Action Against Hunger Usa

Ethiopia:ethiopia, with a population of 129.7 million, is africa's second most populous nation. Despite economic gains from 20002015, the country is off-track in meeting several sustainable development goal targets, including poverty, hunger, health, and water, sanitation and hygiene (wash) goals. The 2024 global hunger index ranked ethiopia 102 out of 127 countries, with 22.2 million undernourished.humanitarian needs remain vast, with 28.5 million people requiring assistance and 4.4 million internally displaced by conflict and climate events. Acute malnutrition is severe, with only 32 per cent of estimated cases treated. Ethiopia's humanitarian crisis is driven by conflict, climate shocks, economic challenges, and recurrent public health emergencies.action against hunger operates in six regions in ethiopia, reaching over 3.5 million individuals with programmes in health and nutrition, wash, food security and livelihoods, and protection.key 2024 achievements include screening 539,859 people for malnutrition, treating 31,947 children with severe acute malnutrition, and distributing usd 4.1 million (eur 3.53 million) in cash aid to 74,650 people. Wash efforts included: rehabilitating 112 wash facilities in health institutions; and reaching 607,655 people through the wash sector, of which 72,666 emergency-affected community members were provided with basic water supply. Through mental health and care practices, 163,192 at-risk people were reached by different interventions.new initiatives launched include a usd 11 million (eur 9.48 million) hdp nexus project enhancing food security and climate resilience of more than 100,000 pastoral and agro-pastoral households across five regions, as well as the national rollout of nutrition-centric humanitarian, development and peace (hdp) triple nexus guidelines. Our research team is also trialling a breakthrough plant-based ready-to-use therapeutic food in ethiopia collaboration with international partners.

South sudan: in 2024, south sudan faced escalating hunger and malnutrition driven by economic instability, conflict, widespread flooding, and an influx of refugees and returnees. According to the 2024 global hunger index, south sudan is experiencing alarming levels of hunger.from september to november 2024, 6.3 million people (47 per cent of the population analysed) were classified as being in crisis (ipc phase 3) or worse, with 1.71 million in emergency (ipc phase 4) and 41,000 people in catastrophe (ipc phase 5). Flooding affected over 1.4 million people, devastating crops and displacing communities, while more than 1 million people fled into south sudan from sudan, placing severe pressure on already limited resources.action against hunger provided lifesaving and resilience-building support in warrap, northern bahr el ghazal, jonglei, and central equatoria. Our programmes focused on nutrition and health, water, sanitation and hygiene (wash), and food security and livelihoods, reaching over 650,000 vulnerable people. Gender and protection considerations were integrated across all activities to ensure inclusive assistance. Key initiatives included the deployment of the multi-sector emergency team and surveillance and evaluation team (metset) to five locations, delivering rapid assistance to flood-affected populations and displaced refugees and returnees. Our programmes mitigated acute malnutrition, waterborne diseases, and food insecurity, while supporting community resilience through long-term recovery efforts.action against hunger strengthened advocacy efforts in 2024, working with lawmakers and civil society organisations to secure increased budget allocations for health and nutrition and wash sectors. A major achievement was the finalisation of south sudan's first national nutrition policy, promoting a multisectoral approach to address malnutrition comprehensively. Additionally, our monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (meal) and research teams contributed critical data to national food security assessments, shaping evidence-based humanitarian response.

