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Alliances

The Hunger Project is committed to creating a common front for the end of hunger, by supporting advocacy efforts of civil society alliances globally and in each country. This page is designed to provide links to main alliances with which we are working, and a briefing on our role.

Global

UN Economic and Social Council: We have had consultative status with the UN since 1985, giving us the opportunity to participate in intergovernmental meetings at UN headquarters in New York and Geneva. We usually are particularly active during the annual Commission on the Status of Women (via the NYC NGO Committee) and the UN General Assembly.

SUN: Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network – We were active in the launching of SUN in 2010 as a result of participation with the UN High Level Task Force on Global Food and Nutrition Security.

PMNCH: Partnership for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health is the world’s largest alliance for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health and well-being, with over 1,000 partner organizations across its 10 constituencies.

Girls Not Brides – working to halt child marriage. Click for the GNB-Post-2015-Advocacy-Toolkit.

Every Woman Every Child: the UN partnership for preventing child and maternal deaths.

GPSA: Global Partnership for Social Accountability at the World Bank.

GAFSP: The G7/G20 Global Food Security Initiative called for the creation of a multi-stakeholder trust found, housed at the World Bank, and Civil Society has seats on its steering committee. THP was very active in the formulation of GAFSPE, and places great confidence in the Civil Society leadership being provided by the elected civil society representatives – weighing in when requested.

Bangladesh

THP – Bangladesh works with a strategic alliance network called the National Girl Child Advocacy Forum which includes civil society, women’s groups, umbrella organizations, other INGOs and distinguished citizens for advocacy efforts to prevent the legal age of marriage from being lowered from 18 to 16. In addition to spearheading advocacy outreach on National Girl Child Day, top priorities include the many ill effects of child marriage such as increased maternal morbidity, stagnant poverty, and low school enrollment among girls.

SHUJAN – Citizens’ Initiative for Good Governance: Mobilized by The Hunger Project – Bangladesh, SHUJAN strengthens grassroots democracy, ensures transparency and accountability of local government, and carries out advocacy initiatives at the national level as a platform of committed, active and socially conscious citizens. It is a non-partisan pressure group, through which people discover their voices and can be heard. SHUJAN achieved solid successes in its priority areas through initiatives such as those featured in the 26 December 2006 issue of Time Magazine.

Unleashed Women Leaders Network: With over 1,200 grassroots women activists, this is the largest women’s network in Bangladesh. It began in 2006 by a group of women organizsers trained by The Hunger Project. They advocate on issues such as resisting dowry and early, child or forced marriage, sanitation and the use of water, maternal care and safe delivery, and school enrollment of all [eligible] children.

Self-Governing Union Parishad (UP) Advocacy Group: This is a bottom-up advocacy movement made up of elected union parishad (local government body) representatives, who press the central government to shift more resources and decision-making power to the local level. The UP representatives, many of whom have taken The Hunger Project’s animator training, become local advocates for development in their unions, working together to support more inclusive and responsive local government. Over 950 members are contributing through 38 forums.

Benin

PASCIB: Platform for Civil Society Actors in Benin. THP-Benin has led nutrition campaigns under the PASCIB umbrella and is pressing for a SUN Civil Society Alliance within PASCIB. PASCIB is also one of the nodes of FANRPAN: the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Policy Analysis Network.

Working with the Civil Society Network of Scaling-up Nutrition, THP-Benin has been advocating for the 1,000 Days Campaign to be included in school curriculum. Stunting rates from the epicenters are being used to prove that education about the first 1,000 days of life dramatically decreases stunting, and thus other long term effects.

Burkina Faso

THP-Burkina Faso is advocating to annual budget makers about the importance of increasing and improving the distribution of necessary resources to the local level. Collaborating with additionally concerned NGOs, THP-Burkina Faso has been “targeting” decision makers at both the national and local levels of the government.

