"Walk the World Day" Celebrated in Kerewan

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in collaboration with TNT, the Global Express, Logistics and Mail Company on Saturday 7th June 2009, held a "Walk the World Day 2009", at Kerewan Lower Basic School in the North Bank Region.

This year, friends, families, and communities converged at the school's ground to show their solidarity with the global community to 'push for an end to child hunger'.

The event, among others, have the potential to bring awareness that nearly one billion people go to bed hungry at night and one in three children in the developing world is stunted due to micro-nutrient deficiency.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Patrick Teixira, Officer-in- Charge at the World Food Programme, the Gambia Office described the day as an annual event, meant to raise awareness on the problems of children, hunger, and funds for WFP's school funding programme.

He said since its inception, the walk have mobilised over one million people and feed over 100, 000 children in schools.

For his part, Mr. Muhammed Ousman Kinteh, representative of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education said the walk was introduced as a global fundraising and advocacy event, to support the work at WFP and raise awareness.

He said this is one of the main sources through which the WFP raise funds for its school-feeding programme globally and especially in The Gambia, where such funds are used to ensure that up to 120, 000 Gambian children are provided with school lunch everyday.

According to Mr. Kinteh, with the current trend in the global food and economic crisis, the challenge to end food hunger become more daunting.

He called on policy-makers and government to provide more funds and resources to ensure that children do not have to continue to suffer the terrible scourges of hunger.