Top 12 Things You Didn’t Know About the World Food Programme

December 10, 2021

Last Updated July 9, 2025

South Sudan, Gurei, Juba, 23 January 2019 Born in Katiba village, in Western Equatoria, Ester Oliver, 34, struggles with the concept of home. For her, home is where one can be safe. Until recently, hers has been a life on the move. We had to move from village to village, sometimes living in the middle of the forest, she says. We could not be close to the main road. Always in hiding. Tears well up in her eyes as she narrates her childhood. She has lived life as an ongoing challenge. Despite her young age, she has already seen the flow of life and death in her country. Unable to live anywhere for long, let alone attend school, Ester married for the first time at just 13 years old. She felt that this was her only choice. My father died when I was 9, trying to flee fighting, she says. After he passed away life became even harder. Like many girls in her situation, marriage offered the only escape route at that time. I decided to get married because of the challenges and difficulties I was facing, she says. I thought all my problems would disappear. Now in her second marriage and a mother of six, Ester is raising her children with help from WFP. She receives nutrition support for herself and her set of triplets from the Gurei health centre in the capital city, Juba. She also receives support from a peer health group on family planning and health. Now empowered with new knowledge, she plans to join income generating projects in her suburb. Now I am happy. I have a second chance, she says. In the Photo: Ester Oliver rests at her house in Gurei, Juba, with her then two-week old set of triplets. Photo: WFP/Gabriela Vivacqua

If you didn’t know us before, here are a few facts about the World Food Programme (WFP) that might surprise you:

1.) The World Food Programme won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 in recognition of our strong advocacy for the critical role of peace in ending hunger and for the use of food as a tool for peace.

2.) In 2024, we assisted 124 million people in more than 120 countries and territories.

3.) Each day, the World Food Programme has up to 5,000 trucks, 20 ships and 80 aircraft on the move, delivering food and other assistance in some of the most remote and challenging parts of the world.

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4.) The World Food Programme is the frontline agency responding to emergencies caused by conflict, extreme weather, pandemics and other disasters.

5.) The World Food Programme provides school meals to 20 million children, improving both their nutrition and their access to a potentially life-changing education.

6.) The World Food Programme is facing a 40% funding shortfall compared to last year. This funding gap is pushing 58 million people, including 9 million refugees, into absolute desperation. The consequences are dire for families who rely on WFP for a single daily meal.

7.) The World Food Programme sourced $59 million dollars worth of food from small-scale farmers in 2024.

8.) In 2024, the World Food Programme reached 27.6M women and children through malnutrition treatment and prevention programs: 13.8M people were reached through treatment programs and 13.7M people were reached through prevention programs.

9.) In 2024, the World Food Programme delivered 2.5 million metric tons of food.

10.) WFP is proud to work with around 1,000 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across the globe, from small grassroots groups to large international humanitarian agencies. 62% of WFP aid is channeled through NGOs.

11.) We are the largest cash provider in the humanitarian community. $2.2 billion dollars of assistance was provided this way in 2024. Cash increases consumer choice and strengthens local markets.

12.) More than 50% of the people we serve are women and girls.

The accomplishments of 2024 are a vital foundation as we work to bring lifesaving meals to millions more of the most vulnerable people on the planet. You can support our efforts by donating.

Learn more about the how the U.N. World Food Programme fits into the United Nations, and the role of World Food Program USA.

This post was written by Paul Anthem, Simona Beltrami and Mert Er and originally appeared on wfp.org/stories.