PAGTUTULUNGAN.ORG: US Government Up Support For WFP Disaster Preparedness in the Philippines

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) received a US$3.75 million (approximately PhP 160 million) grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which will be used to expand WFP’s disaster preparedness and response programme in the Philippines. 

Working in close partnership with the central government and the Office of Civil Defense, WFP and local government units in four disaster-prone provinces of Sorsogon, Benguet, Cagayan and Laguna have been rolling out a disaster preparedness and response pilot programme focused on building local emergency management capacity, disaster mitigation and protection of livelihoods. 

PAGTUTULUNGAN.ORG: Saudi Envoy Hands Over 60 Tons of Dates to WFP for Conflict-Affected Communities in ARMM

Royal Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ambassador to the Philippines Abdullah Al-Hassan (second from left) and senior representative of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Finance in Riyadh Saad Al Sunaidi (far left) formally hand over 60 tons of dates to U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) Philippines Representative and Country Director Stephen Anderson (far right), with Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of Middle East and African Affairs Executive Director Neal Imperial (second from right) acting as witness.  

The generous date donation from the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest ever to WFP Philippines.  In coordination with the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development, WFP will distribute the food to 30,000 vulnerable families in the conflict-affected provinces of Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.    

Photo Credit: WFP/Anthony Lim/Philippines

PAGTUTULUNGAN.ORG: Sandwich Heroes Will feed 40,000 Children With WFP

Last year, we were introduced to a special fund raising project, Sandwich Heroes campaign from Unilever Food Solutions, a subsidiary of Unilever. And it has raised Php 400,000 in the Philippines for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). The donation will allow WFP to feed 40,000 children under its school meals programme in conflict-affected areas of Central Mindanao, particularly in Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte.

“We are very grateful to Unilever for its longstanding partnership with WFP in the Philippines, including its latest creative efforts to help raise awareness of the issue of hunger in the country,” said WFP Philippines Representative and Country Director Stephen Anderson.


“The funds Unilever has donated will help WFP and its government counterparts, the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Education, provide hot nutritious meals for children in remote, conflict-affected areas.”      


Thirteen restaurants took part in Unilever Food Solution’s pioneering project, which involved each restaurant offering their signature or best sandwiches for the campaign. Unilever Food Solutions made a donation to WFP for each featured sandwich sold from October 2011 to January 2012.     

PAGTUTULUNGAN.ORG: Aquino Government Hails new study on the Impact of Central Mindanao Conflict and Displacement

Research commissioned by the World Bank and World Food Programme notes persistent challenges after displaced households return to their homes.

Cycles of violent conflict in Central Mindanao have resulted in the mass displacement of nearly a million people from their homes over the past 12 years. In 2003, tens of thousands were displaced by armed conflict and, more recently, thousands of families had to leave their homes yet again when fighting escalated in parts of Zamboanga Sibugay and Basilan in October 2011. Currently, several thousand people across Mindanao remain displaced, particularly in Maguindanao. 

Disrupting livelihoods are presenting major challenges to both affected families and the government, these concerns do not necessarily end with the return of displaced individuals to their places of origin, a study by the World Bank (WB) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) during a launch at the Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cabinet Cluster revealed.

PAGTUTULUNGAN.ORG: WFP and JICA support Sendong Survivors in Remote Iligan Villages‏

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Chief Representative Takahiro Sasaki (far right) and U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) Philippines Representative and Country Director Stephen Anderson (second from left) recently visited remote villages of Lanipao, Dulag, Kalilangan and Panoroganan in Iligan City, accessible only by motorcycle, to jointly distribute food, cooking utensils and other items to 750 families who were highly affected by Tropical Storm Sendong (international name “Washi”) in December 2011.  JICA and WFP provided this humanitarian support in partnership with the local government of Iligan City and the Bangsamoro Development Authority, and also with the participation of the International Monitoring Team and the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.    

Photo Credit: WFP/Marilou Morales Cezar/Philippines

PAGTUTULUNGAN.ORG: WFP Receives Generous Donation from Pizza Hut -Taco Bell For Sendong Survivors and Programmes in Mindanao

Through the Yum! Brands World Hunger Relief campaign, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants in the Philippines have contributed Php 6.1 million (US$144,000) to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) for its activities in Mindanao. The donation will support the on-going relief and early recovery operation for victims of Tropical Storm Washi (Sendong) and school meals programme in conflict-affected areas of central Mindanao.

“We are deeply impressed with the dedication of Pizza Hut and Taco Bell staff who actively promoted the World Hunger Relief campaign in their restaurants, and in the process raised generous support to help fight hunger,” said WFP Philippines Country Director and Representative Stephen Anderson. “We are also grateful that they extended their campaign to seek additional assistance for Tropical Storm Washi survivors.”  

About 155 Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants, which are part of the Yum! Brands chain, collected donations throughout the country during a campaign from November 2011 to January 2012. As part of the campaign, Taco Bell donated Php 10 to WFP from each purchase of a special meal dedicated to supporting school meals programmes. Contributions were also collected in nationally distributed donation boxes.

PAGTUTULUNGAN.ORG: WFP Supports DSWD in Strengthening Logistics Information System for Disaster Response Preparedness

Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman and World Food Programme Philippines Country Director and Representative Stephen Anderson recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement to strengthen the DSWD’s disaster response capacity. The partnership, funded by the USAID/Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance, aims to use information and communication technologies to improve logistics information flow within DSWD, which will be of particular relevance in the immediate aftermath of natural disasters, providing the Philippine Government with timely and accurate information that will allow for swifter emergency responses. WFP National Ambassador Against Hunger KC Concepcion witnessed the signing.

