November 12, 2024 • 28 mins
This episode promises a heartwarming journey with the World Food Program's Barron Segar and Riaz Lodhi, who share their incredible stories from the humanitarian front lines, revealing how nutrition can be both a source of joy and a powerful tool for building communities. Hear how Barron transitioned from college graduate to becoming a pivotal figure in global humanitarian efforts, shedding light on the crucial connection between food security and community resilience around the world.
Riaz Lodhi, World Food Program El Salvador’s Executive Director takes us on a virtual trip to a land of surfing paradise, volcanic wonders and where community empowerment and food security are taking center stage. Witness the transformative power of school feeding programs that not only nourish young minds but also lift entire communities by supporting local farmers and economies. Discover how initiatives in El Salvador like the Biofortik nutritional supplement partnership with Food For The Poor are creating opportunities and cultivating resilience among the Salvadoran people, who are eager to innovate and grow from within. The kick-off for this initiative was World Food Day, but in El Salvador, now everyday can be a ‘food day’ for more than a fifth of all children in the country. Join us by embracing stories of change, highlighting the shift from scarcity to abundance, and exploring the profound impact of investing in the future through nutrition and education.
Beyond The Plate is a podcast by international charity, Food For The Poor
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
We're all inspired by our human connection that
arises when we share food withothers.
So what's on your heart becomesa hub for truly heartfelt
conversation.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Tertulia, as they say in Spanish, fostering genuine
bonds between individuals,creating that sense of community
and connection.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
I'm Paul Jacobs, your podcast co-host, ready to
inspire you by conversationsthat nourish the soul as we go
beyond the plate.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
I'm Daniel Patino, welcoming you to join us for
some truly inspiring tertulia.
Get ready to satisfy thatcraving for connection and
inspiration as we dive intotopics that aren't only broaden
your perspective but also deepenyour understanding of lives of
families in Latin America, theCaribbean or even in your own
backyard.
So, wherever our conversationstake us, come along for the ride
and let's go Beyond the Platetogether.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Okay, so before we get started, I got to start with
a very important question.
We are here with some veryimportant guests and food is the
big topic and I'm a bit hungryAlways.
Well, yeah, I get it, but I gotto start.
Danny, best lunch favorite andbest lunch in school oh,
(01:12):
favorite best lunch.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Go quick Tater tots.
Good one, that's always good.
Tater tots.
They lend themselves toanything.
Tater tots.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Okay, wait, wait wait , wait, I think I got one.
Okay, I remember those littlesquare pizzas, I'm not kidding
you.
In eighth grade they calledthem Mexican pizzas.
I don't know why there was nosalsa I mean it was a pizza but
they called them Mexican pizzas,maybe because they're square, I
don't know All right, that'ssomething let's see.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Jungle juice.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Jungle juice.
Do you remember jungle juice?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, the littlecarton with the lion on it
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Zero percent juice and 100 percent science.
That was the flavor part.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
All right, it was just that.
And the lunch of all lunches.
Lunch items Honey buns.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Honey buns, ooh, the one with the cinnamon in it.
Yes, the Texas cinnamon buns,big, Texas, big.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Texas.
That's All right.
We had a lot of choices and Ifeel bad when we were kids for
the lunch lady, because therewas more food left on the floor
for her to clean up than weactually ate Now can.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
I have a clarification question yeah,
please.
Are you saying you no longereat honey buns?
Because I'm just telling youdinner last night dessert.
I don't know what's on yourmenu, but for me honey buns
still top of choice for me.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Barron, do you understand?
My wife works in this buildingand if I talk about honey buns
and eating honey buns, that'sthe end of me.
You understand that?
Speaker 3 (02:32):
right, okay, well, she and I need to have a
conversation, okay wait, wait,wait.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
I got a question for everybody now.
All right, how about do youremember Biofortec, friday lunch
menu items?
No it, biofortec.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Friday lunch menu items.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
No, it was a lot different it was a lot different
.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
It wasn't Biofortec.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
All right.
Enough of the fun, we want towelcome our guests to Beyond the
Plate.
We have really a greatopportunity to talk to our
friends from the World FoodProgram.
First, baron Seeger from WorldFood Program, right here in
Washington DC.
Welcome Baron.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Glad to be here, excellent I.
Thank yes, washington DCWelcome Baron.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Glad to be here, excellent I think yes, yeah, you
reserved that for the end ofthe episode.
And then Riaz Lodi, CountryDirector for World Food Program
in El Salvador.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
Very excited to be here Now.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Riaz, I have to ask really quick before we get
started.
Your accent is a little bitinteresting and I tell Danny I'm
an expert in accents.
My wife's Guatemalan.
I'm born in Canada, my family'sJamaican.
Let me see, I'm going to justfigure this out.
Macon, georgia, macon Georgia,maybe around Savannah area.
Where's that accent from?
You're close, I was close right.
Keep guessing.
(03:35):
Okay, go more east, more east.
Probably, oh, fayetteville,north Carolina, closer, closer.
Where are you from?
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Pakistan, pakistan.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Oh, the other side, the other way, oh, okay, okay,
grab a plane, grab a boat, youmean east-east.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Now we're going to find out how in the world did
this guy from Pakistan end up inCentral America in a moment?
But I wanted to start with you,barron Welcome.
Thank you, in a moment, but Iwanted to start with you, baron
welcome.
Um, you know, here at beyondthe plate, we we take our, our
conversations a little bitbeyond what.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Clearly, these guys have us figured out already this
is great, I love it.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
I love.
Usually we like spring us on,that's right this is where they
zig and zag but.
But here's a bit of getting toknow you.
I really want to kind of take alittle bit, take a moment to
get to know you.
You know, let's dial the clockback.
Aaron, You're graduating fromcollege Hampton-Sydney College,
that's correct.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
All right, all-male liberal arts school in Virginia.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Yes, yes, the motto is come here as youth and you
leave as men.
That's correct.
Yes, yes, the motto is comehere as youth and you leave as
men.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
That's correct.
Yes, excellent.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Did you ever see a day coming back when you
graduated college?
You're growing UNICEF by $500million.
