Annual Report 2007

Letter from the President and CEO

It is an honor to be writing you in my new role as President and CEO of The Hunger Project. Although I did not join the organization until early 2008, I am delighted to be endorsing the significant achievements of 2007 that are outlined in this report.

In my first months in this role, I have taken every opportunity to listen and learn about The Hunger Project and hear about our work from a variety of perspectives and views. I have had the opportunity to visit India, Ghana and Bangladesh and see The Hunger Project’s cutting-edge work firsthand, and I have met with many of our highly skilled staff and committed investors in the United States, Europe and Australia.

Our programs throughout the world continue to grow. We have more than 100 epicenters mobilized throughout Africa. A total of 95,326 loans have been disbursed through the African Woman Food Farmer Initiative. There are 17 government-recognized epicenter banks. More than 65,000 elected women representatives have been trained in India, and nearly 100,000 animators in Bangladesh are driving a social movement for a self-reliant and hunger-free Bangladesh. In Latin America, we have refocused our work to mobilize more areas, and our indigenous partners are speaking out to ensure that their rights are recognized.

We have established strong partnerships with national and local government, multilateral agencies, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and alliances for advocacy and action — such as the 300 organizations that work with us for National Girl Child Day in Bangladesh and the 60 NGOs that work with us to deliver Women’s Leadership Workshops in India.

As our programs expand, our village partners are facing new challenges, including rapidly rising food prices and increased frequency of severe weather and natural disasters. Our work of mobilizing people to be the authors of their own development is becoming ever more critical, given the increasing frequency and unpredictability of such extreme factors and the threat they pose to building and maintaining sustainable livelihoods.

During my first 100 days with The Hunger Project, I have come to realize that I have not simply joined an organization; I have been given the gift of leading a strong and growing movement of people who are making an enormous difference to lives all around the world. All in The Hunger Project family share a strong commitment and a wholehearted dedication that, I have come to recognize, is the hallmark of all Hunger Project partners, staff and investors. It is undoubtedly our greatest asset.

Congratulations to everyone — partners, investors and staff — around the world for an amazing 30 years of accomplishments and the progress we have made toward our mission of empowering women and men to sustainably end their own hunger.

Jill Lester
President and CEO
May 2008