First ladies join UN food agency to combat hunger among millions in Americas

A United Nations campaign to raise awareness about hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity throughout the school systems of South America and the Caribbean has received the support of first ladies from the region, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today.

The FAO programme "Feed the mind to combat hunger," will focus on breaking the cycle of poverty and hunger through better education and will incorporate the tactical means to change public opinion and "motivate political will" among the people of Latin America and the Caribbean, FAO said in a statement at the annual Summit of First Ladies of the Americas in Asunción, Paraguay.

Using CD-ROMs and manuals prepared by FAO, the initial program will be rolled out to teachers and students of all ages in Paraguay and will include workshops on the issue. Later the program will be extended throughout South America "with the help of the First Ladies," said the FAO.

Hunger and malnutrition are unacceptable in a world that has the ways and the means to sufficiently feed all humanity, the First Lady of Paraguay, María Gloria Penayo de Duarte, said in a statement reflecting the promise of the first ladies to help in the FAO program. Among the 20 or so first ladies attending the Summit were Fanny Argueda de Rodriguez of Bolivia, Maria Beatriz Paret de Palacio of Ecuador, and Leila Rodriguez de Pacheco of Costa Rico.

FAO also announced that they will be naming Ms. Penayo de Duarte the new honour of Extraordinary Ambassador for Latin America for the UN agency.