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Year in review: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ stories you may have missed in 2023

Highlights from Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ staff around the world speak of saving and changing lives in a year of unprecedented funding shortfalls
, Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Editorial Team
The Odisha state government, Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ and the local community honor the new Solar4Resilience initiative
India: People from the Odisha state government, Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ, and the local community take part in a traditional blessing, for the new Solar4Resilience initiative - one of two Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ-backed projects to win an Earthshot prize in 2023. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ/Shyamalima Kalita

For the Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ, 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 Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ 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
Judith Hernandez cooks inexpensive meals for dozens of people, including Venezuelan refugees. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ/Suzanne Fenton
Peru: Judith Hernandez cooks meals for dozens of people, including Venezuelan refugees, in Lima. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ/Suzanne Fenton

In Peru¡¯s most populous district, a look at the kitchens that form part of the ollas comunes (community pots) project that the Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ (Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ) started during the pandemic. Read story here.


February: Ukraine war one year on
Rivne, Ukraine displaced pepole
Ukraine: Displaced people in the western city of Rivne at the outset of the war. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ/Marco Frattini

Looking back on 12 months of humanitarian operations, Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ's country director for Ukraine shares key concerns, achievements ¨C with an urgent appeal to world leaders. Read story here


March: African day of school feeding
Children take lunch at a school supported by Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ/Vincent Tremeau
Children take lunch at a school supported by Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ/Vincent Tremeau

Locally sourced, Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ-supported home-grown school meals take centre stage at this annual African Union event. 


April: °Õ¨¹°ù°ì¾±²â±ð-Syria quakes two months on
Muna's family found shelter in a mosque after the quakes. They can't even afford a jar of marmalade. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ/Hussam Al Saleh
Syria: In Aleppo, Muna's family found shelter in a mosque after the quakes. They couldn't even afford a jar of marmalade. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ/Hussam Al Saleh

Two months after the devastating earthquakes along the °Õ¨¹°ù°ì¾±²â±ð-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
Sudanese refugees collect Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ food assistance in Koufroun, in eastern Chad. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ/Jacques David
Sudanese refugees collect Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ food assistance in Koufroun, in eastern Chad. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ/Jacques David

Tens of thousands of people flee Sudan after conflict was set off on 15 April. In neighbouring countries, Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ 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)
Farmer Deur Sok casts a fishing net across a canal the building of which was facilitated by Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ
Cambodia: Farmer Deur Sok casts a fishing net across a canal facilitated by Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ in Sambour Commune, Kampong Thom province. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ/Samantha Reinders

How a project funded by Japan and facilitated by the Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ is changing lives in a community hit by erratic weather linked to climate extremes. Read story here


June: 300 orphans rescued
Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ's Ammar Elsheikh hopes for peace in Sudan, so children can resume normal lives. Photo: OCHA/Ala Kheir
Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ monitoring assistant Ammar Elsheikh carries a rescued orphan to a centre for treatment in Wad Madani. Photo: OCHA/Ala Kheir

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
Ugandan farmers have benefitted from Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ-supported training on post-harvest storage techniques. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ/Hugh Rutherford
Uganda: Willian, a farmer, ??with the rice harvest of the Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ-supported Jujumbu farmers group in the Lolube refugee camp in Koboko. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ/Hugh Rutherford

As nations meet for a key ¡®stocktaking' summit in Rome, Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ¡¯s Sibi Lawson-Marriott highlights the importance of holistic thinking and collective action in solving hunger. Read story here


August: Breastfeeding week
Woman breastfeeding
Breastfeeding support is a lifeline for Christine, a South Sudanese refugee in Uganda, and her son, Alvin. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ/Siegfried Modola 

How the Swedish-funded NutriCash project, implemented by UNICEF and the Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ, is changing the lives of refugee women in Uganda. Read story here


September: World Peace Day 
A boy gazes at the fire-wrought damage of a camp for conflict-displaced people in South Kivu province, DRC, where Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ provides food assistance.  Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ/Michael Castofas
A boy gazes at the fire-wrought damage of a camp for conflict-displaced people in South Kivu province, DRC, where Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ provides food assistance. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ/Michael Castofas

Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ'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
Farmer Asha Akhter, 29, says things have changed "a lot" since the Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ-supported project was launched. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ/Lena von Zabern
Farmer Asha Akhter, 29, says things have changed "a lot" since the Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ-supported project was launched. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ/Lena von Zabern

To mark World Food Day, we looked at how Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ is arming Bangladesh's poorest communities to confront the devastating impacts of climate change. Read story here. 


November: Gaza Diary
A boy picks his way through a destroyed neighbourhood in Gaza. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ
A boy picks his way through a destroyed neighbourhood in Gaza. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Photolibrary

Three weeks into the war, a Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ 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
Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Goodwill Ambassador and celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern checks out the greens grown by students at Gwembe Primary School in southern Zambia
Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Goodwill Ambassador and celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern checks out the greens grown by students at Gwembe Primary School in southern Zambia. Photo: Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ

Celebrity chef and Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Goodwill Ambassador Andrew Zimmern sees how students and women farmers are delivering change in Southern Africa. Read story here.

Learn more about Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ and the global food crisis

 

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