Author: shaunak wanikar

In July 2025, Pemba Epicentre reached Self Reliance, a testament to the extraordinary commitment and resilience of the community.

Walking alongside this community is Eureka Benevolent Foundation (EBF), longtime The Hunger Project Investors. To mark the occasion, EBF travelled to Malawi to attend the Self-Reliance celebration.

The community’s achievement is all the more remarkable for the challenging conditions they’re currently facing. There has been currency devaluation, rising inflation, and successive climate shocks, pushing much of the country deeper into poverty. Against this backdrop, Pemba Epicentre has stood as proof of what communities can achieve when they lead their own development.

Since the project began, severe hunger has been completely eradicated, with moderate hunger falling by 22%.

The group toured the Epicentre’s busy health clinic, which has treated over 39,000 people annually with an extraordinary team of staff, stretching well beyond the predicted catchment area. It was moving to see the newly opened maternity clinic, where women
can access lifesaving pre-and-post natal care; a far cry from the long and dangerous 12km walk they faced before the health clinic was built.

EBF visited Edrina and her family at her home. Edrina is the Epicentre Chairperson and a driving force for women’s empowerment. Under her leadership, and with women making up 60% of the Epicentre leadership committee, the community has made extraordinary strides towards gender equality.

At Pemba, the Women’s Empowerment Index score rose from 65% to 75%, child marriages close to halved, and the number of women owning businesses increased by 33%.

One of the most powerful moments was when the Epicentre’s official name was revealed: the Umodzi Community Development Organisation, belonging no longer to The Hunger Project, but to the people of Pemba, Malawi.

If you would like to see more Epicentres like Pemba achieve Self-Reliance, please make a donation here.

We spoke to Douglas Skoog, Head of Marketing at Freely, who explains how our partnership benefits people and the planet.

Tell us about Freely.

Freely offers flexible travel insurance built for today’s travellers. Manage your policy in our app, add extra cover only on the days you need it and get access to 24/7 emergency support. To date we’ve helped over 260,000 Aussie’s explore freely and we’re all about helping others experience the wonder of the world, responsibly.

What drew you to The Hunger Project?

As part of our continued efforts to give back to people, places and the planet, we donate 1% of all our revenue to environmental and social initiatives we feel passionate about. We were drawn to The Hunger Project due their commitment and focus on addressing the heart of world hunger problem.

How do Freely and The Hunger Project’s values align?

Your principles of helping to build self-reliance at a grassroots level, mobilising vulnerable communities, and particularly empowering women to be key agents of change resonate the most with our team and values.

Travel and purpose can be a powerful combination — how does your partnership with The Hunger Project reflect what Freely stands for as a business?

We want to leave things better than how we found them and we feel a deep sense of responsibility toward people and the
planet, as well as our partners, to create an impact now and over the years to come. Thanks to our partnership with The Hunger Project, when someone travels with Freely, they’re part of the journey.

What has the partnership meant in practice?

Practically, the partnership means that when someone travels with Freely, they are part of both our and The Hunger Project’s mission to give back to people and the planet. For our team, showing up to work knowing that the work they are doing is contributing to something meaningful makes a huge difference.

What would you say to other travel or insurance companies thinking about building a meaningful corporate partnership?

Do it. The research is clear: purpose-driven brands that align with likeminded organisations outperform over time. And the payoff isn’t just commercial. It’s contributing to a world that’s actually worth exploring.

If you’re a brand or business interested in a values-aligned partnership, email Partnerships Manager Simone Tison at simone.tison@thp.org

The 2026 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) Report shows that global hunger declined for the third consecutive year in 2025, demonstrating that progress is possible. However, the world remains off track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) by 2030, and 645 million people continue to experience hunger.

The UN estimates 20% of people in Africa lived with chronic hunger in 2025, compared to 6.0 percent of the population in Asia, 4.8 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean, 8.0 percent in Oceania and less than 2.5 percent in Northern America and Europe. For the first time, Africa is home to the largest number of people living with hunger—309 million people.