You're spending 20 yearstraveling the globe for
humanitarian efforts.
And my favorite this is myfavorite because when I read
about your career path, youstarted your current post with
(05:08):
the World Food Program less than90 days before the world shut
down.
While you started with theWorld Food Program, what were
your dreams back then when youwere a college student?
Did you see any of thishappening in your life?
Speaker 3 (05:22):
So I mean absolutely not.
I was honestly.
I struggled a little bit incollege, wow, and overcame some
challenges and then moved toAtlanta, was there for 26 years,
had the honor of being afounder for the Elton John AIDS
Foundation in Atlanta andthrough that experience I got to
go to the field.
Through that experience I gotto go to the field.
(05:43):
My first field trip ever was toHonduras, where I was able to
meet a lot of women, children,who were impacted by HIV AIDS,
and I kind of came back fromthat experience knowing that
this was the path my life wasprobably going to make.
I was in business and financeback then and so I started
(06:04):
volunteering with anotherinternational group.
And then my aha moment with theWorld Food Program came when I
was in Gambella, ethiopia,bordering South Sudan, and I
unfortunately had to see thenumber of women, particularly
grandparents and their kids,that were coming into Ethiopia
and the first stop was feeding.
(06:25):
And what I learned during thisvisit?
That food is the first line ofdefense and without food there's
no next step, there's no otherstation.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Amazing.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
And that was your aha moment, that was my aha moment.
Out of everything in college.
Usually people go to collegefigure out the future, see where
it takes you, and it took youin a great direction.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
No, I was mostly focused on my fraternity in
college and then I kind ofenvisioned I'd probably work for
my dad.
Maybe you know but then I movedto Atlanta because I wanted to
kind of get off on my own.
I moved with a couple of myfraternity brothers, but it was
that Essentially, we're all aproduct of our experiences.
I had that one experience ofgoing to the field and it
(07:10):
literally changed my life,that's great, that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
That's amazing and I mean I'm just taking back that
out of all the things that couldhave happened.
It took you down that road.
Now I have a bigger questionfor you folks.
Where do you think you can findthis on Earth?
Let me just name it Famous,world-class surfing beaches
right and the land of volcanoes23 active volcanoes at the
moment.
What would you think of first?
(07:33):
Oh, obviously it's Hawaii.
It is not.
It is not.
I'll tell you it's.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
El Salvador.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
El Salvador.
Yes, el Salvador is famous forits world-class surfing beaches
and as well as it has 23 activevolcanoes for that little land
that is.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
El Salvador Freeze.
El Salvador has 23 volcanoes.
El Salvador is like the RhodeIsland of Central America.
How could they?
Speaker 2 (07:56):
have so many volcanoes.
Well, they were blessed with all23 active volcanoes, so just in
case, anywhere you look, you'regoing to find beauty, okay, and
I was on a trip recently to elsalvador and what I saw there
was, uh, a combination that Ireally don't like to sit on,
which is kids and malnutrition.
We visited el palomar, enjilisco, enjiquilisco, and it was an
(08:18):
early childhood feeding circlewhich was right under a big tree
and it was to empower parentsto show their children the
basics, like what we would callhere in the States, like a pre-K
or a pre-K kind of situation,which is kind of like a daycare,
maybe a little bit before youhit school.
And it was empowering theparents.
It was giving the parents alsoa chance to feed their kids at
(08:40):
this feeding circle.
So there was learning, therewas feeding, there was medical
attention happening, so this wasall encompassed under a tree
and for the children and I meanI was taken back because it was
a feeding circle that couldhappen anywhere.
They didn't have a center atthe moment it was just let's
pick the biggest tree we canfind and make shade, and there
(09:02):
we're going to empower parentsto show their kids what the ABCs
are like, what is a one, youknow what the number is, what
does that mean?
And that was all because offood.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
You even said you saw even your own two girls in some
of these children.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Right, I did, I did.
I have two girls at home, aseven-year-old and a
one-year-old, and they weresitting there at the table.
I saw them.
I saw them with my own eyes,just sitting there with their
own parents and just realizingwell, there's somebody out here
that actually cares, there'ssomeone out here that can
actually get us to our dreams ofbeing the next doctor, the next
lawyer, a community leader.
(09:36):
To really put an emphasis onthe next thing what's the next
move?
What are we going to do next,instead of worrying about what
are we going to eat next or whenare we going to eat next?
Now, riaz, I wanted to ask youa question.
You were quoted as sayingadopting this by Salvadorians
(09:56):
for Salvadorians approach, andit was also.
Can you explain this to me?
The organization, inpartnership with others, aims to
ensure food security, createyouth jobs and build community
resilience.
It focuses on empowering women,enhancing school and meal
programs and boosting emergencypreparedness and support local
food systems.
There's so so much potentialthere for collaboration.
(10:17):
Can you elaborate a little biton that?
Speaker 4 (10:20):
First of all, El Salvador is known to be the
smallest country in CentralAmerica.
But let me tell you something.
I live in El Salvador.
Salvadorans have a big heart.
They welcome everybody.
They create opportunities foreverybody around the world to
come to El Salvador.
You can go surf in El Salvador.
You can go hiking in mountains.
(10:42):
You can get the best variety ofbirds you can watch.
You can do anything you want inEl Salvador and can go hiking
in mountains.
You can get the best variety ofbirds you can watch.
You can do anything you want inEl Salvador and it's a safe
country.
You're most welcome on the nexttrip to do all of that.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
So, first of all, you left one thing out.
Papusas, papusas, absolutely,you can't leave those out.
They were included.
Who said they were out?
How can I forget that?
Just make it, yeah, just makeit.
Write that on my to-do list.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Extra cheese on mine, please.
And the best, not just the bestpupusas are made in El Salvador
.
It's the only place you canfind pupusas.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Yes, so the real ones , the real ones, the authentic
El Salvadoran pupusas I'll takethat.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
I'll take that.
So, on the food security andmost serious side of of your
question, I think what ElSalvador offers is the
opportunities, what I've seen inEl Salvador.
The Salvadoran youth has dreamsand they are willing to do
anything to fulfill their dreams.
They want to do everything thatothers do.
