Action Against Hunger is a global humanitarian organization which originated in France and is committed to ending world hunger. The organization helps malnourished children and provides communities with access to safe water and sustainable solutions to hunger. In 2019, Action Against Hunger worked in 51 different countries around the world with more than 6,000 employees and volunteers helping 13.6 million people in need. Established in 1979 by a group of French doctors, scientists, and writers. Nobel Prize-winning physicist Alfred Kastler served as the organization's first chairman. The group initially provided assistance to Afghan refugees in Pakistan, famine-stricken Ugandan communities, and Cambodian refugees in Thailand. It expanded to address additional humanitarian concerns in Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the Balkans and elsewhere during the 1980s and 1990s. Action Against Hunger's Scientific Committee pioneered the therapeutic milk formula, now used by all major humanitarian aid organizations to treat acute malnutrition. Early results showed that treatment with F100 has the capacity to reduce the mortality rate of severely malnourished children to below 5%, with a median hospital fatality rate quoted of 23.5% A few years later, therapeutic milk was repackaged as ready-to-use therapeutic foods, a peanut-based paste packaged like a power bar. These bars allow for the treatment of malnutrition at home and do not require any preparation or refrigeration. The international network currently has headquarters in six countries – France, Spain, the United States, Canada, Italy, the UK. Its four main areas of work include nutrition, food security, water and sanitation, and advocacy. Integrated approaches with various sectors of intervention:
Action Against Hunger partners with leaders from the food and beverage industry to bring attention to global hunger. Each year, several campaigns are ran by the network to raise funds and support the organisation's programs : Restaurants Against Hunger and Love Food Give Food.
Countries of intervention
In 2019, Action Against Hunger International Network is present in 51 countries:
Since 1995 Action Against Hunger developed an international network to have a bigger global impact. The Network has 6 headquarters in the world: France, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Italy. Action Against Hunger has also a West Africa Regional Office located in Dakar, a Training center in Nairobi and 5 logistic platforms. This network increases the human and financial capacities and enables a specialization per headquarter.
Action Against Hunger in France, Spain and the USA are the operational headquarters: they manage the interventions directly on the field. In order to maximize efficiency and coherence, these three operational headquarters work under the principle of one headquarter per country of intervention.
Action Against Hunger-UK focuses on research, monitoring and evaluation, notably with Hunger Watch. This UK headquarters also plays an intermediary role with DFID.
Action Against Hunger Canada raises public and private funds in North America and plays an increasing role on the national level.
Action Against Hunger / Azione contro la Fame Italia raises private funds and promotes important campaigns in order to sensitize the Italian public opinion on hunger and malnutrition.
