Say Hello to the World Food Program

Today I received an email from the World Food Program because I had signed up to the site some time ago to offer a little support, my wee drop in the ocean.

Today’s email was not to ask me to sign a petition or donate money, rather it asked me to take a few moments to reach out and offer support to real people, doing really hard work, heroic work actually.

I thought that I would just copy the email here and give others the opportunity to offer some support to these hard working people too, I am sure after reading about what they do you will want to drop them a note and say hello by clicking here.

EMAIL FROM WFP:

Bai Mankay Sankoh’s life changed within hours of his arrival in Uganda five years ago. He drove 300km from the capital to his World Food Programme duty station in the north where citizens were being terrorized by a militia group, the LRA.

He had a military escort of 12 soldiers – 6 in front, 6 in back – and wore a 20kg bullet-proof vest. He passed villages that had been ambushed and burned down. When he arrived at a camp for people forced from their homes, he quickly saw there was no food to eat, no proper shelter, and no clean water.

“That changed my life in terms of how we can help,” Bai says.

Now Bai is running a WFP office in Karamoja, a region wracked by violence, drought, and extreme poverty. Just two months ago, WFP launched a new emergency operation there, coupled with a livelihoods support programme, with the aim of breaking the cycle of hunger.

“What’s unique about WFP in Karamoja is we have staff who come from Karamoja. You can see they’re determined to change things,” Bai says. “One of my staff said: I’m lucky to have gone to school and have a job, but I see hundreds and hundreds of my brothers and sisters who aren’t so lucky. I sometimes go home and cry and ask myself how we will help these kids.”

That’s what gives them the motivation every morning to come to the office – WFP is the only lifeline for many in Karamoja.

We’re collecting messages from supporters like you to send to the Karamoja team. “It’s a tough environment,” Bai says. “A letter coming from somebody outside would be great comfort to the staff.”

Will you send a short note to the hardworking staff in Karamoja?

Let them know you appreciate the lifesaving – and demanding – work they do.  The Karamoja staff are fighting hunger on several fronts including:

Distributing emergency food aid to the most vulnerable families

Supporting pregnant women, infants, and schoolchildren before chronic hunger can do irreversible harm.

Strengthening livelihoods through projects such as the cultivation of cassava

They’re seeing some amazing results. They’ve also seen plenty of heartbreaking situations.

Keep the staff going with a message of support.  A few words go a long way.

Thank you,

Marcela

Manager, Online Community

World Food Programme