Praise for Action Against Hunger
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ACTION AGAINST HUNGER ACF International 2008 Annual Report ACTION AGAINST HUNGER HUNGER AGAINST AGAINST ACTION ACTION ACF INTERNATIONAL Comprised of five independent, non-profit organizations with headquarters in London, Madrid, Montréal, New LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN York, and Paris, ACF International saves the lives of malnourished children while providing families with access to safe water and sustainable solutions to hunger. ACF bridges emergency relief with longer-term development, intervening in emergency situations of conflict, natural disaster, and chronic food insecurity. Our 4000+ field ACTION AGAINST Since its inception nearly three decades ago, Action Against Hunger | ACF staff—seasoned professionals and technical experts in nutrition, water and sanitation, public health, and food HUNGER CORE International has led the fight against global hunger. From responding to complex security—carry out life-saving programs in more than 40 countries. These programs reach nearly 5 million people a humanitarian emergencies, to addressing malnutrition in refugee camps, to prevent- year, restoring dignity, self-sufficiency, and independence to vulnerable populations around the world. PRINCIPLES The ACF International Charter ing seasonal food shortages, our teams deliver principled solutions to millions of affirms six core principles that all people in crisis every year. And by developing strategies in concert with local staff members worldwide pledge to populations, ACF works to ensure that communities regain self-sufficiency for the uphold in carrying out their work. long term. In 2008, as people across the globe faced a sharp rise in international food pric- INDEPENDENCE es, dwindling employment opportunities, natural disasters, and entrenched conflict, NEUTRALITY ACF launched new initiatives and fine-tuned others in response to this ever-shifting environment. Our teams provided life-saving services in areas inaccessible by road NON-DISCRIMINATION and in regions served by few other international aid organizations. Whether in the aftermath of Typhoon Fengshen in the Philippines, in the wake of Haiti’s devastating FREE AND DIRECT hurricanes, or during the continued crisis in Darfur, ACF’s presence guaranteed that ACCESS TO VICTIMS distressed populations received immediate assistance. ACF-USA PROFESSIONALISM After Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar, cutting off a large swath of the nation from www.actionagainsthunger.org access to food and water, ACF drew on the hundreds of staff members already Chairman: Raymond Debbane TRANSpaRENCY Executive Director: Nan Dale working throughout the country to deliver more than 25 tons of emergency supplies to families struggling to survive. When a cholera outbreak threatened the lives ACF-France of tens of thousands in Zimbabwe, ACF mounted an immediate effort to contain www.actioncontrelafaim.org the epidemic by providing access to safe water and bolstering public sanitation President: Denis Metzger measures. Our teams stayed after emergencies ended to help communities regain Executive Director: François Danel their livelihoods and secure food and water supplies for the future. We provided cash grants to small businesses, distributed seeds and tools to farmers diversifying ACF-Spain their crops, built and repaired water sources, and provided instruction in health and www.accioncontraelhambre.org President: José Luis Leal Maldonado hygiene. Executive Director: Olivier Longué ACF remains committed to tackling the symptoms and underlying causes of malnutri- ACF-UK tion through cutting-edge research and advocacy. Seasons of Hunger, the ACF www.actionagainsthunger.org.uk Hunger Watch report for 2008, underscores the role seasonal food shortages play Chairman: Paul Wilson in the persistence of malnutrition and advocates for proven, cost-effective solutions Executive Director: Jean-Michel Grand to help farmers during periods of routine scarcity. Another ACF report released in ACF-Canada 2008, Feeding Hunger & Insecurity, provides policymakers and practitioners with a www.actioncontrelafaim.ca 8 roadmap for addressing the effects of the global food crisis. President: Diane Bussandri A C Executive Director: Richard Veenstra F On behalf of the Board of Directors at each of our five ACF headquarters, I am INTERN proud to present this report highlighting some of our key accomplishments in 2008. Reflects the leadership of each ACF A headquarters as of December 31, 2008 TION ON THE COVER AL To view our financial information, please visit www.actionagainsthunger.org/financials Our comprehensive approach to BURTON K. HAIMES global hunger delivers a range of Chairman, International Chairmen’s Council community-centered solutions to ACF International populations in crisis, like this young CCoverover photos: photos: ACF-Uganda, ACF-Afghanistan, courtesy courtesy T. Frank; I. Eshragi/Agence ACF-Nicaragua. VU; ACF-Sri Lanka, courtesy J. Lapegue girl’s community in Karamoja, Uganda. 