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Action Against Hunger has developed its water and sanitation expertise over nearly three decades of field work, advancing a number of solutions for populations at risk from water insecurity.
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Central to the targeting of malnutrition, Action Against Hunger extends water and sanitation improvements to communities with little or no access to proper sources.
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Though strategies may vary, our food security interventions all share a common goal: to fight hunger by preserving and strengthening livelihoods in a sustainable and contextual manner.
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Action Against Hunger’s innovative food security programs offer a broad range of solutions for generating income, boosting food production, and strengthening livelihoods.
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Our comprehensive approach to hunger involves extending water and sanitation services to communities faced with water scarcity, unsafe drinking water, and inadequate sanitation.
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Action Against Hunger occupies a unique place among international organizations: our expertise encompasses emergency relief, longer-term development, and the terrain in between.
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We have developed an effective method to treat acute malnutrition that includes field-tested protocols and nutritional products backed by an international scientific advisory committee.
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Action Against Hunger helps rehabilitate and restock public health infrastructure, fields mobile health clinics, and trains local medical personnel on preventative and diagnostic care.
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Our comprehensive programs address the linkages between disease and malnutrition by coordinating with local expertise and strengthening existing public health systems.
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Obstacles to Action in Congo: Lack of Access Hinders Humanitarian Interventions
Attention called to ongoing conflicts, threats to stability in places of nominal peace
April 3, 2003
Shabunda, Eastern Democratic Republic Congo — While international media attention is focused on the war in Iraq, forgotten humanitarian crises continue in areas of nominal peace, like Shabunda, DRC, where international humanitarian aid organization Action Against Hunger / Action Contre la Faim (ACF) continues to encounter problems of access to the population in need.

Action Against Hunger recently withdrew from Shabunda due to anticipated fighting between the warring factions. At the time of withdrawal there were approximately 100 patients in Action Against Hunger's Therapeutic Feeding Center (TFC) and nearly 600 in all ACF's TFCs in Eastern Congo. Supplies were left to continue life-saving operations for one month. Without replenishment in April, these beneficiaries, mostly children, face certain death.

"The situation is of great concern to us," said Banu Altunbas, country director for Action Against Hunger in Eastern DRC. "There is need for humanitarian intervention in nutrition, health, and food security, but there is not enough access to enable these programs to be implemented." Action Against Hunger first gained access to Shabunda in February 2002 at which time a nutritional survey was conducted. It was found that 1 in 5 children under the age of five were malnourished and in need of emergency care. Since that time, even with intermittent access, Action Against Hunger's teams have been able to lower the rate of malnutrition, but there are fears that the recent withdrawal could affect continued progress.

Additionally, little information is known about the nutritional situation in the surrounding areas, though there is reason to believe there are people suffering from malnutrition. "There is a need to assess the nutritional situation in other parts of the territory," Ms. Altunbas explained, "but logistically this has not yet been possible."

This is the second time, in less than six months, that Action Against Hunger has had to withdraw from their humanitarian base in Shabunda due to access issues, putting civilian populations at risk.

Action Against Hunger calls on all parties in DRC to ensure that humanitarian assistance can be provided to civilians immediately in order to avert further nutritional emergencies and possible mortality.

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger / Action Contre la Faim (ACF), an international relief and development organization committed to saving the lives of malnourished children and families, provides sustainable access to safe water and long-term solutions to hunger. For nearly three decades, ACF has pursued its vision of a world without hunger by combating hunger in emergency situations of conflict, natural disaster, and chronic food insecurity.

Press Contact

Action Against Hunger - USA

James L. Phelan
Senior External Relations Officer, ACF-USA
Contact James Phelan
Direct: 212-967-7800 x108
Cell: 646-265-7796