The theme of International Women's Day (March 8) this year is "Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities: Progress for All." At the heart of The Hunger Project's work is the fundamental belief that "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights," (Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) and the commitment to advance the fulfillment of these rights so people can live free from hunger and poverty.
Tarcila Rivera Zea, president of Chirapaq, The Hunger Project's partner organization in Peru, has been awarded with the Women's Order of Merit given by the Ministry of Women and Social Development in Peru in recognition of her commitment to assert and defend indigenous peoples and women's rights.
The Hunger Project announces the resignation of its President and CEO, Jill Lester. Jill has served as THP's President and CEO since January 2008. In making the announcement, Jill said that there can be no more important need in today's world than that expressed in THP's mission: to empower women and men to end their own hunger and poverty.
In late January, H.E. President Museveni of Uganda visited The Hunger Project's Mpigi Epicenter. During his visit, President Museveni indicated that he would seek to give THP-Uganda approximately US$200,000 this calendar year and provide a truck to the epicenter to transport food collected from partners for distribution.
In a recent article in The New York Times Magazine, Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn give an overview of the many challenges women in the developing world face and highlight the opportunity of focusing on women and girls. THP is cited as an organization that promotes women as the key to ending hunger.
Shining a spotlight on the world's rural women has never been more important. The current global food price crisis is pushing millions of people deeper into hunger and poverty. The prospects of achieving an end to world hunger are threatened. Only when rural women are empowered will this be achieved.
World Food Day, October 16, is a day to draw attention to the stark reality that there are more than one billion undernourished women, men and children in our world. However, it is also a day to shine a spotlight on the solutions to ending hunger. THP's work has shown that people can and do end their own hunger.
Public radio star Georges Collinet introduces a short film about the innovative approaches to empowering people in Africa, South Asia and Latin America to end their own hunger.