Rise Against Hunger

Through our nourishing lives portfolio, the organization works alongside communities toward a future in which they can thrive, while supporting safety net programs that provide nourishment, serving as a conduit for skills training or services that support the journey out of poverty. One in three people worldwide are adversely affected by vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The organization meals are formulated to provide a comprehensive array of minerals and micronutrients. The meals include enriched rice, soy protein, dried vegetables and 18 essential vitamins and nutrients. The meals and other forms of in-kind aid are distributed primarily to support transformational development through school meals programs, vocational training programs, medical clinics and orphanages in developing countries. The organization meals are provided in schools bolstering enrollment and attendance of students and in community empowerment programs to offset productive time lost while attending training sessions. Meals distributed in hospitals and clinics may support patients' nutritional needs and complement their treatment. In 2020, the nourishing lives portfolio managed projects and partnerships to build more efficient and sustainable impact. Worldwide, 701,815 people were served through activities of this portfolio, with the organization food assistance distributed in 29 countries. Overall, in supporting transformational development, 69% of participants received the organization food assistance in k- high school settings, followed by 10.8% in early childhood development; 7.03% participants in medical and maternal child health programs. While 6.59% of participants received vocational skills training programs. The remaining 6.91% were primarily reached through other general feeding programs. In the nourishing lives portfolio, the organization meals are distributed to 44.89 % males and 55.11% females, with 73.3% of the food assistance used by youth and young adults. It's also important to highlight that 18.1% of participants consuming the organization food assistance are children under the age of 5, with this life stage being extremely critical for holistic development and growth. As the organization aligns with u.n. Sustainable development goal #2 targets and indicators, which specifically addresses ending malnourishment in children under 5 years of age, it is imperative that we continue to focus on reaching this crucial age group.

The organization continues its legacy of commitment to both domestic and international crisis response and relief from famine, natural and manmade disasters and health epidemics. The organization responds to sudden and ongoing crises to meet immediate needs of affected populations and support their transition toward recovery. The organization has responded to emergencies by distributing food assistance, nutritional support, water filters, hygiene kits and other in-kind donations to those displaced by natural disasters and man-made crises. In building the resilience of vulnerable people, the organization works hand-in-hand with a host of organizations to ensure that our meals and other life-changing aid can reach communities in crisis effectively and according to need. To date, the efforts of the organization have been concentrated in responding to sudden onset disasters such as flash floods, hurricanes and earthquakes, and responding to slow-onset disasters or emergencies defined by their gradual trajectory, often based on a confluence of different events, by responding to protracted crisis or complex emergencies defined by a significant proportion of the population being acutely vulnerable to death, disease and disruption of livelihoods over a prolonged period of time. To better prepare to effectively respond to moments of crisis, the organization initiated projects to prepare itself for and reduce the length of time in responding to emergencies by prepositioning supplies and initiating strategic partnerships with like-minded organizations. In 2020, the organization reached 1,010,864 people experiencing humanitarian crises in 10 countries. The organization provided $2.2 million in crisis relief assistance in the form of meals, cash grants, gifts in kind and support for transport, shipping and handling, providing life-saving assistance in collaboration with 7 partners and the organization confederation member locations.

Through our empowering communities portfolio, we aim to increase agricultural production and incomes through programs promoting improved agricultural methods, business skills and market systems. In developing countries, farmers are some of the most food-insecure members of society. Farm yields are constrained by availability and affordability of quality seeds and fertilizers. Climate change has made weather patterns unpredictable, affecting planting and harvesting seasons, as well as the availability of fodder for animal herds. Those in rural areas often lack access to markets where they can get fair prices for their produce. Our projects help smallholder farmers build resilience to the shocks and stresses of climate change by promoting ecological approaches to agriculture, as well as diversification. For those who do not grow their own food, income is a key determinant in acquiring adequate nutrition. Through business training, we help individuals increase their earning potential and thus their consistent access to food. In 2020, our objectives were to bolster long-term self-reliant projects through efficient use of resources, strategically stewarding partnerships and funds to strengthen strategy formulation and decision-making. The organization's commitment to tackle complex, underlying issues that give Rise to Hunger and food insecurity was attested through five on-the-ground projects in malawi, mali, senegal, south sudan and zimbabwe. Through these initiatives, 6,195 households received direct support, which cascaded to 29,865 indirect participants, such as family members who benefited from the increased food production and income generated. The empowering communities projects focus on several overarching themes aimed for greater efficiency and impact: increased food production, skills training, and access to water, business financing, nutrition training, climate change adaptation and increased incomes. Overall, the support from the organization for projects with work towards addressing these complex issues directly affecting food insecurity and Hunger has had an exponential growth since inception of our pathways to end Hunger in 2016 reflecting the changing nature and understanding of food security.

The organization engaged 90,000 people around the world to end Hunger through its expanding meal-packaging program, enabling people who want to make a difference to engage in hands-on service, as well as to use their voices to support our advocacy activities. The organization has engaged people around the world to end Hunger through the formation of independent non-governmental organization ("ngo") affiliates. In 2020, the organization had affiliate members in south africa, italy, the philippines, malaysia and india. Organization affiliates have access to the organization knowhow, branding, and operational support. In 2020, the organization continued to bolster the four overarching strategic priorities namely; a) empowering communities; b) nourishing lives; c) responding to emergencies and; d) growing the movement. While the organization serves an incredible number of people each year, the global need is far greater than those we can reach through our programs alone. The need is great, and the organization acknowledges that by raising our collective voices, we can touch more lives, increase our collective impact and ultimately have a world without Hunger.