Action Against Hunger (also known as or ACF) is an international relief and development organization committed to saving the lives of malnourished children and families while providing sustainable access to safe water and long-term solutions to hunger.

Recognized as a world leader in the fight against hunger and malnutrition, Action Against Hunger has pursued its vision of a world without hunger for nearly three decades, combating hunger in emergency situations of conflict, natural disaster, and chronic food insecurity. With 6,000+ staff in some 40 countries, our innovative programs in nutrition, food security, water and sanitation, health care, and advocacy reach some 5 million people each year, restoring dignity, self-sufficiency, and independence to vulnerable populations throughout the world.

Today, 854 million people around the world still suffer from hunger and more than one billion people lack access to drinking water. In order to respond to populations' needs and fight against hunger efficiently, Action Against Hunger's programs focus on four areas: nutrition and health, food security, water, sanitation and hygiene and advocacy.

Nutrition and Health:

Nutrition programs aim at assessing, preventing and treating acute malnutrition among the most vulnerable populations, especially young children and pregnant or lactating women. Health Programs consist of fighting diseases linked with malnutrition.

Food Security:

Action Against Hunger's food security programs include both emergency programs - such as emergency food distributions - as well as long-term programs. These programs aim at boosting agricultural and/or economic activity providing populations with sufficient access to food of a satisfactory quality and improving self sufficiency.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene:

These programs aim at guaranteeing access to drinking water and good sanitary conditions (by providing wells, water distribution networks, latrines, hygiene education sessions etc). In 2006, 1,852,490 people benefitted from these ACF-IN programs.

Advocacy:
Action Against Hunger raises awareness about hunger and seeks to alert and influence the international community when fundamental rights such as access to water or food are violated. Action Against Hunger's advocacy efforts aim at affecting institutional and cultural changes to help create a world without hunger.

Action Against Hunger was founded in 1979 by a group of French intellectuals in response to the emergency in Afghanistan. These included Françoise Girous, Bernard Hunri Lévy, Marek Halter, Alfred Kastler (a Nobel Laureate in physics), Guy Sorman, Jacques Attali and several other doctors, journalists and writers. While the fight against hunger had previously been an element of more general humanitarian action (the fight against poverty, promoting better heath etc.) they founded an organization that was exclusively dedicated to ending hunger. Action against Hunger is now recognized as one of the leading organizations in the fight against hunger worldwide.

In 1979 the creation of Action Against Hunger formed park of a new generation of independent NGOs (non-governmental organizations) that reject silence surrounding injustice and seek to bear witness and report on atrocities, while taking action to end them.

In 1995 Action Against hunger had developed within the framework of an interdependent international network (ACF - IN) and had opened two headquarters in Madrid and London to better respond to the needs of populations.

In 1997, the network expanded with the opening of a fourth headquarters in New York. Then finally in 2005, there was a fifth opening of headquarters in Montreal.

In 2006, the humanitarian world and ACF - IN in particular were severely shocked when 17 members of its colleagues were assassinated in Muttur, Sri Lanka, on 4th August 2006. The organization remains committed to finding the truth about what happened. The events of August 4th will not be forgotten by ACF - In, which has become one of the major organizations specialized in the fight against hunger. This tragedy reminds of the dangers that humanitarian workers and populations are faced with in countries where insecurity is worsening such as Afghanistan, Somalia amongst others. Despite this ACF has continued to work in these areas and continues to provide vital aid to vulnerable people. Thanks to its resources, its international network (in particular its five headquarters) and its experience, ACF - In is able to act more effectively in afflicted areas. Therefore 5 million people have been supported by aid and nutrition programs as well as programs including health food security and water and sanitation. The challenges that we face at ACF -In are our raison d'être and because of this we will continue dispite the tragic events.

Hunger:

+ Global hunger, both chronic and acute malnutrition, affects 854 million people today.

+ Chronic malnutrition involves "stunting" - when a child is shorted and less developed than should be - and hinders a child's growth and development (lover IQ's, learning disabilities etc.)

+ Acute malnutrition is a more immediate killer and involves "wasting" - a life - threatening loss of body mass and muscle - as a child's body shuts down and ceases to function. Death from starvation is the end result without specialized treatment.

+ Some 20 million children face starvation from severe acute malnutrition and 60 million suffer moderate forms of acute malnutrition. Both are deadly if untreated.

+More than 5 million children die each year of acute malnutrition - "famine" of sorts on a global scale. These are perfectly preventable deaths.

+ We know where and when acute malnutrition is likely to occur: regions affected by cyclical nutrition crises, political instability, and seasonal insecurity.

+If we can reach these children, we can save them - 90% of all kids who receive treatment recover, but only 3% ever receive treatment.

+ With sufficient resources and political will, Action Against Hunger and its partners could save these 5 million children whole addressing the underlying causes of hunger over the long-term.

+ With an integrated approach - saving lives today while building local capacity for tomorrow - Action Against Hunger's global efforts hold the key to eradication malnutrition... for good.

Water & Sanitation:

+ Some 1.1 billion people have insufficient access to clean drinking water.

+ A startling 2.6 billion people lack proper sanitation.

+ Water-borne illnesses account for some 80% of all communicable diseases, and play a major role in generating malnutrition.

+ Action Against Hunger's integrated approach to hunger involves extending water and sanitation services to communities faced with water scarcity, unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation , and poor hygiene.

+ Action Against Hunger is renown for its expertise in water and sanitation.

+ Action against hunger joined the Howard G. Buffet foundation and a select number of nonprofit to launch an ambitions new undertaking called the "Global Water Initiative" (GWI) that will invest $150 million in water improvements over the next 10 years.