On April 29, 2024, Abel Tesfaye, also known as the renowned musical artist The Weeknd, committed an additional $2 million from his XO Humanitarian Fund to support relief efforts in Gaza as a U.N. World Food Program (WFP) Goodwill Ambassador. This contribution is aimed at providing 1,500 metric tons of fortified wheat flour, which will produce over 18 million loaves of bread, enough to sustain over 157,000 Palestinians for a month.
This latest donation builds on Tesfaye’s previous contribution of $2.5 million in December 2023, which provided four million emergency meals through 820 metric tons of food parcels, feeding more than 173,000 people for two weeks. Highlighting the urgent need for continued support, Tesfaye has urged his fans to contribute to WFP’s efforts, emphasizing that over a million Palestinians are grappling with severe hunger.
With famine looming in Gaza, Abel’s generous support will provide vital relief for thousands of Palestinian families who battle the grip of hunger every day. We are tremendously grateful for his contribution, compassion and for his unwavering advocacy for WFP and the people of Palestine.
Corinne Fleischer, WFP’s Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe Region.
In Gaza, WFP distributes essential food supplies to over a million people each month, aiming to restore collapsed food systems. The organization focuses on central and southern Gaza, but has increased deliveries to the north since March. WFP has transported around 2,100 metric tons of food parcels and wheat flour to northern Gaza via land routes, with an additional 45 metric tons air-dropped.
Food distributions occur in U.N. shelters, communities, and makeshift camps, providing ready-to-eat food, wheat flour, and specialized nutritional products for children and pregnant or nursing mothers. WFP also supports over 100 community kitchens, aiming to deliver 500,000 hot meals daily. Efforts to reopen bakeries have also been fruitful, with four bakeries in the north and twelve in central and southern Gaza receiving supplies such as wheat flour, fuel, yeast, salt, and sugar.
Barron Segar, President and CEO of World Food Program USA, commended Tesfaye’s continued support amid Gaza’s hunger crisis. He underscored the solvability of hunger, noting that sufficient food exists globally; the challenge lies in securing funding and ensuring safe access. Thanks to Tesfaye’s contributions, many families and children in Gaza will receive the vital food aid they need.
Appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador in October 2021, The Weeknd has been a dedicated supporter of WFP’s global hunger-relief initiatives. Through personal donations and the XO Humanitarian Fund, he, along with his partners and fans, has raised $6.5 million to date. $4.5 million has been allocated towards relief efforts in Gaza, while $2 million has supported emergency food assistance for women and children in Ethiopia.
For more information about The Weeknd’s collaboration with WFP, visit wfp.org/TheWeeknd. The U.N. World Food Programme remains the world’s largest humanitarian organization, dedicated to saving lives in emergencies and fostering pathways to peace, stability, and prosperity for those recovering from conflict, disasters, and climate change impacts.
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