Cooperation from governments to bloggers can fight hunger in Haiti and around the world

Last week I had an oped in the Cincinnati Enquirer about how vital cooperation at all levels is for feeding Haiti. On the ground there needs to be effective coordination to see that food and other aid gets distributed quickly to those who need it. The World Food Programme's announcement of 16 fixed distribution sites in Port-au-Prince is encouraging.

Josette Sheeran, the director of WFP, said "Up until now the nature of this emergency has forced us to work in a `quick and dirty´ way simply to get food out. This new system will allow us to provide food assistance to more people, more quickly through a robust network of fixed distribution sites. The entire humanitarian family and the military forces on the ground in Haiti have come together to make this possible."

Cooperation must also extend to governments. The World Food Programme is requesting 800 million dollars to provide food for Haiti. Countries around the globe will need to step forward to meet this request. Only about 200 million dollars has been donated so far with the U.S., Canada and Spain leading the way among governments.

Back at home everyone who has a blog or web site is needed to help Haiti.  Blogs are critical media sources for the World Food Programme to spread information about relief efforts in Haiti and other countries struggling against hunger.

History has shown how media can play a role in fighting hunger.  In October of 1947, the first televised address from the White House was about hunger. Just days before, at a news conference, reporters were scrambling for a report released by President Truman's Cabinet Committee on World Food Programs. Stories about this report would hit the front pages of newspapers the following morning. The media was used to inform and educate the public on the crisis. It was essential for building support for subsequent actions, including the famed Marshall Plan which rebuilt Europe.  

Today, it is bloggers who are the most important form of media for maintaining a consistent flow of information about hunger in Haiti and around the globe. Worldwide there are over 1 billion people suffering from hunger. We are in the midst of a global hunger crisis.

You can sign up for Bloggers against Hunger here.



(images courtesy of the World Food Programme)

 See also: Saving Haiti from Hunger and Desperation

 To donate to the Haiti food relief effort please visit www.wfp.org or www.friendsofwfp.org.

 







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