UN food agency launches new app to help feed Syrian refugee children

The World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a new app called ShareTheMeal, which will allow smartphone users to provide Syrian refugee children with vital nutrition with a simple tap on their phones, a UN spokesman told reporters here Thursday.

"A donation of fifty cents through the app can provide one hungry child with vital nutrition in school each day," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here. "Users can choose the amount they donate through their smartphone."

"ShareTheMeal is WFP's first fundraising and awareness-raising app and it is free to download," he said. "The app is a pioneering way for people to join efforts in creating a world with zero hunger."

"Users are in charge of their giving experience and can choose to help feed a child whenever they like, such as when they are having lunch," he said.

WFP is 100 percent voluntarily funded, so every donation counts, the spokesman added.

In the statement, WFP explained that even a donation as small as 0.50 cents will provide a child with vital nutrition for a day.

All contributions will benefit Syrian refugee children in Jordan who are part of WFP's school meals program.

WFP believes the potential of ShareTheMeal is enormous, as worldwide there are 20 times as many smartphone users as there are hungry children. Based on tests launched in some European countries this past June, some 120,000 users provided more than 1.7 million meals for schoolchildren in the southern African country of Lesotho.

"With the global launch, smartphone users in many countries across the world can support hungry children," said Sebastian Stricker, who founded ShareTheMeal.

WFP announced that this free app will be available for iOS and Android from Nov. 12, in app stores worldwide and at this link.

It only takes 30 seconds to register and users can start sharing meals with hungry children and follow the impact of their donations. Enditem