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‘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. 

The UN-led 2021 ‘State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World’ Report finds that up to 811 million people globally are living in hunger amid the pandemic. 

It’s no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted progress towards many of the Sustainable Development Goals, including ending hunger. In fact, it’s looking more likely that the world won’t reach these goals any time soon – that is, if the global community continues “business as usual” instead of rethinking what’s possible and implementing new ways of thinking, being and acting to create a world that works for everyone.  

The 2021 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World Report (SOFI) sets out this new reality. According to the report, up to 811 million people are living in chronic, persistent hunger – that is 161 million more people than in 2019. It says, “Conflict, climate variability and extremes, and economic slowdowns and downturns are the major drivers slowing down progress [towards ending hunger], particularly where inequality is high. The COVID-19 pandemic made the pathway towards [Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger] even steeper.” 

Additional Findings of the 2021 SOFI Report 

• Nearly 420 million people living in hunger are in Asia, over 280 million live in Africa, and at least 60 million live in Latin America and the Caribbean. 
• Moderate or severe food insecurity has been climbing slowly for 6 years and now affects more than 30% of the world population. 
• The rate of undernourishment rose from 8.4% in 2019 to 9.9% in 2020. 
• Without significant modifications to the world’s current global strategy, around 660 million people may still live in hunger in 2030, the date set by the Sustainable Development Goals to achieve Zero Hunger.

The Hunger Project has always believed in a world that works for everyone. Clearly, with hundreds of millions of people still living without enough food – or the right kinds of food – to eat, the world isn’t working for anyone. Together as a global community we need to continue finding new, bold approaches that go to the root cause of problems and create sustainable solutions. That’s what we’re doing at The Hunger Project. We’d love for you to join us on this exciting and meaningful mission. Interested in being part of the solution? Give now, sign up to our mailing list or follow us on social media. 

The 2021 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report was published jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization 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 Organization (WHO). 

More than 18 months after COVID-19 emerged as a once in a lifetime, worldwide challenge, the pandemic is still an ongoing concern in all our Program Countries across Africa, India and Bangladesh, as well as in our offices in Australia. 

The Hunger Project Australia is in regular communication with our teams on the ground, delivering updates from our communities and Village Partners.  

We strive to share with our community in Australia up-to-date and above all accurate information about the current situation on the village frontlines.  

Africa 

Across the continent, Africa is currently experiencing a third wave of COVID-19. New weekly cases have now exceeded the peak of the second wave which began in January of this year. While the vaccine rollout did start in some African countries, only 2% of the continent’s adult population has been fully vaccinated. 

To date, 23 countries in Africa are experiencing this surge of COVID cases, including our Program Countries of Uganda, Zambia, Senegal and Malawi. 

Uganda is so far one of the worst-affected countries during this third wave, and they are currently in a national lockdown to curb the spread of COVID. Rural communities are being impacted but it is hard to tell what the full depth of the situation is because testing numbers in rural areas are lower than rates in the cities.  

Zambia has re-introduced COVID-19 restrictions after the rise in daily cases, peaking at over 3,000 cases a day in mid-July. This has included the closure of schools, limits on some public gatherings, and mask-wearing and social distancing on public transport. So far the virus has been contained in the cities and has not reached rural areas; because of this, our Epicentre work can continue with strict COVID-safe measures in place.  

Senegal is one of the more recent countries to begin experiencing the third wave. The team at The Hunger Project Senegal are working remotely now and have been a leading voice in a vaccine-promotion campaign.  

Cases in Malawi have started to increase, and the government has re-introduced restrictions, including a nightly curfew, limits on public gatherings, international border restrictions, mandatory mask-wearing, and restrictions on workplaces.  

Benin is still reporting very few COVID cases and thus far is not experiencing a third wave yet.  

Similarly, cases are still low in Ghana– though there has been a slight daily increase in cases in Ghana over the past couple of weeks.  

South Asia 

India has moved past the peak in cases that was seen in April and May, and COVID-19 case numbers and deaths are now declining. There are still a number of cases and deaths across the country, but the rate of spread has decreased immensely. Vaccination rates are increasing but there are fears of another wave of infections if vaccinations aren’t delivered out into rural areas. 

