In a world where we produce enough food to feed everyone, up to 811 million people —  more than 10 per cent of the world’s population — still go to bed hungry each night.

After nearly a decade of progress, the number of hungry people has slowly increased — driven by the twin scourges of conflict and climate change, and now compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, costs are rising sharply: the price WFP is paying for food is up 30 percent compared to 2019, and the cost of delivering it has risen by an additional US$42 million a month in the same period.

While Asia is home to the greatest number of undernourished people at 418 million, Africa is the region with the highest prevalence of undernourishment in percentage terms, at 21 percent. This is more than double the rate in all regions, according to the latest edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World.

Emergency response* and preparedness

WFP is the frontline agency responding to emergencies caused by conflict, climate shocks, pandemics and other disasters. We also coordinate responses to large-scale emergencies on behalf of the wider humanitarian community, as lead agency of the Logistics Cluster and the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster. Our focus is also on emergency preparedness, working with partners to provide early warning and helping communities lessen the impact of looming disasters.

• Each day WFP has up to 5,600 trucks, 30 ships and 100 planes on the move, delivering food and other assistance.

Current emergencies

Ukraine

WFP has launched an emergency operation to provide food assistance for people fleeing the conflict inside Ukraine and in neighbouring countries. There are plans to assist up to 3.1 million people inside the country. WFP teams have been setting up operations and hubs in a number of locations in neighbouring countries, both to facilitate delivery of food assistance into Ukraine and to assist refugees coming over the borders. WFP is also leading the emergency telecommunications and logistics clusters on behalf of the UN.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan is becoming the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with 22.8 million people – over half the population – now facing acute food insecurity, including 8.7 million facing emergency levels of food insecurity. An already desperate situation has been compounded by drought, escalating displacement, the collapse of public services and deepening economic crisis. WFP aims to reach 24 million people in 2022 but requires US$2.6 billion to do this.

Northern Ethiopia

Over a year of war has driven people across Northern Ethiopia deeper into hunger. Food security in Tigray region has plummeted since the start of the crisis, with almost 40 percent (2 million people) of the Tigrayan population now severely food insecure. WFP has reached almost 4 million people across northern Ethiopia with food and nutrition assistance since March 2021. 

Yemen

A funding crunch has forced WFP to reduce the size of food rations received by 8 million people. The timing could not be worse, as Yemenis deal with a serious escalation in fighting alongside continued economic deterioration. WFP food assistance is a lifeline for families in Yemen, keeping famine at bay for the past few years. Unless contributions are received immediately, a drastic scale-down of WFP’s operation will be required with the risk of leaving families without assistance. See also: Emergency page

South Sudan

South Sudan is facing its highest levels of food insecurity since the country declared independence 10 years ago, with 60 percent of the population increasingly hungry. Chronic sporadic violence, extreme weather and the economic impact of COVID-19 have pushed 7.24 million people into severe insecurity. See also: Emergency page

Northeastern Nigeria

Northeast Nigeria continues to face severe levels of hunger with 2.4 million people currently suffering acute food insecurity and needing urgent assistance in the conflict-affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. WFP is working with partners to provide life-saving food and nutrition assistance to 1.7 million people. See also: Emergency page

Syria

Multiple shocks – conflict, displacement, a severe economic downturn and the declining value of the Syrian Pound – have pushed more Syrians than ever into poverty and food insecurity. A total 12.4 million people do not know where their next meal will come from – more than at any time during the decade-long conflict. Due to funding constraints, WFP has reduced the size of the monthly food ration that families receive, due to funding constraints. 

The Democratic Republic of the Congo

Africa’s second largest country continues to face one of the world’s largest hunger crises – a total 27 million people are acutely food insecure – driven by protracted conflict, disease and climate shocks. DRC is home to the highest number of internally displaced people in Africa at 5.5 million, while almost half-a-million refugees have arrived from neighbouring countries. WFP provides food, nutrition and cash assistance. See also: Emergency page

Sahel

The Sahel is staring down a worsening and complex food crisis as conflict, COVID-19, climate, and rising costs collide to put basic meals out of reach for millions. Over 10.5 million people are facing crisis levels of hunger, including 1.1 million on the brink of famine, across five countries – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger. WFP programmes have been more than a lifeline for millions in the Sahel, helping communities grow and prosper despite the challenges they face.

Your Donation will help WFP carry out its critical operations and fight to end world hunger.

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World Central Kitchen started with a simple idea at home with my wife Patricia: when people are hungry, send in cooks. Not tomorrow, today.

