World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

This picture is bursting with sunshine; the selection panel was especially impressed by the multiple smiling suns. Tajikistan appears in the national colours (red, white and green) down below with deliciously scented steam from a bowl of WFP soup linking the earth and the sun. The artist is Mavtunai Sirojidin.

The selection panel for the art competition was captivated by the use of imagery in this drawing. The prayer-like hands holding the WFP logo, a truck, two children eating their school meal and rainbow road form a graceful cycle of WFP icons. The artist is Abdurahmon Nuriddin.

To mark the  most important holiday in Central Asia, Navruz, or New Year, WFP invited children in the school meals programme to make drawings depicting how they see WFP. The 12 presented here, one for each month of the New Year, are among the best WFP received.

The children in this drawing are eating the typical WFP school meal: hot soup, two types of bread (fried and baked) and tea. "We are thankful for WFP," is what the legend at the top of the picture says. It was drawn by Oliya Amonova, who is in Grade 3 in the Konibodom district in northern Tajikistan.

Ruziboev Aslidin, a Grade 4 pupil in the Rasulov district of the northern Sughd region, drew an accomplished picture of a WFP truck, the geometric precision of the lines softened by a blue sky and arboreal background. The truck is a Kamaz, a sturdy, Russian-manufactured vehicle that can handle the hard roads of rural Tajikistan.

Siratulloi Salohidin decided to portray the delivery of WFP food commodities to a school in the Rasht Valley. The school's storekeeper is seated behind the table entering the quantities of food being unloaded from the truck for his records.

Takhmina Amirbekova drew this picture of a dove encircled by a tree bearing fruit and cradling a nest of eggs (both labeled "UN"), clouds, a map of the globe and a small, grey mouse. Takhmina, who lives in the most remote and barren regions of Tajikistan, has drawn a gentle, optimistic view of her eight-year-old world.

Madianai Pirqadam, 10 years old and in Grade 4, portrayed herself as one of four girls eating their school meal. Madina, of Baljuvon district in southern Tajikisan, put luscious fruits and vegetables on the table to symbolize the fresh produce (usually potatoes, carrots and onions) parents contribute to their children's school meals.

Gulov Subhon, 8 years old, drew two girls and a boy enjoying the WFP meal, although he added a few details that are not, in reality, part of the meal, like cheese, colourfully-wrapped sweets and cups and saucers for drinking tea.

This drawing shows "Buratino," the Russian name of the storybook boy known as Pinocchino in the rest of the world. Here, Buratino holds up a sign thanking WFP for making schoolchildren happy through school meals. The picture is by Sadurov Farukh, 8 years old, of Qumsangir district in Tajikistan's Rasht Valley.

This picture shows the school cook serving the soup to patiently waiting children in a school in the Rasht Valley. One is washing his hands at a hosepipe, a ritual before any meal in Tajikistan. Here, Abdurahmoni Nuriddin has added realistic detail such as the wood-burning fire and a variety of dresses worn by the girls.

In his drawing, Ruslan Nazardodzod has shown the logistics chain WFP food follows, from the ocean-going vessel to the back of the donkey in his district of Roshtqala in northern Tajikistan. Ruslan included a message in his drawing: “Hey guys, let’s think about the difficulties WFP food faces to come to us.”

An resident of Shugnan district dominates this picture with his bright red chapan and Pamir hat, his WFP ration strapped to the back of a donkey for transport to his village. In his drawing, Munalii Davlamali shows unusual artistic skill, framing the picture with a partial rendering of the truck and directing the viewer’s gaze to the two smaller figures heading toward the horizon.