Josette Sheeran, executive director of the United Nation's World Food Programme (WFP), has announced that this year the WFP aims to feed 150 million people in 74 countries of the world. She made this announcement ahead of preparation for the WFP organized 'Global walk to end world hunger', this Sunday.

The 'Walk the world' initiative will bring thousands of people around the world, including major corporate partners, who will come together in a walk to raise awareness and money to feed hungry students in some of the poorest countries in the world. According to the WFP country boss, "Walk the world comes at a time of unprecedented challenges for the hungry and the poor." Children, she observed, are suffering because food prices still remain high in many developing countries with the global financial crisis hitting family incomes hard.

 This annual event which has been observed for seven years now will see people walking for hunger in 70 countries, and it will begin in Australia with a climb up the Sydney Harbour Bridge and continue through all 24 time zones. The day will also be marked by Pop concerts in Indonesia and traditional Maasai dances in Kenya, and will conclude in the Pacific Island of Samoa.

In The Gambia, the WFP national office, with families, friends, development partners and members of various communities, are expected to gather at Kerewan, North Bank Region, this Sunday, to take part in the global event. Accordingly, it costs the WFP 20 Euro cents to provide a nutritious meal to a child at school, and, a statement from the UN body indicated, school feeding programmes also give parents extra incentive to keep their children in school, and help to lay a healthy foundation for a better future for the young people.

According to Sheeran, this initiative provides a powerful demonstration of public support for WFP's fight against hunger, with employees from the three supporting companies walking together with friends and families, as well as celebrities and local dignitaries and WFP employees."In some countries, children who have benefited from the WFP school feeding programme will also walk in solidarity", she said.

For this year, there is also an online walk at wfp.org/walktheweb, where people are invited to make a donation online, where each Euro or local currency equivalent is counted as a mile walk. The objective is to go the 25,000 miles around the world.