Everyone knows that food is central to life and family all over the world. What we learned very quickly was that food is even more essential in a crisis.

It all began in 2010 after a huge earthquake devastated Haiti. Cooking alongside displaced Haitians in a camp, I found myself getting schooled in how to cook black beans the way they wanted: mashed and sieved into a creamy sauce.

You see, food relief is not just a meal that keeps hunger away. It’s a plate of hope. It tells you in your darkest hour that someone, somewhere, cares about you.

This is the real meaning of comfort food. It’s why we make the effort to cook in a crisis.

We don’t just deliver raw ingredients and expect people to fend for themselves. And we don’t just dump free food into a disaster zone: we source and hire locally wherever we can, to jump-start economic recovery through food.

After a disaster, food is the fastest way to rebuild our sense of community. We can put people back to work preparing it, and we can put lives back together by fighting hunger.

Cooking and eating together is what makes us human.

Since Russia unleashed a military attack on neighboring Ukraine. With ongoing threats of explosions & gunfire, more than 660,000 people have fled Ukraine—primarily women, children, and seniors—and are now seeking refuge in nearby countries. The journey out is long and arduous, with people facing wait times of up to 72 hours at border posts where they hope to cross over to safety.

In support of refugees escaping the violence, WCK began serving hot, nourishing meals in Poland within a day of the initial attack and are now set up at eight border crossings, as well in Przemyśl—a city receiving many refugee families.

In Medyka—a 24-hour pedestrian border crossing—the team is serving round-the-clock meals like Żurek, a traditional Polish soup made with white sausage, smoked meat, and sour fermented rye flour. Temperatures are cold, so we’re focusing on serving hot, comforting meals to anyone in need. In Hrebenne, Royal Catering set up tents to provide 1,000 plates of chicken with potatoes, along with cabbage, carrot, and beet salad for lunch.

Together with 26 restaurants, we’ve served over 41,000 meals so far and are continuing to expand our efforts in Poland. Supporting local group Master’s Catering, the team is setting up a kitchen in Krościenko where we will have the capacity to cook 10,000 plates of food each day.

Too often people only help themselves, but I believe we have to help each other.Wiktor, WCK volunteer from Jaworzno in southern Poland

While our Relief Team continues to explore the safest and best way to provide meals beyond the entry points in Ukraine, WCK is currently providing remote support to restaurants inside the country cooking meals for anyone in need. Currently, WCK meals are being distributed in five Ukrainian cities, including in Lviv where we’re supporting a Catholic charity, sending them flour to bake their daily bread. On Monday, the charity was able to expand their efforts up to the border crossing. 

Upon arriving in Romania Monday night, WCK’s Relief Team headed to the Romania-Ukraine border to begin food distribution. While our team works to onboard restaurant partners, we will be bringing a local food trailer to prepare meals for people at the border, with hopes of delivering to the Ukrainian side as well. Additionally, we are working to provide hot plates of food for people staying in shelters and other locations temporarily housing refugees. 

In addition to meals being served in Poland, Ukraine, and Romania, WCK’s first meals in Moldova were provided to children and families at the Chișinău Airport. Local restaurants served fresh plates of baked chicken over pasta with a tomato salad and bread. Working with local groups, we will be expanding our reach in the country as needed. 

Our response has grown rapidly, and WCK teams are establishing meal distribution points in a total of six countries as we determine how we can best support Ukrainians arriving in Hungary and Slovakia. The number of people entering surrounding countries fluctuates daily, so we are going to continue to closely monitor the situation and are ready to adapt to best assist families in the coming days and weeks. 

We are anticipating this becoming one of our largest and most complex emergency responses to date. WCK is currently serving tens of thousands of meals per day — as this crisis develops and rapidly evolves, that number could quickly grow to into hundreds of thousands, so our teams are working hard to be ready for whatever support is necessary. We will be adding additional food supplier partners and are also looking to set up community kitchens that are capable of cooking even more meals. WCK will expand our efforts within Ukraine as more shelters are established, and help provide meals to refugees as they resettle elsewhere.

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Doctors Without Borders brings medical humanitarian assistance to victims of conflict, natural disasters, epidemics and healthcare exclusion.

Our focus

Learn about the crises our teams respond to, and how we adapt to provide the highest quality medical care in some of the world’s most challenging contexts.

War and conflict

Armed conflict causes injury, displacement, sexual violence, and death, but it also continues to impact people’s lives and health long after the front lines have shifted. War devastates health systems, hampers access to medical supplies, and disrupts vaccination and other disease-prevention efforts, heightening the risk of outbreaks.

