World Food Programme fights hunger in crises and war zones

Children wait for transportation after receiving food donated by the World Food Program, in Kabul, Afghanistan. On Friday, Oct. 9, 2020 the WFP won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to combat hunger and food insecurity around the globe. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, file)

The World Food Programme’s Nobel Peace Prize award shines a light on vulnerable communities across the Middle East and Africa that the UN agency seeks to help, those starving and living in war zones that rarely get the world’s attention.

From Yemen to South Sudan, food insecurity is a growing scourge, made worse by a mixture of military conflict, environmental disaster and the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.