Ethiopia

The Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Association (CCRDA) is the main NGO alliance in Ethiopia that THP-Ethiopia engages with for advocacy efforts. The current focus is scaling up our epicenters to build stronger relationships and partnerships with the [local] government. CCRDA’s priority policy issues can be found here.

THP-Ethiopia is a member of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Civil Society Network and has been nominated to be member of the Civil Society Network Steering Committee. In terms of advocacy for THP’s epicenter strategy, THP-Ethiopia has been nominated as 1 out of 10 best practices in food security. The visit to our Meskan epicenter has been conducted and we are waiting to see the compiled documentary to come out soon by Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Association (CCRDA). These advocacy efforts will be maintained for 2015.

Germany

Das Hunger Projekt (DHP) is a member of VENRO, the umbrella organization of development NGOs in Germany founded 20 years ago and consisting of around 120 organizations. Its central goal is to contribute to a just globalization, with a special emphasis on eradicating global poverty. Through active participation in the VENRO working groups on Development Education/Global Learning, Gender Equality and Global Structural Policy we represent our interests vis-à -vis the federal government, engage in lobbying, and comment on state policies concerning developing countries. As VENRO is a member of CONCORD, the umbrella organization on the EU level, we also are invited to take part in European campaigns, petitions, etc.

Das Hunger Projekt regularly participates in advocacy activities and awareness campaigns within the German chapter of Global Call Against Poverty (GCAP) “Deine Stimme gegen Armut”, with a current special focus on coordinating joint action on the G7. We advocate to ensure that the G7 leaders attend the German G7 Summit in June 2015 prepared to deliver concrete policies to end poverty, stop climate change and promote human rights. For this advocacy effort, we strategize with US-based InterAction and Canada-based What World Strategies.

As one of 23 members of “United for Africa” (Gemeinsam für Afrika) we actively support drawing attention to the potential of Africa and encouraging “politics and society to commit more strongly to the fight against hunger and poverty”. The campaign was started in 2003 and was accorded the “Nobel Prize for Humanity” in 2005. DHP is particularly active in the “School Campaign” co-producing learning materials on Africa for schools and participating in Global Learning campaigns that reach out to about 700 schools every year.

DHP is a member of UN Women-Germany and of the German Dalit Solidarity Platform, advocating for Dalit rights. Activists groups of DHP are also active in some federal state-based NGO coalitions.

We conduct regular advocacy activities and meetings with the governmental institutions BMZ (Ministry for Development Cooperation), SEZ (Foundation for Development Cooperation in the federal state Baden Wuerttemberg) and GIZ (German Agency for International Cooperation) in Germany as well as with their representatives in our program countries. DHP is currently applying for BMZ funds for an epicenter in Ghana and has received funding from SEZ for THP-India.

Ghana

In an effort to further sustainability of existing epicenters in the country, THP-Ghana has been working in partnership with Star-Ghana (of DFID) to strengthen local governance and accountability via epicenters as annual, local-level contributors to government budget discussions. In an interest to fill gaps in local governance, epicenter committees would ideally be a platform for sub-district level planning to establish solid accountability. Targets currently include local government ministries and district chief executives.

India

World Food Prize Laureate, Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, selected THP-India to present at the South Asia Nutrition Conference in July 2014.

Malawi

In partnership with the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE), THP-Malawi has been actively advocating to USAID Malawi Mission for increased use of and access to female condoms. Hugely beneficial has been clear alignment of the parallel programming of PEPFAR such as education about HIV prevention. Ideally, education about the use of female condoms will be included in the government’s budget allocations.

Mexico

THP-Mexico continues to advocate for the inclusion of family farming through the National Crusade Against Hunger (NCAH) as well as the Family Farming Network, which they co-founded. The main focus is placed on the constitutionally mandated right to food, which should be adequate, available and accessible.

Mozambique

The national government of Mozambique will be reorganizing the design of a loan concerning nutrition in 2015. Thus, 2014 has been a critical year to advocate for the necessity of increasing nutrition initiatives and impact. Decentralization of nutrition, especially for chronic malnutrition diseases, is a top advocacy priority for THP-Mozambique. Hilighting the 1,000 Days Campaign, THP-Mozambique has been targeting then National Departments of both Health and Food Security and Agriculture.