The report also highlights a defining challenge for global food security: healthy diets remain unaffordable for billions of people. Ending hunger requires more than producing enough food. It requires transforming agrifood systems so that nutritious foods are affordable, accessible and available to everyone. The report emphasises the importance of investing across the entire food system, including local markets, transport, storage processing, infrastructure, social protection, and climate resilience.

These findings reinforce The Hunger Project’s approach to ending hunger through community-led development, women’s leadership, resilient local food systems, nutrition education, sustainable livelihoods, and partnerships that enable communities to lead their own development. local food production and sustainable livelihoods.

Insights from Zambia

“In Zambia, the high cost of nutritious food remains a significant barrier for many rural families. Rising food prices, climate-related shocks, and economic pressures have made healthy diets increasingly unaffordable, with women and children bearing the greatest burden. When nutritious foods are out of reach, the consequences are reflected in persistent rates of child malnutrition and poor health outcomes.

At The Hunger Project Zambia, we have seen that community-led solutions can make a lasting difference. Through our Epicentre Strategy, we support women’s leadership, climate- smart agriculture, and stronger local food systems that help families diversify their diets, increase household incomes, and build resilience.

The SOFI 2026 Report reinforces the need for greater investment in smallholder farmers, nutrition-sensitive policies, and resilient food systems. By empowering communities to lead their own development, we can make healthy diets more accessible and affordable while building a future free from hunger.”

Samuel Mutambo, Country Leader, THP-Zambia

Insights from Uganda

“Food security is no longer only about whether food is available, but whether households can consistently afford diverse and nutritious diets. Rising food prices, climate-related shocks, limited incomes and unequal access to productive resources continue to place healthy diets beyond the reach of many rural families.

Lasting food security will only be achieved when communities are empowered to lead their own development and every household has the opportunity to live with dignity, nourishment and resilience.”

Irene Naikaali, Country Leader, THP–Uganda

Read about our impact in Uganda here.

How our work addresses hunger

We partner with communities to:

• strengthen local food systems, expand home gardens, promote diversified food production, and improve nutrition education. These initiatives help increase the availability of nutritious foods locally while reducing households’ dependence on volatile food markets
• support farmer organisations, improving market access, promoting local entrepreneurship and helping communities identify locally led solutions that improve food availability, reduce post-harvest losses, and strengthen local economies
• build resilience through climate-smart agriculture, natural resource management, diversified livelihoods and community-led planning. By strengthening local capacity to prepare for and respond to shocks, communities are better equipped to protect their food security and livelihoods
• place women’s leadership at the centre of our work by supporting women as farmers, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and advocates. Through leadership development, economic empowerment, and inclusive community decision-making, women are better positioned to improve household nutrition, strengthen livelihoods and contribute to more resilient food systems.
• promote improved nutrition through community-based nutrition education, home food production, behaviour change initiatives, and programmes that encourage the consumption of diverse, locally available foods. These efforts help families make informed dietary choices while improving access to nutritious foods.
  
  

The 2026 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World Report was published on July 21, 2026 jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

If you’d like to contribute to our mission, donate now.

In this edition of our Employee Spotlight Series we are excited to profile Chantal Noble, our new Deputy CEO. Chantal’s connection to The Hunger Project goes back to 2017, when an Immersion trip to Malawi changed how she viewed the world and her purpose in it. With a diverse career from Business Chicks to most recently Uber, Chantal brings a blend of fundraising skills, partnership management and business acumen, and will be with us for the next 12 months with Siv on parental leave.

1. What inspired you to join THPA?

After my own Immersion Experience with THP to Malawi, Africa in 2017, it totally changed my view of what it means to ‘help thy neighbour’. I became committed to showing up in any small way I could for people who didn’t have the tools themselves. I ran fundraising events to support THP’s work in equipping these people with the tools they needed to change their own circumstances. When the role came up to work in a formal capacity at THP, it felt like the stars aligned – a mission I believed in and had supported for many years.  

