AFGHANISTAN

NAME SCHOOL CLASS CITY, STATE SPONSORSHIP GOAL www.actionagainsthunger.org/race Contents

1 Students Race Against Hunger 1 What are hunger and malnutrition? 2 Scope of hunger and malnutrition in the world 3 What is Action Against Hunger? 4 Action Against Hunger world map 5 How your money helps 6 Case Study: Afghanistan 9 Preparing for the Race Against Hunger 9 Tips on seeking sponsors 10 Sponsor form students race against hunger!

How You Will Help End Global Hunger

1 Learn about global hunger and how to fight it. 2 Raise awareness about global hunger in your community and seek sponsors for your Race Against Hunger.

3 Participate in your school’s Race! The proceeds you raise will help save the lives of malnourished children around the world.

What Are Hunger and Malnutrition? In order to help fight global hunger, you should first know what hunger means.

Hunger Famine

Results from the persistent intake The absolute unavailability of less than the daily amount of or inaccessibility of food in a calories your body needs to be given region, possibly causing nourished and active. imminent death.

Malnutrition Food Security

A broad term for a wide range A situation during which all of conditions that hinder good people, at all times, have access health, caused by an inadequate economically, socially and or unbalanced food intake. While physically to sufficient, safe and we tend to associate malnutrition nutritious food that satisfies their with under-nutrition, or lack of food nutritional needs and dietary intake, malnutrition also includes preferences. over-nutrition, or the consumption of too much food. Obesity is a form of malnutrition.

Action against HUnger | 1 Scope of hunger and malnutrition in the world

Hunger and Malnutrition Approximately 1.02 billion people around the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition. An overwhelming majority of the world’s hungry reside in the developing world. Every day, almost 15,000 children die from hunger-related causes. 19 million children under the age of 5 suffer from severe acute malnutrition, which, if left untreated, Water-related can lead to death. More than 60% of the world’s diseases chronically hungry are women. are one of Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization, 2009 the leading Water, Sanitation causes of and Hygiene disease and More than 1 billion people lack access to a safe supply of death in the drinking water. 2.2 billion people, or a 1/3 of the world. world’s population, do not have access to basic sanitation facilities; 1.2 billion of these people have no facilities at all. Water-related diseases are one of the leading causes of disease and death in the world. The average American individual uses 100 to 176 gallons of water each day. The average African family uses about 5 gallons of water each day.

Source: Water Partners International

2 | race against hunger // passport what is action against hunger?

Action Against Hunger | ACF-USA works to save the lives of malnourished children while providing families with access to safe water and sustainable solutions to hunger. Working in some 40 countries, ACF’s humanitarian interventions provide lasting solutions to nearly 5 million people a year, restoring dignity, self-sufficiency, and independence to vulnerable populations throughout the world.

Our Main Programs

Our nutrition programs treat and prevent acute malnutrition for those most vulnerable, particularly children. The programs are launched most often during times of crisis— Nutrition when an earthquake devastates a city, when civil war tears apart a country, when drought leads to famine, when families flee violence only to confront hunger.

Food Our food security programs prevent future outbreaks of Security and malnutrition by helping communities rebuild their food Livelihoods self-sufficiency.

Our water, sanitation and hygiene programs include Water, extending services to communities faced with water scarcity, Sanitation unsafe drinking water, and poor hygiene. Depending on the and context, we truck water into affected communities during Hygiene emergencies, decontaminate wells, install hand-pumps, and build latrines, among other projects.

Our Mission Eradicate acute malnutrition, roll back global hunger, strengthen the most vulnerable, and restore independence and self-sufficiency to families in need.

Action against HUnger | 3 action against hunger map

Where Action Against Hunger Works Worldwide Can you locate each country on the map?

Africa Mali Ecuador Myanmar Angola Mauritania Guatemala Nepal Burkina Faso Niger Haiti North Caucasus Central African Sierra Leone Nicaragua Philippines Republic Sudan Paraguay Sri Lanka Chad Somalia Peru Syria Democratic Republic Swaziland of the Congo Asia Europe Uganda Ethiopia Afghanistan Armenia Zambia Guinea Azerbaijan Middle-East Zimbabwe Ivory Coast Bangladesh Lebanon Kenya Americas Georgia Palestinian Territories Lesotho Argentina Indonesia Liberia Bolivia Laos Malawi Colombia Mongolia

4 | race against hunger // passport How your money helps

Can supply a lemon, banana, mango, or orange tree to a farming family incorporating fresh fruit into their diets, preventing soil erosion and desertification, and $5 providing shade. (Desertification is the expansion of the arid desert due to climate change.)

