Lebanese singer joins chorus for UN campaign against hunger

Lebanese singer Assi Helani has added his voice to the growing roster of celebrities helping the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) raise awareness of global hunger and poverty, the agency announced today.

Popularly known as the “Arab Knight,” Mr. Helani has donated his voice to shoot the latest of WFP’s 30-second public service announcements in which he draws attention to the tragic fact that 25,000 people die from hunger every day, 18,000 of them children.

“We cannot stop time, but we can stop hunger. And to help to end this tragedy, I am ready to donate my voice and popularity to the cause of fighting hunger and poverty. We must stop hunger in the world if we are all to have a better life,” Mr. Helani said.

He joins a number of other international celebrities who are championing WFP’s cause, including Brazilian soccer players Ronaldinho and Kaka, film stars Sean Connery and Penelope Cruz, Grammy-award winning Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Evora, marathon world champion and former school feeding beneficiary Paul Tergat, and Egyptian actor Mahmoud Yassin.

“We are very grateful to Assi Helani for lending us his voice to help raise awareness about hunger and poverty,” WFP Regional Director for the Middle East, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, Amir Abdulla, said. “His help gives us greater strength in the fight against hunger.”

Mr. Helani began his career in 1989 after winning a singing competition in Lebanon. But even as his popularity soared, he remained consistently involved in humanitarian issues. In the 1990s, he held charity and fund-raising concerts throughout the Middle East to help the poor.