Laura Melo is the representative of the UN World Food Program in Venezuela. “We are working in eight states of the country, supporting some 450,000 people monthly.”
The Portuguese Laura Melo arrived in Venezuela about a year ago and now represents the World Food Program (WFP), a UN agency that guarantees food to 450,000 needy children in the country.
“As WFP here in Venezuela, we essentially continue to work and support children through school feeding. We are working in eight states of the country, supporting some 450,000 people a month, essentially children, but also teachers and all the staff of the schools where we operate, ”he told the Lusa news agency.
Laura Melo recalled that PAM is a UN agency that promotes food and nutritional security for the poorest and most vulnerable people, in some 120 countries, with millions of beneficiaries “because, unfortunately from the point of view of world hunger The situation is getting worse.”
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“In April 2021, the WFP signed an agreement with the Government of Venezuela to begin working and providing support, from the point of view of food and nutrition security in the country,” he said, specifying that they had already been in the country for a year. country. a long time. .
Three months later, in July, local activities began, with the distribution of food in schools up to pre-primary in the state of Falcón, for children from 6 months to 6 years, and in “special schools” for people with deprivations. .
“Food programs and support activities in schools exist in a variety of Latin American countries (…) we support precisely to complement efforts, even in the country itself, to feed and help the most vulnerable people to have a nutritious diet. Fundamentally so that children can have a healthy development and can develop their potential ”, she highlighted.
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Laura Melo explained that she really likes what she does and that she is “very proud” to work at PAM, an organization with which she has worked “for more than 20 years.”
“I am in love with Venezuela. It is a wonderful country, with wonderful people, with incredible potential. And our job is essentially to support that potential, that all these opportunities in the country can be maximized,” he said.
The official also highlighted that Venezuela “is a country with an enormous geographical diversity, with an absolutely fantastic capacity and human talent.”
“The desire to get ahead, to achieve things for your country is something extraordinary and we are very proud to be able to support Venezuela,” he added.
On the other hand, he explained that the WFP is an agency financed on an absolutely voluntary basis, which has donor countries, with an important component of the private sector and other types of organizations.
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“But, the great weight comes from the donor countries that are always financing where the greatest needs are and, unfortunately, currently there are many crises, a lot of competition for resources (…) The pandemic crisis has greatly affected almost all countries in the world and has also affected the food situation of these countries”, he recalled.
According to Laura Melo, “the conflict in Ukraine is also greatly affecting the production of food and fertilizers in practically all the countries of the world: where there is agricultural production, there is an increase in prices and this translates into an increase in the prices of food for consumers and populations, affecting the ability to purchase diversified foods and ensure a diversified diet, essential for good nutrition”.
This Portuguese studied in Portugal and completed a master’s degree in London where she worked as a journalist. “Then journalism led me to these things in the humanitarian world (…) and at a certain point, I joined WFP, more than 20 years ago,” she said.
“I started working in Africa and in the last decade in Latin America. I have worked in Panama, Cuba, Guatemala and now Venezuela”, where, she said, there is also “a very large Portuguese community”.
“It is always a pleasure to arrive in a country and see that Portugal is well represented (…) to see that the Portuguese made a very important contribution to this country. Being Portuguese is always an advantage. We are a well-regarded country in the world in general. We are a country with very good relations with all the countries of the world”, he said.
Laura Melo is also, “as a Portuguese, very proud to be able to represent the ability and talent that the Portuguese have and that they can take to the world.”
“As a Portuguese woman, I am very proud to be part of the UN, to be able to be identified as representing Portugal at the United Nations,” she said.
Regarding the Luso-Venezuelan community, he congratulated himself for being “very united, very representative” and “working very hard to promote” its members. “Many already have a very long history here and they feel very identified also as Venezuelans”, but also as Portuguese”, she added.
Laura Melo hopes that one day the work she does to “contribute to ending hunger in the world (…) will no longer be necessary.”
“I hope that one day there will be no need for people in the world to fight hunger, that there will be no need for us to face the needs of so many communities and so many families. I hope that one day there will be no hunger in the world, ”he concluded.
Source: Observadora
