amna: The world has never been
wealthier or more advanced
technologically, yet still
hunger still stalks tens of
millions globally.
122 million more people now face
hunger than in 2019.
Now, nearly 20% of the 1.4
billion people across Africa
face hunger.
Earlier today, I spoke with the
executive director of the un's
world food programme, Cindy
McCain.
She warns the crisis could
worsen without global action.
Reporter: World food program
director Cindy McCain, welcome
to the "Newshour."
You were joining us from south
Sudan visiting the border region
between Chad and Sudan were
hunger, as you said before is
being driven by both conflict
and the climate crisis.
Give us a sense of what you saw
on the ground.
>> South Sudan right now is very
lush looking because it has had
so much rain, but what we are
really seeing is a lot of impact
from flooding.
That is climate change for you
right now.
There are various regions that
have been very hit hard.
Some of the Dykstra are blown
out.
The problem is because of
flooding for so many years,
people have had to leave their
homes.
You see a vast surface from the
air and there are empty farm
plots.
It has disrupted life and
consequently there are people
very much in need of food and
they are very hungry.
Amna: Talking about the scale of
need you have witnessed, what
are we talking about?
>> It is enormous.
These people for the most part
are on the brink of starvation.
Of course conflict, you add
conflict which is part of the
refugees coming over the border
fleeing conflict in the north
and conflict that has already
existed here, it complicates
everything.
The people, for most of their
lives, many of them have been
running from one place to
another to escape it.
There is a lot of people but are
either in refugee camps or just
on their own out in the bush
trying to survive on whatever
they can find.
There just isn't any food.
Amna: Your work, we think about
the world food program and we
think about food aid and cash
assistance and so on.
You have focused a lot on food
resilience.
What does that mean?
What are some examples on the
ground?
>> When you talk about emergency
food, that is for people over
the border that have nothing to
exist on, that our six months in
and still have nothing exist on,
that's emergency.
But that is not the solution.
The solution is resilience, the
ability to give people tools to
begin to farm and farm their own
land so they not only can feed
themselves, but feet their
communities.
That way there is an economic
portion to this.
It is the only way we will solve
the problem of hunger, billions
and making sure people can feed
themselves.
Amna: In terms of meeting the
emergency need, this past
weekend and official from the
world food program set at least
38 of the 86 countries you
operate in, you already had for
cut aid or may soon have two cut
aid.
You had to cut their rations.
What does that look like day
today the ground for these
folks?
>> It is heart wrenching.
I have seen it three or four
times here and many times in
other countries.
People being told that you only
have three weeks left or you are
on your six month mark and we
cannot supply food anymore.
It is tragic because they don't
have any other place to go.
But we don't have a choice at
this point because we don't have
enough money.
There are so many crazies going
on so we are spread very thin.
Literally here in Sudan we are
$400 million short to keep
things at an even keel here.
It's a lot of money.
Amna: Why do you believe you've
seen a drop in donations?
>>>> I think there's a lot of
reasons.
I think there's a little donor
fatigue.
We were pushing pushing, pushing
for Ukraine, the earthquake of
course.
People are stretched thin and a
little tired.
It is up to us to reinvigorate
the discussion and make sure
people understand the importance
and where it sits and how this
could be disruptive to the world
if we don't help.
Amna: Speaking of Ukraine, as
you know, there was a green deal
in place whereby Russian
president Vladimir Putin was
allowing for the export of
crucial grain from Ukraine to
the black sea.
That has fallen apart.
How will that impact your work?
>> A great deal because some of
that grain was coming to Africa.
We will have to source it
another way.
We can do that and we are to a
degree but I'm disappointed.
You are only hurting the most
needy people in the world by
doing this.
It's a real shame that somehow
we have to once again tell
people who can't feed themselves
that we don't have enough
because the grain isn't there.
That drives up starvation and
malnutrition.
It drives up illness, disease,
everything else that comes
around with a weak body.
I'm just very disappointed in
the whole thing and I'm hoping
clearer heads prevail and we can
once again put the deal back
together.
Amna: There was a senior
administration official for the
Biden administration yesterday
talking to reporters about the
agenda for the un security
council, and that person said
food security is consistently a
top priority.
Do you see that?
Do you see those words matching
their actions?
>> Yes, I do believe that is
happening.
But that is partially because wf
P and other organizations have
literally rung the alarm bells
we all went forward.
.
To our entities and said you
have to put this on the table
front and center.
So we all started doing that
just prior and just before
Ukraine broke.
And then afterwards, it is
front and center everywhere.
Amna: Some of the same conflicts
in the same nations can dominate
global headlines.
You've been out on the road up
the front lines of wfp's work.
Where else should we be
looking that we are not?
>> I was in Chad, maybe 10 days
ago on the border.
We've also been to Somalia and
other regional places around.
What we are seeing is a
continued hesitancy on the part
of many countries to get
involved and be involved more
than they are.
I think the hesitancy is more
because of instability.
Wfp is always first in and we
stay and we are not leaving
these countries at all.
But we do need funding and we
need extra help.
Amna: The executive director of
the world food program, Cindy
McCain, joining us from south
Sudan.
Thank you for your help.
>> Thank you for having me>>.