News

We’re pleased to share this letter from Diane Grady, Chair of The Hunger Project Australia’s Board announcing the appointment of Philippe Magid as the new CEO of The Hunger Project Australia. 

Dear Hunger Project Investor,  

The Board of The Hunger Project Australia is delighted to announce the appointment of Philippe Magid as our new CEO effective May 23, 2022.  Philippe will take over from Melanie Noden who, after leading us so capably for nearly seven years, has been appointed CEO of Australian Philanthropic Services.   

Philippe was appointed after a thorough search process that resulted in several outstanding candidates being carefully considered.  We chose Philippe because of his proven track record as a CEO, his skills in fundraising and marketing, and his ability to inspire staff and investors to engage deeply with our purpose—to end hunger and poverty – you can read a brief version of Philippe’s CV here. 

As the former Executive Director of Bangarra Dance Theatre, Philippe’s natural empathy enabled authentic connection with Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and leaders. In that role, he initiated immersion programs for investors to first nation communities which resulted in significant giving. In the same manner, we believe Philippe will build meaningful relationships with both our investors and with people in our women-centered programs in Africa, India and Bangladesh.   

Philippe also has experience working in an international organisation as the Global Director, Arts and Culture Experiences for Airbnb which will assist him in understanding and working with the global Hunger Project team based in New York. His time as CEO of Reach Foundation—a youth oriented NFP– will also enable him to contribute to one of The Hunger Project’s new global initiatives aimed at empowering young people.   

As a fundraiser, Philippe has excelled at understanding what motivates individual investors and as a result he is able to develop genuine connection with them. He has also been successful in securing government grants for the organisations he’s led.   

Philippe is recognised as a team builder eager to get to know each member of staff and agree appropriate goals and development opportunities with them. He is committed to operational excellence and driving performance based on facts.   

In summary, we believe Philippe is the right person to guide THPA on our path to realizing our aspiration to significantly lift our fundraising to reach AU$50million and thereby assist millions of people to achieve a life without hunger.   

When asked why he chose to join The Hunger Project team Philippe said:  

“I am thrilled to be leading The Hunger Project in Australia and to build on the powerful impact The Hunger Project is having, and to collaborate with you all in order to significantly broaden and deepen our impact over the coming years. Right now, The Hunger Project’s work and your support is needed more than ever. It is such a critically important time for the communities we support and work closely with.” 

We look forward to you meeting Philippe in person before too long.  In the meantime, if you haven’t done so already, please consider investing in our End of Financial Year campaign.  Your contribution would provide both a meaningful farewell to Melanie and welcome to Philippe.  

All the best and thank you for your ongoing support,

In an exciting and forwarding thinking program, The Hunger Project in partnership with BLUETOWN and the Microsoft Airband Initiative is bringing the Internet to 6,000 women in Ghana.

Today we’re celebrating the power, courage, determination and spirit of women all over the world on International Women’s Day 2022

The theme for 2022 International Women’s Day (IWD) is all about building a gender-equal world.

We asked our global leaders from across Africa, South Asia, Latin America and Australia to describe what a gender-equal world looks like. This is what they had to say…

Do you hunger for change? International Women’s Day is a great time to give to The Hunger Project Australia. We partner with hundreds of thousands of women across Africa, South Asia and Latin America to bring an end to hunger in a sustainable and long-lasting way. You can join in creating a gender-equal world this International Women’s Day – Give now.

A letter from Diane Grady, Chair of The Hunger Project Australia’s National Board. 

As a much-appreciated investor in The Hunger Project, I’m writing to let you know that after nearly 7 years as our CEO, Melanie Noden, has decided she’s ready for a new challenge.

Over this time, Melanie has significantly lifted our fundraising and built a sustainable professional organisation with the support of the accomplished team she has developed. This has been done through a deliberate strategy of diversification including nurturing investors like you, creating strong partnerships with women-founded businesses, reaching out to a wider community through creative campaigns, and (until COVID-19) continuing with our unique leadership-oriented immersion programs. Melanie has also been successful in working with passionate investors and The Hunger Project’s Global Office to initiate major new programs including a country-wide effort in Zambia, a multi-country water program, a women and girls education program in India, and funding for a network of Epicentres in Ghana.

We are in the last year of our 5 year strategic plan which has had a significant impact on the end of hunger and poverty – including taking 27 Australian funded Epicentre’s to self-reliance, forever transforming the lives of approximately 529,000 people. We have begun work on our next 5 year plan which will continue over the coming year. With your support, we will continue to build on the strong foundations Melanie and her team have constructed adding in some new initiatives such as seeking government funding and connecting with more institutional funders and workplace giving programs.

