Action Against Hunger USA

Ethiopia:ethiopia faces a complex humanitarian situation triggered by prolonged drought in the southern and south eastern lowlands, widespread conflict, natural disasters including drought and floods, and public health emergencies and driving Hunger and acute malnutrition among children under five years old, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.across the country, humanitarian needs are growing, but remain underfunded and unmet, particularly in amhara and tigray in northern ethiopia, where conflict continues. In 2022, Action Against Hunger provided lifesaving health and nutrition services to communities in oromia, amhara, benishangul-gumuz, somali, tigray, and gambella reaching 2,236,934 people in addition, our teams provided technical and logistical support to frontline health workers and community volunteers to help improve the early detection and treatment of malnutrition as a result, in 2022, 497,401 boys and girls under five years of age and 164,358 pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers were screened for acute malnutrition. Training of caregivers on the use of simple color-coded measuring bands was undertaken to 24,068 caretakers who have been able to utilise the tapes (43,536 tapes distributed) with 85% precision and accuracy. Wokringin 19 primary hospitals, 733 health posts and 168 health centres, we helped to provide supplies and technical expertise to improve access to quality of malnutrition treatment services. In total, 34,139 severely and 340, 391 moderately malnourished boys and girls were treated across our areas of operations, including tigray; with high cure rates (above 94%) our teams also helped to build capacity among health care providers and mothers, teaching a variety of topics related to nutrition, such as breastfeeding, baby-friendly spaces, and counseling.in the water sanitation and health (wash) sector, we reached 995,479 people through lifesaving safe water, sanitation and hygiene services in 2022. In this area, we constructed and rehabilitated 95 water facilities, 165 communcal and instututional latrines, 178 handwashing facilities distributed 53,594 non-food items and delivered 52.3 million litters of water to persons in need. In addition, 406,756 people were reached with food, security and livelihood interventions with 3.8 million euros cash distributed.

Somalia: somalia is extremely vulnerable to climate change, exacerbated by the country's lack of preparedness and ability to adapt to changing weather patterns. The poverty levels, lack of efficient institutions and ongoing conflict have further contributed to vulnerability of affected populations. Floods, drought, epidemic outbreaks occur on ongoing basis. In recent years, climate-related shocks, mainly drought, flooding, have increased in frequency and intensity, exacerbating humanitarian needs and undermining resilience at both household and community levels.in 2022, the prolonged drought in somalia claimed an estimated 43,000 lives, and continued to drive extreme Hunger, displacements and poverty; with the number of people impacted by drought doubling, those displaced by drought quadrupled, with approximately 1.3 million people displaced with about 8.25m people to humanitarian need. We have been at the frontline of treating and preventing malnutrition for the last three decades in somlaia. We respond to humanitarian crises, meeting urgent humanitarian and development needs of the most vulnerable sections across the country. In 2022, Action Against Hunger somalia country program admitted 73,613 severely malnourished children and 37,068 moderately malnourished children into our treatment programs, of which 92.3 percent were cured. To complement our nutrition treatment work, we also provided vitamin a supplements and deworming, health education, care and feeding practices to 208,712 caregivers. Our teams helped to build capacity and support health systems in somalia and provided 450,581 people with primary health services, including vaccinating 259,114 boys and girls Against measles in baidoa, burhakaba, bardhere and afgoye. We also reached 154,362 people with our education efforts to improve health and prevent gender-based violence. Additionally, Action Against Hunger helped to improve access to clean water and safe sanitation among 320,515 people, and provided livelihoods support, cash, and vouchers to improve food security for 102,466 people.

South sudan:prevalence of malnutrition in country or drivers of Hunger; humanitarian context (nature of crisis, what is driving it, most urgent needs, how is this crisis affecting hunger/malnutrition). The humanitarian crisis in south sudan is driven by conflict, widespread flooding, deepening food insecurity, inflation, high food prices and lack of access to basic services. Despite increased needs, humanitarian funding continues to dwindle, leaving immense gaps. In 2022, 9.4 million people needed humanitarian assistance in south sudan a staggering 76 per cent of the population. More than half of the country was acutely food insecure, and 1.4 million boys and girls under the age of five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition in 2023. Across south sudan, 59 per cent of people had no access to clean, safe water. In south sudan, Action Against Hunger worked with local partners to implement a care group project, helping caregivers to improve their families' health. Our mobile teams integrated primary health services with our nutrition outreach in remote communities, and we worked with the ministry of health to support child immunization and maternal health services at our nutrition centres. In areas impacted by floods, we scaled up our climate smart programmes, including installing flood-resilient hand pumps to prevent contamination of water sources and using green energy to power motorized water points. Our teams also helped communities to adapt by introducing rice as a new crop and establishing floating vegetable gardens. To promote peace and empower young people, we supported youth football programs and employment projects, and with our partners, including unicef and the south sudan ministry of health, we began a new research project to prevent gender based violence.