(11:38):
They want to go beyond what thenormal young people do, and the
country offers so manyopportunities for young people.
And the country offers so manyopportunities for the young
people.
And this is why WFP, our job,is to identify the needs and go
with the flow of it.
We bring new ideas, but then wepick up the local ideas.
(11:58):
When I say, buy Salvadorans forSalvadorans, I adopted that
approach.
The slogan is because I saw somuch potential in Salvadorans.
They want to do things, theywant to make sure that their
potential is transferred totheir fellow Salvadorans and so,
when it comes to food security,I saw that they can produce
(12:19):
food, although much of the foodis imported into El Salvador,
but Salvadorans want to producefood for the fellow Salvadorans
and Salvadorans.
We have different activitieswith them.
They want to be part of thoseactivities.
There are lots of Salvadoranswho live abroad.
They want to send theirfinancial support to Salvadorans
(12:41):
, their fellow Salvadorans, andbe part of the development.
Support to Salvador, theirfellow Salvadorans, and be part
of the development.
So El Salvador, if someonewants to know, is a rapidly
transforming country and this isthe time to be there, to be
part of it, and this is why theSalvadorans are actually doing a
lot for their fellow citizensand the government is also
(13:04):
backing up a little bit.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Right it's with the Crecer Juntos law which is
growing up together law, that'sone of the many laws you
referred to.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
The government of El Salvador is very supportive.
I think it's a young government.
I've seen many ministers.
They're young, but more thanthat they're very intelligent
and they're very committed ontop of it.
It's a very good combinationbeing young and being committed
and being, you know, intelligentand innovative, and this opens
opportunities for us to be partof their you know, to be part of
(13:36):
their dreams, to share ourexperiences.
We have it around the world.
In many countries we work, wepick up the ideas and we export
these ideas to other countrieswhere they are needed, and this
is where we come in as the WorldFood Program to play our part.
But we're not the major playerthere.
It's Salvadorans, and we arethere to help.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
Hispanic Group.
Hispanic Group is anadvertising agency focused in
the US Hispanic market thatspecializes in customized media
solutions for businesses it suredoes.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
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creativas adaptadas paraalcanzar sus objetivos de
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segments of the Hispanicpopulation across 42 Hispanic
markets in the US and LatinAmerica.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Wow, you get all the great lines, but they use their
cultural expertise to createstrategies to deliver efficient
results.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Hispanic Group.
Lleva tu marca al corazón de lacomunidad hispana.
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Hispanic Group.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Their expertise lies in reaching the Hispanic market,
leveraging its richmulticulturalism.
Hispanic Group combinesinnovation, cultural insight and
strategic collaboration todrive what Tangible results for
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I agree with everything youjust said.
Now, for more information, youcan visit their website when
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Now, for more information, youcan visit their website, where I
swear, hispanicgroupnet.
(15:07):
Okay, that's HispanicGroupnet,or I'll say it in Spanish
HispanicGroupnet.
We're here on our podcast Beyondthe Plate with, with our guest,
Riaz Lodi, country directorfrom El Salvador for the World
(15:29):
Food Program, originally fromjust east of Macon, Georgia,
Pakistan, and Barron Seeger,from World Food Program right
here in Washington DC.
I have to ask Barron just totake a moment and let's look at
the numbers.
According to UNICEF, there are1.5 million kids in El Salvador
from the ages of 5 to 17 yearsold.
(15:50):
That's 23% of the population,roughly, you know, over 20%.
Yep, the World Food Program andFood for the Poor collaboration
affecting more than 400,000children.
We're talking about 28% of theyouth being and that's just the
tip of the iceberg right, Goahead, please.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
Well, it's a stunning number and such an exciting
number.
Yeah, the World Food Program andFood for the Poor can unite and
come together and make a verybold plan to feed 420,000 school
kids and also train 500 farmers.
(16:37):
This program is, by the way,incredibly unique because it's
not only feeding kids, by theway, I would also say, when you
feed kids, the enrollmentnumbers skyrocket.
I've been to countries and I'veseen within a mile distance
where school feeding is beingoffered and a mile down the road
it's not.
And guess what?
There are zero kids in theschool where it's not being
(17:00):
offered.
And the school is full wherefood is being offered, because
it also allows kids to takerations home and and the child
protection opportunities thatcome with school feeding.
That means kids aren't beingemployed in child labor, they're
not being trafficked.
And then and then it's theeconomic benefit nutritious
(17:20):
school meals, homegrown schoolmeals and then produced locally
by farmers.
So it's sustainability in thecommunity, this partnership with
the Food for the Poor.
The benefits go well beyond theschool feeding program of kids.
It goes to community, it goesto income generation, it goes to
(17:43):
sustainability.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
All right.
So everybody's wondering okay,this is a lunch program.
Now, ben, you're seeing, we'vegot this on camera.
This is it.
This is the lunch program.
Well, this is a lunch bag.
Yeah, so close.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
By the way, this is not my lunch, I'm sure your
co-workers, by the way, everyday.
Yeah, this is what we'retalking about.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Bio.
By the way, there was a littlelittle and one of the other bags
it had like a little mascot.
What was that all about?
That was so cool.
We got the boring bag, butthere's a cool bag that has a
little mascot on it Riaz, whatis that?
Who's the mascot?
Do we need a name for him orsomething?
Speaker 4 (18:20):
I I don't remember seeing this, but yeah, in fact
this is a government-ledapproach.
So whenever they find it fit tohave a mascot on the bag.
We put a mascot on the bag.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
That's right, we're going to call him Danny, anyway,
perfect, I'll take that.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
I'm on every face, thumbs up on every bag.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
But back to you, Barrett.
I got a question.
There is such an emphasis onchildren and youth, and if I'm
looking at just what we'retalking about in this program,
we're talking about effectivelyone million youth being affected
.
We're talking about increasingschool enrollments.
We're talking about helpingfarmers grow locally, grow these
(19:02):
ingredients locally, so we'retalking about propping up the
economy.
And then there was somethingthat I thought was interesting,
and it was called improvingeducation outcomes.
What's that all about?