Could provide two under-nourished children with supplementary foods for one month to prevent $15 malnutrition and promote healthy development.

Can provide a hand pump for clean drinking $35 water in Laos.

Could provide the 30-day nutritional treatment necessary to save the life of a severely $50 malnourished child in a therapeutic feeding center.

Can provide an oven, ingredients, tools, and training for a woman to start a bakery and generate income for her family, giving them access $100 to a balanced diet, health care, and school.

Before After

David and Kaifa suffering from severe acute David and Kaifa after 30 days in Action Against malnutrition after years of civil conflict in Sierra Leone. Hunger’s nutrition center.

Action against HUnger | 5 AFGHANISTAN CASE STUDY

AFGHANISTAN Modern History: Afghanistan was granted Geography and Climate: independence from the British Afghanistan is a small, land- Empire in 1919. After a brief period locked country in South Asia of democracy, the government was bordered by Pakistan to the overthrown in 1973 and again in 1978. east, Iran to the west, and In 1979, the Soviet Union backed the Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and new communist regime with resources Tajikistan to the north. With an and financial support. This relationship area slightly smaller than that of sparked a war between the Soviet- Texas, Afghanistan has an arid backed government and opposing to semi-arid climate with cold mujahedin rebels which would last the winters and hot summers. The next 22 years. Hindu Kush Mountains separate In 1989, the Soviet Union withdrew northern Afghanistan from the forces from Afghanistan leaving rest of the country. Mohammad Najibullah and a Soviet- supported government in place in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul. Fighting continued between Najbullah supporters and mujahedin rebel factions. When the Soviet Union fell in 1991, Najibullah’s government was severely weakened. In 1994, the government in Kabul was overthrown, and for the next two years Afghanistan was ungoverned until the Taliban, a Pakistani-sponsored group, took over in 1996. Seeking to replace anarchy with order and rid the country of regional warlords, the Taliban practiced Islamic Sharia law and sought to rule the country based on strict religious code. Until late 2001, the Taliban ruled about 90% of Afghanistan, yet was unrecognized as the legitimate government of Afghanistan throughout the international community. Following the September 11, 2009 attacks

6 | race against hunger // passport on the U.S., an anti-Taliban alliance formed between the U.S., Britain and groups from Basic Facts northern Afghanistan. Accused of harboring terrorists including Osama bin Laden, the Taliban Location: government met strong resistance from the anti- South Asia Taliban alliance as well as from opposing factions within Afghanistan. This continued confrontation President: eventually led to the collapse of the Taliban at the Hamid Karzai end of 2001. Government: In 2001, the United Nations-sponsored Bonn Islamic Republic Conference established a process for political reconstruction that included a new Afghanistan Capital: constitution, presidential elections in 2004 and Kabul the installation of a National Assembly, a central lawmaking body to govern Afghanistan. Hamid Official Languages: Karzai was declared the first democratically Afghan Persian elected president of Afghanistan in 2004, and the or Dari and Pashto National Assembly was put in place in December Population: of 2005. 28.4 million Even though the new constitution was an important step towards political stability, regional Climate: conflicts and a continued Taliban presence in Arid to semi-arid; the country remain serious challenges for the cold winters and hot Afghanistan government. summers Life Expectancy: 44.64 years (Continued on following page) Adult Literacy Rate: 28%

Area: 652.230 km²

Afghanistan

Ghor Pakistan Kabul Dai-Kundi

Our Programs Water & Sanitation Food Security Source: CIA Fact Book, 2009; Nutrition Health UNICEF, 2007

