The End of an Era

WFP Headquarters in Rome, December 2007

Tomorrow is my last day of work at the World Food Programme.

It feels like the end of an era (and yes, I know how cheesy that sounds). My adventures with WFP started in 2007 when I moved to Rome Italy to spend 6 months interning in the Fundraising for Donors, Private (FDP) division. I learned so much about myself in those 6 months - about what I wanted in a career, how to live in a foreign country alone, and for the first time I realized how much I truly love to travel. It was such an important time and I'll never forget it.

I also loved the work I was doing - specifically, supporting the first World Hunger Relief campaign with one of WFP's partners YUM! Brands. I realized I was passionate about nonprofit communications campaigns - the opportunity to reach people who otherwise would never hear about an issue and educate them and give them the opportunity to get involved and help. I also learned a lot about the due diligence research process and other WFP private partners.

I moved back to Gainesville in 2008 before heading to graduate school at Duke University. Inspired by my work at WFP, I focused my coursework in merging public policy and consulting skills with an emphasis on public-private partnerships. The summer of 2009 I did an internship in Tanzania where I worked on a range of issues, including nutrition assessment for people battling AIDS. One weekend I went to Dar es Salaam for the WFP/TNT event "Walk the World." Even though I wasn't working for WFP at the time I felt connected - I even had my WFP FEED bag with me during the walk!

Walk the World in Dar es Salaam, June 2009

My second year at Duke I worked on my Master's Project for WFP - a strategy to engage the agribusiness industry. I even came to Rome in April 2010 to present the final project. A few months later I started working in the Public-Private Partnerships division (CPP) in New York City, where I have worked the last two and a half years. I've been incredibly proud of the work of our division, particularly the Hunger Games partnership which I helped initiate:

I also returned to the management of the YUM partnership, where I supported the World Hunger Relief campaign as the global coordinator. I learned so much and I was lucky to get the opportunity to travel twice: once to Rome for a month of training, and once to London for The Hunger Games European Premiere (which is still without a doubt one of the coolest experiences I've ever had).

WFP Colleagues in Rome, April 2011

Hunger Games Premiere in London, March 2012 

Any major life change fills you with a mix of emotions - excitement, anxiety, nostalgia. It can be bittersweet. I'm so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have worked with WFP in so many capacities for so many years. Life events continued to bring me to Rome a total of 5 times (in addition to living there for 6 months) which has instilled in me a fierce love of Italy. I remain passionate about solving hunger and believe WFP is the solution.

At the same time, I'm also so excited for my new adventure at March of Dimes - to work on an amazing cause and be challenged in new ways. It is always hard to say goodbye so instead I'll say see you around the bend, WFP. Who knows what the future will hold! Until then, rest assured every October I will visit a Taco Bell and donate $1 to WFP for World Hunger Relief - and I'll be tuning in to the next installments of The Hunger Games films and I can't wait to see what will happen with that partnership.

Arrivederci (for now!)

World Food Programme Partnership with The Hunger Games!

As all of you know I'm a big fan of the book series The Hunger Games, and very excited for the movie to come out next month! What you may not know is that for the past few months I've been working on a very exciting partnership between the movie and World Food Programme and Feeding America! I had the idea while reading the books and it seemed like a natural fit - and it's so exciting to see it happening in real life! Please check out our website http://www.wfp.org/hungergames and take the hunger quiz, make a donation by "sending in your parachute" - and watch the PSA filmed by the cast of the movie!

Here's what the website looks like:

And here's the PSA:

You can also check out The Hunger Games tab on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thehungergamesmovie

We are so excited about the partnership with The Hunger Games and how excited they are to help us fight hunger around the world!

We Feed Back

So… what’s all this about We Feed Back?

Hi Family and Friends,

So if you’ve been on my facebook, or seen me on gchat, you’ll notice a LOT about something called We Feed Back. You’re probably wondering what is this and why is Dana making a big deal about it? It’s a new initiative my organization World Food Programme is launching to increase awareness and engagement in world hunger. It shows that by each of us doing a little, we can achieve a lot!

So what is it? Social networking for social good.

How it works:

It's easy: You choose your favorite food, put it into the Feedback Calculator along with the estimated cost, and then calculate how many hungry children this would feed. The next step is to donate exactly that amount. Or, if you want, you donate multiples of that amount. In this way you feedback more portions of your favorite food.

At this point you are a member of the WeFeedback community. But in order to participate fully, there is another step: share details of your favorite food and your feedback with others. You can do this through your networks, if you ask them to join WeFeedback. They then ask their networks and before you know it, we have thousands of people like you using their networking skills to raise awareness for a great cause.

