Among the many apps crowding our smartphones, there is one not to be missed. It is #ShareTheMeal, the app promoted by the World Food Program (WFP), the UN agency established in 1962 to mitigate world hunger, which is active in 83 countries. Installed on your phone, the app allows you to donate a few but precious pennies at a moment’s notice. Ideal for those who wish to help children suffering from malnutrition, especially in areas affected by wars and other disasters.
0.40 euros for one day’s food
Forty cents, less than half the cost of a cup of coffee, is enough to feed a malnourished child for an entire day. This small precious sum can be disbursed whenever you want, without long-term commitments, through the app.
The transfer of the donation to the recipients is done in a manner appropriate to the circumstances. WFP explains, the aid supports various operations, ranging from resilience-building programs and food assistance, to providing food assistance in emergencies. Food support is provided in three ways:
– through vouchers or cash, when food is available in the market but the poor cannot buy it. This is the case for displaced Syrians in Lebanon, who are given electronic cards to buy fresh food (e.g., meat, vegetables, dairy products) in local stores. With a favorable impact on the local economy as well,
– through food rations containing rice, whole wheat, pasta, lentils, canned food, sugar, salt, cooking oil, and wheat flour. In emergency situations, children are also given high-nutrient foods such as fortified cookies or other foods that do not require cooking,
– Through school meals. In more stable settings, children attending school are served breakfast, lunch (or both meals), sometimes, even rations to take home. For many children, this is the only or most nutritious meal in the entire day.
The basic idea behind ShareTheMeal is that very little is actually needed to feed a child (who otherwise would not have enough to eat) for an entire day.
Current projects
Aid projects are indicated in the app, as well as on the website. Since launching in 2015, aid has been provided in various major crisis situations, including in Yemen, Syria and Nigeria, thanks to donations received through ShareTheMeal.
Targeted support initiatives are currently underway for children living in Central Sahel, Madagascar, Nepal, and Jordan. In parallel, the‘Feed the World’s Children‘ collection continues, the distribution of which is managed by WFP. Specifying that more than 90 percent of the donations received are actually used in aid.
‘At the Table’ with a family
In addition to the 0.40-cent donation, the app allows for other options. One can multiply the basic amount to feed a child for an entire week or month. Or set a fixed monthly donation.
‘At the Table’ is the option that combines monthly donation to a specific recipient family. As in long-distance adoptions, donors receive information about the destination of their aid.
815 million people in the world today are undernourished. It means that one in nine people do not have enough food to lead a healthy and active life. Hunger and malnutrition are the number one health risk in the world, more than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
The good news is that hunger can be defeated. It only takes €0.40 to feed 1 child for 1 full day.
A very social app
Launched in 2015, ShareTheMeal was created by Sebastian Stricker and Bernhard Kowatsch during a sabbatical in Berlin. It is downloaded from the app store and allows you to donate by credit card or PayPal.
Donors have a strong presence on social media. Facebook, twitter and instagram are teeming with photos of dishes, posted with the hastag #ShareTheMeal and combined with a 40 cent donation.
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
