ACF International Network
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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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Action Against Hunger's programs are sustainable because of our commitment to community participation—to build local capacity and harnesses a population's energy and resources.
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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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Where We Work

Devastating Floods Sweep Bangladesh

Emergency Intervention Begins in Shariatpur District
August 22, 2007

Though water levels continue to subside following the devastating floods in Bangladesh, affected populations remain in a precarious situation. Access to water and hygiene is still limited, risking outbreaks of disease and epidemics. In light of this, Action Against Hunger is launching an emergency operation in Shariatpur district, south of Dhaka.

Until a few weeks ago, nearly half of all districts in Bangladesh (40%) were totally or partially flooded by this year’s heavy monsoon. More than 500 people died mainly due to water-borne diseases; an estimated 60,000 homes have been destroyed; and more than 10 million people have been affected by the floods. As water levels decrease, concerns remain regarding access to clean drinking water and sanitation especially for the most vulnerable people. Action Against Hunger is launching an emergency intervention in Shariatpur district (south of Dhaka) in partnership with a Bangladeshi humanitarian organization, Shariatpur Development Society, to improve the population’s access to clean drinking water, sanitation, and food.

An urgent need for clean water and sanitation

In Shariatpur, one of the most affected districts, more than 650,000 people (or more than half the district’s population) were affected by the floods and the resulting erosion of river banks. In some parts of the district, 80% of water sources have been polluted, and 200 of these have been severely damaged. Although many people are returning to their villages, nearly 1,000 families are still displaced. “People are walking on the edge of the streets with the cattle they were able to save from the floods,” says Action Against Hunger’s Florent Baverey. “Shallow wells have nearly all been damaged or contaminated while deeper wells are mainly still functioning. There is a risk that the remaining water and sanitation installations will become saturated.”

Together with Shariatpur Development Society, Action Against Hunger will provide assistance to 4,000 families by implementing programs to rehabilitate and construct wells, to install latrines, and to distribute hygiene kits.

A precarious situation

A large part of the cultivated land was inundated by flooding. Some families have lost all their stock, seeds, and some of their livestock. Livestock is a substantial part of families’ assets in the district, which is now threatened by outbreaks of animal diseases. The people most affected by the floods are the poor and migrant laborers who will have to survive without any source of income for some weeks, before the situation improves. Action Against Hunger, in partnership with Shariatpur Development Society, will launch programs including the vaccinations of animals and the distribution of fodder and seeds to assist the most vulnerable families in restarting their agricultural activities as soon as possible.

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