The power of food

We're taking a new approach to fighting hunger that is social, fun and focused on the positive. We believe food is an amazing force: It is a giver of life, a canvas for creativity and a catalyst for our social lives. If together we can harness the exuberance, creativity and sense of identity people associate with food, we can tap into a powerful positive force for change.

That's why the WeFeedback community is focused on a common love of food and the possibilities it creates to improve lives. If we can do that, then we can do a world of good.

Beating hunger:

WeFeedback is a social media initiative of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the world's largest humanitarian organization (which is where I work!). Each year, WFP brings food to 90 million people so they can move on with their lives, receive an education, find employment and create a better life for their families.

So… who benefits?
We Feed Back benefits school children around the world.
How?

WFP provides school meals to an average of 22 million children each year in 60 countries. Why? Because providing a nutritious meal to children in school is one of the best ways of breaking the cycle of hunger that traps nearly a billion people globally. Here are four things that make school meals such a powerful tool:

1. Incredibly cost-effective: In regions that suffer from hunger, school meals play a vital role in breaking the hunger-poverty cycle. Children only get meals if they go to school regularly. In many programs, attendance also earns a take-home ration that will help sustain the child’s family as well. Just US$5 will provide one month of school meals for a child.

2. Gets poor kids into school: Education takes a very low priority when a family is hungry. Poor households are often obliged to choose between sending the kids to school or to work in fields, streets, factories or sweatshops. With school meals, parents do not have to make that choice. School becomes the best option for securing food. This also helps gender equality in cultures that do not typically educate girls since parents are eager for their girls to attend school for the food benefits.

3. Breaks the cycle of poverty: When children are forced to work, they grow up without an education or proper nutrition, thus increasing the likelihood that they will remain poor and have to keep their children home from school as well. This is how poverty perpetuates itself. School meals break this cycle by giving both kids and parents a chance to focus beyond the next meal and achieve their potential.

4. Creates a sustainable solution: Whenever possible, the food used in these programs is bought locally, helping to boost the local economy. Once a program is running smoothly, our aim is to hand over the program and let it be run locally. In fact, over the past 45 years, WFP has handed over school meal programs to 42 countries where the programs continue to thrive.

Why does all of this matter? That’s easy. Because making the world a better place starts with food. Food fuels education. Food fuels free choice. Food fuels economic independence. Food fuels peace. That’s why WeFeedback and WFP are determined to break the cycle of hunger. We need your support.

It would mean a lot to me if you would check it out! Join my network at http://www.wefeedback.org/supporters/dana-vettel or donate directly from the widget on my blog! Help spread the word about hunger and see how easy it is to help make a difference!



***Source: We Feed Back and WFP websites***

Walk the World in Dar es Salaam

Dar es Salaam was a great one night trip out of Bagamoyo. Interestingly enough, the feel of the city reminded me of Rome – in that it was rustic and lacking the typical touristy feel. The city wasn’t as diverse as I expected – for the most part we saw only black Africans. On the way into the city the extreme urban poverty is visible – slums dot the skyline of the city and despite some urban development, there are desperate waves of people. Some approach you offering to exchange currency; others try to sell a variety of products.

Sightseeing was a short endeavor! We went to see the Botanical Gardens but the National Museum was closed. We saw a few statues and churches around the city but as I said, it lacks a touristy feel and contrary to Rome it subsequently lacks touristy activities. Saturday night we went to a restaurant called Addis in Dar that came highly recommended from a few friends. It was traditional Ethiopian cuisine which means we had to eat everything with our hands! It was delicious! We had lentils, lamb, beef, chicken, and egg. Everything was savory and to eat you use this spongy flat bread to sop up the dishes. Yum!

Sunday was Walk the World. It was a fantastic event albeight different from traditional walks I’ve done in the United States. It was somewhat less organized yet everyone seemed to know what to do and where to go. There were several thousand people at least – including a lot of young kids and many school kids. The keynote guest who did the walk was Salma Kikwete, the wife of the President of Tanzania. She was very friendly and we didn’t know she would be there so that was a great surprise!

The energy during the walk was unparalleled to any walk I’ve done in the United States. People were jogging, singing, and chanting on the streets. What is fascinating to me is the salience this issue must have for people in Tanzania – many who probably have experienced hunger, malnutrition, or starvation. It was incredible to walk the streets with so many people united for a cause I care so deeply about. It was truly a wonderful and unique experience, and a much-needed getaway from Bagamoyo.

Fight World Hunger!!!