Reprint, Waterville Maine, December 3, 2006

Atypical Altruists

Photo of the Springorum family by David Leaming, Morning Sentinal

Waterville couple willing to do with less to fight world hunger

By LYNN ASCRIZZI
Staff Writer

To end world hunger forever is an incredibly vast vision; yet, it is exactly that mission that moves the minds and hearts of Arne and Olina Springorum of Waterville

It is why they and a handful of local friends and acquaintances have invested in an unconventional, international, nongovernmental organization called the Hunger Project. Its aim is not just to alleviate world hunger but to end it

"We are activists and investors. We ask people to become stakeholders, to become partners," he said, explaining why participants call themselves investors

German-born Arne Springorum, 34, is a geologist with Emery & Garrett Groundwater of Waterville

Olina Springorum, 32, was born in the Czech Republic and graduated from Charles University in Prague as an English major. Currently, she works at home caring for their three children, Jonas, 8, Vitek, 6 and Antonin, 3. And, they have one more child on the way

On a recent weekday, while little Antonin slumbered outside in a carriage on the sunny porch of their side-street home, the Springorums sat at a table in their modest living area to talk about what they believe is one of the world's greatest problems — hunger

"Most people picture bloated bellies of starving children and families. That is only 8 percent of world hunger. That is famine. Famine makes the news," he said.

Ninety-two percent of the remaining world hunger is called chronic hunger

"It is invisible. It's why a child looks like a 3 year old when they are really age 7. They've been chronically malnourished. Twenty-thousand people die every day from chronic hunger. It is a tsunami, every week," he said

Currently, the Springorums give above 10 percent of their income to the organization

"That's why we have the kind of cars we have parked in the garage," said Olina Springorum, referring to their 1998 Volvo, that has more than 300,000 miles

"It doesn't kill us; it makes us more fiscally responsible. We keep it (investment) at a level so it's not a burden," she said. They did not want to reveal the full amount they give, because so many people in the area give generously to charities and philanthropic foundations of their choice, they said

"I find Americans very generous in their giving. But 98 percent of the giving stays within America," he said

What makes the Springorums atypical altruists is their global focus, their brand of activism and their willingness to do with less of material extras, like new furniture and cars, so they can make significant contributions to a cause they believe in

Like many people who reject consumerism for reasons of social justice, the Springorums have chosen a life of voluntary simplicity that stems, in part, from a religious impulse. Arne Springorum recently joined the Society of Friends in Vassalboro (Quakers), and his wife, who was raised by atheist parents, converted to Catholicism at age 14

Early on, they had the same vision to help people impoverished and disenfranchised due to the ravages of war

They first met at a Croatian refugee camp in 1994, where they had gone to volunteer. They married in 1997

The Springorums do more than open their wallets. About five times a year, they open their home to give Hunger Project presentations to friends and neighbors.

Altogether, about 25 people in the central Maine area invest a voluntary percentage of their income to the project, they said

"We call it a global family. It's like experiencing global citizenship," he said

Springorum said some people have been critical of the project

"It's the way they raise money, which to some people, can be seen as suspicious. We ask them to invest at the highest appropriate level, but only the individual can decide. Eighty percent of the funds come from people who invest above $5,000 per year," he said

Why are there no Hunger Project programs in the United States?

"Because no one is starving to death here. This is the wealthiest country in the world, and there are ways of meeting needs. Hunger in other parts of the world, however, is often the source of future conflicts, wars, strife and terrorism, that we will have to deal with here," he said

Recently, the Springorums, including their three children, went to New York City to attend the Hunger Project's Africa Prize for Leadership. It was awarded to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first female president elected to Liberia, in January 2006

More than 1,200 women and men from 25 countries attended the awards ceremony at the New York Hilton Hotel

"These events are fun; you connect with the world," he said

Photo of Jasa Porciello with Ethiopian villagers courtesy The Hunger Project.

Grassroots Giving

Contrary to conventional thinking about how to help the world's hungry, The Hunger Project does not provide "relief," according to the Springorums

"They're not into doling out food. That's what the world has been doing for the past 50 years — they've done top-down, service delivery, " Arne Springorum said of the usual approach to delivering goods and services to people in abject poverty

Rather, Hunger Project teams select stable, developing countries to seed grassroots strategies that they have found address the root causes of chronic hunger. Low-cost, sustainable projects are put in place on specific sites and run by local people

"The 850 million hungry people in the world people are not the problem. The hungry people are the solution. They are the ones, if empowered, will end the hunger," Springorum said

Project strategies aim: To overcome the mindset of resignation and dependency; break the cycle of malnutrition; stop disease through educational workshops; ensure primary education and overcome the marginalization of rural and indigenous people. Local leadership is engaged to ensure grassroots actions will succeed. In particular, projects seek to raise the status of women

"If you want to make a difference, empower the women. Ninety-three of the world's development aid goes to men," he said

Compared to giant philanthropies like the Gates Foundation that recently donated $45 to One World Health, the 30-year-old Hunger Project is Lilliputian in size, too small to have been listed in Forbes Magazine's "2006 Investment Guide to Charities."

To date, The Hunger Project reaches 22 million people sustainably. It does this with only 5,000 members, worldwide, and a current budget of $11 million. Although tiny, it has grown 20 percent in the past several years

Currently, it is the biggest nongovernmental organization in Bangladesh, where the project has 80,000 volunteers, according to information at the Web site www.thp.org.

Hunger Project programs are operating in 13 partner countries, eight of which are in Africa. Participants in 10 developed countries, including the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, provide the investment dollars.