Category: News

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 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,

 

Over the last few weeks, we have seen discussions emerging from the 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 the 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.  Donate Now

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 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’s 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 for 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). 

 

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.

 

Daisy Owomugasho, Regional Director of The Hunger Project Uganda, wrote the following article that was featured in Uganda’s leading newspaper, ‘The Newvision’.

I believe that there has never been a moment in time more important than today when all forms of community systems are being called upon to rise up and protect our children, especially the girls, from any form of abuse. As we continue the fight against COVID-19, it is everybody’s call to ensure that we do not lose the gains we have laboured so much to realise.

Since March, when schools were ordered to close, we have seen an increase in cases of child marriage in different parts of the country. Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Uganda was struggling, but working steadily in its efforts to deliver on a number of international obligations regarding sexual and reproductive health among girls and young boys.

The closure of schools in March as a result of COVID-19 was a good intervention, but it also had a big impact in the area of sexual and reproductive health for girls mainly. Schools play a very big role in protecting girls from a lot of sexually related crimes that are ever present in our communities.

According to the UN and our own observations at The Hunger Project Uganda, if girls were to be allowed to complete the entire primary and secondary education cycle in school, this alone reduces their chances of catching HIV by 50%. Staying in school further insulates the girls from many other sexual and reproductive health situations such as early marriage, domestic violence and all other forms of abuse. Schools, therefore, indirectly contribute to more than 70% of the girl’s chances of a healthy and productive future.

UNFPA estimates that the total effect of the COVID-19 pandemic could mean approximately 13 million additional child marriages globally. This means as a country we need to scale up efforts in building and providing safety for girls. Now that schools are closed, the responsibility of keeping our children safe, especially the girls, has shifted to the communities. Unfortunately, information that has been received regarding the first few months of the girls being at home shows that communities have not been doing a good job.

Since March, when schools were ordered to close, we have seen an increase in cases of child marriage in different parts of the country. We have seen an increase in all forms of abuse targeting the girls such as rape and defilement. Suddenly, the number of new HIV infections among young people has also started to rise again.

For years, The Hunger Project Uganda has invested a lot in building strong community systems that work to protect girls from any form of abuse, including early marriages. We have a vibrant network of community animators with local knowledge that are able to identify such abuses when they occur. The community animators also act as early warning systems against any form of abuse likely to happen to any girl.

Communities have intelligence and are usually in the know regarding what families may be planning to do. When such abuses are identified, the necessary interventions are done to ensure that the girls are protected. I, therefore, believe that there has never been a moment in time more important than today when all forms of community systems are being called upon to rise up and protect our children, especially girls, from any form of abuse.

There are some good community innovations we can borrow from; a case in point is the community of Kalamba sub-county in the Butambala district. As a way of dealing with the rampant cases of child marriage in their area, the local community with support from The Hunger Project Uganda and area leaders mobilised and adopted a community bylaw through their local council.

The bylaw gives communities the power to detect and prevent any form of child marriage by identifying and shaming individuals who continue to engage in this form of abuse. Communities work closely with all local enforcement agencies, including the Police to ensure that cases are thoroughly investigated and victims are protected throughout. As we continue the fight against COVID-19, it is everybody’s call to ensure that we do not lose the gains we have laboured so much to realise. The responsibility of keeping our girls safe from any harm should never be left to schools alone.

In order to contribute to attaining the global development goals, specifically goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,10 and 17, The Hunger Project Uganda through its Women Empowerment programme, is implementing Her Choice Project that seeks to create child marriage-free communities in 9 districts of Uganda and safe choices for deaf girls in Mbale. Through gender-focused community-led development (GFCLD), The Hunger Project Uganda has invested significantly in building the capacity of girls, both in and out of school, to participate in decision-making processes through peer clubs.

The Hunger Project Uganda has also built and supported community systems and structures to provide an enabling environment for girls to thrive and reach their full potential Communities should rise up and be safe zones for all our children during this pandemic. We are continuing with our advocacy of ensuring safe places for our girls.

In the Machakel region of northeastern Ethiopia, the grass grows well and the hills are green during the rainy season. However, there was also significant soil erosion on the hills. Due to the erosion, deep channels stripped of vegetation were worn into the otherwise green landscape. Almost all of the native forest on the hills was cut down and the soil was depleted, resulting in crop failures and food insecurity.

Since 2017, The Hunger Project Ethiopia and WeForest have been working together to fight erosion in the area. WeForest is an organisation that empowers communities to sustainably advance and implement lasting solutions to restore forest landscapes.

“Population pressure has increased. Large areas of forest have been cut to create more agricultural land. As a result, the soil isn’t retained as well. Because of climate change, the rains are getting heavier — large areas of land simply wash away,” says Dr Aklilu, Forestry Expert at WeForest.

“WeForest has a lot of expertise in forest planting and forest management. The Hunger Project is strong in engaging and mobilising the community. This is desperately needed because we need action from our village partners in the area. It is ultimately in the interest of the people themselves that erosion is tackled, and we want to achieve that together,” he says.

Our village partners in Machakel play a crucial role in the collaboration, contributing with:

1. Land – they make communal land available for forest planting, instead of grazing cattle
2. Time – they unite in committees, assist in planting seedlings and protecting plants
3. Selection of trees – instead of planting popular, exotic trees such as eucalyptus, they now plant protected, native trees

“The most important thing for me is that we create a better living environment for all of us and counteract the effects of climate change. The children that I will probably have [in the future], must also be able to live here” – Gizachen Buyu, The Hunger Project village partner.

Now, grass has regrown to knee height and trees have grown where erosion channels used to be. The countryside has recovered.

AS OF DECEMBER 2019:

• Seedlings were grown in three nurseries in the region
• Our village partners formed 60 farmer committees
• 530 hectares of community land was made available for forest and planting (where previously it had been used for livestock grazing)
• More than 1 million trees have been planted
• Farmers have planted 735,000 fruit trees and fruit-bearing shrubs on their own land so that 270 hectares of land is now used for agroforestry

Invest in a sustainable future and food security for families here.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has named the World Food Programme (WFP) the recipient of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. As David Beasley, Executive Director of WFP, said in a statement following the award, “Today is a reminder that food security, peace and stability go together. Without peace, we cannot achieve our global goal of zero hunger; and while there is hunger, we will never have a peaceful world.”

Over the last five years, global hunger has steadily increased, driven largely by conflict and environmental shocks. And now, the global COVID-19 pandemic threatens to push 130 million more people into hunger by the end of 2020.

“We salute the Nobel Committee for highlighting the issue of world hunger, and congratulate our partners at the World Food Programme,” said Sheree Stomberg, Chair of The Hunger Project’s Global Board of Directors. “It is critical that the world community step up our efforts and invest the resources needed to end hunger.”

“We have seen that when community members work together to achieve development goals, they become stronger, more resilient and more peaceful. This is the key to sustainable change,” said Stomberg.

Hunger is rooted in deeply entrenched conditions of inequality, conflict, corruption and climate change. We at The Hunger Project work in partnership with local communities to implement solutions that are sustainable, multi-sectoral, and community-led, to catalyze systemic change throughout governance structures and society.

We are glad the Norwegian Nobel Committee turned the world’s attention to the importance of ending hunger through this award. Let this recognition kickstart a decade of action and global commitment toward ending hunger.

Originally published by The Hunger Project.