Saudi gov't donates 60 tons of dates to Mindanao conflict areas

MANILA, Philippines - The Saudi Arabian government recently donated over 60 tons of dates to the United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP) for distribution to families in conflict-hit areas in Mindanao.

Saudi Arabia Ambassador Abdullah Al-Hassan and senior representative of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Finance in Riyadh Saad Al Sunaidi turned over the donation to WFP country director Stephen Anderson and Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of Middle East and African Affairs executive director Neal Imperial.

The WFP said it will distribute the dates to 30,000 families in Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao with the assistance of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Date fruit is dried and eaten whole as a snack or included in a variety of desserts.

WFP, the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger, said malnutrition is a serious concern in Mindanao.

A recent WFP and World Bank study found that nearly a million people were displaced from their homes in Central Mindanao over the past 12 years due to armed conflicts.