For the World Food Programme, 2023 will go down as a year of unprecedented ration cuts amid chronic and historic funding shortfalls and rising needs. Globally, 68 percent of the total humanitarian financial requirement remains unmet.
As we enter 2024, more than 333 million people in 78 of the countries in which WFP operates face acute hunger: they do not know where their next meal is coming from.
On wfp.org, we report on the challenges facing people in countries such as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti. Through our storytelling and interviews, we also seek to show how, alongside our work in emergencies, our resilience-building activities empower people to create food security over the long term; saving lives and changing lives. Below are a few stories you may have missed…
January: Peru’s pots of gold
In Peru’s most populous district, a look at the kitchens that form part of the ollas comunes (community pots) project that the World Food Programme (WFP) started during the pandemic. Read story here.
February: Ukraine war one year on
Looking back on 12 months of humanitarian operations, WFP’s country director for Ukraine shares key concerns, achievements – with an urgent appeal to world leaders. Read story here
March: African day of school feeding
Locally sourced, WFP-supported home-grown school meals take centre stage at this annual African Union event.
April: Türkiye-Syria quakes two months on
Two months after the devastating earthquakes along the Türkiye-Syria border, women speak of how they are coping in the wake of the disasters and tragedy. Read story here.
May: Sudan in throes of conflict
Tens of thousands of people flee Sudan after conflict was set off on 15 April. In neighbouring countries, WFP reaches new arrivals with food assistance, but upcoming rains and shrinking funds threaten the response. Read more here
Cambodia: A canal brings hope (and fish)
How a project funded by Japan and facilitated by the WFP is changing lives in a community hit by erratic weather linked to climate extremes. Read story here
June: 300 orphans rescued
The rescue of 300 orphans offers a rare bright spot amid mounting unrest and hunger in Sudan. Read story here
July: Rethinking food systems in East Africa
As nations meet for a key ‘stocktaking’ summit in Rome, WFP’s Sibi Lawson-Marriott highlights the importance of holistic thinking and collective action in solving hunger. Read story here
August: Breastfeeding week
How the Swedish-funded NutriCash project, implemented by UNICEF and the World Food Programme, is changing the lives of refugee women in Uganda. Read story here
September: World Peace Day
WFP’s country directors for DRC, Haiti and Ukraine on what the world would like were the guns to fall silent. Read story here.
October: Growing against the odds in Bangladesh
To mark World Food Day, we looked at how WFP is arming Bangladesh’s poorest communities to confront the devastating impacts of climate change. Read story here.
November: Gaza Diary
Three weeks into the war, a WFP employee describes the horror, the personal grief of losing at least seven family members as well as some friends, her dreams for a better future, and why her work must go on in the face of it all. Read story here.
December: Zambia takes on climate change
Celebrity chef and WFP Goodwill Ambassador Andrew Zimmern sees how students and women farmers are delivering change in Southern Africa. Read story here.