2. What programs have resonated most with you in your work? 

There would have to be two. Our Adolescent Girls program in India resonates with me because I’ve seen what happens when a girl is given room to lead: it doesn’t just change her life, it changes her family, her community, the next generation. That’s the kind of change that doesn’t reverse itself. 

Secondly, across Africa, THP’s Epicentre Strategy. It doesn’t hand a community a solution – it builds the infrastructure for communities to author their own. Watching the shift from human dependency to ownership is remarkable. These aren’t temporary aid stations and it’s not charity, it’s partnership. It resonated so much for me as I realised that each and every one of us can contribute to that partnership individually or in their business – even if it’s in a small way. Collectively we can see this vision of ending hunger come to life.

3. What’s one piece of advice that you’d want to give to someone who is looking to make a difference?

Every single person possesses unique experiences, resources, skills, and perspectives that can create a ripple effect of positive change in their community and across the world. No one is excluded from being a  part of this transformation. 

4. What quotes have influenced you in your own life? 

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou

“You are an example. Whether or not you’re a good example is up to you” – I don’t remember who said it but it always tinkers in the back of my mind. 

5. How do you like to unwind in your free time?

Any sort of bath or hot spring scenario – that’s my vibe. Cooking with my son. Going on walks as a family and getting a coffee. Being near the water – beach, lake, river…. oh and one must jump in for a dip – no matter the temperature! 

To learn about our other staff, check out our news page here!

We spoke to Jane Lu, founder and CEO of Showpo, to hear her perspective on purpose and partnership.

Tell us about Showpo – who you are, what you stand for, and the community of women you’ve built the brand around.

Showpo is a global fashion brand built on a simple idea: fashion for everyone. We create accessible, feel-good pieces designed to help women feel confident and like themselves, no matter their shape, size, or stage of life. The Showpo girl isn’t just who we design for, she’s embedded in how we build, evolve, and show up every day.

How did Showpo first connect with The Hunger Project? What was it about the work that resonated and made it feel like more than just a partnership?

We started with sample sales in Sydney CBD in 2018, raising $60,000, and what began as a one-off became something much bigger. When COVID hit, we evolved into THP-specific collections to make fundraising more sustainable. What’s kept us together is a shared belief: women are the solution. Just like us, The Hunger Project puts women at the centre.

Your journey as a founder is inspiring in its own right – how does women’s economic empowerment, both here and globally, shape the way you think about Showpo’s purpose?

It’s deeply personal. My family immigrated from China when I was 8 with nothing, and I grew up equating financial security with freedom. I spent years doing what felt responsible rather than right. Showpo came from finally taking a risk, failing, and trying again. Our purpose is to encourage women to be brave, back themselves, and take chances. That’s why The Hunger Project
partnership makes sense: we both believe women are powerful drivers of lasting change.

The THP range is a tangible way for your customers to get involved – what has the response been like, and what does it mean to bring your community along on this mission?

The response has been overwhelming. Our customers get it immediately, they’re not just buying something they love, they’re backing women who are changing their communities. The Showpo girl has always wanted to show up and take action. This partnership gives her a way to do it.

Last year’s Sydney activation was a real moment – what was it like to see your community show up for THP in such a visible way, and what did it tell you about your customers?

It brought everything to life. They didn’t just show up, they bought a tee, donated, and engaged with the cause. It reinforced what we already know – our customers act, especially when it comes to female empowerment.

What would you say to other fashion brands thinking about embedding genuine purpose into what they do?

Don’t treat purpose as something you layer on. It has to be built into how you operate. When it’s genuine, customers feel it. When it’s not, they see through it just as quickly.

Irene Naikaali has spent her career at the intersection of hunger, education and gender equality. As Country Director of The Hunger Project Uganda, she sees every day what it costs a community when a girl leaves school – and what it means when she stays. She shares her perspective on one of the most important issues of our time.