Kenya:prolonged drought in kenya has driven an increasingly severe food and nutrition crisis. Five consecutive failed rainy seasons have depleted pasture, reduced water and food availability, and increased resource-based conflicts. The number of people facing Hunger and in need of humanitarian assistance grew from 3.5 million to 4.4 million people in 2022 - 800,000 of whom were on the brink of famine. A further 495,362 food-insecure people were identified in 9 traditionally non-arid and semi-arid land counties. Out of the 4.4 million people, approximately 3.6 million are in crisis (ipc phase 3) while the remaining 800,000 are in emergency (ipc phase 4). Mandera county is amongst the counties with the highest proportions (55%) of their populations in crisis (ipc phase 3) and above. The population in crisis and above is expected to increase from 4.4 million people to about 5.4 million people by june 2023. Due to prolonged drought, the nutrition status of children and women worsened with 970,214 under-fives and 142,179 plws are currently malnourished and in urgent need of life-saving treatment for malnutrition.in 2022, Action Against Hunger helped increase access to life-saving health and nutrition services for 74,070 people. We partnered with the ministry of health and other organizations to strengthen the health system, support community health volunteers, provide essential nutrition treatment supplies and improve access to clean, safe water in drought-affected communities by repairing and upgrading water sources. Our teams also provided hygiene supplies and educated communities on healthy hygiene and safe sanitation.to prevent Hunger in areas hit hard by the drought, we provided food assistance, cash vouchers, and protected livelihoods by supporting livestock health and treating sick animals. Our teams also trained more than 5,200 women in climate-smart agricultural techniques so that they could produce nutritious crops at home to feed their families and earn more income.

Uganda:uganda continued to host more than 1.5 million refugees and asylum-seekers in 2022, many of whom had fled persecution, conflict, political instability and human rights violations in burundi, the drc, and south sudan. The rising number of refugees has put pressure on food availability, income opportunities and health services. Nearly 30 percent of children under five are stunted, and more than half of the population is anemic. Hunger and malnutrition in uganda are caused by several factors, including poverty, landlessness, high fertility, natural disasters, and high food prices. In 2022, Action Against Hunger created 340 village savings and loan associations (vsla) in uganda, and with our support, these groups collectively saved 511,480. Our teams also provided climate-smart agricultural supplies to 459 farmer groups, including seeds, irrigation systems, wells, oxen, and ploughs, and we connected farmers with the global supply chain, helping them to sell sunflower grain, cassava, and chillis and generate more than 20,000 in income.our teams helped to treat and prevent malnutrition through 50 health facilities and 298 care groups, reaching 33,576 young children and 45,987 pregnant and breastfeeding women. We promoted health care and feeding practices and provided food vouchers, immunizations, and maternal health services to improve health and nutrition among refugees and host communities. Action Against Hunger also increased access to safe water, built sanitation infrastructure such as latrines, and improved hygiene practices among individuals and in health facilities

Tanzania:tanzania is a stable country, however childhood under nutrition remains a major public health and developmental issue in tanzania. In 2022, an estimated that 30% of children under five years of age suffer from chronic malnutrition-stunting. We focused on strengthening nutrition sensitive and nutrition specific interventions through life-cycle approach. In 2022, Action Against Hunger supported the national multi-sectoral Action plan and supported the coordination platform, built local government capacity on management of acute malnutrition and supported health facilities. We reached 534,014 people in 2022 with interventions to improve food security, prevention and treatment of malnutrition, and supported menstrual hygiene management (mhm) and water/sanitation services in schools with a particular emphasis on adolescent girls.

Haiti:the humanitarian crisis in haiti remained dire, with ongoing civil unrest and armed gangs fighting for territorial control of roads, limiting services and targeting authorities. Kidnappings, crime, and human rights abuses negatively impact the daily life of haitians throughout the country, especially in the capital, port-au-prince. Past earthquakes, drought, high inflation rates, large population displacements, cholera outbreaks, food insecurity, and escalating violence have exacerbated poverty and Hunger in haiti. In 2022, an estimated 4.7 million people were in a protracted and severe food crisis, and more than 19,000 people faced catastrophic levels of Hunger. Action Against Hunger worked to improve food security for the most vulnerable households, providing 19,576 people with food assistance. Our teams also supported healthcare providers and helped to strengthen the community's capacity to address and treat malnutrition. Our teams also screened children and pregnant and breastfeeding women for malnutrition. Through these initiatives, we identified more than 1,000 boys and girls under five years of age who suffered from moderate and severe forms of acute malnutrition, and helped to ensure they were treated. Additionally, in response to the resurgence of cholera in haiti, our teams educated communities on how to stop the disease through healthy hygiene practices, decontaminated and purified water sources and provided treatment for those infected with the illness.

Zambia:despite years of socioeconomic progress in zambia, more than half of the population still lives in poverty. The country's malnutrition rates are among the highest in the world, with 35 percent of zambian children under the age of five years facing chronic malnutrition. Hunger is driven by poverty, inequality, gender disparities, poor dietary diversity, chronic food insecurity, and a lack of clean water. Most of the population depends on agriculture for their income a precarious livelihood in a country that is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Zambia's rainy season has become increasingly erratic, with short, intense downpours creating flooding between spells of drought.in zambia, Action Against Hunger partners with government authorities, civil society organizations, and community members to strengthen efforts to adapt to climate change and improve food security and livelihoods. We aim to tackle the root causes of Hunger and to build resilience by equipping communities with the knowledge, technical support, and tools they need to avoid food, water, and nutrition insecurity crises.

Program support

Other country and strategic programs