Tamale joins global hunger walk
Hundreds of people on Sunday went on a six-kilometre walk through some streets of Tamale to mark the Ninth End the Hunger: Walk the World Campaign.
The walk, which was organized by the World Food Programme and sponsored by TNT and UNILEVER, was both an advocacy and fundraising event meant to raise awareness about global hunger and to raise funds to feed those faced with hunger and need assistance.
Thousands of walkers in 70 countries across the globe participated to reaffirm the world’s commitment to meet Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 1 and also save millions from hunger by 2015.
The walk started from the Jubilee Park through the principal streets and back to the starting point.
Funds raised this year would be used in supporting school feeding and girls’ education for poor children who are at risk of dropping out from pre-school, Primary and Junior High School.
Addressing the walkers before they set off, Mr. Moses Bukari Mabengba, the Northern Regional Minister, said the government was on track in achieving MDG 1 through reduction in poverty, under-nourishment and hunger.
“Government is aggressively pursuing the School Feeding Programme (SFP) and farmers would be provided with adequate incentives to enable them to increase production and provide enough food for the poor and hungry in Ghana,” he said.
Mr Mabengba said through the efforts of the Ghana Education Service (GES), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the School Feeding Programme, more than 40,000 pupils have been enrolled in schools in 34 districts.
He said government would soon commence an evaluation of the school feeding programme and after the evaluation about one million children would benefit from it.
“WFP is willing to work with us to ensure that the next phase reaches children who are most in need”.
Mr Aboubacar Koisha, WFP Head of Sub-Office in Tamale, said his outfit was working with School Feeding Programme and the Ghana Education Service to provide assistance to 160,000 school children in 600 schools in the three northern regions and the Millennium Village Project in the Ashanti Region with onsite meals and take-home food rations.
He said the walk would provide funds for school meals to assist the 66 million children who attend school everyday including those in Ghana.
Source: GNA