Hunger and education are the same problem

Hunger and girls’ education are not separate crises. They are both symptoms of something much deeper than what we actually see. When families cannot access markets for their produce, they cannot pay school fees. When schools are far from home, girls face danger on the road. When sanitation facilities are absent, adolescent girls quietly stop attending.

These are different expressions of the same systemic inequality. They cannot be addressed in isolation. They have to be looked at holistically.

What it actually takes to keep a girl in school

The transition from primary to secondary school is the most critical – and most dangerous – moment in a girl’s education. Infrastructure fails her at precisely the point she needs it most. Schools lack sanitation facilities for adolescent girls. Distance exposes her to risk. Cultural expectations pull her toward early marriage.

The Hunger Project works with governments, communities and partner organisations to dismantle each of these barriers – from installing toilet facilities and distributing reusable sanitary pads, to lobbying for schools to be built closer to communities. The stumbling blocks are real. But so are the solutions.

When a girl stays in school, everything changes

One girl who graduates becomes a story that transforms what an entire community believes is possible.

These girls are not waiting to be saved. They are already doing the hard work of negotiating, persisting and showing up. What they need is for us to remove the stumbling blocks in their way.

When we see girls in school, it is a symbol of hope. Communities hold on to that hope. It motivates other families to push their girls to stay.

What your investment makes possible

Each investment unblocks the path a little more. Cultural barriers. Infrastructure gaps. The distance between a girl and the education she is determined to reach.

The destination – a world without hunger – is certain. What is important is the journey. When we keep moving, the destination is possible.

This tax season, invest in a girl who is determined to learn and watch the impact travel forward for generations. Double your gift before 30 June.

In this edition of our Employee Spotlight Series we profile Simone Tison, our incredible Partnerships Manager, who looks after the relationships between The Hunger Project and our corporate partners.

1. What inspired you to join THPA?

Our sustainable model to end world hunger which I think is so cool – that there’s this long-term approach and way in which we’ve incorporated our projects to sustainably end world hunger within the communities in which we operate.

2. What’s one piece of advice that you’d want to give to someone who is looking to make a difference? And is there a quote you live by?

So I think the one piece of advice really ties into the quote. So my favorite quote is a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

And I really think a piece of advice is just do something small every day. It doesn’t have to be donating a huge amount of your income to a charity. That’s obviously fantastic. But whether that’s recycling more, whether that’s smiling to someone on the street or whether that is donating every single one of those things actually really do collectively add up and help to make the world a better place.

3. How do you like to unwind in your free time?

So I am a bit of a foodie. I love to cook, but I also just love to eat. So I love going out to restaurants and trying new foods and also trying new recipes at home. As well as that, I’m also a big nerd and I love playing video games in my free time, especially with my partner.

To learn about our other staff, check out our news page here!

Women Deliver 2026 came to Melbourne this past week, featuring The Hunger Project community partners from around the world – India, Mexico, Malawi and Uganda.

Philippe Magid, CEO, and Sivanjana Kathiravel, Deputy CEO, were watching on with pride as the real life stories of women and girls was amplified at the world’s largest gender equality conference.

1. Women Deliver 2026 is the first time this conference has been held in the Asia-Pacific region, with a strong focus on Indigenous peoples’ participation. What has THP’s role been in the lead-up?

For months, multiple THP country offices – including Australia, Sweden, the US, Netherlands, Mexico, Uganda and Malawi – have been working behind the scenes to ensure community voices don’t just attend this conference, but shape it.

Our Mexico delegation, including Indigenous women leaders from Chiapas and Oaxaca, helped inform the Women Deliver Feminist Playbook – launched here in Melbourne as the Melbourne Declaration for Gender Equality. We’ve also built connections with UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, and attending media, to secure meaningful airtime in sessions that centre Indigenous knowledge and the lived experience of women and girls.

2. Women Deliver 2026 is one of the world’s largest conferences on gender equality. How did it feel to be there, and what do you hope it leads to?

