The Brightside: The Hunger Project

February 28, 2024

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Written by

February 28, 2024

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Written by

THE HUNGER PROJECT

In our most recent Brightside edition, we engage in a conversation with the team from The Hunger Project, exploring our partnership for International Women's Day and highlighting our collaborative project featuring the 'You Grow Girl Caps.'

^{YOU CAN SUPPORT THE HUNGER PROJECT AUSTRALIA THROUGHOUT MARCH WHEN YOU PURCHASE A}

^{'YOU GROW GIRL' LADIES OR KIDS CAP FROM BANABAE}

Hey team. Tell us about The Hunger Project.

The Hunger Project is a global organisation working to end hunger and poverty. We work in rural, remote communities in Africa, India, Bangladesh and Mexico. Women and girls are at the heart of our work because gender equality is key to ending hunger. Our programs reach over 11 million people and are built around education, nutrition, clean water and healthcare. We empower people with the skills, knowledge and resources they need to break the poverty cycle themselves. We have a team of 12 in Australia, but we have over 400 staff across 22 countries globally.

What inspired this project to start?

The Hunger Project was created in 1977 with the commitment to sustainably end world hunger. To date, over one million people have been lifted out of hunger in Africa in over 11,700 rural villages. Over half a million women have participated in leadership training to help end hunger in their communities. Unfortunately, since 2020, hunger has been on the rise for the first time in a decade. This is due to various factors, including COVID-19, the Ukraine crisis, and climate change. Over 783 million are facing hunger today. This is why our work is more important than ever.

What is the importance of International Women’s Day at The Hunger Project?

International Women’s Day is a very important day at The Hunger Project as it helps to raise awareness of the importance of gender equality. Empowering women and girls is vital to the success of our programs, as women are proven to be key change-makers in society. When women are empowered to generate and control their own income, they are more likely to reinvest back into their families, including sending their children to school. Therefore, women’s empowerment is vital to breaking the cycle of hunger and poverty for good.

The theme this year is Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress. The theme highlights the importance of our work at The Hunger Project, focusing on the economic inclusion of women and girls. This International Women’s Day is about raising awareness of the obstacles women face daily to achieve equality. It should also be a day to spark action and ignite change.

Could you share a positive story from your time at The Hunger Project?

We would love to share a story from one of the women who has been touched by our programs in Africa. Her name is Jessie. Her story showcases the incredible resilience and determination of what women can achieve. Jessie lives in Malawi, Africa, and she has a husband and five children. She said, “My number one vision is to educate my children.” This was only a dream for Jessie as she struggled not only to pay for her children’s education but also to feed them three meals a day. She heard about the work of The Hunger Project and applied to receive a micro finance loan (a small amount of money that she could use but then has to pay back).

With the loan, she was able to purchase seeds to grow maise and rice, which she then used to feed her family. The crops grew so well that she then had leftover produce. She was able to sell the leftovers at the markets. With the money she made selling their produce at the market, Jessie and her husband invested in a sewing machine, which her husband used to set up a tailoring business. With two incomes to support themselves, Jessie’s family now has three meals a day, and they can also afford to send her children to school. Jessie’s goal is to buy a motorcycle, so her family can easily reach the markets, the doctors and their relatives. “My household is doing much better now. My family doesn’t have to live in hunger, and I can send my children to school.”

How can people support your organisation?

To impact more women and girls just like Jessie, we would love your support! Just $250 could give a small loan, like Jessie received, to start a business. This also provides business training and mentorship. It’s a gift that can completely transform someone’s life.

If you are interested in making a global impact, head to our website to make a contribution: www.thp.org.au

If you are a business wanting to do good, we would love to hear from you!

Please head to https://thp.org.au/corporate-partnerships/ and reach out to us.

We would love to hear from you and discuss ways we can partner together.

We’re excited about our collaboration with the “You Grow Girl” caps. Can you share more about how this partnership came about and its impact?

In 2023, the Banabae community chose The Hunger Project as the cause they would like to give back to for International Women’s Day. Banabae then decided it would be amazing to further our impact together and collaborate in 2024. We are so excited about our collaboration on the “You Grow Girl” caps. We just love the messaging on the caps and what it stands for. It encapsulates who we are and what we do at The Hunger Project! We’re excited for you to get your hands on them over International Women’s Day. It’s a great way to purchase something meaningful but also to give back and make a difference at the same time.