In July 2023, over 6,000 people from around the world came together at Women Deliver 2023 in Kigali, Rwanda to exchange ideas, build solutions, and envision a future that works for everyone.
The Hunger Project was a proud sponsor of this year’s Women Deliver, and our 18 delegates from 15 countries around the world participated in hundreds of hours of gender-focused development programs both in-person and virtually.
This was the first time the conference was held in Africa, which allowed many leaders from civil society and community-based organizations to participate for the very first time…including The Hunger Project! More than 400 people engaged with The Hunger Project’s women-centered work to end hunger at our booth! Experience the conference in our Instagram highlight.
The conference’s theme was Spaces, Solidarity and Solutions. Throughout the programming, it was made clear how important gender equality is in creating solutions and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Women Deliver showed it’s time to rethink the need for innovation in creative and realistic solutions to face the barriers encountered by women within communities.
Amelia Chabana, MEL Officer, The Hunger Project-Mozambique.
In the nutrition and food security space, addressing gender inequity as part of creating sustainable solutions was particularly clear. During the conference, our partners across the sector launched the Gender Nutrition Gap Report.
Our very own Grace Chikowi, Country Director of The Hunger Project-Malawi, shared her perspectives on gender and hunger in a recent Devex article.
The Hunger Project on Stage: Gender and Hunger
Gerald Kato, Consortium Coordinator of the Right2Grow Program for The Hunger Project-Uganda, also spoke about how women are particularly impacted by hunger. His biggest takeaway: In times of crisis, women eat last and least, despite the fact that they are the primary food producers in Africa.
The Hunger Project on Screen: Climate Change
A film produced by The Hunger Project-India titled Hansa Lodhiyal – A Portrait of Courage, made its festival debut at the Women Deliver Arts and Film Festival. It showcases the work Hansa is undertaking to ensure that the forests of Uttarakhand are not destroyed. Watch the film below.
The outsized impact of climate change on women was a powerful discussion in every aspect of the conference. From rural community leaders sharing their lived experiences — both on stage and with us at our booth —to young global activists ringing the alarm, the message was the same: The time to act is now.
We must work harder in the intersection of gender and climate change. [At the conference] I learned how climate-induced challenges adversely affect women and children, particularly in the areas of nutrition, agriculture, education and also in accessing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights services.
Patricia Osei Amponsah, Gender, Safeguarding and Child Protection Officer, THP-Ghana.
The Hunger Project on Stage: Decolonization
Many panels discussed the importance of decolonizing the development sector. This is something The Hunger Project has been committed to for decades and is part of our organizational DNA. Tarcila Rivera Zea, Executive Director of CHIRAPAQ, our partner organization in Peru, spoke on stage during a plenary session of more than 1,000 attendees about the importance of elevating the voices of Indigenous women in global spaces and truly embracing their knowledge and experience. See Tarcila at the conference in the video below!
“One exciting realization I had is how the world is embracing community-led development, which has been our flagship approach for decades,” said Kato after the conference.
Still it was refreshing to see our many partners speak about the issue passionately. During a plenary session, Tarcila Rivera Zea, Executive Director of CHIRAPAQ, our partner organization in Peru, spoke to the importance of elevating the voices of Indigenous women in global spaces and truly embracing their knowledge and experience.
Hunger is not just about food.
Hunger is linked to some of the biggest challenges our world faces, and it intersects with all of the major challenges we face as a planet: economic equality, health, education, climate change and the rights of women and girls. Ending hunger will require us to address all of these issues—and it starts with women.
We were honored to be able to bring this message to Women Deliver 2023 and to share space with so many changemakers.
“This was one of the most diverse spaces I have ever been in,” said Anna Slattery, Manager of External Affairs. “It was refreshing to hear new perspectives, listen to conversations focused on solutions, and meet the leaders who are driving change on the ground, in communities.” See more from Anna here.
The Hunger Project team left Kigali feeling energized and recommitted to ensuring that women are at the center of our work—and looking forward to the next Women Deliver conference!
Follow us on Instagram @globalhungerproject for latest updates on our work and to hear from our community partners!
Image above: High level panel, Photo by Women Deliver
