ACTION AGAINST HUNGER - USA

ETHIOPIA:ETHIOPIA, WITH A POPULATION OF 129.7 MILLION, IS AFRICA'S SECOND MOST POPULOUS NATION. DESPITE ECONOMIC GAINS FROM 20002015, THE COUNTRY IS OFF-TRACK IN MEETING SEVERAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL TARGETS, INCLUDING POVERTY, HUNGER, HEALTH, AND WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE (WASH) GOALS. THE 2024 GLOBAL HUNGER INDEX RANKED ETHIOPIA 102 OUT OF 127 COUNTRIES, WITH 22.2 MILLION UNDERNOURISHED.HUMANITARIAN NEEDS REMAIN VAST, WITH 28.5 MILLION PEOPLE REQUIRING ASSISTANCE AND 4.4 MILLION INTERNALLY DISPLACED BY CONFLICT AND CLIMATE EVENTS. ACUTE MALNUTRITION IS SEVERE, WITH ONLY 32 PER CENT OF ESTIMATED CASES TREATED. ETHIOPIA'S HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IS DRIVEN BY CONFLICT, CLIMATE SHOCKS, ECONOMIC CHALLENGES, AND RECURRENT PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES.ACTION AGAINST HUNGER OPERATES IN SIX REGIONS IN ETHIOPIA, REACHING OVER 3.5 MILLION INDIVIDUALS WITH PROGRAMMES IN HEALTH AND NUTRITION, WASH, FOOD SECURITY AND LIVELIHOODS, AND PROTECTION.KEY 2024 ACHIEVEMENTS INCLUDE SCREENING 539,859 PEOPLE FOR MALNUTRITION, TREATING 31,947 CHILDREN WITH SEVERE ACUTE MALNUTRITION, AND DISTRIBUTING USD 4.1 MILLION (EUR 3.53 MILLION) IN CASH AID TO 74,650 PEOPLE. WASH EFFORTS INCLUDED: REHABILITATING 112 WASH FACILITIES IN HEALTH INSTITUTIONS; AND REACHING 607,655 PEOPLE THROUGH THE WASH SECTOR, OF WHICH 72,666 EMERGENCY-AFFECTED COMMUNITY MEMBERS WERE PROVIDED WITH BASIC WATER SUPPLY. THROUGH MENTAL HEALTH AND CARE PRACTICES, 163,192 AT-RISK PEOPLE WERE REACHED BY DIFFERENT INTERVENTIONS.NEW INITIATIVES LAUNCHED INCLUDE A USD 11 MILLION (EUR 9.48 MILLION) HDP NEXUS PROJECT ENHANCING FOOD SECURITY AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE OF MORE THAN 100,000 PASTORAL AND AGRO-PASTORAL HOUSEHOLDS ACROSS FIVE REGIONS, AS WELL AS THE NATIONAL ROLLOUT OF NUTRITION-CENTRIC HUMANITARIAN, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE (HDP) TRIPLE NEXUS GUIDELINES. OUR RESEARCH TEAM IS ALSO TRIALLING A BREAKTHROUGH PLANT-BASED READY-TO-USE THERAPEUTIC FOOD IN ETHIOPIA COLLABORATION WITH INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS.

SOUTH SUDAN: IN 2024, SOUTH SUDAN FACED ESCALATING HUNGER AND MALNUTRITION DRIVEN BY ECONOMIC INSTABILITY, CONFLICT, WIDESPREAD FLOODING, AND AN INFLUX OF REFUGEES AND RETURNEES. ACCORDING TO THE 2024 GLOBAL HUNGER INDEX, SOUTH SUDAN IS EXPERIENCING ALARMING LEVELS OF HUNGER.FROM SEPTEMBER TO NOVEMBER 2024, 6.3 MILLION PEOPLE (47 PER CENT OF THE POPULATION ANALYSED) WERE CLASSIFIED AS BEING IN CRISIS (IPC PHASE 3) OR WORSE, WITH 1.71 MILLION IN EMERGENCY (IPC PHASE 4) AND 41,000 PEOPLE IN CATASTROPHE (IPC PHASE 5). FLOODING AFFECTED OVER 1.4 MILLION PEOPLE, DEVASTATING CROPS AND DISPLACING COMMUNITIES, WHILE MORE THAN 1 MILLION PEOPLE FLED INTO SOUTH SUDAN FROM SUDAN, PLACING SEVERE PRESSURE ON ALREADY LIMITED RESOURCES.ACTION AGAINST HUNGER PROVIDED LIFESAVING AND RESILIENCE-BUILDING SUPPORT IN WARRAP, NORTHERN BAHR EL GHAZAL, JONGLEI, AND CENTRAL EQUATORIA. OUR PROGRAMMES FOCUSED ON NUTRITION AND HEALTH, WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE (WASH), AND FOOD SECURITY AND LIVELIHOODS, REACHING OVER 650,000 VULNERABLE PEOPLE. GENDER AND PROTECTION CONSIDERATIONS WERE INTEGRATED ACROSS ALL ACTIVITIES TO ENSURE INCLUSIVE ASSISTANCE. KEY INITIATIVES INCLUDED THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE MULTI-SECTOR EMERGENCY TEAM AND SURVEILLANCE AND EVALUATION TEAM (METSET) TO FIVE LOCATIONS, DELIVERING RAPID ASSISTANCE TO FLOOD-AFFECTED POPULATIONS AND DISPLACED REFUGEES AND RETURNEES. OUR PROGRAMMES MITIGATED ACUTE MALNUTRITION, WATERBORNE DISEASES, AND FOOD INSECURITY, WHILE SUPPORTING COMMUNITY RESILIENCE THROUGH LONG-TERM RECOVERY EFFORTS.ACTION AGAINST HUNGER STRENGTHENED ADVOCACY EFFORTS IN 2024, WORKING WITH LAWMAKERS AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS TO SECURE INCREASED BUDGET ALLOCATIONS FOR HEALTH AND NUTRITION AND WASH SECTORS. A MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT WAS THE FINALISATION OF SOUTH SUDAN'S FIRST NATIONAL NUTRITION POLICY, PROMOTING A MULTISECTORAL APPROACH TO ADDRESS MALNUTRITION COMPREHENSIVELY. ADDITIONALLY, OUR MONITORING, EVALUATION, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND LEARNING (MEAL) AND RESEARCH TEAMS CONTRIBUTED CRITICAL DATA TO NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY ASSESSMENTS, SHAPING EVIDENCE-BASED HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE.