Hiiraan Online

Hundreds of people – many of whom can no longer afford the food available in markets – will come together with government dignitaries, UN agencies, WFP corporate partners, their employees, friends and families to walk in order to raise awareness and funds to feed children.

In Somalia, the growing humanitarian needs as a result of the ongoing conflict and displacement, rising cost of food and drought are impacting severely on the Somali population. Somalis are cutting meals, eating less nutritious food and finding it increasingly difficult to pay, for instance, for the school fees of their children. WFP Somalia offers school meals, among other food assistance activities, that provide a critical safety net to children during a period of a widening humanitarian crisis.

Much of the rest of the world will take part in “End Hunger: Walk the World”, a yearly event initiated by TNT in 2003, and joined by Unilever in 2007, on 1 June to raise funds and public awareness to feed 59 million children who attend school hungry. For as little as 25 US cents WFP can give a cup of porridge, rice or beans to a child in school – a small but highly effective investment in a healthy and productive future.

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: this year, WFP plans to feed more than 70 million people in around 80 countries.

TNT is a global mail and express delivery company serving more than 200 countries. Since 2002, TNT has bee an active partner of WFP and to date has invested over $50 million in the partnership

Unilever is one of the largest food companies in the world. From January 2007, Unilever joined forced with WFP for a three-year partnership to combat child hunger around the world.

For more information contact:

For more information contact: Gabrielle Menezes, WFP Public Information Officer: 7622 794 or mobile 0735 700 041

www.movingtheworld.org/walktheworld                           www.wfp.org/walktheworld