Campaign Themes

Food for peace (ex-combatants in Sierra Leone)
Ex-combatants in Sierra Leone receive food aid when they disarm. Most of them are poor and uneducated, if they are also hungry and with no hopes for the future it is more likely that they will take up arms again- and the situation of peace among the various factions is fragile enough as it is. As a way of contributing to lasting peace, they are given food in training centres where they also learn income-generating skills (from tailor to hairdresser) so they can support themselves and become productive, self-sufficient, peaceful individuals.

Food for education (Afghan children)
Children are the first victims of their family’s extreme poverty. They become potential wage earners and are often withdrawn from school to work and provide extra family income. When whole generations are uneducated, the social impact is dramatic. To encourage parents to send their children to school, pupils are given food rations as well as an education.

Food for work (Afghan women)
Poor people living in a poor country get caught up in a vicious circle of misery. When a country’s infrastructure is undeveloped or has been destroyed, there is no work and that means no income. As a result, millions of people have to do whatever they can to earn enough food to eat that day. The Food for Work projects try and solve two problems at once: people are paid in food rations while they work for essential jobs, such as rebuilding roads, schools and hospitals destroyed during the war. In Afghanistan, women are starting to lift their veils and to participate in public works. The programme encourages them to re-establish their independence and to rebuild their careers.

Food to go home (Afghan refugees)
When refugees are repatriated in countries like Afghanistan, they are often faced with the terrible legacy of war: homes bombed, relatives killed, no jobs. That is why they are given food aid at resettlement centres upon their arrival back in the country, to give them concrete support during the Alfirst, vulnerable months while they are trying to rebuild their lives.

Food for protection (Cambodian girls and African prostitutes)
Women who are victims of sexual abuse or sex workers are protected in sheltered accommodation and sexual-education centres all over the world. They are often stigmatised in their own country and they are usually living in extreme poverty. Whether they are Cambodians living in sheltered accommodation or prostitutes in Sierra Leone, the offer of food also helps them to understand the importance of safe sex.

Food for stability (Liberian child refugees)
Millions of refugees live in a limbo all over the world, forced to leave their country due to political unrest, oppression and violence. The wait for peace back home is indefinite and yet they are unable to settle anywhere else. In the case of Liberian children living in refugee camps, food aid is crucial not only for their survival but also for their stability, at a time when every other aspect of their lives has been turned upside down.