By Tamba Borbor
PRO, WHH SLE 1048/1085
Welthungerhilfe through its Linking Agriculture, Natural Resources and Nutrition (LANN) Project (SLE 1084) funded by Irish Aid has celebrated World Food Day on Friday 16th October 2020 in Joi Village, Koya Chiefdom, Kenema District.
With this year’s theme: “Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together”, the Deputy Head of Project who also doubles as the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of LANN, Paul Bassie, highlighted the importance of the celebration and the choice of location to for same.
He noted that WHH attaches great importance to food security and sufficiency across the world hence its intervention in the agricultural sector in Sierra Leone.
The representative of the Paramount Chief of Koya Chiefdom, Mohamed G. Kanneh thanked WHH for the celebration and stressed the significance of ensuring food is available in all households in the world.
Bockarie Foday, the Section Chief of Joi Section, praised Welthungerhilfe for implementing the LANN Project in their chiefdom which he noted has made significant impact in the lives of the people.
The Gender Officer of the Scaling Up Nutrition Project at the Kenema District Council, Abibatu Amara thanked WHH for its intervention in the Kenema district.
“This day is important as it creates a platform to showcase the agricultural prowess of communities across the country,” Mrs. Kanneh stated; adding that communities should be aware of the prevalence of coronavirus in the country.
Anita Penyikie, the Clinical Nutritionist at the District Health Medical Team (DHMT) Kenema District lamented that in celebrating World Food Day, all should be reminded that there are children who cannot afford food.
She emphasized that farmers must plant what they eat and can derive benefits from.
Town Chief of Joi Village, Sheku Sannoh assured of his unwavering support to ensure WHH operations proceed without let or hindrance.
He noted that celebrating World Food Day in his town shows the level of importance WHH allots to farmers in his chiefdom. Chief Sannoh urged his subjects to support the project of Welthungerhilfe and acquire skills offered in the various trainings to secure their agricultural futures.
A cooking competition using local food items grown locally between Joi and Baoma sections climaxed the celebration with both sides sharing the prizes in a show of communal unity.
According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), over two billion people do not have regular access to safe, nutritious and enough food while the global population is expected to reach almost 10 billion by 2050.
It noted that nearly 690 million people are hungry, up 10 million since 2019; emphasizing that the COVID-19 pandemic could add between 83-132 million people to this number, depending on the economic growth scenario.
On the cost of malnutrition in all its forms – undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, as well as overweight and obesity on the global economy is estimated at USD 3.5 trillion per year.
