As world leaders prepare to gather in New York for the first summit addressing migrants and refugees, the World Food Programme has been offering ways for people to help struggling families in Syria gain access to food.
“We operate everywhere in the world providing people who are hungry with the food they need,’’ said Abeer Etefa, the spokeswoman for WFP in the Middle East, based in Cairo. “When people are desperate, they will go to any lengths to get food. Sometimes they sell their children to feed other children.’’
Etefa and WFP have been delivering cardboard boxes of food to families in Syria since August 2011, and they are reaching out to donors in the United States and around the world through e-mail to help contribute. A donation of $75 covers the cost of one box. Etefa said WFP’s family food box program is vital for those living in regions where access to food is scarce or difficult. As of this year, she said, they are serving an average of 4 million people every month in Syria alone.
The boxes include basic dry food commodities such as flour, lentils, salt, and sugar but vary based on local diets. In Libya, for example, they include couscous; in other regions, bulgur.
Etefa said the program is highly organized and calibrated to best serve the people who need it most. WFP employs a team of nutritionists to ensure that people are, ideally, getting at least 2,100 calories a day. The nutritionists also keep track of deficiencies in the local diets and adjust the box contents accordingly, sometimes adding food with more iron or protein. Etefa said they monitor food pricing in the region as well and place an emphasis on buying local goods to support the nation’s economy and keep the food as fresh as possible.
In areas that are more politically stable, Etefa said, WFP uses a voucher-based program to give people more power over their food choices.
“In general,’’ she said, “we’re moving into getting people cash and giving people the choice to say what their family needs, but that’s still on a limited scale.’’
Along with the family food box program, WFP launched a smartphone app called ShareTheMeal last November, urging users to “share’’ a meal when they go out to eat with friends or family. When the check comes, you can log in to the app and donate to feed a child for a specified amount of time. Fifty cents provides a meal for one child for a day, $3.50 for a week, and $15 for a month. Etefa said it’s about more than just giving money; sharing a meal is about sharing a human connection with people around the world.
WFP is part of the United Nations system and is funded by donations. The organization works closely with the Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and other government, UN, and NGO partners. For more information or to donate, go to www.wfp.org. For information on the app, go to www.sharethemeal.org. CARLY SITRIN
Carly Sitrin can be reached at carly.sitrin@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @carlysitrin