Action against HUnger | 7 Continued from previous page

Humanitarian Situation: a 5.5 on the magnitude scale; 22 people were killed, 30 injured, and over 200 Due to 25 years of conflict, the homes destroyed. Political instability humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and natural disasters continue to plague is dire, with more than 5 million people Afghanistan, leaving the humanitarian dependent on humanitarian aid each situation unstable. day and approximately 4 million Afghan refugees currently living in Pakistan and Source: IRIN News, 2009 Iran. 60% of children under the age of 5 are malnourished, 32% of the population Action Against Hunger’s does not have access to sanitary water, and 71.9% of the population Presence in Afghanistan cannot read or write. A majority of the In 1979, Action Against Hunger | ACF- country currently lives on less than USA was founded to respond to the one dollar per day. Due to limited emergency in Afghanistan during the possibilities for economic development, civil war between the Soviet-back the reconstruction process has been government and opposition rebel groups. slow and the political system and Security concerns led to a brief hiatus infrastructure remain unstable. In recent in ACF’s Afghanistan programs after years, with frequent attempts by the the 1979 crisis, but programs reopened Taliban to regain control in Afghanistan, in 1995 and ACF has had a continued there has been an increase in armed presence in the country since. conflict and political instability Nutrition Years of successive drought and other ACF detects and treats acute, severe and environmental disasters have left moderate malnutrition by taking care of Afghanistan with inadequate resources. children in nutritional centers. In southern Afghanistan, 80% of the “kareze,” underwater aqueducts used Food Security & Livelihoods for irrigation, have dried up. Due to In order to support agricultural changing climate patterns the land is production and the diversification of becoming drier and less fertile, making sources of income for families, ACF it much more difficult for farmers to implements food security programs such raise livestock and cultivate crops. Many as the distribution of seeds, fertilizers farmers are being driven to cultivate and tools to prepare the land for the poppy, which has proven strong against winter months and revenue-generating drought, but offers no nutritional value. activities in urban areas. Given that 80% of the country’s 28.4 million people live in rural areas and Water, Sanitation & Hygiene depend on agriculture, the country’s To provide increased accessibility to nutritional issues are being further drinking water in communities, ACF compounded as drought continues to constructs and rehabilitates wells and devastate crops. reservoirs. ACF staff members also Earthquakes, avalanches and floods are work with communities to construct also common environmental disasters latrines and organize hygiene in Afghanistan, destroying infrastructure education sessions. and taking lives each year. Most recently, there was an earthquake 90 kilometers from Kabul which registered

8 | race against hunger // passport Preparing for the Race Against Hunger!

Tips for seeking sponsors The money you raise for the Race Against Hunger will go a long way in saving the lives of malnourished children around the world. Here are some tips for seeking sponsors for your Race:

Approach people Seek sponsors Sponsors can you know and from your pledge a certain trust. Family community/youth amount of money members make group or place of for each lap you enthusiastic worship. run (i.e. $2/lap), or sponsors! Don’t seek they can make a flat Neighborhood sponsors in donation. businesses and neighborhoods you If your sponsor restaurants are are unfamiliar with. is writing a check, great potential make sure the sponsors. check is made out to “Action Against Hunger”.

Important talking points Global hunger and malnutrition claim the lives of approximately 5 million children a year. Action Against Hunger | ACF-USA is an No international aid organization working to save the lives of malnourished children and to prevent donation is malnutrition altogether. too little! The Race Against Hunger aims to raise awareness about the scourge of global hunger and to encourage students and communities to be a part of the solution. 89 cents of every dollar raised will directly benefit ACF’s life-saving work around the world. Donations No donation is too little! Each dollar raised are tax- goes a long way in the fight against hunger and malnutrition. (See page 7: “How your money helps”.) deductible. Donations are tax-deductible.

Action against HUnger | 9 the race against hunger sponsor form

All money raised will support our efforts to carry out innovative, lifesaving programs in nutrition, food security & livelihoods, and water, sanitation & hygiene in 40 countries around the world. Your sponsorship will help us continue to reach some 5 million people each year.

Name of Participant: Teacher: School Name: Date of Race:

Pledge Per Lap / Initial When Full Name Home Address Flat Donation Collected

Total Amount Raised Please make checks out to Action Against Hunger. Action Against Hunger is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation that has received top marks from rating agencies like the Better Business Bureau, Charity Navigator, The American Institute of Philanthropy, and Guidestar. All contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. To learn more about our programs and activi- ties, please visit our website at www.actionagainsthunger.org. Thank You For Your Support!