England Cricketers team up with World Food programme to bowl out
Hunger
The fight to end child hunger will take centre stage at the Galle
Cricket Ground on Saturday 15 December when members of the England
cricket team turn out to raise awareness about the plight of the
hundreds of millions of children around the world who know what it is
like to go hungry.
England captain, Michael Vaughan, and batsmen Alastair Cook and Kevin
Pietersen will be joined by England coach, Peter Moores at an event that
is being staged as part of the “Cricket Against Hunger” partnership
between the England and Wales Cricket Board and the United Nations World
Food Programme (WFP).
“Cricket Against Hunger is a growing partnership that aims to spread
the message about child hunger and make more people aware of the work
that WFP is doing to address it,” said Mohamed Saleheen, WFP
Representative in Sri Lanka.
“These players who are known all over the world have an important
role to play in drawing attention to WFP’s vital work in addressing
malnutrition among children.”
The England team will conduct a cricket training session at the Galle
cricket ground for school children who are the recipients of WFP meals
at 11 schools from the surrounding area. WFP started its school feeding
programmes in Sri Lanka in 2003 as a response to high levels of child
malnutrition in areas affected by civil conflict.
The programme was extended in 2004 in the immediate aftermath of the
Asian tsunami, as more children became vulnerable and required food
assistance. Today, WFP is providing food for 350,000 children through
its school feeding programme in 15 out of 25 districts of Sri Lanka.
“Cricket is a sport that takes you to countries where you are
confronted with the daily hardships that face millions of hungry
children around the world,” said Alastair Cook. “As international
sportsmen, we are in the public eye, and we have an opportunity to tell
our fans and followers about the scale of this problem, and the work
that WFP is doing to address it.”
Since the “Cricket Against Hunger” partnership was launched in 2006,
England team members have taken part in events in Jaipur in India, and
in Bogra in Bangladesh, playing exhibition. |