Newsroom

In June 2013, staff and volunteers of The Hunger Project-New Zealand were delighted to host Betsy Deisroth, Vice President for Advancement in Auckland from New York. Over the course of two evening events, Betsy inspired and encouraged local activism towards the end of chronic hunger, and updated Kiwi supporters on the impact their work is having around the world.

For over two decades, veteran activist and Aucklander, Shirley Hardwick, has been working to end global hunger. If you were in intermediate school in the eighties in New Zealand, there is a good chance that, during geography class, you saw an educational video on chronic persistent hunger which Shirley had sent to the teacher.

During a March 2013 trip to Africa, THP President and CEO Mary Ellen McNish, Vice President for Africa Dr. Idrissa Dicko and other staff leaders met with two African heads of state: His Excellency Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso and His Excellency Macky Sall of Senegal.
Both leaders were knowledgeable about The Hunger Project’s programs in their countries and looked forward to learning more. H.E. Macky Sall’s Chief of Staff was from a village where THP’s Ndereppe Epicenter is located and was very aware of the progress made in the villages there as a result of The Hunger Project’s work.

THP-Burkina is moving forward with epicenter tours to build relationships with Council Members and newly elected officials.

Critics of microfinance express concern that financial service providers are more interested in maximizing profits than meeting the needs of their poor clients and a new global effort, known as the Smart Campaign, aims to right this wrong. By identifying a set of common standards to guide all microfinance operations, the Smart Campaign provides a useful framework around which those who value putting clients first can rally. The Hunger Project recently signed on as an endorser of the Smart Campaign to demonstrate that it agrees with the idea that all microfinance clients deserve transparent, respectful and prudent services.

In 2012 THP-Burkina organized medical consultations in four epicenters, held a number of trainings on the use of new technologies in agriculture, and played host to the Africa Conference, which included participants from all eight African Program Countries, as well as participants from the Global Office and THP-Netherlands office. The conference marked the launch of several strategic changes for the department, including the identification of priority epicenters.

THP-Ghana welcomed the opening of the new epicenter Fesi Bame with an inauguration ceremony featuring Kpando Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Francis Ganyaglo, and former Country Director of THP-Ghana, Dr. Naana Agyemang-Mensah, among other important guests. More good news for Ghana continued with the completion of the Dogo Nursery School in Toku Epicenter and the next level of construction being reached in a three-classroom project also being undertaken in the Dogo community.

World Hunger Day (May 28) is about inspiring people around the world to join together in solidarity in support of all those working to end their own hunger and poverty and make the journey to self-reliance. This year, The Global Hunger Project family is celebrating World Hunger Day with the release of the single One World, One Song, following its world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall in 2012.