFP Walk the World, earlier this year," said Tarek Shayya, WFP Donor Relations Officer. "We have had a wonderful response from average individuals, even with one off donations. By supporting WFP, you are supporting the people in a direct humanitarian capacity." To make a donation contact WFP's Dubai on 04-3681383, or visit www.wfp.org.
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