THE HUNGER PROJECT UK
Our vision is a world without hunger. The Hunger Project is a global not-for-profit, founded in 1977. We believe passionately that ending hunger is possible, and that our generation has the power to end it once and for all. Our mission is to facilitate individual and collective action to transform the systems of inequity that create hunger and cause it to persist. We do this by pioneering sustainable, grassroots, women-centred strategies and advocating for their widespread adoption in countries throughout the world. We comprise of 13 Programme countries across rural Africa, South Asia and Latin America and 12 Partner countries. In 2022, The Hunger Project’s work reached nearly 12 million people. Over 1 million people are living a hunger-free, self-reliant future thanks to our work.
The issue
Unlike famines that receive emergency-aid, chronic hunger is a silent, invisible, day-after-day condition. Millions live with hunger and undernourishment because they simply cannot afford to buy enough food, cannot afford nutritious foods or cannot afford the farming supplies they need to grow enough good food of their own.
1 in 10 people globally live in chronic, persistent hunger. That's roughly every single person that lives in the US and Europe combined.
But what does chronic hunger mean? Chronic hunger means a state of long-term undernourishment. The body absorbs less food than it needs, largely due to having insufficient money for healthy nutrition, clean water or health care. Leading to a weakened immune system and being more susceptible to illness.
Critically, undernourishment passes from generation to generation. If mothers-to-be are already undernourished, their children cannot develop correctly during the pregnancy and are frequently born prematurely and/or underweight. This can lead to reduced physical and mental capacity in adulthood. And so, earning opportunities decrease and the risk of hunger increases.
The cycle continues.
Not only is this devastating but hunger is on the rise. Climate shocks, covid-19, conflict and inflation means an additional 19 million people are expected to live with chronic hunger by 2023.
99% of people living in hunger are in low and middle income countries.
The solution
Here at The Hunger Project, we know it’s possible for hunger to end, and that our generation has the power to end it once and for all. In our experience, people who live in hunger are not the problem; they are the solution.
We don’t see a billion mouths to feed, we see a billion human beings who are enterprising and resilient. Our work, therefore, is to unlock their capacity, creativity and leadership so they can end their own hunger.
What we do
The Hunger Project empowers women and men living in rural villages in Africa (Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Benin, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Zambia, Ethiopia and Uganda), India, Bangladesh, Mexico and Peru to end their own hunger. Our grassroots, bottom-up approach works to end extreme hunger and poverty by 2030, in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
We work to solve the root causes of hunger by supporting the communities experiencing them. As we adapt to meet local challenges and opportunities wherever we work, our programmes have a wide range of objectives such as community-led development, empowering women and girls, engaging local governments, climate resilience and peace building.
72% of our 320 staff members work in our programme countries, along with over 500,000 volunteers supporting more than 11,000 communities.
Our impact
In 2022, The Hunger Project’s work reached nearly 12 million people.
Over 1 million people are living a hunger-free, self-reliant future thanks to our work.