THP Mozambique is working with gov through SETSAN (Technical Secretariat for Food Security and Nutrition) in advocacy for chronic undernourishment reduction. A part from that, we are member of the nutrition civil society platform to advocate for government to work toward reduction of the current levels and also donors to fund concrete actions, as well as disseminate the work is carried out by different actors for advocacy.

Netherlands

Millennium Network Fryslan is a citizens movement advocating for the MDGs. In May 2015, THP-Netherlands will partake in the Network’s 2015Festival.

Working with Heifer-Nederlands toward the Zero Hunger Challenge.

THP-Netherlands founded the Katakle Network  in 2008 with NPM Capital and investor Carel van Bemmelen. Now including approximately 60 businesses and entrepreneurial members, Katakle is committed to ending hunger via Malcolm Gladwell’s tipping point marketing theory:first realize change in a small critical mass and others will follow at their own pace. The focus is placed on entrepreneurship and self-reliance for impoverished villages in Benin, West Africa.

THP-Netherlands is adovcating to end early, child and forced marriages in partnership with the Ineens Geen Kind Meer Alliance. This alliance also includes Kinderpostzegels and International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI).

THP-Netherlands is also a member of the following, through which it conducts joint advocacy with other members:

  • Agriprofocus, promoting farmer entrepreneurship in developing countries
  • Wo=Men, a Dutch gender platform that contributes to gender mainstreaming, women’s empowerment and the inclusion of men in definition and achievement of gender justice
  • Food First, a science, policy, NGO and business member platform focused on joint learning to put food and agriculture issues at the heart of political debate from the angle of new global realities and scarcity, and new claims and demographic trends.
  • FoodPolicy NL, a business, policy and NGO member platform aimed at translating social developments into commercial opportunities
  • Good Food Alliance: NGO group promoting structural reform of the entire food system to become a transparent market chain via clever cooperation and the expansion of good initiatives to become the standard.

THP-Netherlands is developing joint advocacy plans with the following:

  • Youth Food Movement to launch a series of international advocacy academies
  • Campaigning for Moringa and nutrition via Food Cabinet‘s project office that contributes to a better food system
  • Worlds Best News, a news campaign created by the UN, DANIDA and over 100 Danish development organizations and corporate partners to change public perception about aid effectiveness

Senegal

THP-Senegal is a strong advocate for a government-lead nutrition strategy through its collaborations with more than 40 organizations.

The Government of Senegal [recently] developed a new economic policy called the Plan Senegal Emerge (PSE), which pursues the objective of increasing the economic growth rate to 7% for a period of at least ten years. This priority also targets development improvement in agriculture and food processing. Working with ICCO and its partners in Senegal, including USAID and Aide and Action, THP-Senegal has improved their contribution to policy development and strengthened their participation and response capabilities. This includes specifically targeting farmers, agricultural services businesses and agricultural processing activities through a project focused on advocacy areas such as technical and vocational education, and rural development by the government.

The objective of this project, which will last a year, is to conduct advocacy to get the authorities and policy makers more aware of the issues surrounding agriculture-related technical and vocational training.

The implementation is required to be effective,  and research and building strong alliances with a number of actors (i.e. NGOs, research institutes, parliamentarians, media and social leaders) according to scale and objective. This will also allow greater convergence around major concerns of development thereby strengthening credibility of action through greater social and political mobilization.

Actions target specific agencies of the state; depending on the objective, different branches are targeted. These include the Ministries of Education, Technical and Vocational Training,Women’s Entrepreneurship, Microfinance, Economy and Finance, Agriculture, Commerce, Crafts, and Local Government, administrative and technical departments, and services.

The target “beneficiaries” are young farmers in business and para-agricultural entrepreneurs, and a variety of food processing people (i.e. women’s groups, GIE).

