In 1979 the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) began providing food aid to China. Over the past three decades, the Chinese government and the UN food agency have jointly carried out many effective aid programs. According to China’s Ministry of Agriculture, the WFP has sponsored more than 70 volunteer food aid programs in China, directly benefiting some 30 million people. In 2006, with remarkable achievements realized in economic development and overall food self-sufficiency attained, after 26 years of receiving food aid, China is today one of the world’s major international donors of food. And a new chapter of cooperation between the Chinese government and the WFP is unfolding.

Celebrating the victory of delivery.

Caring for kids.

Offering a hand, at the St. Leo Health Center.

A child at the Matlameng Health Center happily accepts a lollipop from Li Ning.

Gao Deyi (third from left), Chinese Ambassador to Lesotho, Yao Xiangjun (second from left), Deputy Director-General of the International Cooperation Department of Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, and Li Ning (left) officially hand over food aid to Mohlabi Tsekoa (second from right), Lesotho’s Foreign Minister.

Football friendship, at an orphanage.

Li Ning was born into an impoverished family in the countryside of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. His hunger-afflicted childhood left him with unforgettable memories. Now a successful entrepreneur, an active philanthropist, and the single person honored with lighting the cauldron for the inauguration of the Beijing Olympic Games, the legendary gymnast has shifted more of his focus to providing assistance for those still struggling against hunger and poverty. He now partners with WFP to help the less fortunate.

On December 8, 2008, via WFP, the world’s largest humanitarian organization, the Chinese government donated $1 million worth of food assistance to mothers, orphans and other people infected with HIV or tuberculosis in the Kingdom of Lesotho, southern Africa. The contribution resulted in 1,336 tons of food being distributed through more than 200 agencies to some 75,000 beneficiaries, and these people were able to eat for another three months. At the invitation of WFP, Li Ning visited Lesotho to participate in the distribution of food donated by China.

Compassionate Competitor

The St. Leo Health Center in Ha Makhoathi Village is located 15 kilometers south of Lesotho’s capital city, Maseru. The sparse health center is comprised of a humble church, several classrooms and a modest yard. Beneath the blazing sun, local villagers gathered here at noon to collect their share of the grain to be distributed.

On the morning of December 8, together with Gao Deyi, Chinese ambassador to Lesotho, and Yao Xiangjun, Deputy Director-General of the International Cooperation Department of Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, Li Ning arrived at the St. Leo Health Center, one of the WFP’s food distribution sites. Due to a long period of severe drought and the influence of the ongoing global grain crisis and economic downturn, 320,000 people among Lesotho’s population of 1.8 million subsist on international aid. The 1,336 tons of maize flour purchased by WFP with China’s donation of $1 million provided crucial relief to the local people.

Wearing a WFP work uniform, when Li Ning appeared at the distribution site, the locals assumed he was a WFP staff member, unaware that he was a world-famous gymnastics champion. Li came closer to the villagers, greeting them in the local language and enthusiastically calling out for them to take their food. Responding to this strange, honest Chinese face with their friendly smiles, with great pleasure the local villagers received from Li’s hands the bags of maize flour carrying the words “Donated by China.” They extended their gratitude in a traditional way.

At the health center, four children particularly drew Li’s attention. Ranging in age from 4 to 12 years, they seemed nervous in the presence of strangers. Li took some lollipops from his pocket and gave them to the children, dispelling their nervousness. The 12-year-old girl began to talk with Li in English, saying that she had never tasted a lollipop before. Then, she introduced her playmates to Li. Upon learning that the four-year-old boy just lost his father in a car accident, Li gently touched the boy’s face. Afterwards, the children sang songs for their new Chinese friend.

Empathetic Endurance

“When I realized the fact that since 1979 WFP has provided China with aid valued at more than $1 billion, which benefited tens of thousands of people, and that many of the beneficiaries are in my home region of Guangxi, I was deeply moved,” said Li Ning. “Then, I thought I should do something in return, in other words, to do something for WFP and the Chinese government.”

From granaries to distribution sites, and then to orphanages in mountainous areas, on behalf of WFP, Li Ning met more than 100 orphans and impoverished people infected with HIV, while distributing maize flour and the clothes and candies brought from China for the local people. The children’s eager eyes focused on the food reminded Li of his childhood.

“My parents were both primary school teachers, and their income was often not enough to feed me and their two other children,” Li recalled. “I still remember that after my younger sister was born, they had to borrow food from others.

“When I was selected by the Guangxi Sports Team to practice gymnastics at the age of 8, my parents were glad. Firstly, my absence could ease the family’s burden on food and, more importantly, they thought it good for me to master a specific skill. After joining the team, my life changed dramatically. I no longer endured hunger, and my monthly subsidy could help support my family.

“Without my family’s support and my motherland’s cultivation, I would not have attained those achievements. Therefore, I think it’s my duty to support my family and those in need in society to live a better life. So, it’s my pleasure to have taken part in the joint effort of Chinese government and WFP in helping the Lesotho people. I hope that my participation can help people better understand the good being done by the Chinese government and the WFP. I will also tell my son what I have seen in the African country, so that he knows that there are still many people suffering hardship in the world.”

“As an athlete, I know how important good nutrition is for healthy growth. As a father, I know that children need all our care and support. I’m really touched by the work that WFP is doing here for kids affected by HIV,” said Li Ning. “For 26 years from 1979 through 2005, WFP helped many poor farmers and their families in China, providing them with desperately needed food. It’s wonderful to see that China is now able to help other countries do the same,” Li added. He called for more people, wherever they are, to work shoulder-to-shoulder to fight against hunger for those who still sleep with an empty stomach while, especially mothers and children.

“Children are the hope of our planet. The Lesotho kids should enjoy equal respect and the same levels of health as those in other countries, but this will be impossible if they don’t have enough food,” Li Ning said. “China’s food aid can save these children from suffering hunger while sleeping, and this is of great significance.”

During the Lesotho visit, Yao Xiangjun, Deputy Director-General of the International Cooperation Department of Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, said that China, as a responsible developing country, will bear greater obligations in the international food aid programs, to contribute to the realization of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

According to Anthea Webb, Director of WFP China, China is a reliable partner, who has honored all her commitments. China’s contribution in the form of cash facilitated WFP’s flexible operation, and this ensured the organization’s efficient cooperation with China. This summer, WFP will carry out another Africa assistance program in cooperation with China.

Chinese officials revealed that the government will continue to cooperate in various forms with WFP, and share with other developing countries expertise gained over the past 30 years in the fields of agriculture, rural economic development and poverty relief, while also dispatching more experts to contribute to WFP projects.