We have begun our search for the next The Hunger Project Australia’s CEO with the help of Mal Duncan from The Insight Group. Please see the job advertisement on Seek that has been posted today. Naturally, we would like our next leader to have leadership and commercial experience and have values aligned with our purpose to end hunger and poverty. If you know of anyone who might be appropriate, please ask them to contact Mal directly on malcolmduncan@insgroup.com.au or 0418278952.

Happily, given Melanie’s passion for the incredible work of The Hunger Project, she is committed to staying on to ensure the smooth transition of the leadership of The Hunger Project Australia to a new CEO.

Thank you for your dedication to The Hunger Project and our mission to end world hunger.  You do make a difference every day!

All the best,

‘Tis the climate for change this holiday season! Check out the gift ideas below, which all give a portion of profits to The Hunger Project Australia’s mission to end hunger. 

The Gourmet Pantry’s Hamper 1 and Hamper 2 — these high-quality food hampers (pictured above) have something for everyone in them. They’re sourced from Australian suppliers with 100% of the proceeds donated to The Hunger Project Australia. The hampers contain products from some of Australia’s best-known brands – so this one will deliver the best bang for your buck!  

Montalto Wines are produced under the expert guidance of an award-winning winemaking team on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. From November to January, $2 from every bottle of Sparkling Rose will be donated to The Hunger Project Australia’s commitment to ending hunger. 

Bared’s new ‘THP’ kicks!

Bared Footwear has been a committed supporter of The Hunger Project’s work for many years. The team at Bared create comfortable, designer footwear. This holiday season, $50 from every purchase of The Hunger Project Hornbill Sneakers, and $10 from every pack of The Hunger Project Invisible Socks will be donated to The Hunger Project Australia. 

One of our newest partnerships, Wash Wild beautifully blend native Australian Botanicals to create a highly playful set of antibacterial cleaning and care products from Wild Wash. For every Hand Sanitiser, Hand Wash, and Body Wash sold, 50c will be donated to The Hunger Project Australia! 

Secret Sisterhood is a social enterprise sells meaningful jewelry with 100% of profits donated to women’s empowerment causes. This holiday season, $25 from the Love Intentional Necklace will be donated to ending hunger and empowering women. 

Kinnon, another long-term Hunger Project partner, is giving 50% of the proceeds of the THP x Kinnon Card Holder will be donated to The Hunger Project Australia. Buy some luxury leather goods for your loved ones this holiday season and you’ll be supporting the fight to end hunger.  

Another of our very fashionable partners, Decjuba has another stellar product on sale this Christmas season. Effortless and edgy, 100% of Decjuba’s The Hunger Project Bracelet proceeds will be directed toward The Hunger Project this season. 

Camilla, Australia’s leading bohemian luxury label has 100% of its Camilla scarf profits directed towards The Hunger Project Australia. Find these gorgeous scarves in any Camilla Boutique near you! 

BeKeane Healthy and Fit is an exciting and accessible line of activewear that is functional, fun, and made especially for curvy women! The Hunger Project Australia will receive 20% of the proceeds from the BeKeane x Hunger Project Leggings and The Hunger Project Sports Bra these holidays! 

Got someone who is hard to buy for? Why not create climate-resilient communities by giving to The Hunger Project. Just $60 could buy 40 fruit trees that will give a community enough food to eat and sell at market.

Buy your loved ones something special these holidays and be part of the change. 

Over the last few weeks, we have seen discussions emerging from COP26 centre around how we stop disastrous and irreversible global heating from reaching a point of no return. The goal of securing net-zero carbon emissions is set for the year 2050 – but for many that deadline will come far too late.   

The Hunger Project’s partner communities across Africa, India and Bangladesh are on the frontline of the climate crisis. Over the last few years, these communities have faced devastating cyclones and flooding rains, as well as ongoing droughts and failed crop yields. There’s an uncomfortable irony that it’s the people who contribute least to climate change who are suffering the most from it.  

The Hunger Project has never been an organisation that has simply sat by and watched the world discuss issues, rather, we are action-based leaders in the sustainable end of hunger, and we are taking action now. 

Recently we announced that in partnership with communities in Ethiopia, The Hunger Project has planted some 3 million trees. These trees bring economic benefits to the communities in the form of fruit that can be sold at market. They also reduce soil erosion and help rebalance the water table.   

At our African Epicentres, we’ve held Climate Adaption Workshops with 78,431 inspiring participants. Each one of these participants decided that they needed to learn how to live with the changing, warming world. They’ve been taught about the impacts of deforestation, the importance of sustainable farming and how to live with erratic weather patterns. Amazingly this has resulted in 55% of all households in Hunger Project partner communities implementing some form of climate-resilient plan so they’re prepared for any oncoming challenges.  

