Name Jordan Ramacciato Age 35 Place of birth Cleveland, USA Languages English, Italian, French

Job title
Information Manager, Emergency Operations and Rehabilitation

“I’ve been lucky. I’ve had the chance to work at FAO Headquarters in Rome and on the field projects.

When you’re in Rome, you can’t see the results of FAO’s work first hand. Everything seems kind of abstract. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you see the statistics about emergency situations: how many hungry, how many refugees, how many killed.

But when you’re in the field it’s totally different. I worked in Afghanistan for nearly two years. A lot of people know about the war that went on there. But they usually don’t know about the drought. It was terrible for farmers. They didn’t have anything. And there was no one there to help them. The government barely existed.

I was involved in a couple really good projects there. We distributed seeds and other supplies to families so that they could grow their own food. They were able to feed themselves and have some extra left over to sell. With the money, they could buy things they really needed like clothes and shoes, medicines. They were also able to save some seeds to plant another crop the following season.

We also helped ex-combatants adjust to life after the war. After the soldiers had disarmed, FAO gave them training and supplies so that they could grow vegetables all year round using a simple greenhouse. This gave them food and income and gave them a jump-start on a new life.

I saw with my own eyes how much it meant to these people. It gave them a measure of independence and dignity. They really appreciated our help and they showed it.

I also saw how closely FAO works with other UN organizations. In a crisis like that, the problems are so big and so complex that specialized organizations have to work together to do the job right.

Sure, not everything went perfectly, and there are still a lot of hungry people in Afghanistan and around the world. But we are making progress. I’ve seen it. Little by little, hungry people are getting the help they need.”