Speaker 3 (19:12):
So improving education outcomes means that if
you have food in the school,the kids, the parents, are going
to support the kids being inschool.
So we've got the family element, and then it makes it much
easier to recruit the teachersto do the entire set of training
, and so kids are getting aneducation allowing them to
(19:32):
fulfill their dreams.
If you will, you know it'sinteresting.
At the start of the program youmentioned what kids want to be,
and I can't tell you the numberof times I've been to the field
and I've talked to kids thatwant to be doctors and lawyers.
I, by the way, have not comeacross a child that wants to be
behind the radio station.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
But, again.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
I've got a few years behind me.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
You've got some smart kids down there.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
I also haven't met anybody that wants to work for
the World Food Program USA yet,but I will say that our job is
to make sure that every childhas access to food.
And again, the main reason andwith the partnership with Food
for the Poor, the focus is onlocal.
Imagine if you were in a schooland you had to import
(20:19):
everything.
Think about the cost of thatGround transportation, storage.
And so the goal, as Riaz hasstated, is to do more locally
produced school feeding programsand then training the farmers.
So the corn, the soybean, it'sgoing to be produced locally, so
(20:40):
it's going to create incomegeneration for these very
specific communities.
So it's going to create incomegeneration for these very
specific communities.
And I would say, as we thinkabout World Food Day, the theme
at the Food for the Poor is fromempty to plenty, and that means
making sure that every singlechild has a plate of food when
they go to school.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
I think it's more than just food, right, I mean
we're talking about.
There's something I heard youall say earlier when we were
talking with the entireorganization here at Food for
the Poor.
You said we are Helpingchildren, but helping
generations.
Riaz, unpack that for us.
Help us understand that alittle bit.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
Well, we believe that if you want to make a
sustainable change to a country,the children and women are the
best place for investment per se.
And I call it investment for areason, because many countries
and many people believe insocial protection programs.
That's one way of looking at it.
But the issue of nutrition isnot simply an issue of health.
(21:45):
Studies show that it's aneconomic issue.
If you invest in your children,if you invest in your women, if
you invest in nutrition, you'reactually improving the country.
You're actually contributing toyour GDP of the country,
because these children, withbetter education, with better
nutrition, they get bettercognitive abilities, they get
better jobs, they contributebetter to the economy, to the
(22:06):
society, they become bettercitizens.
So everything gets better.
So that's why I call itinvestment, and the return on
investment is huge.
I mean, now the studies are outthere, we don't need to simply
think about it.
I mean it's scientificallyproven that better fed children,
(22:28):
better nourished children, growup as better parents, better
whatever.
So we believe in it and that'swhy we are.
We have expanded our schoolfeeding program around the world
.
Wherever we work, it's one ofour best entry points in any
social protection program.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
So, as we get ready to wrap up, I'm so excited about
this start to our family.
You said it earlier, riaz, thisis the first of many children
in this marriage.
I love family.
You said it earlier, riaz, thisis the first of many children
in this marriage.
I love that.
I love it.
I mean, that was perfect, soeffectively.
You are cousin Riaz, cousinBaron.
We always end our episodes hereon Beyond the Plate, on a
(23:14):
passionate note.
No, we've changed it today.
Speaker 4 (23:20):
We met earlier.
I wasn't there though.
Positive note because of Riazis going to be passionate note.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Gentlemen, sorry I apologize.
We've rehearsed this over andover ad nauseum, but we have
renamed our positive note thatwe end every episode on to
passionate note because of you,sir Riaz.
You and the team had aninteresting trip in May of 2024.
And in an article that youwrote, titled Passionate About
(23:52):
Humanity, we found that you werelistening to stories of
families.
You were helping to build theirresilience, you were empowering
them to take the food securityinto their own hands for future
generations.
In fact, it was your passionfor humanity that positively
impacts in El Salvador and helpsWorld Food Program fulfilling
(24:13):
theulfilling the Mission, savingand Changing Lives.
So we thought it fitting for ourpassionate note to be really
from you both and I just want toask really what was your
greatest inspiration from thattrip, seeing what you've seen?
I mean, you're there day to day, riaz, so I'll let you start.
(24:36):
And then, barron, you have yourgreatest inspiration from that
experience.
And I hope somebody talks aboutthose kitchen in a box.
That's way cool.
But anyway, I don't want toinfluence you on your passion.
No, riaz.
Speaker 4 (24:49):
There are two types of people in this world those
who know their rights and theydo everything to achieve their
rights.
They would do anything to dothat and there's the other type
of people are those who know andremember other people's rights
and they know their obligationsbefore they know their rights.
(25:09):
So what I see in Food for thePoor and its donors and
fundraisers is the second typeof people who are working hard
to make sure that the people whoare deprived of their rights,
whether food or anything else,they get to achieve their rights
(25:31):
, and they are passionate aboutthe work they do, as are we.
So this is the common thingthat I see between the Food for
the Poor and the World FoodProgram teams that we are all
working hard to make sure thatthe people who lack access to
(25:51):
food they get access to food,just like everybody does, who
have access to food, naturally,who have the resources to have
access to food.
So this is why we we work hardto make sure that no one is left
behind and that all theinsecure people with the
(26:13):
children, women, men, whereverare, they have access to food,
nutritious food, affordable food, and at all times.
That's what we call foodsecurity.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
Wow, that's inspiring , aaron.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
So I think for me, it was the last trip to El
Salvador.
Ria is an incredible innovator,created something called
Kitchen in a Box, which is howthe meals for school are cooked,
all done with green solarenergy.
He did allow me to go back inand be a chef, by the way, and I
(26:50):
did like a patty of rice andbeans and it was mixed with
vegetable and beans and it wasmixed with vegetable, and I
would say that for me, it wasthe most humbling experience as
being able to hand a plate offood to a young person that
wants to study and hasincredible aspirations to do
great things in this world.
And I would say, the otherthing that excites me is the
(27:12):
audience listening today,because Food for the Poor is an
amazing organization.
You're partnering with theWorld Food Program USA.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Well, we always end on a fist bump, gentlemen, but
this time I think it's onlyappropriate.
We have a Biofortik toast.
