Celebrity actress and Goodwill Ambassador Hend Sabry held a seminar yesterday at the Egyptian Diplomatic Club, in which she spoke about the UN World Food Programme (WFP), her role in it and her future plans as a Goodwill Ambassador. “We did not start the fire, we are only the fire fighters,” stated Sabry, as she explained the role of the WFP, for which she serves as a regional ambassaor. The movie star explained that the program helps alleviate hunger and malnutrition around the world, a problem which has existed for ages. The aim of the WFP is to reduce poverty, food scarcity and malnutrition. Around 400,000 people benefit from the program in 11 Egyptian governorates. “When celebrities talk, the world listens,“ said the young actress. She elaborated, saying that all over the world movie stars are constantly under the spotlight, which makes them effective for charity and social work. She gives the example of UN Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie, but concludes that In Egypt "this is unfortunately not the case yet.” The actress confirmed that she sought the position of Goodwill Ambassador because she wants to help people and make a change, and that she wants to be judged by what she does and not who she is. She also stated that she was contacted by Egyptian actor Mahmoud Qabil to join a new Egyptian series for children starring all Egyptian UN Goodwill Ambassadors. “It is a very good idea and I am looking forward to it,” adds Sabry. About her visit to the West Bank, Sabry stated that, “the water situation is bad and unemployment figures are high.” She added that despite the great potential in Ramallah and Nablus, Gaza is in much worse conditions. The young ambassador is planning to visit Yemen, Palestine and other underprivileged countries in the region this year and next year. WFP is also planning to coordinate with global service providers to raise money for the cause. “We spent hours and hundreds of pounds on the internet,” Sabry said, adding that it is about time we dedicate money and time for a good cause. On another note, Sabry recently visited two schools in the Egyptian city of Fayoum to promote school enrollment and encourage regular attendance among girls in rural areas. The board of directors of the Egyptian Diplomatic Club awarded Sabry an honorary membership for a year. Sabry promised to come back to the club soon enough.