1 ACTION AGAINST HUNGER AGAINST ACTION ACTION AGAINST HUNGER A UNIQUE INTERNATIONAL NETWORK ACF’S INTEGRATED APPROACH TO FIGHTING HUNGER Our comprehensive solutions to global hunger are needs- Today, nearly one billion people FOOD SECURITY: Action ADVOCACY: Action Against FOR ALMOST based, context-specific, and customized through direct suffer from hunger and lack access Against Hunger’s food security Hunger seeks to alert and influence 30 YEARS, ACTION community participation. While the programs we run to clean drinking water. Through an programs include both emergency the international community when AGAINST HUNGER may vary from one country to the next, they all share this integrated approach incorporating programs—such as emergency fundamental rights such as access to defining set of characteristics: Nutrition & Health, Food Security, food distributions—as well as long- water or food are violated. Action HAS LED THE WAY Water, Sanitation & Hygiene, and term programs. These programs Against Hunger’s advocacy efforts COMPREHENSIVE: Action Against Hunger integrates activities in nutrition, IN DEFINING THE Advocacy, Action Against Hunger aim at boosting agricultural and/ aim at affecting institutional and food security, water and sanitation, health, and advocacy. To tackle responds efficiently and effectively to or economic activity, providing policy changes to help create a world IDEA OF GLOBAL the underlying causes of hunger, we address the social, organizational, help vulnerable populations around populations with sufficient access to without hunger. technical, and resource concerns essential to a community’s well-being. PARTNERSHIP. the world. food of a satisfactory quality and LASTING SOLUTIONS: Action Against Hunger works to ensure our improving self-sufficiency. NUTRITION: Nutrition programs programs can be sustained without us. By integrating our programs with aim at assessing, preventing and WATER, SANITATION AND local and national systems, we transform effective, short-term interventions treating acute malnutrition among HYGIENE: These programs into sustainable, long-term solutions. the most vulnerable populations, aim at guaranteeing access to COMMUNITY-CENTERED: A community-centered approach is key especially young children and drinking water and good sanitary to building local capacity for the management and maintenance of our pregnant or lactating women. Health conditions (by providing wells, programs. Through training, workshops, technical support, and mentoring, programs consist of fighting diseases water distribution networks, latrines, Action Against Hunger builds local capacity and cultivates community know- linked with malnutrition. hygiene education sessions, etc). how for the long-run. INDEPENDENT & IMpaRTIAL: As a nongovernmental humanitarian agency, ACF is apolitical. But when it comes to human suffering, we are not neutral: We do our utmost to deliver effective assistance whenever and wherever it’s most needed. FULL ACCOUNTABILITY & TRANSpaRENCY: Action Against Hunger directly implements and oversees all of its programs, requiring full access to communities targeted for assistance. Committed to transparency and full disclosure, ACF ensures key financial information is publicly available and that its programs undergo external evaluation to assess their impact. A C ACF’s programs Our food security ACF ensures F provide immediate programs offer a effective assistance INTER assistance and broad range of by working directly long-term relief to solutions for generating with communities N malnourished children income and food to customize lasting A and their families. production. solutions to hunger. TION AL 2 ACF-Colombia, courtesy S. Vera. (From left): ACF-Pakistan, courtesy J. Pomerantz; ACF-Niger, courtesy J. Leigton; ACF-Uganda, courtesy T. Frank. 3 PROGRAM MAP NORTH CAUCASUS ARMENIA GEORGIA AZERBAIJAN MONGOLIA MALI CHAD NEPAL MYANMAR SYRIA LAOS LEBANON NIGER HAITI PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES GUATEMALA MAURITANIA ETHIOPIA GUINEA PHILIPPINES NICARAGUA SUDAN SOMALIA SIERRA LEONE LIBERIA CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC COLOMBIA IVORY COAST KENYA BURKINA FASO ECUADOR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC UGANDA OF THE CONGO (DRC) PERU BANGLADESH ZAMBIA ANGOLA BOLIVIA INDONESIA AFGHANISTAN PARAGUAY MALAWI ARGENTINA SWAZILAND SRI LANKA The breadth of Action Against Hunger’s international ZIMBABWE expertise goes beyond the scope of our current programs. We have worked in many other countries, including Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Cameroon, North LESOTHO Korea, Mozambique, Macedonia, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Western Sahara. This map reflects the reach