"End hunger" - this is the second of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted in 2015 and to be achieved by 2030. Progress has been made in the global fight against hunger in the intervening years, but the topic remains as pressing as it ever was. Up to 828 million people around the world do not have enough to eat and have to go hungry (as of 2022). Hunger has particularly serious consequences for children: About 149 million children under the age of five suffer from stunted growth and development due to chronic malnutrition. 45 million children are affected by so-called wasting as a result of acute malnutrition. In addition, there are around 2 billion people suffering from chronic malnutrition, so-called "hidden hunger". They are unable to obtain sufficient supplies of essential nutrients such as vitamins or minerals from their diet. Diseases and irreparable damage to health are the result.
These figures show that the world is still far from achieving the goal of "Zero Hunger by 2030." Ending hunger and malnutrition therefore remains at the top of the United Nations agenda. And we, too, are working toward this goal, because this major task can only be accomplished with the combined efforts of all stakeholders! In our global projects, we are making our contribution to this goal: We enable people living in crisis situations and poverty to have better access to sufficient, nutritious food and thus contribute to improved health. By ensuring healthy nutrition, we can simultaneously strengthen the resilience of people affected by crises and conflicts.
An integrated approach for a healthy life
The combination of undernourishment with dirty water and poor hygiene is ideal for the propagation of a variety of diseases - contributing to our overall growth of helping to ensure people are able to enjoy good health. For measures to provide food security to be effective, an approach that also engages with the fields of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is needed to reduce the risk of contamination, and the spread of sicknesses which prevent the body from using food effectively. According to this integrated approach, for example, providing support to pregnant women and young children is highly important. The first 1,000 days of the life of a child are decisive for physical and cognitive development. Undernourishment during this critical period can cause irreversible and lifelong damage.
Alongside access to foodstuffs, knowledge of their use and methods of preparation, as well as basic hygiene measures, are necessary. Our projects seek to ensure that people threatened by malnutrition have access to both. In emergency situations like natural disasters or conflicts we provide additional aid in the form of food parcels, vouchers and cash.
