WFP’s “Empty Feed” Ramadan campaign aims to back 690 million hungry people

22 / 04 / 2021

By Marwa Nassar - -

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has launched a Ramadan campaign on social media to raise awareness on the suffering of 690 million hungry people around the world.

The campaign kicked off with “empty” posts by celebrities and influencers in the Arab world and beyond. Top UN officials, supporters and staff also started sharing empty posts on Instagram feeds using hashtag #EmptyFeed throughout the month.

“This Ramadan, we thought maybe we can FEED more people by hijacking Instagram FEEDs; all you need to do is share an empty post on your Instagram feed. It can be an empty plate, box, wall, plain background,“ says WFP Head of Communications in the MENA region Abeer Etefa. “While each one of us knows their day fast will end at dusk, millions around the world know no end to theirs.”

Goodwill ambassador Hend Sabry and celebrity chef Manal Al Alem were the first to support the campaign.

Among the supporters were also Dalia El Beheri, Omar El Saeed, Souhair Al Qaissi, Logina Salah, Enjy Kiwan, Rahaf Sawalha, Chef May Yacoubi and Sham Al Zahabi.

WFP is providing food assistance for around 25 million people in 13 countries the MENA region.

WFP operates in some of the toughest environments in the world, affected by active conflict as well as mass and protracted displacement.

Two out of WFP’s six biggest emergencies are in the Middle East, in Syria and Yemen where close to 18 million people – 13 million of them in Yemen and nearly 5 million in Syria – rely on WFP food assistance for their survival.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed many countries in the region into economic turmoil as it compounded pre-existing problems. The pandemic has increased fragility of economies, jeopardized access to food, diminished purchasing power, and lowered economic productivity.

With little to no savings, no unemployment insurance, and reduced food subsidies, people who engage in subsistence or informal work to support their families are severely impacted by lockdowns or interruptions to their livelihoods.

WFP is encouraging social media users to take part in the campaign by sharing empty posts on Instagram along with the caption “Let this EMPTY post be a reminder that 690 million people go to bed hungry every night.”