It felt like being at the centre of something that really matters. Nearly 6,000 people have gathered in Melbourne – from grassroots activists to heads of state – and the energy is unlike anything else.

What we hope comes from this? More investment, deeper collaboration, and a genuine commitment to a more just world for women and girls. Not just declarations, but decisions backed by money and political will – and shaped by those closest to the issues.

3. Earlier this year, CSW in New York was marked by growing global resistance to gender equality and women’s rights. Is that something you’re sensing here too?

It’s part of the conversation – you can’t ignore the global headwinds. But what we noticed at Women Deliver is that people aren’t dwelling on the problem. They’re focused on the solution.

Feminist movements have always encountered resistance. This is not the first time, and it won’t be the last. If anything, the pushback has sharpened the resolve in this room. There’s a real sense of determination here – not despair.

4. Our delegation consists of local leaders and Indigenous women from Mexico, India, Uganda and Malawi – women who rarely get access to global arenas like this. What does it mean that they are here, and why are their voices so important right now?

Their presence cuts through in a way that no diplomat or policy paper ever could.

When Khushi stood up and shared her story of resisting child marriage in rural Bihar, the room stopped. When Luisa spoke about her community’s relationship with the land and the decisions being made without them, people listened differently. Lived experience reaches people in a way that data on its own simply can’t.

These women belong on this global stage. And watching them own it has been one of the most extraordinary things we’ve witnessed in our work with The Hunger Project.

5. You’ve managed this entire journey from planning to execution. What do you take with you – and what do you hope the delegates bring back to their communities?

You come to a conference like this with a plan: make connections, meet funders, increase THP’s visibility. And then you arrive, and you realise it’s so much more than that.

It’s a space for learning, listening and being genuinely moved. We’re taking home a deeper sense of what’s possible when community voices lead – and a renewed conviction that the work we do in Australia matters far beyond our borders.

And for our delegates, we hope they bring back new perspectives, the unshakeable sense of being known and heard – and a renewed determination – and belief in themselves. 

The work doesn’t stop when the conference ends. This tax season, invest in women and girls’ futures, supporting women and girls like Khushi and Luisa to be their own leaders. Donate now.

Across four districts in Bihar, India, something remarkable has been unfolding. Young women who were once told their future was already decided — a marriage arranged, a voice not needed — are standing up, speaking out, and changing the course of their own lives. This is the story of The Hunger Project’s Adolescent Girls Program, and what three years of dedicated, community-led investment can achieve.

The stakes have never been higher

A recent Lancet article makes the case plainly: investing in adolescent girls works, and we cannot afford to stop. Globally, adolescent girls face urgent, intersecting challenges.

• They are nearly twice as likely as boys their age to be out of school or training
• one in five girls worldwide marries before 18 
• a quarter have already experienced intimate partner violence
• by 2030, the number of adolescent girls living in low- and middle-income countries is projected to reach 900 million

Yet overseas development assistance for girls’ programs is declining. 

Bihar is a microcosm of this global reality. Persistent patriarchy, intergenerational gender norms, and economic vulnerability create formidable barriers for girls. It is precisely here that THP chose to invest — and where the evidence of impact is most compelling.

A framework for change: The Four Powers

Our program is built around a feminist framework that understands power not as something given to girls, but as something unlocked within them and between them. The Four Powers framework — Power Within, Power To, Power With, and Power Over — guided both our approach and our evaluation.

Power Within is where the most profound change begins: girls discovering their own worth, identity, and sense of possibility. 

Power To is the realisation that they can take action — to access education, healthcare, or legal protections. 

Power With is the collective strength that emerges when girls organise, advocate, and hold institutions to account together. 

Power Over addresses the hardest challenge: dismantling the social norms and structural barriers that have long constrained girls’ lives.

Our model is proven

Our 2021–2024 endline evaluation, conducted by external evaluators across 753 adolescent girls, reveals results that are both meaningful and measurable.

