World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

The First Lady of Honduras, Rosa de Lobo, blows the horn to signal the start of Zero Hunger Walk (Honduras's version of Walk the World) at the municipal stadium of Tegucigalpa on Sunday, 3 June 2012. As many as 35,000 people joined the walk organized by WFP, with the support of the First Lady´s Office, the Government of Honduras, the private sector and other institutions.

The theme of the walk this year is "I'm A Seed and Whenever I See Hunger I Will Sow a Smile." In the photo, the First Lady, Rosa Elena de Lobo; WFP Representative, Miguel Barreto, and other personalities lead the walk.

Honduras' National Police and the Fire Department escorted the walk and provided safety and security to the thousands of walkers along the Morazan Boulevard in Tegucigalpa.

After the walk the Municipal Stadium, more and more people along the Morazan Boulevard joined the walk. This general view gives and idea of the magnitude of this event.

"Let's Sweep Away Hunger" reads the banner held by the womand while the man carries the broom. 

"This walk is a call to the conscience of all Hondurans to join the fight against hunger," said the First Lady, Rosa Elena de Lobo.

WFP staff in Honduras also joined the walk.

Honduras participation in Walk the World today means Hondurans are concerned about hunger in the own country and in the rest of the world where today nearly a billion people suffer from hunger.

Representatives from the European Union and diplomats also joined the walk.

Sunday's walk was the eight time WFP organizes Walk the World --known locally as Cero Hambre or Zero Hunger--and it is one of the largest in the world. More than 40 private institutions sponsor the walk in Honduras.

Sunday's walk was the eight time WFP organizes Walk the World --known locally as Cero Hambre or Zero Hunger--and it is one of the largest in the world. More than 40 private institutions sponsor the walk in Honduras.

High school students also joined the walk. The purpose of this year's walk was to highlight the importance for poor communities to get involved in their own development through tree reforestation and the protection of watersheds to provide sustainability to their livelihoods.

WFP is carrying out food-for-work activities to assist these communities protect their livelihoods. The community residents send their children to schools and health centres to go to class and receive their school meals and to also take their children under two years of age to receive supplementary feeding.

The food-for-work project supported by WFP is run by the Government of Honduras. It benefits 64,000 people in 45 communities with the highest rates of food insecurity in the departments of Valle, Choluteca and La Paz.

Each year, the walk has had a message tied to the issue of undernutrition. This year's message "I'm a Seed and Wherever I See Hunger I Will Plant a Smile" aims to bring hope in the sense that undernutrition can be reduced if development conditions are present among poor families.

During live interviews preceding the start of Walk the World, WFP Representative Miguel Barreto, and Public Information Officer, Hetze Tosta, called on the population to join the festive environment, bring their families and their pets.

As the walk progressed, more and more people joined. Fortunately for participants, a bright sun accompanied them during the walk.

Walk the World or Cero Hambre is considered by the Honduran media as the best social awareness campaign due to the amount of population it mobilizes and the support it draws from the all sectors of society.

The walk that started at the National Stadium and progressed through the Morazan Boulevard ended at the recently inaugurated World Food Programme/Cero Hambre with a live concert.

Honduras' popular singer Guillermo Anderson and his band gave a live concert for participants of Walk the World at the end of the activity.