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.
ACF International Map
Where We Work

Sri Lanka
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Action Against Hunger has been in Sri Lanka since 1997, working with the population affected by the civil war and then the tsunami of December, 2004. On August 4, 2006, 17 Sri Lankan members of ACF staff were murdered by gunshots to the head at the the associations premises in Muttur. ACF has been battling since then to find out who were the perpetrators of this massacre and what their motives were, so that justice may be served.

Program Information

Directing HQ: 
Action Against Hunger - France
Launch Date: 
January 1996
World Region: 
Asia
Location(s): 
Jaffna, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Colombo
Expatriates: 
20
Local Staff: 
167
Beneficiaries: 
55,571people
Funding: 
ECHO, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, French Red Cross, private funds

Humanitarian Context

In 1983, a civil war broke out in the north and north-east of Sri Lanka between the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) who held a part of the country, and the government army. This war lasted nearly 20 years, resulting in 60,000 deaths, huge displacements (nearly one million people), blatant human rights violations, severe social and economic instability and the destruction of infrastructure. Since 1996, Action Against Hunger has implemented food security as well as water and sanitation programs, assisting displaced and vulnerable people affected by the conflict. On 26 December 2006, a tsunami struck South Easr Asia. In Sri Lanka alone, 30,000 people were killed and 800,000 people displaced. The south and east of the country were particularly damaged - material possessions and harvests were widely destroyed and accessibility of drinking water was difficult.

Despite the signing of a ceasefire in 2002 and a truce following the tsunami, the conflict between the armed forces and the Tamil rebels has intensified since the start of 2006. Since April 2006, the situation has deteriorated with incidents taking place nearly every day. The increase in violence has forced some populations to flee from the fighting. In June 2006, 25,000 were still displaced, especially in the east of the country. Despite problems of access and a difficult security situation, Action Against Hunger is implementing emergency programs to assist

Area(s) of Work

Food Security: 
  • Support to income-generating activities
  • Distribution of seeds and tools
  • Distribution of animals
  • Education about agriculture and stockbreeding
Water & Sanitation: 
  • Supply and management of water and sanitation
  • Creation of committees among users of wells
  • Hygiene training
  • Research program about the potable water needs for the population affected by the tsunami
  • Distribution of potable water in cans and construction of latrines to provide urgent care to the people displaced by the Tamil conflict