Photo Credit: WFP/Philipp Herzog/Philippines

PAGTUTULUNGAN.ORG: WFP Continues Relief for Washi (Sendong) Victims

Photo Credit: WFP/Voltaire Domingo/Philippines

WFP Assists in the Philippine Government’s Tropical Storm Washi Efforts Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, Vice President Jejomar Binay, and Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman are joined by World Food Programme Regional Director for Asia Kenro Oshidari, WFP Philippines Country Director and Representative Stephen Anderson, WFP Philippines Iligan City sub-office head Baicon Macaraya, and WFP National Ambassador Against Hunger KC Concepcion during groundbreaking rites at the Barangay Sta. Elena relocation site at Iligan City. WFP is supporting the government's relief and early recovery efforts for persons highly affected by Tropical Storm Washi. 

For more details see: http://www.wfp.org/rss Twitter: @wfp_asia and @wfp_philippines and @wfp_media Facebook: WFP Philippines

Also we like to encourage you to send your own videos about WFP and how hunger can be the most solvable problem today. Will post my video very soon! Now we have fellow blogger Flow Galindez to share his thoughts.

lungan

Fighting Hunger Together at Sinulog 2012

Photo Credit: WFP/Philipp Herzog

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Each year, on average, WFP feeds more than 90 million people in more than 70 countries.

WFP Country Director and Representative Stephen L. Anderson and CEO of Julie’sBakeshop Joseph Gandionco at Cebu City jointly raising awareness about hunger. Proceeds from the sales of Julie’s “Bayan Bread" are helping school children in conflict and Sendong-affected areas of Mindanao.

WFP now provides RSS feeds to help journalists keep up with the latest press releases, videos

and photos as they are published on WFP.org. For more details

Follow them on Twitter: @wfp_media

For more information please contact:

Charlene Tordesillas, WFP/Manila, Tel: +63 2 7502561 Mobile:

Email Address: charlene.tordesillas@wfp.org

PAGTUTULUNGAN.ORG: Rain4 Africa - A Lifeline to Africa Run

Third world helping Third world.

On November 13, 2011, People will race with a noble cause of raising awareness and channeling donations to East Africa (Horn of Africa), which is now facing the worst famine crisis in 20 years. This is the Rain 4 Africa - A Lifeline to Africa Run. All proceeds and donations made during the run will go straight to the World Food Programme’s initiatives. This project is also handled by the Lifeline Foundation.

World Food Programme Bloggers Meet Up Happening Now!

The First Bloggers' Meet Up for the World Food Programme is happening now in the Philippines! To show your support please put this hashtag on your tweets:

#wfpblogmeet

PAGTUTULUNGAN.ORG: WFP Helps Philippine Government Reach Remote Areas Affected by Tropical Storm Washi (Sendong)

Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Philippine Government are extending the emergency response to Tropical Storm Washi to focus on remote, cut-off areas around Iligan City.


Working closely with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and with airlift support from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, WFP has already supplied emergency food assistance to almost 3,300 people stranded in Mungulong, outside Iligan City.


Plans are now underway to airlift food rations to other isolated communities around Iligan City such as Panoroganan where almost a thousand people are in need, and Mainit, where another 1,350 people require assistance. 

END HUNGER Walk the World for 2011!

Though the world have achieved great heights in progress and technology, there is still an age old problem that affects one of every six person in the world: HUNGER. In the Philippines, there is still an increase of people who are hungry in the past few year even though the GDP of the country rose. Its a silent  problem still left unresolved until today. However, The United Nations World Food Programme is now helping affected areas especially in Central Mindanao.

To make the program successful is continuity, and funding these projects would involve having partners in making this dream a reality. As of the moment, World Food Programme (WFP) teams up with Pizza Inc. (Pizza Hut), Uniliever (Knorr) and TNT to make sure distribution would reach the benificiaries. And also to help fund the campaign, they launched END HUNGER WALK THE WORLD.

This event aims in raising funds with a walking and running event that will be held in the SM Mall of Asia grounds on May 29, 2011. Everyone is encouraged to join, and also walk with WFP ambasador, KC COncepcion and other advocates.

You can choose from a 2K walk, 5K or 10K run for the event. Registration can be done online at www.walktheworld-pilipinas.org and pay thru bank and race kits will be delivered on or before May 28th 2011.

There will also be an onsite registration from May 2-28, 2011 at the following stores:

• ROX Bonifacio high street, Tagiug
• Brat Pack, Robinson's Place Manila
• Brat Pack, Greenbelt 5, Makati
• Columbia, North EDSA, Quezon City
• Columbia, Mall of Asia, Pasay City
• Res Toe Run, Robinson's Galleria, Pasig City
• Res Toe Run, Gateway Mall, Quezon City
• The Travel Club, Trinoma, Quezon City
• The Travel Club, Newport Mall, Pasay City
• The Travel Club, Alabang Town Center, Alabang
• The North Face, Building A, SM Megamall, Pasig
• The North Face, Mall of Asia, Pasay City
• Sanuk, The Block, SM North EDSA, Quezon City

For more information and registration you can call (02)5197010 or go to their website www.walktheworld-pilipinas.org