In conflict zones, MSF does not take sides. We provide medical care based on needs alone and work to reach the people most in need of help. Nearly one-fourth of MSF’s projects are dedicated to assisting people living in conflict.

Natural disasters

Earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, and major storms can force people to flee their homes and cut off access to safe water, health care services, and transportation, affecting the lives of tens of thousands in a matter of minutes. When minutes matter, MSF’s network of aid workers in more than 70 countries around the world are often the first to deploy rapid, lifesaving medical care. We keep pre-packaged supply kits to launch rapid responses as quickly as possible.

Epidemics and pandemics

Millions of people around the world still die each year from infectious diseases that are preventable or treatable. Those at highest live in poverty or other precarious conditions, with limited access to health care and vaccinations.

During an outbreak of an infectious disease like cholera, measles, yellow fever, or Ebola, MSF teams react swiftly to provide lifesaving vaccines, treatment, and epidemiological services. From setting up temporary facilities to treat patients to running mass vaccination campaigns to improving water and sanitation services to help prevent the spread of disease, MSF teams adapt our emergency responses to the unique needs of communities.

Refugees and internally displaced people

More than 82 million people—or 1 in 95 worldwide­—have been forcibly displaced from their homes, fleeing conflict, persecution, natural disaster, or other hardships. On the move and in camps they are often forced to live in precarious conditions, cut off from essential services including health care.

When people are displaced, MSF teams conduct rapid needs assessments and work closely with affected communities to provide services including vaccination; primary and mental health care; nutrition support; provision of shelter, drinking water, and latrines; and more.

How MSF is responding to the war in Ukraine

On February 24, Russia launched a large-scale military operation in Ukraine that rapidly escalated into a war across most of the country. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is stepping up its medical humanitarian response to the deepening humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and in neighboring countries, where more than 4.1 million refugees have fled.

MSF staff in Ukraine are assessing humanitarian needs, delivering urgent medical supplies, providing training to hospitals on how to manage mass casualty incidents, and preparing to expand activities. On March 6, MSF’s first shipment of emergency medical supplies was delivered to the Ukrainian Ministry of Health in Kyiv, and subsequent shipments have arrived since then. We supply surgical kits, trauma kits, and other basic necessities, including for hospitals in areas farther east where they are especially needed. 

We are working with medical facilities in many parts of the country to help meet current needs and prepare for what might come next.

An urgent need for medical supplies

So far the most urgently needed supplies are surgical, trauma, emergency room (ER), and intensive care unit (ICU) equipment and drugs. But a broader picture of other key medical items is coming into focus as the conflict continues, including insulin for diabetes patients and medicines for patients with other chronic diseases such as asthma, hypertension, or HIV. Transportation of some of these essential supplies will require the added complexity of a cold chain. We are exploring more ways to safely move medical supplies within the country.

Caring for displaced people

Many displaced people are now sheltering in Lviv and other towns in western Ukraine. Many have have left their homes with only what they could carry. Local volunteers and civil society organizations are working hard to help them, but conditions are harsh, with available accommodations already past capacity. MSF is donating a large supply of cold weather items including sleeping bags, warm clothes, and tents to civil society organizations supporting displaced people. 

Central and Northern Ukraine

On March 13 and 14, an MSF surgical team visited the 750-bed Okhmatdyt pediatric hospital in central Kyiv to begin providing training and advice related to trauma surgery and the management of mass casualty events. In Bilal Tsverka, about 50 miles south of Kyiv, an MSF team is leading a two-day training on managing mass casualties and donating supplies to health facilities in the region. In Chernihiv, northern Ukraine, we provided medical supplies to a regional hospital and a maternity hospital. In Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, we are preparing to run mobile clinics in subway stations where people are sheltering. Another MSF team is planning to provide mass casualty trainings for hospital workers.

Southern and Western Ukraine

We have assessed the needs in health facilities in Uzhhorod and Ivano-Frankivsk and are establishing a network to provide medical donations, including in frontline areas. We are carrying out trainings related to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear risks for health professionals in Ivano-Frankivsk and have carried out a mass casualty training at the main referral hospital in Mukachevo.

A team has started running mobile clinics along the border with Hungary, where displaced people are gathered. The needs include mental health care and continuity of care for patients who were on treatment for medical conditions before they were displaced.

In the southern cities of Odesa and Mykolaiv, we have donated medical supplies to hospitals preparing to accept wounded.