Bangladesh has unfortunately experienced its own second wave, with cases reaching a high of over 13,000 cases a day in the past week alone. To curb the spread of cases, the country instituted its most strict, military-enforced lockdown, only allowing people to leave their houses for emergencies and to buy essential items, with all public transport, non-essential shops, and offices closed. Lockdown is scheduled to be lifted in time for the country’s second-largest religious festival, Eid al-Adha, which takes place from 20 July – July 22. There are concerns that this could lead to a huge increase in cases. 

You can keep up to date with The Hunger Project on social media or sign up to our email newsletters. You can also give now to The Hunger Project’s work in building stronger communities across Africa, India and Bangladesh.  

On 22 June, 2021 we recorded an insightful and thought-provoking conversation with THP-India’s Ruchi Yadav. We got so much out of hearing Ruchi share about the harsh realities of life in India right now, and how The Hunger Project’s unique approach to shifting mindsets and partnering with local leaders is proving successful in protecting the most vulnerable people during the pandemic. 

1. There is a human tragedy unfolding in India in the form of a shadow pandemic hidden behind the health crisis: 9,000 children have lost at least one parent to COVID-19 or have been abandoned, and are at risk of child trafficking, child labour and illegal adoption; hunger levels have increased and are forcing families to make desperate decisions like selling their teenage daughters into marriage for just $270-550; family violence is rife and home is no longer the safe place it’s supposed to be, especially for women and girls; 5 million schools were shut down at one point and girls are not likely to be allowed to return.

2. The Hunger Project doesn’t parachute into communities and then exit; the 8,000 elected women leaders across India currently in our training program are from the communities, live there, and will continue living there long after the pandemic. The elected women are putting into practice what they have learned with The Hunger Project, adopting a ‘solution’ not ‘scarcity’ mindset to be motivated and charged instead of paralysed in the face of this challenge. 

3. “How do we reach the unreachable and make the voices of the invisible, visible?” These are some of the guiding questions that are driving Ruchi Yadav and the THP India team in shaping their strategy to confront new challenges and create long-term solutions in the context of the continuously shifting landscape. 

4. The THP India team is constantly innovating and adapting to changing circumstances and some of their future plans include: delivering remedial classes for girls who have missed out on school; piloting livelihood programs for families dealing with hunger; and finding creative ways to get people vaccinated like bringing the vaccinations door to door on the backs of motorbikes out to the most remote and mountainous areas. This is in addition to their ongoing guiding and mentoring of elected women as frontline workers to share accurate health messages, combat misinformation, run vaccination drives, and lead prevention measures against the spread of COVID-19. 

5. To stay motivated, Ruchi thinks about her future self asking her past self, “During the pandemic, what did I do?”She says what she is doing now – partnering with elected women across India to deal powerfully with the pandemic – is her legacy. 

Take action – Create a COVID-safe future for everyone

 Ruchi said the Australian community is “the wind beneath [THP-India’s] work” so let’s show our support to Ruchi, her team and the elected women leaders – as well as all our staff and village partners across the world – as they navigate the pandemic with strength and persistence to create COVID-resilient communities.  

How? Invest in The Hunger Project’s end of financial year campaign before 30 June or start a conversation with us. [Note: for a limited time you can double your impact thanks to our partner Academy Face and Body, and all donations over $2 are tax-deductible.] 

Don’t forget you can watch the whole webinar now.

The second wave of COVID-19 in India is ravaging the ill-equipped rural areas with ferocity and devastating consequences. Leveraging our 20 years of experience in rural India, The Hunger Project is working with our powerful cadre of elected women leaders responsible for 6.4 million people across 1,400 panchayats (local council areas).

THP’s highly trained women leaders in India are already in action:

• Ensuring people can access the social security schemes to which they are entitled
• Monitoring the fair distribution of rations from local community centres
• Supporting widows and orphans through small-scale, local philanthropy
• Dispelling myths about vaccines and motivating people to get vaccinated
• Advocating for more COVID health clinics, testing labs and vaccination sites

DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT TODAY: All investments will be matched dollar for dollar up to $100,000 thanks to the generous partnership of angel investor Academy Face and Body. Simply click on the DOUBLE MY IMPACT button below.

These women and all of the local leaders we work with across the world are the eyes and ears of the realities of local challenges and are in action  organising urgent responses to address the advancing crisis. They live within the community, and will continue to live there long after the pandemic ends; they understand who needs the most support in their villages; and they are trusted to lead by their friends and neighbours.

THP’s local leaders from across the world are pivotal in mitigating the negative impacts of COVID-19 on the communities they serve, especially the most vulnerable. They need our support and partnership right now to build COVID-resilient communities for the future.