Tuesday March 19th, 2024
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The UN World Food Programme's App to End World Hunger is Now Available in Arabic

ShareTheMeal allows you to donate to WFP projects of your choosing.

Staff Writer

With cafes and restaurants springing up everywhere in Cairo, and the country’s food and beverage industry is growing like never before, it's easy to forget how hunger and malnutrition really affect the world. In Egypt, where a falafel and beans breakfast costs 5 EGP, over 10 percent of the population suffers from food insecurity and, with world poverty rates on the rise, things don’t look much brighter in other parts of the world.

Many organisations around the world have attempted to fight hunger, only to fall through in the funds department. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has been at the forefront of the fight against world hunger, delivering assistance to millions around the world every year, completely dependent on donations.

And this is where you come in. In 2014, two of the organisation’s former consultants – Sebastian Stricker and Bernhard Kowatsch – and a number of volunteers set out to streamline the donation process worldwide with an app. ShareTheMeal is available worldwide in English, French, German, Italian, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, and Arabic. “Since it was launched in Arabic last May, it has been downloaded more frequently across the Arab world and in Egypt,” WFP Egypt Communications Officer Amina Al Korey tells us.

ShareTheMeal allows users to make donations to projects of their choosing and track their progress from the comfort of their homes. “ShareTheMeal is WFP’s first fundraising and awareness-raising app. Free to download, the app is a pioneering way for people to join our efforts in creating a world with zero hunger,” Al Korey says. “Users are in charge of their giving experience and can choose to help feed a child in need whenever they like with the tap of a finger on their smartphones. Through the app, smartphone users can donate to selected WFP programmes. The suggested donations start at $0.50 USD, which is WFP’s global average for providing vital daily nutrition during emergencies.”

It may seem miniscule, but the ShareTheMeal app already has millions of subscribers around the world, and Egyptians can now join their ranks and help fund the WFP’s projects here at home and abroad. The best part is, you don't have to be a billionaire to chip in because, as Al Korey puts it, "every gift counts" and Egypt-based users can donate in Egyptian pounds. “Worldwide there are 20 times as many smartphone users as there are hungry children. The app is a way for WFP to engage a new generation of individuals in our mission and our work,” Al Korey explains. “ShareTheMeal makes donating more social and more effective. Users can follow the progress of our fundraising efforts through the app and see where we have already helped.​”

(Photo: National Geographic)