ACTION AGAINST HUNGER - USA

ETHIOPIA:IN ETHIOPIA - AFRICA'S SECOND MOST POPULOUS NATION - MORE THAN A THIRD OF CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF FIVE YEARS ARE STUNTED, 21 PER CENT ARE UNDERWEIGHT, AND 7 PER CENT ARE ACUTELY MALNOURISHED. ONE IN FOUR PEOPLE ARE FOOD INSECURE. IN 2023, AN ESTIMATED 28.6 MILLION PEOPLE IN ETHIOPIA NEEDED HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE. THE COUNTRY FACED SIMULTANEOUS CRISES: ARMED CONFLICTS, DISEASE OUTBREAKS, CLIMATE DISASTERS INCLUDING BOTH DROUGHT AND FLOODING, AND ECONOMIC SHOCKS MARKED BY HIGH INFLATION RATES. LIMITED FUNDING AND DISRUPTIONS IN FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS EXACERBATED ALREADY DIRE NEEDS. ACTION AGAINST HUNGER IS A LEADING HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATION IN ETHIOPIA, RESPONDING TO NUTRITION EMERGENCIES AND BUILDING MULTISECTORAL RESILIENCE SINCE 1985. WITH EIGHT OPERATIONAL BASES AND 17 SUB-BASES, THE ORGANIZATION OPERATES IN SIX MAJOR REGIONS (AMHARA, OROMIA, TIGRAY, SOMALI, GAMBELA AND BENISHANGUL GUMUZ) AND PROVIDES SERVICES IN 52 DISTRICTS AND FIVE REFUGEE CAMPS. IN 2023, OUR PROGRAMS DIRECTLY REACHED 714,774 PEOPLE THROUGH INTEGRATED, MULTISECTORAL LIFESAVING AND RESILIENCE INTERVENTIONS. OUR NUTRITION TEAMS TREATED 25,274 SEVERELY MALNOURISHED CHILDREN ACROSS 185 HEALTH CENTERS AND HOSPITALS, IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING SUPPLEMENTARY NUTRITION TO 126,113 MODERATELY MALNOURISHED CHILDREN AND 109,546 MALNOURISHED PREGNANT WOMEN AND BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS.IN TIGRAY, ACTION AGAINST HUNGER DISTRIBUTED $7.9 MILLION IN EMERGENCY CASH FOR FOOD TO 246,988 PEOPLE IN CONFLICT- AND DROUGHT-AFFECTED AREAS, SUPPORTING BOTH DISPLACED FAMILIES AND HOST COMMUNITIES. THROUGH OUR ADVOCACY EFFORTS, WE ACHIEVED A MAJOR MILESTONE IN ADVANCING THE NUTRITION-CENTRIC HUMANITARIAN, DEVELOPMENT, AND PEACE TRIPLE NEXUS APPROACH BY LEADING THE DEVELOPMENT AND ROLL-OUT OF NEW OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES WITH THE FEDERAL MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND COLLABORATING PARTNERS.

