I don’t know if you are familiar with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) (https://www.wfp.org/). They are the largest humanitarian organization in the world and deliver food to 100 million people in over 120 countries and territories in the world. 15.5 million children have received nutritious meals, snacks, or take-home rations which makes a great difference in their quality of life. WFP is a 4 star rated charity by Charity Navigator. They are also the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. WFP is one of the first agencies on the ground in global emergencies caused by conflict, climate shocks, pandemics and other disasters. They provide life-saving support to people at risk of going hungry, and coordinate the response of the global humanitarian community to large-scale emergencies. WFP distributes food in areas where it is scarce and in places where food is available but unaffordable, they give vulnerable people cash or vouchers to buy nutritious ingredients. These cash transfers give people more choice, protect them from financial exploitation, and support the local economy. I received a very nice postcard from the United Nations World Programme with a QR code which, when scanned, showed the impact of WFP on the people who need it the most. WFP relies entirely on voluntary contributions.
Sometimes I get discouraged because the need is so great and I am unable to help as much as I would like. Well, WFP has another way to help our less fortunate brothers and sisters. It’s their Freerice game. Freerice is an educational trivia game that feeds people around the world who would otherwise have nothing to eat. Every question you answer correctly raises 10 grains of rice for the World Food Programme (WFP) to support its work of saving and changing lives around the world. You may think that 10 grains of rice is not very much. True. 10 grains by itself cannot save a life, but if many people play, we can accumulate enough rice to feed those in need. There are quite a few subjects you can choose from, I counted over 50 subjects. No matter what your field of interest is you can find a pertinent category. I chose German and Italian in order to improve my foreign language skills.
When visiting WFP’s site I learned that the world is facing an critical food crisis. Between war, COVID, famine, climate change and water shortages, things are looking pretty bleak. According to Alex Marianelli, we are facing an unprecedented level of hunger in the world, thanks to the prior listed problems and the fact that food prices, gas prices and even the price of fertilizer has shot up. If you can donate to the WFP, fantastic. But, even if you can’t, how about carrying your phone with you and playing Freerice, whenever you find yourself in a situation where you have a few minutes to spare. It all adds up.
Thanks,
Cindy
Everyday Ways 