World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

A government order for tens of thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) to move out of camps on southern Mindanao island could expose them to grave danger, as sporadic fighting between government troops and Muslim separatist rebels continues, according to aid workers. [...] Stephen Anderson, World Food Programme (WFP) country director in the Philippines, told IRIN that while the overall situation seemed to have improved, with local governments helping the displaced, people still feared being caught in the crossfire. "Most of the people here are not keen to go back because they do not feel the security situation has improved," Anderson said on 16 February. "In some cases people have lost their homes, and many have lost their livelihoods. This is a big dilemma in fact, because large numbers remain displaced."

While you are reading this article, somewhere in the world, two or three children might be dying or had just died. Based on the statistic of World Food Program, 18,000 children die each day because of starvation. That is one child after every five seconds. In an effort to combat hunger, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, both operated by Philippine Pizza Inc., donated over P1 million to the WFP on Jan. 29 in a ceremony held at Gateway Mall, Araneta Center. The amount was for the benefit of young children who are pitted in the war-stricken area of Mindanao. The event was graced by Philippine Pizza Inc. chief operating officer Lars Peterson, WFP country director and representative Stephen Anderson, and Social Welfare Department Assistant Secretary Theresa Alano. [...] WFP will use the donation to implement regular school-feeding activities that provide both a daily hot meal and a take- home family ration to 71,000 pupils in 427 schools in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat and North Cotabato. “We are concentrating in Mindanao. We have always indicated that we could help the government to extend the program in a national setting. But for now, we don’t want to stretch ourselves so we could have a focus,” Anderson explained why WFP specifically indicated the people in Mindanao as the recipients of the donation.

Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Makoto Katsura today visited Filipino evacuees displaced by a chronic state of conflicts in Muslim Mindanao and pledged assistance valued at around $9 million. "On behalf of the government and people of Japan, I would like to express our deepest sympathy to the families who were displaced by the armed conflict here," Katsura told evacuees at a simple ceremony. [...] The Japanese Embassy in Manila announced that Japan will provide 860 million yen (about $9.7 million) in emergency food aid through the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to the displaced Filipinos in Mindanao. The aid in the form of 7,500 metric tons of rice is part of Japan's peace-building efforts in Mindanao, the embassy said.

Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Makoto Katsura today visited Filipino evacuees displaced by a chronic state of conflicts in Muslim Mindanao and pledged assistance valued at around $9 million. [...] The Japanese Embassy in Manila announced that Japan will provide 860 million yen (about $9.7 million) in emergency food aid through the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to the displaced Filipinos in Mindanao. The aid in the form of 7,500 metric tons of rice is part of Japan's peace-building efforts in Mindanao, the embassy said.

Acting promptly, Malaysia has conveyed to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) the desire of the Philippine government to immediately resume the collapsed Mindanao peace process. Mohagher Iqbal, chairman of the MILF peace panel, acknowledged the communication from Malaysia, the negotiation’s sole facilitator and host of meetings. Malaysia, however, did not set yet a date for the talks’ revival, he said. [...] Iqbal lauded the Japanese Government for its continuing assistance to the Mindanao peace process and the region’s development. [...] Japan will provide 7,500 metric tons of rice for the Mindanao evacuees through the World Food Programme (WFP) headed in the Philippines by country representative Stephen Anderson.

Despite the absence of National Ambassador against Hunger KC Concepcion, Philippine Pizza, Inc. successfully turned over the amount of P1,299,909 to the United Nations World Food Programme last January 29 at the Mandarin Suites in Gateway Mall, Araneta Center. The amount was raised through donations made by Pizza Hut and Taco Bell customers around the country. Representing Philippine Pizza, Inc. was Chief Operating Officer Lars Peterson while WFP Country Director and Representative Stephen Anderson came to accept the donation. Cited as the biggest health dilemma facing mankind worldwide, hunger and malnutrition remain to be the United Nations top primary concern particularly to countries categorized under the so-called Third World bracket. Here in the Philippines, the UN's World Food Programme focuses its anti-hunger campaign in Mindanao.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) thanked the Japanese government Saturday for its aid to residents displaced by the ongoing conflict in Mindanao. MILF peace panel chairman and spokesman Mohagher Iqbal said the MILF now considers Japan as a "good friend of the peace process." [...] Last Wednesday, Japan formalized an emergency food aid involving $9.5 million or 7,500 metric tons of rice to IDPs in conflict-hit areas through the United Nations' World Food Program (WFP). The signing ceremony took place at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Makati City last Wednesday.

For hundreds of thousands of residents in southern Philippines, hope for an auspicious new year was dampened by an unleashing flood that destroyed houses and farms and washed away their loved ones at the start of the year of ox. Over the past weeks, as many as 35 people have been killed and over 300,000 others affected the worst flood in years in northwestern Mindanao region. [...] Baicon Macaraya of the United Nation's World Food Program (UN-WFP) based in the southern Philippines said the flood was the worst in months and the UN organization has given over 600 tons of rice for more than 12,000 families displaced by the latest flash floods. "I've seen the impact. Some of them are staying only at covered courts, which are vulnerable to other diseases. Some of them have no homes to return to," Macaraya said. "It's not of the tons of food assistance but the lives of the people you reach. At least you are assured they will not worry of what they will eat," she added. Stephen Anderson, UN-WFP country director, said in other part of Mindanao, like in Iligan City in Lanao del Norte there are still evacuees who will continue stay in the evacuation centers due to continuous heavy rains in the area.

The Japanese government on Wednesday said it will contribute P455 million to the World Food Programme in the Philippines to purchase rice for residents affected by recent hostilities in Mindanao. The food aid was announced during a signing ceremony of a grant agreement between the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the UN World Food Programme on Wednesday. The JICA Grant Agreement formalizes the support of Japan to conflicted-affected populations in Mindanao whose needs have increased following the upsurge in conflict in August 2008. WFP Country Director Stephen Anderson said the contribution is the third from Japan to the WFP in the Philippines. "The World Food Programme is extremely grateful to the government of Japan for its generosity. This donation will play a critical role in complementing longer-term initiatives in Mindanao by providing immediate and direct food assistance to conflict-affected households, thus building their stake in the peace process," he said in a statement.

Japan has extended an 860 million-yen (9.6 million-dollar) grant to help feed tens of thousands of people displaced by a Muslim separatist conflict in the southern Philippines, a UN aid agency said Wednesday. The Japan International Cooperation Agency and the World Food Programme (WFP) signed the grant agreement at the UN agency's Rome headquarters on Friday, the programme's Philippine office said in a statement. [...] The WFP and other groups say at least 100,000 civilians had been unable to return to their homes and farms in Mindanao, the homeland of a large Islamic minority, and needed long-term food rations.