World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

YANGON – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has expanded distributions of emergency food supplies to thousands of people displaced by inter-communal violence in Myanmar’s Northern Rakhine State. In a remote region, short of basic infrastructure, WFP moved early to reach those affected and will scale up operations further in the coming days.

"The World Food Programme has decided to send in two relief flights as planned tomorrow, while discussions continue with the Government of Myanmar on the distribution of the food that was flown in today, and not released to WFP," says Nancy E. Roman, Director of Public Policy and Communications.

Humanitarian food assistance activities of the United Nations World Food Programme will expand in Myanmar during 2008, building on work undertaken during 2007.

The last WFP aid flight has taken off from Thailand’s Don Mueang International Airport which has been a vital staging post for the airlift of humanitarian supplies to areas affected by the impact of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar.

Twelve weeks after Cyclone Nargis devastated the Ayeyarwady Delta region of Myanmar, hundreds of thousands of families still have a lengthy storm to weather, WFP said.

The World Food Programme today sent four aircraft loaded with critically needed food aid and other relief items for thousands of people struck by Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar.

The award-winning Internet word game FreeRice has revealed a surprising staying power as a web phenomenon and six months after its birth has now generated 21 billion grains of rice for the world’s hungry.

A critical shortage of funds for a helicopter operation providing essential logistical support to nearly 50 aid agencies is threatening the entire relief effort for 2.4 million survivors of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar.

WFP has begun distributing food in cyclone-damaged areas of Yangon as it ramped up efforts to respond to the looming humanitarian needs in the southern coastal regions of Myanmar hardest hit by the powerful Cyclone Nargis three days ago.