Expected Results:

  • documentary film to increase awareness to policy makers to develop a specific technical and vocational training strategy for the agro pastoral sector.
  • sensitize authorities and policy makers on the need to develop specific technical and vocational training in agriculture
  • a policy for technical and vocational training by the state centered on the needs of agro pastoral forestry carriers
  • a 10% increase in the national budget for technical and vocational training in agro pastoral forestry

Partners:

  • professional organizations and cooperatives from the agricultural sector to participate in the design, management and monitoring of training
  • training facilities (schools and training centers, literacy and civic education structures)
  • territorial institutions (County Councils, Community Interest Grouping (GIC), local communities, towns and rural communities), decentralized public services (Inspection Academy (IA), Learning Branch (DA), Planning and the Reform of Education (DPRE ) of MFPAA, and Regional Development Agencies (ARD) to drive apprenticeship (design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation)

THP-Senegal joined the SUN Network in 2014 to advocate in tandem with the many multi-sectoral members for nutrition and food security from the government, donor platforms and the private sector.

Uganda

Participatory Ecological Land use Management (PELUM) Uganda, which is a network of organizations working in 3 thematic areas of sustainable agriculture, lobbying and advocacy and land rights awareness, has been strategic to THP-U in areas of climate and organic agriculture. It has empowered farmers to fight for their rights and as a result, farmers from Mbarara – including our epicenter – successfully partitioned government through parliament to remove taxes imposed on agriculture inputs.

Forum for women in Democracy (FOWODE) is a women rights, national, non–partisan organization that envisions a just and fair society where women and men equally participate in and benefit from decision making processes. Through community (civil) dialogues and interface meetings, FOWODE and THP-U set meetings with district level government technical teams on accountability for service delivery. Together, we also lobby for service support in key intervention areas such as health services and protected water sources.

The Uganda Civil society Coalition on Scaling up Nutrition (UCCO-SUN) is an advocacy group within the SUN Network fighting malnutrition. Working with UCCO-SUN, THP-U has been able to lobby for increased government action on malnutrition with key focus on the 1000 days “window” and the international goal of scaling up nutrition (SUN). THP-U has been involved in the review of the Uganda Nutrition Action Plan (UNAP) and has made valuable recommendations under UCCO-SUN to the development of UNAP II.

The Uganda National NGO Forum (UNNGOF) is an independent and inclusive national platform for NGO sharing and reflecting to influence governance and development processes in Uganda. THP-U actively participated in May 2014 in the development of the issue paper on National Development Plan II (NDPII) coordinated by the NGO Forum. THP-U has also hosted the working group for Agriculture and made a resubmission of the Epicenter Strategy for NDP II, which is expected to begin at the start of 2015.

The Food Rights Alliance (FRA) is a coalition of NGOs advocating for food security, sustainable agriculture systems and fair trade in Uganda.

USA

InterAction, the largest US alliance of international NGOs, was co-founded by The Hunger Project in 1984. The Hunger Project continues to be an active member, engaging with the more than 190 member organizations of the alliance to leverage collaborations for purposes such as policy reform, knowledge sharing, scale-up initiatives and determining best practices.

Society for International Development-Washington is the largest and most active chapter of the Society for International Development (SID), an international network founded in 1957 to serve as a global forum dedicated to sustainable economic, social and political development.

The Big Ideas for Women and Girls Coalition advocates for placing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls at the center of U.S. foreign policy and assistance, as not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do.

Global Health Council is the leading membership organization supporting and connecting advocates, implementers and stakeholders around global health priorities worldwide. It is an officially recognized civil society participant with the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Alliance to End Hunger is a newer alliance in the development sector that The Hunger Project joined as a means to increase our political commitments and policy reform efforts. In addition, program country offices that cross-cut with those of the Alliance are beginning to knowledge share and advocate more together, leveraging one another’s best practices and expertise to yield a scale-up in development for the end of hunger.