UN World Food Program

28 December 2012

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From the conflicts in Syria and Congo, to the drought in the Sahel region of Africa, 2012 threw up a challenging sequence of emergencies to WFP and its humanitarian partners. Here are 12 photos that look back on a year in WFP's fight against hunger.

WFP/Stephanie Tremblay	Haiti January As Haiti marked the 2nd anniversary of the 2010 earthquake, this 2-year-old boy was escaping the clutches of malnutrition. Four months of treatment and special food products from WFP and Unicef made the difference you see here. Read More Tweet
WFP/David Longstreath	Cambodia February Food prices began to rise again, stoking fears of a new food crisis. In the end it didn't materialise, partly because rice prices remained stable in Asian countries such as Cambodia. But experts warned that price volatility will be the norm for several years Read more Tweet
WFP/Rein Skullerud	Kenya March Molly, a 12-year-old girl from a Nairobi slum, filmed her own life and, working with WFP, made it into a video series. The videos depicted the daily reality of living in poverty and showed how much difference school meals can make. See videos Tweet
WFP/Hulomat Khan	Afghanistan April This photo of a WFP truck negotiating a tricky manoeuvre was taken during a mission to deliver food to a remote village in Afghanistan and highlights the challenges of working there. It was an instant hit on Facebook, getting 5,000 likes. Learn More Tweet
WFP/Rein Skullerud	Niger May One month after becoming WFP’s Executive Director, Ertharin Cousin was in Niger, seeing the effects of the severe drought in the Sahel region. This photo shows her at a project WFP-supported water conservation project with UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres. Read blog Tweet
WFP/Rein Skullerud	Sahel June In response to the Sahel drought, WFP scaled up its food operations drastically, placing a particular emphasis on nutrition programmes for young children. This photo shows a child being weighed at a WFP supported clinic in Niamey. See audioslideshow Tweet
WFP/Barry Came	Yemen July A survey in 2012 showed that 5 million Yemenis were unable to buy or produce the food they needed. Working with the government, WFP set up an emergency safety net scheme to assist the most vulnerable with food aid. Read more Tweet
WFP/George Fominyen	South Sudan August After a sudden influx of refugees into South Sudan, WFP used airdrops to get food to families who had fled fighting over the border in Sudan. The rainy season had just started, blocking all the key roads to the refugee settlement. Watch video Tweet
WFP/Abeer Etefa	Syria September As fighting intensified in Syria, cutting off food supplies for thousands of civilians, WFP scaled up its operations to reach around 1.5 million people each month. This woman in Damascus has just received her emergency rations. Learn more Tweet
WFP/Jane Howard	Mali October Levels of hunger dropped in the Sahel later in 2012, but Mali was an exception. Conflict made drought recovery much harder and impeded food relief efforts. This photo shows displaced families arriving by boat for a distribution in Mopti. Read More Tweet
WFP/Martin Penner	DRC November An upsurge of fighting in Eastern Congo forced hundreds of thousands of families to flee their villages. WFP’s response included food vouchers, like those held by this woman. They provide food but also sustain the local economy. See gallery Tweet
WFP Philippines	Philippines December A typhoon devastated the southern Philippines, leaving over 1,000 people dead. WFP is helping the government provide food relief for 400,000 affected people. Philippine actress KC Concepcion, a strong WFP supporter, joined the effort. Watch video Tweet