In Lviv, teams have donated medical supplies to health facilities and are providing mass casualty training to hospital staff. On April 1, nine people—including children—in serious but stable condition were transferred from a hospital in Zaporizhzhia, in southeastern Ukraine, to major referral hospitals in Lviv on a dedicated two-car medical train that MSF developed together with the Ukrainian Railways.

In and around Zhytomyr we have donated trauma-related supplies and conducted mass casualty training in seven hospitals. We have also been able to move a considerable part of our tuberculosis (TB) supplies from Kyiv to Zhytomyr, where we were previously running a TB program.

In Vinnytsia Oblast, we are working with local hospitals to help them prepare for mass casualties, exploring how we can provide water and sanitation support, and making donations of medical supplies. In Nemyriv district, we have started supporting psychological care for people with mental health conditions and are planning to support physiotherapy for war-wounded patients.

Dnipro and Eastern Ukraine

Just before the war began in late February, MSF surgeons with experience in war zones provided training remotely to surgeons in key hospitals in eastern Ukraine that have since received many wounded people.

In Dnipro, an MSF team has conducted mass casualty trainings in hospitals and donated medical supplies to the regional hospital, helping prepare for future needs. In Kramatorsk, we have donated supplies to seven hospitals with the highest needs. In Orikhiv, we have donated first aid and surgical kits, and have provided mass casualty training for medical staff.

The humanitarian crisis in Mariupol is growing more and more desperate. The city in southeastern Ukraine remains surrounded by Russian military forces and subject to repeated artillery and aerial bombardment. Residents shelter in basements. Shops are closed. Food and clean water are difficult to find. Pharmacies have run out of medicines. People are lying dead in the streets. Gas and electricity have been off for days, in sub-zero temperatures. People are making fires to cook food and keep warm. Many ceasefire attempts have failed, trapping people inside the city and preventing humanitarian aid from entering. Civilian and medical infrastructure has been damaged, and communication is extremely limited. An MSF staff member from Mariupol shared his personal story of surviving under intense bombardment and being forced to flee.

MSF is calling for safe passage for those willing and able to escape across war-affected areas inside Ukraine, regardless of the existence of humanitarian corridors or temporary ceasefires. People who stay behind must not lose their civilian status: Warring parties must do everything in their power to prevent harm to civilians at all times, in all places.

Moldova 
More than 387,000 people have crossed into Moldova from Ukraine since the war began. Moldova, which has a population of just 2.6 million people, now hosts the largest concentration of Ukrainian refugees per capita, according to the UN Refugee Agency (the source of refugee figures used on page).

At the Palanca border crossing, an MSF team is supporting Moldovan health staff on site and offering psychological first aid to refugees escaping the fighting in southern Ukraine. We also set up a health post near the border crossing in Otaci this week, offering similar services. Our teams in the capital, Chișinău, have provided psychological first aid to people in reception centers and are evaluating how to improve access to health care for refugees in hospitals.

Poland 
More than 2.3 million people have fled Ukraine to Poland so far. MSF initially donated non-food items to the Red Cross Lublin and to a reception point in Horodlo, near the Zosin border crossing. Our staff in Poland have assessed needs at border crossings, transit centers, and train stations, and are also supporting our emergency response in Ukraine.

Hungary
As of March 29, nearly 365,000 people having crossed as refugees into Hungary. While our initial assessments indicated that many of the immediate needs of refugees are being met, we have started working with the support of Hungarian doctors, in partnership with local organizations, to provide primary health care and psychological first aid.

Slovakia 
More than 280,000 people have crossed into Slovakia from Ukraine as of March 29. An MSF emergency team arrived in the country at the beginning of March to assess the medical and humanitarian needs. We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Health in order to import medical supplies and enable our possible work in the future. For the moment, critical medical and humanitarian needs in Slovakia are being met by local authorities and civil society groups. 

Russia 
MSF works with the health authorities in Arkhangelsk and Vladimir regions to reduce the burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) and improve treatment for the disease. More than 350,000 people have crossed to Russia from Ukraine as of March 29. MSF is currently exploring whether new medical humanitarian needs have emerged in border regions. Our team has visited Rostov and Voronezh and is heading to Belgorod. In Rostov, we donated food, hygiene kits, essential relief items and medicines to be distributed among displaced people.

Belarus
MSF continues to run its regular programs in Belarus, supporting the national tuberculosis program and hepatitis C treatment in prisons. Since 2021 we have also assisted people on the move stranded between Belarus and the European Union countries. MSF has carried out an initial assessment of the situation on the border with Ukraine and stands ready to assist with emerging medical and humanitarian needs. As of March 29, about 5,000 people have crossed into Belarus from Ukraine.

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