Music fans who buy a copy of the upcoming Christmas album by the renowned United States singer-songwriter Bob Dylan will also be giving a helping hand to hungry children around the globe after the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today that royalties from the album will be donated to its school meals initiative.WFP said the partnership with Mr. Dylan comes at a critical time for its school meals programme, given that the financial crisis and stubbornly high food prices have pushed millions more children around the world into poverty over the past year.
“The number of hungry in the world – many of them children – has hit an historic high, while food assistance has reached an historic low,” said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran in a statement in which she thanked Mr. Dylan for his generosity.
WFP has warned that the lives of as many as 108 million people worldwide are at risk from the growing hunger crisis, and it is aiming to provide food to that many people across 74 countries this year.
Its school meals programme allows a child to receive a cup of porridge for the equivalent of 25 cents a day, ensuring they have the energy to concentrate in school, gain an education and enjoy more opportunities for success in the future.
Mr. Dylan, whose new album, Christmas In The Heart, will be released on 12 October, said he was honoured to be able to assist the WFP’s school meals initiative.
“That the problem of hunger is ultimately solvable means we must each do what we can to help feed those who are suffering and support efforts to find long-term solutions,” he said.
Source: UN
Published by Mike Hitchen i On Global Trends, world news, analysis, opinion
Putting principles before profits
Putting principles before profits