Cheers, cheers, cheers, cousinBarry, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Hey everyone, Thanks for listening to Beyond the
Plate.
We love having you here.
Keep up with us on Instagramand TikTok at
beyondtheplatepodcast, and ifyou enjoy the show, don't forget
to subscribe to our YouTubechannel and give our videos a
like.
Just search Food for the PoorBeyond the Plate.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Your support means the world to us All.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
Right, folks, we'll see you on the next Beyond the
Plate episode.
I'm waving.
We're all inspired by our human connection that
arises when we share food withothers.
So what's on your heart becomesa hub for truly heartfelt
conversation.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Tertulia, as they say in Spanish, fostering genuine
bonds between individuals,creating that sense of community
and connection.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
I'm Paul Jacobs, your podcast co-host, ready to
inspire you by conversationsthat nourish the soul as we go
beyond the plate.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
I'm Daniel Patino, welcoming you to join us for
some truly inspiring tertulia.
Get ready to satisfy thatcraving for connection and
inspiration as we dive intotopics that aren't only broaden
your perspective but also deepenyour understanding of lives of
families in Latin America, theCaribbean or even in your own
backyard.
So, wherever our conversationstake us, come along for the ride
and let's go Beyond the Platetogether.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Okay, so before we get started, I got to start with
a very important question.
We are here with some veryimportant guests and food is the
big topic and I'm a bit hungryAlways.
Well, yeah, I get it, but I gotto start.
Danny, best lunch favorite andbest lunch in school oh,
(01:12):
favorite best lunch.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Go quick Tater tots.
Good one, that's always good.
Tater tots.
They lend themselves toanything.
Tater tots.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Okay, wait, wait wait , wait, I think I got one.
Okay, I remember those littlesquare pizzas, I'm not kidding
you.
In eighth grade they calledthem Mexican pizzas.
I don't know why there was nosalsa I mean it was a pizza but
they called them Mexican pizzas,maybe because they're square, I
don't know All right, that'ssomething let's see.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Jungle juice.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Jungle juice.
Do you remember jungle juice?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, the littlecarton with the lion on it
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Zero percent juice and 100 percent science.
That was the flavor part.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
All right, it was just that.
And the lunch of all lunches.
Lunch items Honey buns.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Honey buns, ooh, the one with the cinnamon in it.
Yes, the Texas cinnamon buns,big, Texas, big.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Texas.
That's All right.
We had a lot of choices and Ifeel bad when we were kids for
the lunch lady, because therewas more food left on the floor
for her to clean up than weactually ate Now can.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
I have a clarification question yeah,
please.
Are you saying you no longereat honey buns?
Because I'm just telling youdinner last night dessert.
I don't know what's on yourmenu, but for me honey buns
still top of choice for me.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Barron, do you understand?
My wife works in this buildingand if I talk about honey buns
and eating honey buns, that'sthe end of me.
You understand that?
Speaker 3 (02:32):
right, okay, well, she and I need to have a
conversation, okay wait, wait,wait.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
I got a question for everybody now.
All right, how about do youremember Biofortec, friday lunch
menu items?
No it, biofortec.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Friday lunch menu items.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
No, it was a lot different it was a lot different
.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
It wasn't Biofortec.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
All right.
Enough of the fun, we want towelcome our guests to Beyond the
Plate.
We have really a greatopportunity to talk to our
friends from the World FoodProgram.
First, baron Seeger from WorldFood Program, right here in
Washington DC.
Welcome Baron.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Glad to be here, excellent I.
Thank yes, washington DCWelcome Baron.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Glad to be here, excellent I think yes, yeah, you
reserved that for the end ofthe episode.
And then Riaz Lodi, CountryDirector for World Food Program
in El Salvador.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
Very excited to be here Now.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Riaz, I have to ask really quick before we get
started.
Your accent is a little bitinteresting and I tell Danny I'm
an expert in accents.
My wife's Guatemalan.
I'm born in Canada, my family'sJamaican.
Let me see, I'm going to justfigure this out.
Macon, georgia, macon Georgia,maybe around Savannah area.
Where's that accent from?
You're close, I was close right.
Keep guessing.
(03:35):
Okay, go more east, more east.
Probably, oh, fayetteville,north Carolina, closer, closer.
Where are you from?
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Pakistan, pakistan.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Oh, the other side, the other way, oh, okay, okay,
grab a plane, grab a boat, youmean east-east.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Now we're going to find out how in the world did
this guy from Pakistan end up inCentral America in a moment?
But I wanted to start with you,barron Welcome.
Thank you, in a moment, but Iwanted to start with you, baron
welcome.
Um, you know, here at beyondthe plate, we we take our, our
conversations a little bitbeyond what.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Clearly, these guys have us figured out already this
is great, I love it.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
I love.
Usually we like spring us on,that's right this is where they
zig and zag but.
But here's a bit of getting toknow you.
I really want to kind of take alittle bit, take a moment to
get to know you.
You know, let's dial the clockback.
Aaron, You're graduating fromcollege Hampton-Sydney College,
that's correct.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
All right, all-male liberal arts school in Virginia.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Yes, yes, the motto is come here as youth and you
leave as men.
That's correct.
Yes, yes, the motto is comehere as youth and you leave as
men.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
That's correct.
Yes, excellent.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Did you ever see a day coming back when you
graduated college?
You're growing UNICEF by $500million.
You're spending 20 yearstraveling the globe for
humanitarian efforts.
And my favorite this is myfavorite because when I read
about your career path, youstarted your current post with
(05:08):
the World Food Program less than90 days before the world shut
down.
While you started with theWorld Food Program, what were
your dreams back then when youwere a college student?
Did you see any of thishappening in your life?
Speaker 3 (05:22):
So I mean absolutely not.
I was honestly.
I struggled a little bit incollege, wow, and overcame some
challenges and then moved toAtlanta, was there for 26 years,
had the honor of being afounder for the Elton John AIDS
Foundation in Atlanta andthrough that experience I got to
go to the field.
Through that experience I gotto go to the field.
