In 2012, Mastercard and World Food Program (WFP) entered into a strategic partnership, with the ambitious mission of helping communities around the world take important steps towards breaking the cycle of hunger and poverty for future generations. The partnership includes marketing campaigns and other activities, which generate funding for WFP, and leverages Mastercard’s expertise in payment technology to advance WFP’s operations.
Since the partnership began, Mastercard, its employees, partners, and cardholders have contributed over $30 million to WFP, to support school feeding, emergency response and other programs.
Their initiative, which will provide support equivalent to 100 million meals, will be met by boosting the existing collaboration with WFP, focusing on two clear areas
Leveraging Expertise:
Digital Food:
In communities where food markets are stable but people are vulnerable and require food assistance, WFP is increasingly using cash and vouchers instead of traditional food distribution, which can save time and money and also support local economies
In 2012, Mastercard helped WFP set up a pioneering system to provide pre-paid cards for Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan. Since that time, 2.2 million Syrian refugees have used these cards to purchase food in local stores, empowering them to choose food for their families.
Cost-Benefit of School Meals:
During 2016, 18 Mastercard employees undertook temporary assignments in WFP country offices. Their analytical expertise optimized research that has shown that every dollar invested in school meals brings an average economic return of US$6 in the form of improved health and education for schoolchildren
Giving Campaigns:
At the heart of integrated giving is the Priceless Causes donation platform, which facilitates contributions to WFP through card-based micro-donations. This partnership leverages Mastercard’s payment mechanisms to support a humanitarian cause and provides an opportunity to engage Mastercard’s network of partners, including consumers, to drive a community for change.
Mastercard and its partners have helped raise funds to provide over 17 million school meals to children around the world. Over 70 cause-related marketing campaigns in 17 countries across Europe have allowed cardholders to come together and make a cumulative difference one transaction at a time. Through 2017 the partnership plans to take best practices from Europe and expand globally
Other than this they have contributed to WFP’s disaster relief efforts in Nepal, following the devastating earthquake in April 2015, and in the Philippines in 2013 and 2014 after Typhoon Haiyan and Typhoon Hagupit struck the country. And they are still working out more ways to solve hunger and other fundamental global challenges.
