Pope Francis makes a donation to the World Food Program as the pandemic causes growing hunger

Pope Francis made a donation to the World Food Program as the organization works to feed 270 million people this year amid the growing hunger caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Coronavirus infection levels have increased in Latin America and Africa at a time when food stocks in some parts of the world are already low, leaving more people vulnerable to food insecurity, according to the World Food Program website.

The Vatican announced on July 3 that Pope Francis would donate € 25.000 ($ 28.000) as an "expression of his closeness to those who have been affected by the pandemic and those engaged in essential services for the poor, weakest and most vulnerable. of our society. "

With this "symbolic" gesture, the pope wishes to express a "paternal encouragement towards the organization's humanitarian work and towards other countries willing to adhere to forms of support for integral development and public health in this period of crisis and to combat instability. social, food insecurity, rising unemployment and the collapse of the economic systems of the most vulnerable nations. "

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has launched an appeal for $ 4,9 billion in funding to bring food assistance where governments are asking for more support.

"The impact of COVID-19 on people is asking us to step up and intensify our efforts to ensure that more insecure people from food receive assistance," said Margot van der Velden, director of emergencies for WFP, on July 2.

Van der Velden said she was particularly concerned about Latin America, which saw a threefold increase in the number of people in need of food assistance as the epidemic spread across the region.

South Africa, which has documented over 159.000 COVID-19 cases, has also experienced a 90% increase in the number of food insecure people, according to WFP.

"The front line in the battle against coronavirus is moving from the rich to the poor world," said WFP chief David Beasley on June 29.

"Until the day we have a medical vaccine, food is the best vaccine against chaos," he said