In its continuing efforts to provide aid to the victims of Burma’s ongoing humanitarian crisis, Not On Our Watch has awarded a combined (US)$500,000 to lifesaving and humanitarian programs reaching tens of thousands of at-risk Burmese.

Through partnerships with four humanitarian organizations, Not On Our Watch will support food assistance programs in Burma’s Northern Rakhine State, as well as emergency medical care programs and basic education initiatives along the Thailand-Burma border.

“Having just returned from the region, I’ve seen the incredible hardships faced by men, women, and children as they fight to survive. Basic services including clean water, food, and medical care are in short supply for many of the country’s most vulnerable,” said Not On Our Watch co-founder Brad Pitt. “Survival in times like these continues to be against the odds. We are proud to support the work of organizations including WFP that combat these problems, and we remain hopeful that the international community will take a lead in addressing their causes in the long term.”

-Not On Our Watch funds will feed 40,000 small-scale farmers and their family members in Burma’s Northern Rakhine State, one of several recently identified “hunger hotspots” across the country. Several hundred thousand people are without adequate access to food supplies or the means to pay for food for their families in these areas.

-Not On Our Watch funds will give Burmese refugees on the Thai-Burma border access to medical procedures that cannot be performed at basic border clinics, including Cesarean sections and complicated surgeries. This grant will also provide supplementary nutrition for children, people living with HIV/AIDS, and disabled and elderly persons.

-Not On Our Watch funds will further support teacher training along the Thai-Burma border, as well as provide for the creation and distribution of learning materials. This grant will likewise provide university preparation for selected students for university courses in English, as well as support scholarships directed towards maximizing the number of Burmese students receiving education in subjects relevant to peace, human development, and ethnic reconciliation.

 

Not On Our Watch was founded by George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Jerry

Weintraub, and David Pressman to focus global attention and resources to stop and prevent mass atrocities. Drawing upon the voices of cultural leaders, our mission is to protect and assist the vulnerable, marginalized, and displaced. Web site: www.notonourwatchproject.org.

For more information, please contact:

AJ Wolosenko, Not On Our Watch/New York

Tel. +1-212-2775257

Email: aj@notonourwatchproject.org

World Food Programme

WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency and the UN’s frontline agency for hunger solutions. In 2009, WFP aims to feed around 100 million people in 77 countries.

WFP now provides RSS feeds to help journalists keep up with the latest press releases, videos and photos as they are published on WFP.org. For more details see: http://www.wfp.org/english/?n=999.

WFP now has a dedicated ISDN line in Italy for quality two-way interviews with WFP officials.

For more information please contact:

Jennifer Parmelee, WFP/Washington, Tel. +1-202-6530010 ext. 1149, Cell. +1-202-4223383

Bettina Luescher, WFP/New York, Cell. +1-646-8241112, luescher@un.org

Natasha Scripture, WFP/Rome, Tel. +39 06 6513 3146, Cell. +39 340 466 3480

Caroline Hurford, WFP/London, Tel. +44-20-72409001, Cell. +44-7968-008474

Emilia Casella, WFP/Geneva, Tel. +41-22-9178564, Cell. +41-792857304

Maria Reppas, Friends of WFP, Tel. (202) 530-1694, mreppas@friendsofwfp.org