• Over 95% of girls surveyed reported awareness of their fundamental rights as young women and citizens — a critical foundation for everything else
• 83% said they had a say in decisions about their own marriages, including delaying or stopping them altogether
• 79% had participated in collective action to claim their rights and entitlements 
• 83% had raised their voices against some form of gender discrimination

In communities where girls have historically been the last to speak and the first to be silenced, these figures represent a genuine shift in power.

Continued investment matters

The Lancet evidence is clear: the most effective interventions start with the girl and extend outward — to her family, her community, her institutions. They engage families and community influencers. They treat girls as active participants, not passive beneficiaries. This is exactly the model THP’s Sukanya Clubs embody, providing safe spaces where girls build skills, solidarity, and the courage to lead.

The evidence also shows that education paired with financial literacy and vocational training yields lasting gains in employment and resilience — a direction our next program phase is already building toward.

Girls in Bihar are proving every day that when you invest in their power, they change everything around them. The question is whether the rest of the world will keep up.

We are attending Women Deliver 2026 – world’s largest gender equality conference – this April. We’re also continuing the conversation with I am my own leader – our own series of events across Melbourne, Sydney and Perth bringing grassroots leaders from India, Mexico and Uganda directly to you. Join us for both.

This April, Khushi boards a plane for the first time, travelling from rural Bihar, India to Melbourne for Women Deliver 2026, the world’s largest gender equality conference. One of the first graduates of The Hunger Project’s Adolescent Girls’ Program, she grew up in a household where two meals a day were uncertain and early marriage loomed. She resisted and chose education instead. Her story is proof that when girls are supported at the right time, they become change-makers for others.

For many adolescent girls in rural Bihar, life is shaped by poverty, restricted mobility, and deeply rooted gender norms. Decisions about education, marriage, health, and work are often made for them, not by them. Safe spaces where girls can gather, speak freely, learn about their rights, and imagine a different future are rare. Khushi’s life reflected this reality.

Born into a poor and marginalised family, Khushi grew up witnessing instability and hardship. Her father abandoned his responsibilities, leaving her mother to raise five children through daily wage labour. As the eldest daughter, she carried domestic burdens from a young age and dropped out of school after Year 8.

I was called Khushi, but there was no happiness in my life”, she recalls.

Creating safe spaces for girls

The turning point came in 2021, when The Hunger Project supported the formation of a Sukanya Club (Girls’ Clubs as part of THP’s Adolescent Girls Program) in Khushi’s village – a safe space where girls could speak openly, learn about their rights, education, health, and the harms of early marriage. For Khushi, it was an entry point to dignity, confidence, and choice. She learnt about:

• Girls’ rights and entitlements
• Education and life skills
• Harms of child and early marriage
• Gender equality and decision-making
• Health, including menstrual hygiene

From dropout to decision-maker

Within months, Khushi returned to school. When her family pressured her into marriage during Year 10, she resisted – drawing on knowledge from the Sukanya Club to explain how child marriage harms a girl’s future. Marriage proposals resurfaced repeatedly. Each time, she negotiated for time to study, work, and become financially independent.

I will be the first woman in my family to complete both school and college.

Building economic and educational independence

Khushi saved every scholarship and incentive she received, using them for school fees and books. After completing Year 12, she began teaching at a local private school – supporting her own education and contributing to her siblings’ schooling.

Today, Khushi is pursuing her Bachelor’s degree while preparing for competitive examinations. She continues to teach and has emerged as a youth leader and role model in her community.

Khushi now mentors adolescent girls, encourages them to delay marriage, and speaks openly about gender-based violence and discrimination – using the same safe-space approach that transformed her own life.

The Sukanya (Girls) Club gave me strength, courage, and direction to live a life with dignity…I refused the life of (back-breaking) bidi-making and chose a different future.

Khushi’s journey reflects what becomes possible when safe spaces are created and girls are enabled to lead their own change. This May, she’s travelling to Australia for Women Deliver 2026 and our I am my own leader events in Melbourne and Perth. Come meet her in person.