World Central Kitchen (WCK) Central World Kitchen is the NGO that prepared and sent 100 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza, in collaboration with the ship of the Open Arms organization. Humanitarian aid prepared by WCK arrived in mid-March via the first maritime humanitarian corridor open from Cyprus to Gaza. The European Commission, in collaboration with the United States and the United Arab Emirates, has promoted this humanitarian corridor.
What is World Central Cuisine
WCK is an NGO founded by Spanish chef José Andrés to providing fresh meals in response to humanitarian and climate crises and helping people fleeing war. The humanitarian NGO's motto is “food is a universal human right“: Food is a universal human right.
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In 2010, the multi-starred Spanish chef founded the organization in Washington. Its activity began to support the population after the dramatic earthquake in Haiti in 2010. WCK started from the simple concept “when people are hungry, send cooks, not tomorrow, todayi”, as its founder explains on the NGO’s website.
After Haiti, the organization intervenes in many other crisis zones, from Latin America, hit by earthquakes and hurricanes, to California and Australia devastated by fires, to the border between the United States and Mexico to feed migrants. During the Covid-19 pandemic, WCK distributed 40 million meals worldwide.
WCK humanitarian aid distribution at Gaza stands
The Gaza operation was a pilot project to open additional maritime corridors to supply the entire Strip. To unload the supplies, they used a large crane at the end of the dock to transfer the pallets of food onto trucks. The pier is built by the volunteers themselves using the rubble of bombed buildings in northern Gaza.
WCK sent the trucks to a warehouse in Deir al Balah, a few kilometers south of Gaza City, and then began distributing humanitarian aid that day. The Israeli army was supposed to provide security and coordination for the entire operation. of the NGO, particularly during the aid distribution process.
On Monday, April 1, while the organization's team of volunteers was following the pre-established route for the distribution, they were hit by a missile fire from the Israeli army. World Central Kitchen immediately suspended operations in the region. In a video interview with the agency Reuters of April 4 the founder of the NGO calls for the creation of an independent commission and third, investigate Israeli attacks that killed seven of its aid workers.
What happened to the NGO convoy on April 1 according to the Israeli investigation
During the Report In the press on April 5, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi (the general leading the current ground operation in Gaza) communicated the preliminary results of the investigation carried out by the Israeli army and provided a reconstruction. General Halevi defined the incident as follows: “A tragic mistake that should not have happened». The commander of the fire brigade and the chief of staff of the Nahal Brigade they are considered the main responsible, alongside the commander of the army's southern front.
In summary, the investigation would highlight that the drone pilots were not informed by the Southern Front command of the nature of the humanitarian convoy, Despite WCK, before starting its operations, had all necessary permits and agreements from the army itself. According to the testimonies of the soldiers interviewed who requested authorization to launch the missiles, it was night and according to the blurry images of the drone also shown to the correspondent of the BBCthe WCK logos on the roof of the vehicle were not visible.
As indicated on the WCK website, the request for the creation of an independent commission is renewed: “The Israeli military cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza». The same request came from the US Secretary of State, the European Commission and the embassies of Poland and Spain.
The WCK model in crisis theaters
Despite the serious risks it faces, the organization is still on the front line to help people. On its website, the organization reports having provided more than 350 million meals to people in need around the world and specifies that: “With our rapid-action model, which leverages local resources and adapts in real time, we know that a nutritious meal in times of crisis is more than a plate of food: It's hope, it's dignity and it's a sign that someone cares“.
Currently on mission Head for Ukraine served over 260 million meals to Ukrainians. The WCK relief team worked quickly to create systems that could adapt and meet the changing food needs of Ukrainian families across the country.
The organization also focuses on resilience programs, investing in long-term solutions through food projects in the Caribbean and Central America. WCK started the program Clean kitchen (Cooking Cleanly) to support communities' transition from cooking on dangerous open fires fueled by wood and charcoal to sustainable solutions. He built and opened theChefs Schoola cooking school in Port-au-Prince under the direction of Mi-Sol Chevallier.
The organization's innovative approach involves transforming local communities from secondary stakeholders into active architects and participants in the mission itself. Their method transforms geographic, cultural and emergency-related challenges into opportunities for faster and more decisive answers.