SOUTH SUDAN:IN SOUTH SUDAN, AN ESTIMATED NINE MILLION PEOPLE, INCLUDING REFUGEES AND RETURNEES FROM SUDAN, WILL EXPERIENCE CRITICAL HUMANITARIAN NEEDS IN 2024. AN ESTIMATED 7.1 MILLION PEOPLE WILL REQUIRE FOOD ASSISTANCE, WITH CHILDREN AT CRITICAL RISK OF MALNUTRITION. AN ESTIMATED 1.6 MILLION YOUNG CHILDREN ARE AT RISK OF ACUTE MALNUTRITION. THE CONFLICT IN SUDAN HAS RESULTED IN THE ARRIVAL OF VULNERABLE PEOPLE WHO REQUIRE ASSISTANCE, DRIVING UP MARKET COSTS AND FURTHER STRETCHING COPING CAPACITIES. WOMEN AND GIRLS REMAIN AT RISK OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE. PEOPLE ACROSS SOUTH SUDAN SUFFER VIOLENCE, DISPLACEMENT, AND HIGH LEVELS OF POVERTY, ALONG WITH LACK OF LIVELIHOODS, AND LIMITED ACCESS TO BASIC SERVICES. TO COMPOUND THE SITUATION, SOUTH SUDAN HAS BEEN HIT HARD BY CLIMATE CRISES, WITH PARTS OF THE COUNTRY EXPERIENCING PROLONGED DRY SPELLS AND OTHERS EXPERIENCING FLOODING.IN 2023, ACTION AGAINST HUNGER STRENGTHENED OUR APPROACH TO REINFORCE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN OUR HUMANITARIAN, DEVELOPMENT, AND PEACE-BUILDING INTERVENTIONS. WE STRENGTHENED OUR RESEARCH AND MONITORING SYSTEMS AND PRACTICES TO ENHANCE KNOWLEDGE AND EVIDENCE GENERATION. OUR TEAMS WORKED WITH LAWMAKERS, YOUTH CHAMPIONS, MINISTRIES, NATIONAL AND STATE AUTHORITIES, AND GRASSROOTS LEADERS TO ADVOCATE FOR POLICY CHANGE AND ADDRESS HUNGER AND CLIMATE CHANGE. IN 2023, OUR PROGRAMS DIRECTLY REACHED 1,437,365 PEOPLE THROUGH INTEGRATED, MULTISECTORAL LIFESAVING AND RESILIENCE INTERVENTIONS. OUR NUTRITION TEAMS TREATED 259,998 SEVERELY MALNOURISHED CHILDREN ACROSS 578 HEALTH CENTERS AND HOSPITALS, IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING SUPPLEMENTARY NUTRITION TO 525840 MODERATELY MALNOURISHED CHILDREN AND 603,414 MALNOURISHED PREGNANT WOMEN AND BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS. WASH SERVICE BENEFITED 7550 COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND 284,415 FROM FSL SERVICE. ACTION AGAINST HUNGER'S NUTRITION TEAMS CONDUCTED 10 SURVEYS TO DEEPEN UNDERSTANDING OF THE HUNGER SITUATION IN SOUTH SUDAN. WE ALSO SCALED UP OUR WORK WITH CARE GROUPS TO IMPROVE CHILD NUTRITION AND HEALTH, WHICH INCLUDED WORKING WITH MEN TO INCREASE THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN CHILDCARE. OUR TEAMS INTEGRATED PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SERVICES WITHIN NUTRITION THROUGH OUR MOBILE HEALTH TEAMS. WE WORKED TO IMPROVE WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE SERVICES AND INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT. TO ADDRESS CLIMATE-DRIVEN HUNGER, WE SCALED UP PROGRAMS SUCH AS OUR RICE GROWING PROJECT IN FANGAK, TO ENHANCE COMMUNITY RESILIENCE. ADDITIONALLY, OUR TEAM COMPLETED GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE RISK MITIGATION RESEARCH AND CONDUCTED TWO GENDER ANALYSES. THESE STUDIES WILL HELP TO DESIGN AND DELIVER SAFE PROGRAMS ACROSS ALL SECTORS.OUR PROGRAM HAS ALSO FOCUSED ON THE INTERSECTION OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND HUNGER. FOR EXAMPLE, AFTER CONDUCTING RISK MITIGATION RESEARCH, WE HAVE RECRUITED ADDITIONAL FEMALE STAFF AT NUTRITION SITES SO THAT WOMEN FEEL COMFORTABLE COMING IN FOR MALNUTRITION TREATMENT. WE'VE ALSO PILOTED REFERRAL SERVICES FOR WOMEN SUFFERING FROM GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE, OFFERING PSYCHOLOGICAL AND MEDICAL FIRST AID. THE WOMEN ARE ALSO ELIGIBLE FOR CASH AND FOOD ASSISTANCE FOR THEIR FAMILIES DURING MEDICAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL TREATMENT SINCE WOMEN ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR FEEDING OTHER MEMBERS OF THEIR HOUSEHOLDS.