This color film is a portion of David Brinkley’s Journal of Christmas from 1963. It profiles the United States’ “Food for Peace Program” and its impact in the slums of Lima, Peru. The film follows a school boy named Mario who, along with other children in his school, receives food aid as part of the program. It features a few shots of Jack Smith, an American wheat farmer who helped inspire the program, and American musician Jim Symington at 9:27, speaking about the conditions in the shantytown. (Symington served as the Deputy Director of the Kennedy Administration’s Food For Peace program and, according to his bio, played his guitar and sang in barrio and countryside throughout Latin America.)
The film traces the impact that proper nutrition, in the form of American rice and grain, has on children who are malnourished. The goal of the program is in part to persuade local communities to shoulder responsibility, and as part of this aspect, at 11:20, a school kitchen is shown being constructed by villagers. At 11:50, couples are inspired to be married, and the ceremony is performed by a Catholic priest. A wedding party follows with Symington performing a song.
The Food for Peace program still exists, and has provided food assistance around the world for more than 60 years. Approximately 3 billion people in 150 countries have benefited. The origins of the program date to 1954 when Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy termed the law “Food for Peace,” stating, “Food is strength, and food is peace, and food is freedom, and food is a helping hand to people around the world whose goodwill and friendship we want.”
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
