Ukraine crisis raises question: Does food aid go equally to 'Black and white lives'?

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/04/18/ [login to see] /ukraine-crisis-raises-question-does-food-aid-go-equally-to-black-and-white-lives
The head of the World Health Organization has a stark message for the world. On the one hand, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press conference last week, the focus on the victims of Russia's war on Ukraine is entirely justified and necessary. But on the other hand, he added, the international community is failing to give even "a fraction" of that attention to people in countries far beyond Ukraine who are grappling with ripple effects of the war that are just as devastating. Specifically, millions of people around the globe are being pushed into hunger due to the reduction in exports of wheat and other key food items from Ukraine and Russia – two of the world's biggest suppliers.

"I don't know if the world really gives equal attention to black and white lives," said Tedros. "And I need to be blunt and honest that the world is not treating the human race the same way."

It was the latest expression of alarm by aid officials as they point to growing evidence of the war's impact on global hunger. To find out how this is playing out on the ground, NPR spoke with Bob Kitchen, vice president of emergencies for the aid group International Rescue Committee. Here are four takeaways.