(05:43):
My first field trip ever was toHonduras, where I was able to
meet a lot of women, children,who were impacted by HIV AIDS,
and I kind of came back fromthat experience knowing that
this was the path my life wasprobably going to make.
I was in business and financeback then and so I started
(06:04):
volunteering with anotherinternational group.
And then my aha moment with theWorld Food Program came when I
was in Gambella, ethiopia,bordering South Sudan, and I
unfortunately had to see thenumber of women, particularly
grandparents and their kids,that were coming into Ethiopia
and the first stop was feeding.
(06:25):
And what I learned during thisvisit?
That food is the first line ofdefense and without food there's
no next step, there's no otherstation.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Amazing.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
And that was your aha moment, that was my aha moment.
Out of everything in college.
Usually people go to collegefigure out the future, see where
it takes you, and it took youin a great direction.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
No, I was mostly focused on my fraternity in
college and then I kind ofenvisioned I'd probably work for
my dad.
Maybe you know but then I movedto Atlanta because I wanted to
kind of get off on my own.
I moved with a couple of myfraternity brothers, but it was
that Essentially, we're all aproduct of our experiences.
I had that one experience ofgoing to the field and it
(07:10):
literally changed my life,that's great, that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
That's amazing and I mean I'm just taking back that
out of all the things that couldhave happened.
It took you down that road.
Now I have a bigger questionfor you folks.
Where do you think you can findthis on Earth?
Let me just name it Famous,world-class surfing beaches
right and the land of volcanoes23 active volcanoes at the
moment.
What would you think of first?
(07:33):
Oh, obviously it's Hawaii.
It is not.
It is not.
I'll tell you it's.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
El Salvador.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
El Salvador.
Yes, el Salvador is famous forits world-class surfing beaches
and as well as it has 23 activevolcanoes for that little land
that is.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
El Salvador Freeze.
El Salvador has 23 volcanoes.
El Salvador is like the RhodeIsland of Central America.
How could they?
Speaker 2 (07:56):
have so many volcanoes.
Well, they were blessed with all23 active volcanoes, so just in
case, anywhere you look, you'regoing to find beauty, okay, and
I was on a trip recently to elsalvador and what I saw there
was, uh, a combination that Ireally don't like to sit on,
which is kids and malnutrition.
We visited el palomar, enjilisco, enjiquilisco, and it was an
(08:18):
early childhood feeding circlewhich was right under a big tree
and it was to empower parentsto show their children the
basics, like what we would callhere in the States, like a pre-K
or a pre-K kind of situation,which is kind of like a daycare,
maybe a little bit before youhit school.
And it was empowering theparents.
It was giving the parents alsoa chance to feed their kids at
(08:40):
this feeding circle.
So there was learning, therewas feeding, there was medical
attention happening, so this wasall encompassed under a tree
and for the children and I meanI was taken back because it was
a feeding circle that couldhappen anywhere.
They didn't have a center atthe moment it was just let's
pick the biggest tree we canfind and make shade, and there
(09:02):
we're going to empower parentsto show their kids what the ABCs
are like, what is a one, youknow what the number is, what
does that mean?
And that was all because offood.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
You even said you saw even your own two girls in some
of these children.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Right, I did, I did.
I have two girls at home, aseven-year-old and a
one-year-old, and they weresitting there at the table.
I saw them.
I saw them with my own eyes,just sitting there with their
own parents and just realizingwell, there's somebody out here
that actually cares, there'ssomeone out here that can
actually get us to our dreams ofbeing the next doctor, the next
lawyer, a community leader.
(09:36):
To really put an emphasis onthe next thing what's the next
move?
What are we going to do next,instead of worrying about what
are we going to eat next or whenare we going to eat next?
Now, riaz, I wanted to ask youa question.
You were quoted as sayingadopting this by Salvadorians
(09:56):
for Salvadorians approach, andit was also.
Can you explain this to me?
The organization, inpartnership with others, aims to
ensure food security, createyouth jobs and build community
resilience.
It focuses on empowering women,enhancing school and meal
programs and boosting emergencypreparedness and support local
food systems.
There's so so much potentialthere for collaboration.
(10:17):
Can you elaborate a little biton that?
Speaker 4 (10:20):
First of all, El Salvador is known to be the
smallest country in CentralAmerica.
But let me tell you something.
I live in El Salvador.
Salvadorans have a big heart.
They welcome everybody.
They create opportunities foreverybody around the world to
come to El Salvador.
You can go surf in El Salvador.
You can go hiking in mountains.
(10:42):
You can get the best variety ofbirds you can watch.
You can do anything you want inEl Salvador and can go hiking
in mountains.
You can get the best variety ofbirds you can watch.
You can do anything you want inEl Salvador and it's a safe
country.
You're most welcome on the nexttrip to do all of that.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
So, first of all, you left one thing out.
Papusas, papusas, absolutely,you can't leave those out.
They were included.
Who said they were out?
How can I forget that?
Just make it, yeah, just makeit.
Write that on my to-do list.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Extra cheese on mine, please.
And the best, not just the bestpupusas are made in El Salvador
.
It's the only place you canfind pupusas.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Yes, so the real ones , the real ones, the authentic
El Salvadoran pupusas I'll takethat.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
I'll take that.
So, on the food security andmost serious side of of your
question, I think what ElSalvador offers is the
opportunities, what I've seen inEl Salvador.
The Salvadoran youth has dreamsand they are willing to do
anything to fulfill their dreams.
They want to do everything thatothers do.
(11:38):
They want to go beyond what thenormal young people do, and the
country offers so manyopportunities for young people.
And the country offers so manyopportunities for the young
people.
And this is why WFP, our job,is to identify the needs and go
with the flow of it.
We bring new ideas, but then wepick up the local ideas.
(11:58):
When I say, buy Salvadorans forSalvadorans, I adopted that
approach.
The slogan is because I saw somuch potential in Salvadorans.
They want to do things, theywant to make sure that their
potential is transferred totheir fellow Salvadorans and so,
when it comes to food security,I saw that they can produce
(12:19):
food, although much of the foodis imported into El Salvador,
but Salvadorans want to producefood for the fellow Salvadorans
and Salvadorans.
We have different activitieswith them.
