Food Force

Food Force is an animated computer video game that is designed to help young people understand the issue of world hunger - and the humanitarian work of WFP to fight it - through the playing of six missions that simulate the challenges of aid workers reaching economically poor people with food in times of crisis. While many video games are designed to intrigue children through violence, sexual imagery, or fast cars, Food Force instead teaches kids to "do good" by racing against time to save lives. Entertainment is a key strategy to spur learning along these lines, as participants pilot helicopters while looking out for hungry people, negotiate with armed rebels blocking a food convoy, and use food aid to help rebuild communities. It is not only meant to be entertaining and challenging, but offers a strong ethical message.

Specifically, set on the fictitious island of Sheylan, players must locate refugees, plan appropriate food packets (based on nutritional needs of population), and figure out how to deliver the food and air drop it to people in remote villages. At the end of the game, players must select from limited resources to help a village become self-sufficient within 10 years. Together, the missions provide an overview of how food aid is used in both emergencies and long-term development projects. Available as a free download for the Mac and personal computer (PC) formats on the dedicated Food Force website, this game has been translated into Italian and Japanese versions (Chinese and French versions are in the works).

The game is enhanced by an interactive website that features information about global hunger for both young people and teachers, as well as ideas for how to effect change at school (e.g., host a poetry reading or produce an artwork-inspired charity calendar) or at home (e.g., organise a book sale or walkathon in the community). In this sense, Food Force is not only a video game; it is also an online community where players from all over the world can meet and teachers can find information and strategies for organising lessons on hunger and humanitarian aid work. For example, hunger learning theme pages are designed to support the work of teachers by offering: Introductions and links to complete lesson plans at various learning levels; indications on how to use the game to enrich lessons and reinforce learning; links to relevant online resources; and background summary papers providing facts, definitions and brief explanations.

In 2005, WFP and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) collaborated to launch a Food Force contest in which young people from across the United States competed for an all-expenses-paid trip to the Superbowl (football) game in Detroit in February 2006. The contest, whose slogan was "Get off the sidelines and play!", was introduced publicly at the Patria Mirabal School (MS324) in New York City's Washington Heights. There, approximately 100 sixth-graders had been practicing the Food Force game on computers donated by Computers for Youth (CFY), a New York City non-profit organisation that distributes home computers and educational software to schoolchildren in low-income neighbourhoods.

Hunger, Children, Development Aid.

According to the WFP, an estimated 852 million people are chronically hungry in the world, a number that is rising by some 10 million a year. Of these, some 25,000 people die each day of hunger and related ailments, killing more people than TB, malaria and AIDS combined. Most of the deaths are among children.

As of this writing, there have been over 3 million Food Force downloads; players hail from nearly 200 countries. Organisers are also attempting a free distribution in schools around the world, backed by the web-world player Yahoo! and Internet2, the Washington, DC (USA)-based high-speed educational network in cyberspace.