Egyptian footballer Aboutrika plays against hunger

The 28-year-old Egyptian striker is a famous footballer in the Middle East, and plays for Egypt's giant club Al-Ahly. He volunteered to appear in a WFP 30-second Public Service Announcement (PSA) in which he draws attention to the tragic fact that 25,000 people die from hunger every day, 18,000 of them children.

"Hunger takes away a child every five seconds. We have to move immediately and lend each other a hand because every second counts. This is a game we have to win," says Aboutrika in the PSA. The PSA is being aired on Middle Eastern TV stations which are broadcasting it for free.

Last December, Aboutrika joined UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors Ronaldo and Zidane and other 40 international players in the 'Match Against Poverty' to raise donations and awareness about hunger and poverty worldwide. The match was held in Düsseldorf, Germany with the support of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)

Aboutrika joins Brazilian international football stars and WFP Ambassadors against Hunger Ronaldinho and Kaka, who feature in PSAs to raise public awareness about hunger, particularly in the lead-up to the World Cup.

Last year, WFP provided school meals for 22 million children in 74 countries. It plans to reach 50 million schoolchildren by 2008. All too often pupils - particularly girls - are deprived of education because their families cannot afford to send them to school. Yet educating girls is one of the best ways of permanently escaping the vicious cycle of poverty, illiteracy, poor health and hunger.