A chronology of starvation


The current food crisis in Niger was predicted after poor harvests last year, so how could the situation become so serious? Follow the course of events with this timeline.

Food crises and aid: how we tackle hunger


As a severe food crisis strikes Niger and hunger looms in neighbouring Mali, Burkina Faso and Mauritania, this Q&A looks at what lies behind such food shortages and how hungry people are helped.

Conflict, drought and locusts: the crisis gripping West Africa


A combination of conflict, drought and the worst locust invasion in years has left many people in West Africa struggling to cope with a severe "hungry season", and WFP desperately short of the funds it needs to feed them.

WFP and ARC partnership feeds tsunami-affected children


A partnership between WFP and the American Red Cross (ARC) provides food and opportunities for children in tsunami-ravaged countries. Stacey M. Winston of ARC in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, reports. This article was first published on the ARC web site.

"It's a sign of love" - sharing porridge at school in Ethiopia


WFP school feeding programmes encourage children in some of the most remote and rural parts of Ethiopia to pursue their education. Icelandic journalist Sigríður Víðis Jónsdóttir visited some of the participating schools, and came back with plenty to think about.

A day in the life of an aid worker


Read about how the head of WFP's field office in Malakal, South Sudan, goes about ensuring food is delivered to thousands of war-affected people who are displaced and hungry.

A painful limbo: displaced Azerbaijanis tell their stories


More than 10 years after the Azer-Armenian conflict came to an end, there are still 800,000 displaced people and refugees in Azerbaijan. Here, four of them tell their stories to WFP public information officer Mia Turner.

A school feeding success story


With help from WFP, Ryda school in Uganda provides training and accommodation for orphans and street children. Lydia Wamala spent a day among the school's students, staff - and livestock!

Back to school in Banda Aceh


As people in tsunami-ravaged Banda Aceh rebuild their lives, children are returning to school. Food from WFP encourages them to attend class and keep coming back. Barry Came reports from the field.

Southern Africa crisis: 10 million mouths to feed


Almost 10 million people will need food aid in Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe over the next 12 months, thanks to a combination of erratic weather, lack of seeds & fertilizer and the deadly impacts of HIV/AIDS and chronic poverty.

Maternal mortality alert in Afghanistan


In the rugged, remote province of Badakshan, pregnancy and childbirth are life threatening for women. The WFP is involved in a healthcare education programme that aims to combat this phenomenon. Jackie Dent reports.

Killings, rape and looting: life in DRC


The Democratic Republic of Congo is tortured by a culture of violence that spawns child soldiers, murderous militia and systematic rape. Casey Kauffman sent this e-card from amid the suffering. His account was first published in Guardian Unlimited.

Tsunami six months on: WFP shifts gear


Six months after the Indian Ocean tsunami, WFP is making the transition from relief to longer-term recovery, focusing on how food aid can help communities not just rebuild but "build back better".

The Maldives: a tiny nation shattered


On 26 December 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami crashed over the Maldives, sweeping away loved ones and livelihoods, homes and resources. Six months later, many people still have no proper housing, no income and no means of producing their own food. Nina Kolbjornsen tells one family's story.

Campaign rids Haitian children of worms


A campaign to rid 700,000 children in northern Haiti of worms is drawing to a successful close, with huge benefits for the children's nutritional status, growth and intellectual development.

Investing in children's education in Egypt


WFP's Food for Education Programme encourages primary school children in poorer parts of Upper Egypt and desert areas to dream of a better future.

Living with HIV/AIDS in Malawi


The UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa is to visit a community support network, a food distribution and a hospital in Malawi, as he takes stock of how the country is coping with the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Teaching the vulnerable in Zambia


As part of his mission to Southern Africa, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in the region visits a school in Zambia which aims to reduce illiteracy among orphaned and vulnerable children.

UN Special Envoy heads for Southern Africa


James Morris, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa, begins his fifth trip to the region as it moves into yet another year of immense humanitarian need.

Desperate voices begging to be heard


The situation in eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo remains volatile. Brutal attacks and rapes are widespread, and tens of thousands of people are displaced and living in fear. These are the stories of a few of them.

In need of God's mercy in Uganda


WFP public information assistant Lydia Wamala sent this e-card from Kalongo, a town built around a massive rock that is home to one of the largest camps for displaced people in northern Uganda.

Breaking the vicious cycle of hunger


In an article first published on FT.com, WFP's Executive Director, James Morris, proposes a radical solution to the recurrent problem of famine and malnutrition in Ethiopia - weather insurance.

Girls buck the trend in one Afghan valley


Unlike most women in Afghanistan, those in the snowy valley of Sarghailan are having trouble finding husbands as educated as they are.

Albania's poorest hope for better future


Rebeca Martinez sent this e-card after visiting one of the poorest towns in Albania to see how people are coping ahead of the phasing out of WFP food aid at the end of this year.

WFP launches humanitarian video game


WFP launches an educational video game to teach children about the logistical challenges of delivering food aid in a major humanitarian crisis.

Infernal echo of Darfur resounds in Chad


WFP public information officer Marcus Prior sent this diary from Chad, where he and a team from MTV were visiting camps for refugees from across the border in the wartorn Sudanese region of Darfur.

A difficult but hopeful homecoming


Atak Kuot Tong doesn't know how old she is, but she does know that she is back in south Sudan for the first time in 13 years. Read about her homecoming and about the problems that confront her and thousands of other returnees to the region

Food aid at the end of the world


WFP’s school feeding programme reaches children in the remotest corners of Afghanistan. WFP public information officer Maarten Roest sent this e-card after witnessing a food distribution in Potokh, at "the end of the world".

Opera star voices plight of street children


Paata Burchuladze, the internationally-renowned operatic bass, has joined forces with WFP to draw attention to the plight of street children in his native Georgia.

WFP donor visits Ethiopian projects


Matt Peek has been donating on average US$20 to WFP every month since 1991. He recently left the United States for the first time to visit WFP projects in Ethiopia, and sent this e-card describing his experiences.

Darfur faces worsening hunger


WFP public information officer Laura Melo sent this "e-card" after visiting camps for displaced people in the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan.

Living with locusts


WFP public information officer Marcus Prior has sent an e-card describing how the worst locust invasion in 15 years has devastated the harvest in Mauritania, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in urgent need of food aid.

Food crisis looms in Sudan


WFP is very concerned about a potential new food crisis in parts of Sudan, caused by the combination of a poor cereal harvest and a huge increase in basic food prices.

Sudanese still head for Kenya


A month after the agreement to end Sudan’s civil war raised hopes that thousands of Sudanese refugees would return home, hundreds are still leaving the south and heading for a refugee camp in Kenya. Find out why.

Rebuilding after the tsunami


Two months after the worst natural disaster in recent history, hundreds of thousands of people are still struggling to rebuild their shattered lives. Find out how funds raised by the Rugby Aid charity match will help WFP's efforts to kick-start the rehabilitation process across the tsunami-affected region.