WHEN WAR HITS, HUNGER STRIKES HARDER
Conflict has pushed 158 million innocent people into alarming levels of hunger. We urgently need your help to send them food and save their lives.
Conflict forces families from their homes, destroys economies, ruins infrastructure and makes food nearly impossible to find or afford. As the recipient of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, the United Nations World Food Programme is there before, during and after upheaval to help families survive and recover.
Nearly 60% of the world’s hungriest people live in conflict-affected areas
8/10 of the world’s worst food crises are driven by war, persecution and conflict
80 million people were displaced from their homes by conflict in 2020
Hunger in the World's Worst Conflict Zones
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
With 26.2M severely hungry people, the DRC is the world's largest hunger crisis. Decades of civil war have left millions dead or displaced. A toxic mix of conflict, displacement, disease, economic decline, natural disasters and COVID-19 has driven the number of people facing hunger to skyrocket in recent years. In 2020, the U.N. World Food Programme assisted almost 6.9M people across the country.
Source: DRC Hub Photo: WFP/Fredrik Lerneryd
Yemen
Yemen is one of the world’s most dire hunger crises. Over half of the population – 16.2M people – don’t know where their next meal is coming from. This includes 2.3M children under the age of 5 who require treatment for the most severe malnutrition, of which 400,000 are at risk of dying without treatment. The U.N. World Food Programme works day and night to feed 12.9M Yemenis every month with emergency food assistance.
Source: Yemen Hub Photo: WFP/Mohammed Awadh
Syria
Ten years of war have pushed most Syrians to extreme levels of poverty and hunger. Nearly 7M people are displaced inside the country and another 5.6M have fled to neighboring countries. Syrian children have borne the brunt of the war’s effects, forcing millions of them out of school. The U.N. World Food Programme served 5.7M Syrians in 2020.
Source: Syria Hub Photo: WFP/Hussam Al Saleh
Northeast Nigeria
Conflict and poverty are wreaking havoc in Nigeria. Violence is causing mass movements of people, with 1.75M people living in camps or host communities within Nigeria and tens of thousands seeking refuge elsewhere. In the Northeast alone, 4.4M people are facing severe hunger in the Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.
Source: Nigeria Hub Photo: WFP/Arete/Damilola Onafuwa
See How We Sow Peace & Save Lives
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) faces conflict head-on and goes where others can’t. With your support, we reach the most vulnerable people in the world.
Food Aid
WFP provides lifesaving food and specialized nutrition to the most desperate people in conflict zones. From dried grains and beans to fortified powders and high-energy biscuits, we deliver the right food at the right time.
Cash & Vouchers
Sometimes food is still available during conflict but it’s unaffordable because of inflation. That’s when WFP provides cash-based assistance in the form of food vouchers or debit cards so families can buy food locally.
School Meals
In conflict, children are often pulled out of school to help earn money, work around the house or care for younger siblings. Our school meals help keep them in class and provide critical calories they can depend on.
Rebuilding
WFP combines short- and long-term assistance to build back people’s self-reliance. We rehabilitate land, train small-scale farmers, teach job skills and build vital infrastructure like bridges and roads.