Drive against hunger: motor rally across 14 countries ends in Jordan

The rally, which began on 26 May, was organised by the Jordanian National Alliance for Combating Hunger and Enhancing Food Security in cooperation with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) under the auspices of HRH Princess Basma Bint Talal.

Travelling over 5,000 kilometres through Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Syria and Jordan, the 250 motorists and their friends drove their old cars, stopping at historic sites to call for a stronger focus and support for efforts to end hunger.

Welcoming the drivers, Princess Basma Bint Talal praised the event, saying: "You do not have to have expensive cars to have a world rally. And ending hunger is not so very expensive either. It just takes political will and determination to have the right policies and the right resources to implement them. After all, the world produces enough food for every child, woman and man to lead a healthy life."

During the rally, participants distributed clothes and shoes to those who needed them and compiled food recipes from each country they toured. The participants intend to print recipe books and channel the proceeds to assist humanitarian projects in Jordan.

"One sometimes feels that many more fortunate people have become inured to scenes of misery and hunger on television. We hope the rally will help break the cycle of indifference, as it shows that everyone with care and determination can make a positive impact on the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide who are still unable to secure their basic food needs," said Jeme Abdelwahab, WFP's Country Director in Jordan.

"Nearly one thousand people die every hour because of hunger and related diseases. We hope that events like this rally can refocus public attention on this global challenge," Abdelwahab added.

Of the 120 cars joined at the start line, 113 made it to the finish. The only condition to join was that the market value for the car should not exceed 2,000 euros (US$2,570).

The rally vehicles will be sold and the proceeds will go to the Jordanian National Alliance's projects in Jordan. Established in 2004, the Alliance supports the Jordanian Government's programmes to combat hunger and poverty.