The Hunger Project has truly inspirational people partnering with us. I’m inspired by the resilience of our Village Partners who are committed to living on a greener, healthier planet without hunger. With a foundation of resilience comes confidence. 44% of people living in Epicentre communities now believe their village has the ability to adapt and absorb environmental shocks. This might not seem like a big number but it is significant.  

With everything going on, now is the climate for change. We are asking our community of generous Australians to come together and give so we can continue to bring forward the end of hunger and build strong, climate-resilient communities. Your partnership on this journey means so much, and no matter what you give, your support can have an impact. Just one example is how a contribution of $60 could buy 40 fruit trees for a family of farmers. These trees can stop erosion and provide enough fruit to feed a family and give them an important, sustainable source of income.  

Now is the season for change and your partnership is always appreciated.  

Yours in ending hunger,  

Melanie Noden 

Margret is a volunteer leader – or Animator – at The Hunger Project’s Oruka community in Uganda, and a proud mother of 11 children. In a recent conversation with us, Margret shared how partnering with The Hunger Project shifted and expanded her mindset.

For Margret and her family, exorbitant land rental meant that the family couldn’t cultivate enough food. This resulted in an ongoing and seemingly endless cycle where they could only afford one meal a day.

Margret then had the opportunity to attend one of The Hunger Project’s tried and tested Vision, Commitment, Action workshops. Her attitude about living in hunger changed, and she began to see her mindset as the greatest obstacle to obtaining what she needed most in her life.

Margret’s dream had always been to raise healthy children by having enough food to feed her family, so when she got a chance to become a local farming leader, she seized it. Her attitude towards farming and access to land changed completely.

Margret saw that you don’t always need to have a vast piece of land to grow enough food, you just need to be smart about how you use the land you’re given.

During the training, she was introduced to small plots and learnt sustainable backyard farming. Margret began to grow vegetables in sacks behind her house using organic compost from kitchen scraps and chicken manure. This ensured that vegetables such as Sukuma greens, eggplants (or garden eggs as they’re called in Uganda) and spinach were available throughout the whole year. This meant a regular source of nutritious food. This meant at least three full meals for her family each day.

These days a typical meal plan for her household comprises of a cup of millet porridge and roasted maize or boiled cassava for breakfast. Lunch is largely bean sauce, millet bread and dark leafy vegetables while dinner is comprised of cornmeal/ rice and vegetables.

The most important lesson Margret learnt from The Hunger Project’s workshops is that no matter the size of one’s farm, children should never be deprived of having enough nutritious meals for their proper growth.

Margret now wakes up each day knowing she has secured her dream of ending her family’s hunger.

“Seeing my Children satisfied after a meal brings me much joy.” – Margret from Oruka.

You can partner with people like Margret by giving to The Hunger Project. We know people are the solution to ending hunger. Give now.

The Hunger Project Australia is pleased to announce the appointment of Jacinta McDonell onto our National Board.  

Jacinta, the co-founder of Anytime Fitness, founder of Human Kind Project and W1LL, has been a longtime investor and to date has mobilised $1.4 million for The Hunger Project’s work in ending hunger. 

The Hunger Project Australia’s National Board Chair, Diane Grady AO said Jacinta’s experience and perspective will help The Hunger Project Australia to unlock new opportunities.  

“One of the key pillars of our strategy is connecting with entrepreneurs who can relate to our work. Jacinta has been a long-time investor in The Hunger Project and really helps us understand what it takes to connect with female founders of business. Welcome Jacinta, it is great to have you,” Diane said. 

Melanie Noden, CEO of The Hunger Project Australia, said she looks forward to working with Jacinta as we continue to work towards the end of hunger. 

“Jacinta will bring an incredible amount of experience both from being an entrepreneur and also as a fundraiser,” Melanie said.  

“Jacinta’s journey with The Hunger Project has already been so inspiring and we will all learn so much from her unique breadth of experience.” 

Jacinta said she is excited about joining the Board and looks forward to working closer with The Hunger Project.  

“I believe that each and every person has the ability to transform their life and that all people are resilient and inspiring. All we need is to unleash our potential – and this is something The Hunger Project does each day,” Jacinta said. 

“Every person should have access to enough food to eat each day and the opportunity to education. I believe that nobody actually wants charity.” 

Jacinta has been investing in The Hunger Project since 2014, when she witnessed our work first-hand in Malawi. The visit inspired her to set up Human Kind Project, a foundation bringing together entrepreneurs to create change. 

It is Jacinta’s hope that she can continue to inspire more entrepreneurs with her appointment to the board.