Kenya:in 2024, kenya's hunger and malnutrition crisis intensified, with around 1 million people experiencing severe food insecurity (ipc phase 3+) by august. Projections indicate this number could rise to over 1.8 million by early 2025 due to anticipated la nina conditions. Over 760,000 children in 23 arid and semi-arid counties were acutely malnourished.key contributing factors included recurring droughts and floods, high food and fuel prices, poor infant feeding practices, disease outbreaks, pest infestations, and reduced donor funding. Floods damaged infrastructure and disrupted health services, worsening an already fragile nutrition landscape.water, sanitation and hygiene (wash) needs were also critical, especially in arid regions where over half of communities relied on unsafe water. These conditions increased the risk of waterborne diseases like cholera and drove higher rates of malnutrition in women and children. Gender-based violence, including female genital mutilation, was another area of concern.action against hunger operated across the high-risk counties of mandera, isiolo, baringo, tana river, and west pokot, focusing on health and nutrition, wash, food security and livelihoods, gender, advocacy, and social protection. Flexible funding from the swedish international development cooperation agency allowed for rapid scale-up in crisis areas, including flood-affected informal settlements in nairobi and nakuru. Despite insecurity in baringo, isiolo, and mandera, coordination with local authorities helped improve access.in 2024, action against hunger directly reached over 1.5 million people. Over 900,000 received health and nutrition services, 70,000 accessed mental health support, and over 400,000 gained clean water and sanitation. Emergency cash aid supported 81,000 people, while over 20,000 women received gender-based violence protection. We also conducted agroecological training, contributing to improved food security. These interventions helped reduce global acute malnutrition rates in all target counties: mandera (21.2 per cent to 20.6 per cent); isiolo (15.4 per cent to 13.7 per cent); baringo (23.2 per cent to 21.0 per cent); and west pokot (17.8 per cent to 12.9 per cent).

Uganda:in uganda, approximately 797,000 people (about 17 per cent of the population analysed) in refugee-hosting districts are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity (ipc phase 3 or above). Currently, an estimated 54,000 children aged between 6 and 59 months and 9,800 pregnant or lactating women suffer from acute malnutrition in refugee settlements and urban refugee populations. The situation is expected to worsen: between february and june 2025, the number of people in need of urgent action is projected to rise to 953,000 (21 per cent of the population analysed). Adjumani, isingiro, koboko, madi okollo, and obongi districts are expected to experience a phase change from stressed (phase 2) to crisis (phase 3). The main drivers of acute food insecurity in uganda are: poor rainfall performance; prolonged dry spells; rising food prices; low purchasing power; crop and livestock pests and diseases; and conflicts between host communities and refugees.action against hunger works in 16 districts and 12 refugee settlements across uganda. Our teams provided health and nutrition services including primary healthcare for 427,365 children under five, 114,354 pregnant and lactating women and 152,593 adults. Nutrition activities reached over 600,000 people.we improved food security and livelihoods conditions by supporting 31,707 farmers and setting up an irrigation system that produces 150,000 litres of water per day. Over 50,084 people benefitted from increased water access from our water, sanitation and hygiene (wash) outreaches.additionally, action against hunger conducted 15 advocacy meetings regarding the legal and policy frameworks. We developed 16 knowledge products for evidence-based advocacy, including eight position papers presented to parliamentary committees to advance budgeting for nutrition and wash services. This resulted in the adoption of 36 proposals by the parliamentary committee on agriculture and the budget committee.furthermore, we engaged sub-national levels and advocated for the establishment of district nutrition coordination committees (dnccs) and sub-county nutrition coordination committees (snccs) to support drive nutrition agendas. As a result, three dnccs and 2 snccs were set up, while two were revamped (those that were dormant/non-functional). We also supported them to develop district nutrition advocacy plans to enhance coordination of multisectoral nutrition efforts.

Haiti:in 2024, haiti faced an unprecedented humanitarian crisis marked by escalating violence, forced displacement, and worsening food insecurity. The number of internally displaced persons surged from 350,000 to 750,000 over the year, as armed clashes and insecurity forced entire communities to flee, particularly in port-au-prince, bringing the risk of famine. The situation was further compounded by a resurgence of cholera and the chronic weakness of health and sanitation systems, leaving millions of haitians in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.to address these pressing challenges, action against hunger revised its programme strategy to enhance support for populations affected by violence and displacement. In the nord-oust, we delivered critical food assistance and cash support to vulnerable communities. In nord-est and sud, efforts focused on preventing malnutrition through targeted interventions. In response to the cholera outbreak in artibonite, action against hunger implemented emergency measures to contain the spread of the disease and improve access to safe water and sanitation. Furthermore, we positioned ourselves to expand our humanitarian response in port-au-prince in 2025, acknowledging the increasing needs for capital.in 2024, action against hunger's interventions reached over 100,000 people in various sectors. This included people benefitting from food assistance, receiving support in food security and livelihood and training in microfinance. Hundreds of individuals were chosen to complete vocational training, enhancing their resilience and economic prospects. Children were treated for moderate acute malnutrition and severe acute malnutrition and over 30,000 people accessed primary healthcare services. In water, sanitation and hygiene, people were reached with sanitation services and products such as cleaning supplies.through these programmes, action against hunger remains committed to alleviating suffering and strengthening the resilience of haitian communities amid a deepening crisis.

