AFRICA / USA: The United Nation's World Food Programme has named Drew Barrymore Ambassador Against Hunger
Record ID:
453238
AFRICA / USA: The United Nation's World Food Programme has named Drew Barrymore Ambassador Against Hunger
- Title: AFRICA / USA: The United Nation's World Food Programme has named Drew Barrymore Ambassador Against Hunger
- Date: 17th May 2007
- Summary: WASHINGTON D.C. UNITED STATES (MAY 10, 2007) (REUTERS) (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) ACTRESS DREW BARRYMORE STANDING WITH PAUL TERGAT (FAR RIGHT) AND WFP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JOSETTE SHEERAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) DREW BARRYMORE, AMBASSADOR AGAINST HUNGER FOR THE UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME, SAYING: "I am so proud to be working with the World Food Programme. I read an article in the New York Times about a school funding program a few years ago and I just started working in documentaries which is a film forum which is something I am comfortable with. It's a way to educate myself so I did call the UN and asked if I can have the opportunity to go with my camera crew and start learning and what it did, it changed my life, it enlightened me and I started learning from the very children that we were filming about what is important in life and what the priorities should be and the priorities for these children are to have one meal a day and to be educated and most of these children take half their food home to their families to share it with them."
- Embargoed: 1st June 2007 13:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: Entertainment,Social Services / Welfare
- Reuters ID: LVA137EV00YL2ZGB4333POD6CFYJ
- Story Text: American actress Drew Barrymore, one of the world's most recognised film stars, has been named Ambassador Against Hunger for the World Food Programme, it was announced on Wednesday (May 10).
Barrymore, 32, who recently returned from a second trip to Kenya to visit WFP-supported school feeding projects, joins world marathon record-holder Paul Tergat, from Kenya, as Ambassador Against Hunger.
Barrymore and Tergat, a former school feeding recipient, will focus their advocacy efforts on school feeding programs.
"I am honoured and humbled to accept this challenging and rewarding assignment," Barrymore said Wednesday. "I can't think of any issue that is more important than working to see that no schoolchild in this world goes hungry.
Barrymore joins Tergat and WFP's Executive Director, Josette Sheeran, in Washington this week to raise awareness about school feeding - and also advocate for passage of draft legislation in the US Congress that would expand and regularise funding for US-supported school feeding programs.
The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, authorized in the US Farm Bill and administered by the US Department of Agriculture, feeds millions of schoolchildren each year.
Pending legislation would increase funding from the current average of 100 million U.S. dollars (USD) a year, to about 300 million USD a year within five years.
In 2006, WFP fed 19.4 million children in 71 countries through school feeding programs. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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