Action Against Hunger Press Kit

ACTION AGAINST HUNGER

PRESS/MEDIA KIT

THE ACF INTERNATIONAL NETWORK

Action Against Hunger Action Against Hunger / Action Contre la Faim (ACF) works to save the lives of malnourished children while providing families with access to safe water and sustainable solutions to hunger. Recognized as a world leader in the fight against global hunger, ACF’s international expertise has been shaped over three decades of principled humanitarian action. Uniquely bridging emergency relief with longer-term development, Action Against Hunger intervenes in emergency situations of conflict, natural disaster, and chronic food insecurity. Our goal is simple: eradicate acute malnutrition and roll back global hunger by strengthening the most vulnerable.

Nutrition + Water + Sanitation + Health + Advocacy = Integrated Solutions As part of the ACF International Network—with headquarters in London, Madrid, Montreal, New York, and Paris—our 6,000+ field staff carry out innovative, life-saving programs in over 40 countries. Integrating activities in nutrition, food security, water and sanitation, health, and advocacy, our programs provide lasting solutions for some 5 million people each year, restoring dignity, self-sufficiency, and independence to vulnerable populations throughout the world. Action Against Hunger was founded in France in 1979 among the so-called “second generation” humanitarian organizations— those agencies whose identities were forged in response to the perceived limits of traditional humanitarianism. Seeking a less deferential role for humanitarian actors, these organizations sought a brand of humanitarian politics that could influence political actors and outcomes, not just mitigate atrocities on the ground. ACF’s founding took this evolution even further. While hunger had been addressed in general campaigns against poverty and poor public health, ACF was established specifically to combat hunger worldwide. Since its founding, ACF has lead the way in defining the terrain, developing appropriate strategies, conducting vital field research, and delivering life-saving programs.

Action Against Hunger at a Glance • • • • •

An international humanitarian organization that uniquely bridges emergency relief and longer-term development. A pioneer in the development and implementation of new products and approaches in the treatment of malnutrition. An agency with 30 years of expertise in addressing hunger-related public health crises. Our 6,000+ field staff are seasoned professionals and technical experts in the fields of water and sanitation, food security, public health, and nutrition. ACF’s life-saving programs assist some 5 million people in 40+ countries each year.

Action Against Hunger: A Unique International Network Our comprehensive solutions to global hunger are needs-based, context-specific, customized through direct community participation, and distinguished by these defining characteristics: •

Comprehensive Approach: ACF integrates activities in nutrition, food security, water and sanitation, health, and advocacy. To tackle the underlying causes of hunger, we address the social, organizational, technical, and resource concerns essential to a community’s well-being.

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Lasting Solutions: ACF works to ensure our programs can be sustained without us. By integrating our programs with local and national systems we transform effective, short-term interventions into sustainable, long-term solutions.

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Community-Centered: A community-centered approach is key to building local capacity for the management and maintenance of our programs. Through training, workshops, technical support, and mentoring, Action Against Hunger builds local capacity and cultivates community know-how for the long-run.

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Independent & Impartial: As a nongovernmental humanitarian agency, ACF is apolitical. But when it comes to human suffering, we aren’t neutral: We do our utmost to deliver effective assistance wherever most needed.

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Full Accountability & Transparency: We directly implement and oversee our programs, requiring full access to the communities we assist. Committed to transparency and full disclosure, ACF ensures key financial information is publicly available and that our programs undergo external evaluation to assess their impact.

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Efficient & Cost-Effective: ACF receives top marks from rating agencies like the Better Business Bureau, Charity Navigator (their highest 4-star rating), the American Institute for Philanthropy (a “top rated charity” with an “A+”), the Independent Charities of America (“Best in America”), and Guidestar.

Action Against Hunger Speakers’ Bureau: Interview Our Experts An invaluable resource for journalists, Action Against Hunger’s field teams—6,000+ seasoned professionals and technical experts in nutrition, water and sanitation, public health, and humanitarian action—are available year-round for timely interviews, issuespecific commentary, and on-the-ground perspectives from the frontlines of humanitarian hotspots around the world: • • • •

More than 40 Country Directors managing programs on the ground Teams of technical experts available for in-depth discussions Program staff and field analysts conversant in a range of humanitarian contexts Institutional perspectives and expertise gleaned from 30 years of humanitarian interventions in a range of complex international crises.

For interviews with ACF staff, please contact our press department:

ACF-USA Press Contact James Phelan Senior External Relations Officer, Action Against Hunger USA [email protected] p: +212-967-7800 x108 c: +646-265-7796

ACF International Contacts View all ACF International Network press contacts

“I think my drive to be working in the humanitarian cause comes from the fact that I believe every human being has the right to certain basic needs such as water and sanitation” – Monica Ramos, Water and Sanitation Coordinator, ACF-Pakistan “My desire to work with Action Against Hunger comes from my belief that every human being deserves the right to equal access to good nutrition, health education, and clean water.” – Linda Yoon, Health Promotion Manager, ACF-Sudan “With the privilege of a having received a good education and developed professional engineering skills, I feel that it is my obligation to serve those most in need. How can I sit by and design water systems for so-called developed communities when 1.2 billion lack access to even the basic necessity of clean water? By working with ACF, I can help holistically address the basic human needs that decrease disease and death in communities around the world.” – Andrew Azman, Water and Sanitation Coordinator, ACF-Uganda

Action Against Hunger: A Resource for Local Voices, Stories, and Perspectives Action Against Hunger works in 40+ countries around the world and our collaborative, community-based programs hinge on access to local voices and perspectives—voices that frame the urgency of any given humanitarian crisis: •

Cecilia, Zambian Copperbelt: Cecilia is 65 and cares for her two grandchildren, Elizabeth and Beauty. The girls’ parents died of the HIV pandemic spreading across this region, and Cecilia is their primary guardian. She explains how difficult it is to send the girls to the river when the hand pumps are broken and the wells are dry.

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Susan, Bar-rio IDP camp, Northern Uganda: Susan is 33 and came to this highly populated IDP camp with her children in 2006 because she feared abductions by the Lord’s Resistance Army. Worried about the health of her family as access to water and food is limited in the camp, Susan awaits a political solution for Uganda.

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Rahimullah, Battagram, Pakistan: Rahimullah is 40 and lost his home in the 2005 earthquake. While rebuilding his home and community, Rahimullah had to walk hours to collect fresh water each day. His village of Kashkar now benefits from clean water after ACF rehabilitated their water system.

What Are Others Saying About Action Against Hunger? “Action Against Hunger is in war-torn countries that many fear to tread. They are technical people…that forgo the comforts of modern life to assist local populations and refugees at the most fundamental level in the most dangerous locales. They provide nutrition, healthcare, sanitation, and food sustainability. They train populations to be self-sufficient. Although these dedicated men and women want to eliminate the need for their services, humanity is not willing and forces them to witness the most heinous actions.” —President Nelson Mandela “Action Against Hunger reaches the most vulnerable and neglected populations through programs in nutrition, water, sanitation, food security, and basic health care. What makes them unique is that not only do they address emergency needs and save lives but they also help people regain their autonomy.” —Susan Sarandon

Media Mentions: Action Against Hunger in the Press The following selection of screenshots exemplifies the range of news agencies that have taken note of ACF’s vital work:

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