In response to donations for UPF Ambassadors for Peace, Karen Sandelback, President and CEO of the Friends of the World Food Program, sent the following letter on February 18. The World Food Program is a UN agency that has been delivering humanitarian assistance in Haiti after the January 12 earthquake.
Friday, February 12, marked the one month anniversary of the devastating earthquake that changed the lives of millions in Haiti forever. Thanks to your support and that of the Ambassadors for Peace Network, the United Nations' World Food Program (WFP) has made critical progress in its relief efforts.
This has been WFP's most complex humanitarian operation ever. WFP staff on the ground have been working around the clock, doing whatever they can to get food to the hungry. While they have faced enormous challenges, WFP has now provided food to more than 3 million people, bringing families the relief they so desperately need.
In addition to providing food through 16 fixed distribution sites, WFP continues to target orphanages and hospitals in order to reach the most vulnerable. Last week WFP launched a blanket supplementary feeding program for children under five as well as for pregnant women and nursing mothers which aims to reach 53,000 children and 16,000 women.
This complex operation has been designed to address the unique circumstances in post-earthquake Haiti and has put in place a robust distribution infrastructure which will be the foundation of the longer-term humanitarian effort in the country.
While significant progress has been made, this is just the beginning. WFP's emergency operations have been extended through the end of 2010 and is now likely to require more than $800 million to provide food to those in need as well as provide logistical and telecommunications support to help the country rebuild. WFP will be helping Haiti for quite a while, and we are committed to supporting them in their efforts.
Thank you so much for your partnership in our efforts to end global hunger worldwide.