WFP and MasterCard double your donations this Christmas

MANILA, Philippines – Rey Ediza is the only father in a line of mothers and infants waiting for food to be distributed by the World Food Programme (WFP) for Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) survivors.

Rey is the father of two girls, Rachelle, who is 5 years old, and Rianna, who is 1 and 7 months old. Because his wife works in Manila, Rey’s priority is to do what he can to survive and protect his girls – even if it means standing in long lines and scouring the city for cash-for-work opportunities. 

This Christmas, the WFP partnered with MasterCard to give those who want to help Yolanda survivors get continued access to nutritious food.

For any amount you donate until Dec 31, 2013, MasterCard will match that donation through their global matching campaign.

This means that a donation of $75 dollars will be doubled to $150. This is enough money to feed a family with nutritious food for as long as two months.

Giving the right food

Rey is among 400 families that received a fresh delivery of WFP’s Plumpy’Doz and high-energy biscuits (HEBs) at the San Fernando Elementary school – now serving as an evacuation center – in Tacloban City.

The Plumpy’Doz and HEBs are the best-suited food response during emergencies because they are “ready to use foods” (RUFs) used to prevent or treat moderate malnutrition.

Plumpy’Doz is a mixture of peanut paste, vegetable fat, skimmed fat, skimmed milk powder, whey, and maltodextrines, sugar and is fortified with micronutrients. Because of its child-friendly flavor (similar to peanut butter) each child consumes 534 Kcals for every 100g. 

Meanwhile, HEBs, contain 450 Kcals with an additional 10 to 15 grams of protein, for every 100g of biscuits consumed. They are best to distribute during situations where cooking facilities are unavailable. 

These RUFs are loaded with essential vitamins and nutrients that can help mothers, children, and families who have had very little to eat during the days and weeks after the super typhoon hit.

During an emergency the importance of providing not just food, but the right kind of food, is essential to strengthening children who are at high risk of malnutrition due to food insecurity. 

Prior to receiving assistance from WFP, Rey said his family did not have much to eat. “It’s been two weeks and life is very hard,” he said.

Now, he is hopeful that the food provided by WFP will help keep his girls strong. “We have nowhere to move yet. Right now I can only live with my relatives because they will help me take care of my girls. WFP will help me take care of my girls,” he added.

Click and donate

In a related campaign intended to boost Yolanda relief efforts, MasterCard released a holiday animation that would also convert views to donations.

Every first click on the video animation below is equivalent to a 1-Euro donation by MasterCard (the donation is made only once regardless of the number of times you watch the animation). MasterCard has pledged to donate a maximum of 15,000 euros (over P900,000) through the animation campaign. 

You may also go directly to the WFP’s online donation portal to donate and help Yolanda survivors during the Christmas season. 

 

Get involved. Ask your friends to help families affected by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) by clicking the button below:

 

– Rappler.com