They want to be part of thoseactivities.
There are lots of Salvadoranswho live abroad.
They want to send theirfinancial support to Salvadorans
(12:41):
, their fellow Salvadorans, andbe part of the development.
Support to Salvador, theirfellow Salvadorans, and be part
of the development.
So El Salvador, if someonewants to know, is a rapidly
transforming country and this isthe time to be there, to be
part of it, and this is why theSalvadorans are actually doing a
lot for their fellow citizensand the government is also
(13:04):
backing up a little bit.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Right it's with the Crecer Juntos law which is
growing up together law, that'sone of the many laws you
referred to.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
The government of El Salvador is very supportive.
I think it's a young government.
I've seen many ministers.
They're young, but more thanthat they're very intelligent
and they're very committed ontop of it.
It's a very good combinationbeing young and being committed
and being, you know, intelligentand innovative, and this opens
opportunities for us to be partof their you know, to be part of
(13:36):
their dreams, to share ourexperiences.
We have it around the world.
In many countries we work, wepick up the ideas and we export
these ideas to other countrieswhere they are needed, and this
is where we come in as the WorldFood Program to play our part.
But we're not the major playerthere.
It's Salvadorans, and we arethere to help.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
Hispanic Group.
Hispanic Group is anadvertising agency focused in
the US Hispanic market thatspecializes in customized media
solutions for businesses it suredoes.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Desde estrategias de redes sociales hasta publicidad
en medios tradicionales, ofrecensoluciones personalizadas y
creativas adaptadas paraalcanzar sus objetivos de
marketing, all tailored to thediverse and rapidly growing
segments of the Hispanicpopulation across 42 Hispanic
markets in the US and LatinAmerica.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Wow, you get all the great lines, but they use their
cultural expertise to createstrategies to deliver efficient
results.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Hispanic Group.
Lleva tu marca al corazón de lacomunidad hispana.
Take your brand to the heart ofthe Hispanic community.
Hispanic Group.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Their expertise lies in reaching the Hispanic market,
leveraging its richmulticulturalism.
Hispanic Group combinesinnovation, cultural insight and
strategic collaboration todrive what Tangible results for
their clients.
I agree with everything youjust said.
Now, for more information, youcan visit their website when
HispanicGroupnet Okay, I agreewith everything you just said.
Now, for more information, youcan visit their website, where I
swear, hispanicgroupnet.
(15:07):
Okay, that's HispanicGroupnet,or I'll say it in Spanish
HispanicGroupnet.
We're here on our podcast Beyondthe Plate with, with our guest,
Riaz Lodi, country directorfrom El Salvador for the World
(15:29):
Food Program, originally fromjust east of Macon, Georgia,
Pakistan, and Barron Seeger,from World Food Program right
here in Washington DC.
I have to ask Barron just totake a moment and let's look at
the numbers.
According to UNICEF, there are1.5 million kids in El Salvador
from the ages of 5 to 17 yearsold.
(15:50):
That's 23% of the population,roughly, you know, over 20%.
Yep, the World Food Program andFood for the Poor collaboration
affecting more than 400,000children.
We're talking about 28% of theyouth being and that's just the
tip of the iceberg right, Goahead, please.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
Well, it's a stunning number and such an exciting
number.
Yeah, the World Food Program andFood for the Poor can unite and
come together and make a verybold plan to feed 420,000 school
kids and also train 500 farmers.
(16:37):
This program is, by the way,incredibly unique because it's
not only feeding kids, by theway, I would also say, when you
feed kids, the enrollmentnumbers skyrocket.
I've been to countries and I'veseen within a mile distance
where school feeding is beingoffered and a mile down the road
it's not.
And guess what?
There are zero kids in theschool where it's not being
(17:00):
offered.
And the school is full wherefood is being offered, because
it also allows kids to takerations home and and the child
protection opportunities thatcome with school feeding.
That means kids aren't beingemployed in child labor, they're
not being trafficked.
And then and then it's theeconomic benefit nutritious
(17:20):
school meals, homegrown schoolmeals and then produced locally
by farmers.
So it's sustainability in thecommunity, this partnership with
the Food for the Poor.
The benefits go well beyond theschool feeding program of kids.
It goes to community, it goesto income generation, it goes to
(17:43):
sustainability.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
All right.
So everybody's wondering okay,this is a lunch program.
Now, ben, you're seeing, we'vegot this on camera.
This is it.
This is the lunch program.
Well, this is a lunch bag.
Yeah, so close.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
By the way, this is not my lunch, I'm sure your
co-workers, by the way, everyday.
Yeah, this is what we'retalking about.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Bio.
By the way, there was a littlelittle and one of the other bags
it had like a little mascot.
What was that all about?
That was so cool.
We got the boring bag, butthere's a cool bag that has a
little mascot on it Riaz, whatis that?
Who's the mascot?
Do we need a name for him orsomething?
Speaker 4 (18:20):
I I don't remember seeing this, but yeah, in fact
this is a government-ledapproach.
So whenever they find it fit tohave a mascot on the bag.
We put a mascot on the bag.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
That's right, we're going to call him Danny, anyway,
perfect, I'll take that.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
I'm on every face, thumbs up on every bag.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
But back to you, Barrett.
I got a question.
There is such an emphasis onchildren and youth, and if I'm
looking at just what we'retalking about in this program,
we're talking about effectivelyone million youth being affected
.
We're talking about increasingschool enrollments.
We're talking about helpingfarmers grow locally, grow these
(19:02):
ingredients locally, so we'retalking about propping up the
economy.
And then there was somethingthat I thought was interesting,
and it was called improvingeducation outcomes.
What's that all about?
Speaker 3 (19:12):
So improving education outcomes means that if
you have food in the school,the kids, the parents, are going
to support the kids being inschool.
So we've got the family element, and then it makes it much
easier to recruit the teachersto do the entire set of training
, and so kids are getting aneducation allowing them to
(19:32):
fulfill their dreams.
If you will, you know it'sinteresting.
At the start of the program youmentioned what kids want to be,
and I can't tell you the numberof times I've been to the field
and I've talked to kids thatwant to be doctors and lawyers.
