On Sunday 12 June, Italy and 76 other countries will take part in the third annual event Fight Hunger: Walk the World to raise money and awareness to help end child hunger. The event is sponsored by the United Nations World Food Programme and TNT, the global mail and freight distribution company.

In Rome, the event starts in Piazza Venezia with the five km route passing through Via dei Fori Imperiali, the Domus Aurea, Via delle Terme di Traiano, Via del Monte Oppio, Via degli Annabaldi, Via Cavour, S. Pietro in Carcere, the Campidoglio, Teatro Marcello and back to Piazza Venezia. Around 1,000 walkers are expected.

Last year, 40,000 people took part in over 70 countries, and raised enough money to fund school meals for over 30,000 school children in developing countries.

According to the UN, there are currently 300 million children who are chronically hungry around the world. It costs an average of US$34 to feed a child for a whole school year through the UN World Food Programmes school feeding programme an average of 19 cents per child, per school day.

For more information and to join the walk see www.fighthunger.org.