Tanzania:in 2024, tanzania's food security situation was significantly impacted by climate-related shocks, particularly prolonged droughts and severe flooding linked the el nino phenomenon. According to the 2024 integrated food security phase classification report, approximately 900,000 people (13 per cent of the analysed population) faced high levels of acute food insecurity (ipc phase 3 or above). Flooding displaced over 200,000 people and caused the loss of 240,709 metric tons of crops, causing a major impact on the 59 per cent of tanzania's population that work in agriculture. While tanzania has seen improvements in child nutrition over the past three decades, with stunting rates dropping from 50 per cent in 1991/92 to 30 per cent in 2022, regional disparities persist, posing ongoing public health concerns.action against hunger focused its efforts in the singida and dodoma regions, tackling the root causes of malnutrition through integrated, gender-responsive health and nutrition interventions. We supported 15 wards and 18 secondary schools, strengthened 31 health facilities to provide quality services, and prioritised care for the most vulnerable populations with focus on women, adolescents, and children under five.key initiatives included the accelerating wasting reform project funded by the eleanor crook foundation, where we collaborated with the ministry of health to revise the national guideline for the integrated management of acute malnutrition, updating the guideline to align with the latest 2023 world health organization recommendations and reviewing national malnutrition policy. Through the equip for in-school nutrition services project, we trained over 1,600 students and 36 community agriculture promoters on climate-smart agricultural practices and supported the production of biofortified crops such as sweet potatoes, maize, beans, and sorghum, as well as postharvest handling skills.under the gender equitable nutrition project, we built the capacity of 34 health providers to deliver integrated malnutrition management and 31 health providers on adolescent-friendly sexual and reproductive health services in the bahi and itigi districts. We also promoted the use of micronutrient powders for children aged between 6 and 24 months, strengthened village health and nutrition days to improve early detection of wasting, and supported water, sanitation and hygiene and nutrition-sensitive agriculture activities across communities and schools.

Zambia:in 2024, zambia faced a severe humanitarian crisis driven by climate change, economic instability, and health emergencies. Prolonged droughts, erratic rainfall, and pest infestations significantly impacted agriculture, the backbone of the economy, leaving 4.95 million people facing acute food insecurity. The western, southern, and north-western provinces were hardest hit, with western province experiencing extreme hunger levels among nearly 89 per cent of households. The crisis was compounded by a cholera outbreak in late 2023 and early 2024, straining health and water, sanitation, and hygiene (wash) systems and deepening malnutrition.in response, action against hunger expanded its operations to nine districts in the worst-affected regions. Its multi-sectoral approach included health and nutrition, food security and livelihoods, wash, and climate resilience. Key initiatives such as the seeds of hope climate adaptation cowpea project trained farmers and helped generate zmw 650,000 (usd 27,731 / eur 23,887) through cowpea harvests, in part due to the distribution of purdue improved crop storage bags, which reduced post-harvest losses to nearly zero. The darwin initiative supported biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction, reaching over 4,700 people with sustainable agricultural and water management practices.action against hunger also conducted assessments in collaboration with national agencies to tailor interventions, participated in coordination clusters, and advocated for stronger investment in nutrition and climate adaptation.despite challenges like poor infrastructure and harsh climate conditions, action against hunger's partnerships with local non-governmental organisations, government bodies, and communities enabled it to make a measurable impact, building resilience and delivering essential aid to vulnerable populations.

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