I, by the way, have not comeacross a child that wants to be
behind the radio station.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
But, again.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
I've got a few years behind me.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
You've got some smart kids down there.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
I also haven't met anybody that wants to work for
the World Food Program USA yet,but I will say that our job is
to make sure that every childhas access to food.
And again, the main reason andwith the partnership with Food
for the Poor, the focus is onlocal.
Imagine if you were in a schooland you had to import
(20:19):
everything.
Think about the cost of thatGround transportation, storage.
And so the goal, as Riaz hasstated, is to do more locally
produced school feeding programsand then training the farmers.
So the corn, the soybean, it'sgoing to be produced locally, so
(20:40):
it's going to create incomegeneration for these very
specific communities.
So it's going to create incomegeneration for these very
specific communities.
And I would say, as we thinkabout World Food Day, the theme
at the Food for the Poor is fromempty to plenty, and that means
making sure that every singlechild has a plate of food when
they go to school.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
I think it's more than just food, right, I mean
we're talking about.
There's something I heard youall say earlier when we were
talking with the entireorganization here at Food for
the Poor.
You said we are Helpingchildren, but helping
generations.
Riaz, unpack that for us.
Help us understand that alittle bit.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
Well, we believe that if you want to make a
sustainable change to a country,the children and women are the
best place for investment per se.
And I call it investment for areason, because many countries
and many people believe insocial protection programs.
That's one way of looking at it.
But the issue of nutrition isnot simply an issue of health.
(21:45):
Studies show that it's aneconomic issue.
If you invest in your children,if you invest in your women, if
you invest in nutrition, you'reactually improving the country.
You're actually contributing toyour GDP of the country,
because these children, withbetter education, with better
nutrition, they get bettercognitive abilities, they get
better jobs, they contributebetter to the economy, to the
(22:06):
society, they become bettercitizens.
So everything gets better.
So that's why I call itinvestment, and the return on
investment is huge.
I mean, now the studies are outthere, we don't need to simply
think about it.
I mean it's scientificallyproven that better fed children,
(22:28):
better nourished children, growup as better parents, better
whatever.
So we believe in it and that'swhy we are.
We have expanded our schoolfeeding program around the world
.
Wherever we work, it's one ofour best entry points in any
social protection program.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
So, as we get ready to wrap up, I'm so excited about
this start to our family.
You said it earlier, riaz, thisis the first of many children
in this marriage.
I love family.
You said it earlier, riaz, thisis the first of many children
in this marriage.
I love that.
I love it.
I mean, that was perfect, soeffectively.
You are cousin Riaz, cousinBaron.
We always end our episodes hereon Beyond the Plate, on a
(23:14):
passionate note.
No, we've changed it today.
Speaker 4 (23:20):
We met earlier.
I wasn't there though.
Positive note because of Riazis going to be passionate note.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Gentlemen, sorry I apologize.
We've rehearsed this over andover ad nauseum, but we have
renamed our positive note thatwe end every episode on to
passionate note because of you,sir Riaz.
You and the team had aninteresting trip in May of 2024.
And in an article that youwrote, titled Passionate About
(23:52):
Humanity, we found that you werelistening to stories of
families.
You were helping to build theirresilience, you were empowering
them to take the food securityinto their own hands for future
generations.
In fact, it was your passionfor humanity that positively
impacts in El Salvador and helpsWorld Food Program fulfilling
(24:13):
theulfilling the Mission, savingand Changing Lives.
So we thought it fitting for ourpassionate note to be really
from you both and I just want toask really what was your
greatest inspiration from thattrip, seeing what you've seen?
I mean, you're there day to day, riaz, so I'll let you start.
(24:36):
And then, barron, you have yourgreatest inspiration from that
experience.
And I hope somebody talks aboutthose kitchen in a box.
That's way cool.
But anyway, I don't want toinfluence you on your passion.
No, riaz.
Speaker 4 (24:49):
There are two types of people in this world those
who know their rights and theydo everything to achieve their
rights.
They would do anything to dothat and there's the other type
of people are those who know andremember other people's rights
and they know their obligationsbefore they know their rights.
(25:09):
So what I see in Food for thePoor and its donors and
fundraisers is the second typeof people who are working hard
to make sure that the people whoare deprived of their rights,
whether food or anything else,they get to achieve their rights
(25:31):
, and they are passionate aboutthe work they do, as are we.
So this is the common thingthat I see between the Food for
the Poor and the World FoodProgram teams that we are all
working hard to make sure thatthe people who lack access to
(25:51):
food they get access to food,just like everybody does, who
have access to food, naturally,who have the resources to have
access to food.
So this is why we we work hardto make sure that no one is left
behind and that all theinsecure people with the
(26:13):
children, women, men, whereverare, they have access to food,
nutritious food, affordable food, and at all times.
That's what we call foodsecurity.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
Wow, that's inspiring , aaron.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
So I think for me, it was the last trip to El
Salvador.
Ria is an incredible innovator,created something called
Kitchen in a Box, which is howthe meals for school are cooked,
all done with green solarenergy.
He did allow me to go back inand be a chef, by the way, and I
(26:50):
did like a patty of rice andbeans and it was mixed with
vegetable and beans and it wasmixed with vegetable, and I
would say that for me, it wasthe most humbling experience as
being able to hand a plate offood to a young person that
wants to study and hasincredible aspirations to do
great things in this world.
And I would say, the otherthing that excites me is the
(27:12):
audience listening today,because Food for the Poor is an
amazing organization.
You're partnering with theWorld Food Program USA.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Well, we always end on a fist bump, gentlemen, but
this time I think it's onlyappropriate.
We have a Biofortik toast.
Cheers, cheers, cheers, cousinBarry, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Hey everyone, Thanks for listening to Beyond the
Plate.
We love having you here.
Keep up with us on Instagramand TikTok at
beyondtheplatepodcast, and ifyou enjoy the show, don't forget
to subscribe to our YouTubechannel and give our videos a
like.
Just search Food for the PoorBeyond the Plate.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Your support means the world to us All.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
Right, folks, we'll see you on the next Beyond the
Plate episode.
I'm waving.
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