Ghana marks end hunger, walk the world campaign

Accra, June 8, GNA - Hundreds of Ghanaians, young and old, men and women on Sunday joined staff the World Food Programme (WFP) to embark on a 3.5 kilometre walk through some principal streets of Accra to raise funds to end hunger in Ghana.

The walk, under the theme "End Hunger, Walk the World," was aimed at advocating and raising awareness about global hunger and raising funds to feed those faced with hunger.

The walk, which started from the Golden Tulip Hotel, in Accra, ended at the Accra Shopping Mall Complex., It was organized by the WFP and sponsored by corporate partners such as Unilever, Golden Tulip Hotel, Voltic Mineral Water, Accra Shopping Mall, Graphic Communications Group, Outdoor Advertising Association, Silver Star Auto Limited, Blue Skies Limited, Panbros Salt and Premium Foods.

Ms Sibi Lawson - Marriot, Head of Programme, WFP, however, noted that recent surveys had shown that the numbers of malnourished children living in Ghana was reducing, a progress and a success story that should make Ghana proud and be recognized.

"Today's walk is to reassure mothers and fathers that we will not leave them alone to deal with the ever increasing price of life - food. We walk today to encourage them, to let them know that we will collectively do all in our power to make sure that they succeed in their simple mission of feeding their children," she said. Ms Lawson - Marriot said the walk was being demonstrated in countries all over the world by men, women and children who had joined to fight against hunger and walk for a future where no child goes to bed hungry.

She said the WFP in Ghana has bought a large consignment of food from local farmers, to feed underweight mothers, breastfeeding women and refugees who did not have any source of food. It would also be given as take-home rations in the most deprived districts to families who ensured their that girl- child attended school, at least 80 percent of the year.

"It is also put at the disposal of the Ghana School Feeding Programme to accelerate the scale up of that critical safety net programme in the neediest districts of the country," she added. Mr Michael Nsowah, National Coordinator, Ghana School Feeding Programme, (GSFP), said Ghanaians needed to work hard to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), related to reducing hunger and improving health and education by 2015.

He said Feeding Programme, with all its challenges, remains the NEPAD modal for poverty reduction in Africa, which promises to increase school attendance and enrolment and also act as an effective outlet for food produced by farmers in the country. Mr Nsowah pledged to redouble efforts to aggressively pursue the objective of 'Home Grown School Feeding' where all food commodities used on the programme would be provided by small farmers. Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, Foreign Affairs Minister, pledged the government's support in bringing food to people who did not have food on their table.