Category: News

There are other ways to give to a not-for-profit in addition to monetary investment. Everybody has something they can contribute.

Essentially, there are two main ways you can give to a not-for-profit on top of a financial investment — they are time and skills. There is lots of work to be done by organisations who are tackling huge global issues, so the time and skills of others are invaluable.

If you’re wanting to further your involvement with a cause you’re passionate about, you can combine both time and skills to become a pro-bono partner; that is, volunteer your professional expertise to support the operations of an organisation.

Here at The Hunger Project, we have a handful of pro-bono agencies and freelancers who support us with high-quality work. Here’s a summary from one of our pro-bono partners, Good Data Institute, about how exactly they partnered with us and the impact they were able to create by doing what they do best.

In 2019, the Good Data Institute (GDI) partnered with The Hunger Project Australia (THPA) to support an internal pro-bono data and analytics project. The Hunger Project team wanted to use its donations data to better understand the needs and behaviour of its donor community. Luke Mills and Elizabeth Reid of GDI spent ~50 hours examining donation patterns, the typical lifecycle of different donor archetypes, and the strengths of different appeals and campaigns. At the end of the project, GDI provided THPA with a fact base that it can use to support its future marketing and communications strategies.

The work of THPA has long been respected by the GDI team; Tom Perfrement has previously run P2P campaigns for THPA, and Luke is close with youth board members Jo Akehurst and Ethan Atkins. GDI is inspired by THPA’s ability to form deep and extensive connections between donors and Epicentres while driving meaningful progress towards ending global poverty and hunger. The team was honoured to be able to work with The Hunger Project, and hopes to support THPA with its data and analytics needs in the future.

If you are interested in partnering with us for the end of hunger, please get in touch with our Head of Partnerships at sivanjana.kathiravel@thp.org and let us know how you’d like to work with us —all ideas welcome!

A big congratulations to long-time THP investor, National & Global Board member Roger Massy-Greene. 

He was honoured on Australia Day, 26 January 2019, and awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the community through philanthropic initiatives and investment. 

This is well-deserved recognition for someone who has given so much personally – and together with his family – to The Hunger Project!

The Hunger Project’s innovative and holistic approach to ending world hunger calls for the empowerment of rural communities in India, Africa and Bangladesh to take charge of their own development, transform entrenched harmful traditional practices and beliefs, and be active citizens who know their rights and hold the government to account.

All of our programs – while adapted to meet local opportunities and challenges – share three essential things that will end hunger for good:

1) Start by empowering women as key change agents

The vast majority of people living in hunger and poverty are women. Women bear almost all responsibility for meeting the basic needs of the family, yet are systematically denied the resources, information and freedom of action they need to fulfil this responsibility.

Studies show that when women are supported and empowered, all of society benefits. Their families are healthier, more children go to school, agricultural productivity improves and incomes increase. That’s why we focus on building the capacity of women.

2) Mobilise entire communities into self-reliant action

Our aim is to overcome the deep resignation within people living in hunger, and awaken them to the possibility of a different future, one free from hunger. We build people’s knowledge, skills and leadership, so they can take action to improve their own communities.

3) Foster effective partnerships to engage local government 

We work in partnership with local government bodies to ensure that they are effective, include women in leadership positions, are directly accountable to local people, and provide access to resources and information. We also educate and encourage communities to demand what they’re entitled to from their governments, including services, resources and financial schemes and benefits.

You can read more in our 2021 Global Investor Report.

 

Women’s roles as village council (Panchayat) leaders are transforming the way people live in India. Although they often have much adversity to overcome – due to social conditioning and attitudes around gender – women are emerging as powerful leaders motivated by a desire to provide better lives for their families and communities.

When women are empowered with skills and knowledge, they act as change agents – creating opportunities to improve life and participate in the positive development of their community. The training they receive through our programs allows them to realise their full potential and instils the confidence required to approach local governments with authority. As such, they develop voices that are heard in public forums and generate the support of the people.

Through the Panchayat, they interact with people who can assist them in creating the changes they prioritise, such as –

• Ensuring all children (particularly girls) have access to an education
• Ensuring quality healthcare is available and accessible to all
• Installing clean water systems and sanitary facilities to meet basic human needs
• Addressing violence and inequality against women – so that all may live to their fullest potential

Elected women, like Geeta (pictured below), carry with them a deep sense of pride and responsibility to act in the best interests of all. By taking time to speak with people in their villages – including those previously left out of the development agenda – they find out what is truly wanted and needed and act on it.

 

“I draw determination from my heart, from within…I feel I’m not a regular woman – I’m a special woman! I am proud to be elected as the President of my local council area. I won by 1,500 votes because I took the time to speak to people in my community about what they wanted.” – Geeta Rao – An Elected Woman Representative trained by The Hunger Project in India.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Decjuba x THP t-shirts.

The t-shirts are available for purchase in black and gold or black and white in-store or via the link here.

All of the proceeds from this limited edition t-shirt will go towards The Hunger Project’s work empowering women to end hunger.

A special thank you to our wonderful partners at Decjuba.

Roger Massy-Greene, long time The Hunger Project Australia National Board member and investor, has been appointed as a new member of The Hunger Project’s Global Board of Directors.

Sheree Stomberg, Chair, The Hunger Project Governance, Nominating, and Human Resources Committee announced the appointment on 3 May 2016.

Roger has been an investor for more than a decade and has been a member of The Hunger Project board in Australia since 2010.  He currently serves as Chair of two publicly held electricity utilities in New South Wales, Australia. He was previously the Chair of Networks NSW, a joint venture entity that managed the three electricity distribution networks in that state. Roger is a director of OneVentures Pty Ltd, a technology venture firm. He co-founded the ASX 200 company, Excel Coal Limited and was its Chairman until its acquisition by Peabody Energy in 2006. He previously worked for Bank of America and for Rio Tinto plc.

Roger also serves as Chairman of the Salvation Army’s Sydney Advisory Board and of Eureka Benevolent Foundation (EBF), a family foundation focused on social justice issues. EBF has been The Hunger Project’s funding partner for the Champiti Epicentre in Malawi since its inception. He is the Deputy President of Cranbrook School in Sydney. Roger holds a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Engineering with Honours from the University of Sydney, and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University.

Already a vital member The Hunger Project family, Roger has been instrumental in supporting the dynamic growth trajectory of The Hunger Project Australia. We now welcome his leadership as a member of our Global Board.