World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

When roads look like this, WFP has to look at alternatives to transport much-needed food to remote villages.

The Lao tractor – called tok-tok – is sturdy and can get through deep mud and flooded roads better than heavy trucks. But sometimes even tok toks need a little help to get the rice, oil and Plumpy'Doz to communities in need. Luckily, villagers along the road are usually more than happy to help.
 

Communities that cannot be reached by road receive their WFP emergency food rations by boat.
In 2011, this river flooded and destroyed hundreds of hectares of rice paddy belonging to villages along its banks.
 

Now that communities have run out of food stocks, and with the next harvest still weeks away, the river is the only way to reach them with nutritious food to cover their needs. This operation would not be possible without the help from our donors: the European Union's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) , Australia, and Japan through the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rices Reserve.
 

A family in Ban Pakpanang, Bualapha district, receives their ration of rice, vitamin-fortified oil and Plumpy'Doz, a specialised nutritious food that helps ensure the 8-month old Sithen and his 2 year old sister Joy receive the energy and nutrients they need.