WFP Launches an “Empty Feed” Campaign This Ramadan
CAIRO – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) launched this weekend a Ramadan campaign on social media to raise awareness on the suffering of 690 million hungry people around the world.
The campaign kicked off with “empty” posts by celebrities and influencers in the Arab world and beyond. Top UN officials, supporters and staff also started sharing empty posts on Instagram feeds using #EmptyFeed throughout the month.
“This Ramadan, we thought maybe we can FEED more people by hijacking Instagram FEEDs; all you need to do is share an empty post on your Instagram feed. It can be an empty plate, box, wall, plain background,” says U.N. World Food Programme Head of Communications in the MENA region Abeer Etefa. “While each one of us knows their day fast will end at dusk, millions around the world know no end to theirs.”
Goodwill ambassador Hend Sabry and celebrity chef Manal Al Alem were the first to support the campaign. Among the supporters were also Dalia El Beheri, Omar El Saeed, Souhair Al Qaissi, Logina Salah, Enjy Kiwan, Rahaf Sawalha, Chef May Yacoubi and Sham Al Zahabi.
The U.N. World Food Programme is providing food assistance for around 25 million people in 13 countries in the MENA region. The U.N. World Food Programme operates in some of the toughest environments in the world, affected by active conflict as well as mass and protracted displacement.
Two out of the U.N. World Food Programme’s six biggest emergencies are in the Middle East, in Syria and Yemen where close to 18 million people – 13 million of them in Yemen and nearly 5 million in Syria – rely on U.N. World Food Programme food assistance for their survival.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed many countries in the region into economic turmoil as it compounded pre-existing problems. The pandemic has increased fragility of economies, jeopardized access to food, diminished purchasing power and lowered economic productivity.
With little to no savings, no unemployment insurance and reduced food subsidies, people who engage in subsistence or informal work to support their families are severely impacted by lockdowns or interruptions to their livelihoods.
U.N. World Food Programme is encouraging social media users to take part in the campaign by sharing empty posts on Instagram along with the caption: Let this EMPTY post be a reminder that 690 million people go to bed hungry every night. Visit @wfp_mena to donate. #EmptyFeed #ZeroHunger
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. We are the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
