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We’re thrilled to welcome our newest National Board member to The Hunger Project Australia family!

Kate has some serious financial credentials with more than two decades in portfolio management, and sits on various finance, strategy and investment committees across sectors.

We sat down with Kate to find out a bit more about her story, and connection to our work.

 

Welcome Kate to the THPA Board! How did you first hear/get involved with The Hunger Project?

I got to know (previous chair) Diane Grady and she was a tireless advocate for THPA.  She thought that I would find the proposition compelling – and she was right!

What was it about our work that resonated so strongly with you?

I’m strongly of the view that Australia is the best place to live in the world – but those of us who are fortunate enough to live here can’t help but be aware of how big the gap is between our community and other communities.  To address that, the old adage of “teaching people to fish” is really powerful.  Not only is upskilling communities a more effective way to support those people, it also accords them more dignity and respect.

Is there a particular program or part of our work that you love?

I remember reading Melinda French Gates’ “The Moment of Lift” in which she beautifully explains how intertwined women’s experiences are with human development.  Empowering women is central to communities bettering themselves.  So if you want to work on hunger alleviation it’s right and necessary to focus on issues like early marriage and other ways to empower the women of the communities we are involved with.

This is a get to know you – tell us three quick facts! 

I co-founded an indoor rock climbing business (but I’m not a climber, my daughter is)

I lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico for seven years.

I did a Liberal Arts degree but ended up as an institutional money manager.

What are you most excited about in the 5 Year Strategic Plan? How will your particular skills help bring it to life?

I love the holistic approach we take.  Alleviating hunger is about farming, and seeds and irrigation – but also about education and equality.  The problem we are tackling is multi-faceted with lots of interrelated issues – and that’s the sort of problem I’ve been working on throughout my career.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering joining a not-for-profit Board?

Only get involved where you are passionate about the mission and excited by the team.

And lastly – finish this sentence “When I give, it brings me ….” ‘

… gratitude, that I can help to uplift others.

It’s difficult to describe the feeling when entering a community wrought with hardship. They are places where people have faced unimaginable suffering and obstacles unfathomable to most of us in our everyday lives. Entering the quiet villages of the Amuru District of Northern Uganda in October 2023, we witnessed both pain and hope.

I am accompanied by Tania Austin, the owner and founder of the clothing brand Decjuba, one of The Hunger Project’s (THP) leading corporate partners. Their Decjuba Foundation has supported multiple initiatives and I was fortunate enough to be the facilitator on this trip.

Our primary goal was to listen deeply to those we met, in order to understand how the establishment of an Epicentre in the district would positively impact their lives. Most here practise subsistence agriculture, resulting in low household incomes and food insecurity, exacerbated by a lack of access to basic resources like clean water and healthcare.

This is also a country that has been devastated by more than two decades of brutal civil war. Whole generations are missing from villages, while investment in infrastructure and education is close to non-existent.

Katie, a mother of four, shared her life story. Abducted as a child, married to a warlord, she now existed in a world devoid of support. Her husband, possibly killed by rebels, left her to fend for her family alone. Her main worry was her son’s health – sick and without access to medical care. Her story was a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity.

Lucy’s home offered a contrasting energy. She welcomed us into her world with a quiet dignity. Her six children, though weary, mirrored her strength. With her husband imprisoned for poaching, Lucy fought to provide for her family by cultivating a rented plot of land. Yet, her primary concern was the lack of clean water, a constant threat to her family’s health.

In another part of the village, a grandmother greeted us warmly, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She told us of the difficulties in accessing education due to financial constraints. Her eldest son shared his dreams of becoming a doctor, an opportunity that felt out of reach.

These visits, although challenging, strengthened our views on THP’s Epicentre strategy and how it empowers people and entire communities to change their own future. The greatest gift we can offer is not immediate aid or a quick fix to the issue of generational hunger and poverty. It’s by walking alongside our community partners and trusting them with the tools and resources to build a pathway out of hunger themselves. I am hopeful by sharing these stories that many other Australians just like me will be moved to take action and support a new Epicentre in Amuru, so that women like Katie and Lucy can support themselves and their families.

You can help us create a world without hunger. Please make a tax-deductible donation here.

By Claire Whitbread – a major investor and long term supporter of The Hunger Project. This is her sixth trip with THP.