11 Outstanding Organizations Fighting Hunger Around the World
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Hunger is a global problem.
More than 820 million people battle hunger worldwide, and an estimated 135 million face acute hunger each day. Worse yet, experts expect malnutrition and poverty to spread dramatically in the coming months as a result of COVID-19 and estimate that the number of acutely hungry people in the world will nearly double by the end of 2020 [FN1].
As a result, global organizations that fight hunger are more important now than ever. These groups support agriculture, strengthen infrastructure, empower women, promote education and distribute food to help reduce poverty and eradicate hunger worldwide.
Who do these organizations help?
Hunger relief organizations operate in hundreds of countries around the world.
From a social standpoint, marginalized people are more likely to battle hunger and poverty. Rural farmers and workers, urban day laborers, religious/ethnic minorities, and women & children are some of the most vulnerable groups [FN2].
Geographically, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia are considered hunger hotspots. As of 2018, two-thirds of the world’s acutely hungry lived in just eight countries: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen* [FN3]. However, rates of food insecurity and hunger are increasing fastest in middle-income countries that experience high levels of income inequality and rely heavily on international business/trade [FN1].
11 Amazing Hunger-Fighting Organizations
These eleven stand-out organizations are working to reduce poverty, boost resilience, fight hunger and improve the well-being of millions of people worldwide.
Under the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the world’s largest hunger relief organization.
As outlined in Sustainable Development Goal 2, “zero hunger,” Member States have set a goal to end hunger, improve nutrition, increase productivity & sustainability of agriculture, and level-out world food markets by 2030 [FN4].
The UN oversees three large food-focused agencies, plus the World Bank, which provides funding for projects, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) that works on environmental issues including food security [FN5]. UNICEF is also part of the UN and considered a leader in the fight against children’s hunger.
Here’s a little more about four of the UN’s agencies that lead the way in combatting hunger around the world:
Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)
The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) was founded in 1945 and with the goal of reducing food insecurity, malnutrition, hunger and poverty. They currently operate in more than 130 countries worldwide [FN6].
Some of their biggest accomplishments in the fight against hunger include: helping halve malnutrition in Latin America & the Caribbean over the last 30 years, successful promotion of food as a basic human right, eradication of rinderpest and reduction of river blindness in Africa, and development of the Codex Alimentarius (which helps ensure global food safety) & AMIS (which promotes transparency in global food markets to reduce price volatility) [FN7].
World Food Programme (WFP)
The World Food Programme (WFP) was founded a few years after the FAO, in 1963, and serves as the UN’s main agency for emergency food relief. They are the world’s largest humanitarian organization.
The WFP helps individuals & countries build resilience (so that can better weather temporary food insecurity), encourages sustainable farming practices that reduce food waste, and provides emergency relief as both money and food. Their “zero hunger” projects currently support more than 91 million people in 80+ countries around the world [FN8-9].
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
The UN’s youngest hunger-fighting agency is the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), which was founded in 1977 to support agricultural projects (especially food production) in developing countries. They fund projects that help millions of rural people rise out of poverty, use their voice, produce more food, and cope better with adversity produced by conflict, environmental change, etc. All of these projects directly decrease food insecurity and hunger in the communities they serve [FN10-11].
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Originally known as the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, UNICEF was founded in 1943 to provide food and medical relief after WWII. In 1953, the fund was made permanent and its name shortened, but the program’s original abbreviation remains to this day [FN12].
UNICEF works to improve the lives of children, particularly their safety, health and education. In terms of food and hunger, they play a critical role in the battle against childhood malnutrition [FN13].
Private Organizations
The UN and its agencies are major players in the fight against hunger, but there are also a plethora of nonprofit organizations and charities that work in this arena. Here are some of the most notable private, global actors:
Action Against Hunger
Action Against Hunger approaches malnutrition from a community standpoint, working to both address the causes and effects of hunger. They operate in nearly 50 counties, providing clean water, food, education and healthcare to more than 21 million people a year. They also deliver emergency relief to ensure people’s basic needs are met, even in conflict zones or after natural disasters [FN14].
The Hunger Project
The Hunger Project fights hunger and poverty by promoting sustainable change. Their community-based programs are designed to empower women, promote self-reliance and develop partnerships between communities and local government. The Hunger Project currently operates in more than 16,000 rural communities in Africa, South Asia and Latin America [FN15].
Heifer International
Heifer International works with farmers, ranchers and entrepreneurs to combat hunger and poverty from the ground up. They provide seed and/or livestock, mentorship, and strategies to sell their crops or meat – all of which gives communities a sustainable way to lift themselves out of poverty and eliminate hunger. Heifer International has active projects in 21 countries, focusing on everything from economic development to female empowerment to nutrition [FN16].
CARE
Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE) began as a way for Americans to send emergency food aid to European survivors of WWII. However, this prominent poverty-fighting organization now operates in over 90 countries in every region of the world and serves 63 million people annually. CARE works to eliminate poverty and promote social justice with a variety of projects, including ones related to: emergency humanitarian relief, women’s empowerment, education, health, food security and economic development [FN17].
Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps began as “Save the Refugees” – a fund for Cambodian refugees in the late 1970s. In the early 1980s they combined with Project Global Village (a group dedicated to reducing hunger and poverty in Honduras) and re-branded as Mercy Corps. This now-global operation now has projects in more than 40 countries. They help people break the cycle of poverty, rebuild after natural disasters, fight injustice and combat the effects of climate change. One of the organization’s main goals is to provide solutions that will help communities both now and in the future [FN18-19].
Oxfam
Oxfam International focuses on reducing inequality to combat poverty. They believe in harnessing the power of community to fight for equal rights and reduce hunger, and currently operate in more than 90 countries worldwide. Oxfam provides emergency humanitarian relief, campaigns to end extreme inequality (financial, educational, etc.), promotes sustainable farming practices, expands access to clean water, and advocates for gender justice [FN20].
Bread for the World Institute (BFWI)
There are also several prominent global organizations that work on hunger analysis, policy and strategy. BFWI is one such group. Founded in 1975, this organization publishes annual reports that describe how specific issues contribute to hunger and food insecurity worldwide. The 2020 report will focus on structural inequalities in food systems [FN21].
While this is far from a complete list of every organization operating around the globe, it gives you a brief introduction to the millions of people already working to together improve lives and end hunger.
As a parting thought: many of these organizations rely heavily on donations and/or volunteers to keep operations running. So, if you’ve been moved to join the fight against hunger and poverty around the world, look them up and find out how you can get involved!
If you’d instead like to learn more about hunger relief organizations a little closer to come, please click here to learn more about US-based hunger relief efforts.
Resources
1. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/hunger/
2. https://www.welthungerhilfe.org/hunger/
4. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/hunger/
5. https://research.un.org/en/foodsecurity/key-un-bodies
7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYxMwaTB_AQ
9. https://www.wfp.org/zero-hunger
10. https://www.ifad.org/en/history
11. https://www.ifad.org/en/vision
12. https://www.un.org/en/ccoi/unicef-united-nations-childrens-fund
13. https://www.unicef.org/what-we-do
14. https://www.actionagainsthunger.org/programs
15. https://www.thp.org/our-work/
16. https://www.heifer.org/about-us/index.html
17. https://www.care.org/our-work
18. https://www.mercycorps.org/who-we-are/our-history
19. https://www.mercycorps.org/what-we-do
20. https://www.oxfam.org/en/what-we-do/issues
21. https://www.bread.org/about-bread-world-institute
* Current data not available for thirteen countries, including Venezuela and North Korea.