OncologyGlobal Walk To End World Hunger
This Sunday, thousands of people around the globe will join the
United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and its major corporate
partners,
TNT, Unilever and DSM, in a walk to raise awareness and money to feed
hungry school children in some of the poorest countries in the world.
"Walk the World comes at a time of unprecedented challenges for the hungry
and the poor," said Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of WFP. "Children
are suffering because food prices are still high in many developing
countries, and the global financial crisis is now hitting family incomes
hard."
"End Hunger: Walk the World" - an annual event now in its seventh year -
will see people walking for hunger in 70 countries. It will begin in
Australia with a climb up the Sydney Harbour Bridge and continue through
all 24 time zones. It will be marked by pop concerts in Indonesia and
traditional Maasai dances in Kenya, and will conclude on the Pacific
island
of Samoa.
It costs WFP just 20 Euro cents to provide a nutritious meal to a child at
school. School feeding programmes also give parents an extra incentive to
keep their children in school, and help to lay a healthy foundation for a
better future for the young.
"End Hunger - Walk the World" provides a powerful demonstration of public
support for WFP"s fight against hunger, with employees from the three
supporting companies walking together with friends and family, as well as
celebrities and local dignitaries, and WFP employees. In some countries,
children who have benefited from the WFP school feeding programme will
also
walk in solidarity.
This year, there is also an online walk at wfp.org/walktheweb. People are
invited to make a donation online; each Euro or local currency equivalent
is counted as a mile walked. The objective is to go the 25,000 miles
around
the world. Donors can upload a photo to join the crowd of walkers on the
web page, and to show that they"ve taken a virtual step to end hunger.
World Food Programme