Africa

Drought is particularly hard on herding and farming families, who depend on land and livestock to survive.
Toby Madden
Action Against Hunger, Ethiopia
A health worker checks the nutrition status of a young boy as his mother holds him.

Millions of people in Africa live in extreme poverty without access to safe drinking water and reliable sources of food.

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A health worker checks the nutrition status of a young boy as his mother holds him.
In Kenya, women farmers are learning about composting and other techniques to keep their land fertile.
A pregnant woman waits inside a health center in Bacabo, Ivory Coast.
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Hunger in Africa Statistics

Sub-Saharan Africa faces the highest rate of undernutrition in the world; one in five people there face hunger. Ongoing conflicts, drought, surging food prices, inequity, and weak infrastructure drive hunger in many communities across Africa.

In the village of Kaluwa, Yobe State, Nigeria, Action Against Hunger health and nutrition activities in a building intended to house a health establishment, but which is not functioning.
264M

People Face Hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa

319M

People in Sub-Saharan Africa Do Not Have Reliable Water Sources

A health worker measures a child for malnutrition.
24.1%

Of People in Sub-Saharan Africa Are Undernourished

Where we work in Africa

Women and children stand by a well, gathering water.

Burkina Faso

Conflict and poverty drive food insecurity in Burkina Faso.

A mother and child in front of a pink wall in Cameroon.

Cameroon

Action Against Hunger's farmer schools in Cameroon teach climate-smart growing techniques.

A woman walks through dry, sandy land with a large bag above her head. An Action Against Hunger truck is in the background.

Chad

In Chad, climate crises and attacks by armed groups in the Lake Chad Basin drive severe malnutrition.

At the Stabilization Center at Yabelo General Hospital in Ethiopia, Nurse Ware helps severely malnourished Dabo drink therapeutic milk as treatment for Dabo's malnutrition.

Ethiopia

Hunger is widespread in Ethiopia, where the most severe drought in decades drives food insecurity.

Girls play in their neighborhood in Abidjan, a city in the south of Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast

Despite its economic growth in recent years, hunger persists in Ivory Coast.

Miriam, a nutritionist in Kapenguria hospital, talks with Jane about breastfeeding.

Kenya

Communities in Kenya face widespread drought, failed harvests, malnutrition, and poverty.

A child eats rice standing next to his mother in Monrovia, Liberia.

Liberia

Widespread hunger persists in Liberia following its long, devastating civil war.

Trained by Action Against Hunger, these women farmers are able to successfully plant crops despite the drought and dry soil.

Madagascar

Madagascar is one of the ten countries most vulnerable to climate disasters around the world.

Naré Tounkara, matron of the Boudofo Community Health Center in Kita, Mali, measures a child for malnutrition.

Mali

Drought and conflict have left more than 30% of children in Mali chronically malnourished.

Ousmane, a young boy who was treated for malnutrition by Action Against Hunger.

Mauritania

Less than one percent of land is usable for agriculture in Mauritania.

A woman weaves baskets in Niger.

Niger

In Niger, one of the world's poorest nations, about one in five people cannot meet their food needs.

Action Against Hunger staff host a hygiene education session for displaced families in Nigeria.

Nigeria

Nigeria is Africa’s wealthiest nation, yet food insecurity remains extremely high.

A health worker checks a pregnant woman's health

Senegal

Despite economic growth, chronic poverty and hunger persist in Senegal.

Sierra Leone

More than half of Sierra Leone's population lacks reliable access to food.

Somalia

Drought and persistent conflict have caused a long-term humanitarian crisis in Somalia.

Sudan

Humanitarian needs in Sudan are at an all-time high, with 15.8 million people in need.

South Sudan

Crisis continues in South Sudan due to conflict and weak essential services such as sanitation and healthcare.

Rodrick, 4, plays with a ball at his grandparents' home.

Tanzania

Much of Tanzania has access to food, but many children still suffer from chronic undernutrition.

An Action Against Hunger aid worker walks through a field.

Uganda

Uganda hosts millions of refugees, and poverty limits people's access to food.

Zambia

More than half of Zambia's population lives in poverty.

A woman, wearing a mask, examines her crops.

Zimbabwe

Many Zimbabweans suffer from malnutrition coupled with HIV/AIDS.

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The impact of hunger in Africa

Lack of access to nutritious food is truly devastating to children, families, and entire communities. Meet Fatuma, a displaced mother of two who lives in a displacement camp outside of Somalia’s capital city of Mogadishu. Fatuma was forced to leave one of her children behind to escape an abusive marriage. When she regained custody of her daughter, she found that her little girl was suffering from neglect and malnutrition.

Fatuma’s story shows the hardships that women and children face in displacement camps, where poverty and poor hygiene can lead to malnutrition. However, with the right support, there is hope. We have more than 40 years of experience saving lives and supporting self-sufficiency for some of the world’s most vulnerable people. We help communities become more resilient to extreme poverty and hunger and enable families to recover from crisis.

Rosalyne Chepochkok, 35 rears goats in Kapkitony, West Pokot County, Kenya with the help of an Action Against Hunger loan.
Peter Caton
Action Against Hunger, Kenya
A woman and her baby in a demonstration plot

As a mother, I never thought I would see my daughter this sick. In that instant, I didn't think she would come out of this alive.”

— Fatuma in Somalia

Child malnutrition in Somalia: A mother's challenges and perseverance

When Action Against Hunger came, that’s when our minds opened up. This is why we are now thinking in terms of buying goats to empower ourselves as women.”

— Rosalyn in northwestern Kenya

Goats and Big Dreams in Kenya

In Tanzania, Action Against Hunger taught Anceran, known as the "Mother of Vegetables," how to create gardens with limited land and water and how to preserve her crops using solar driers.

How the ‘Mother of Vegetables’ Turned Her Life Around

Solutions to hunger and poverty in Africa

Across Africa, Action Against Hunger provides lifesaving treatment to children suffering from the deadliest form of hunger, known as acute malnutrition. We partner with parents and communities to bring treatment to children in need, faster, and we educate and change behaviors to help prevent malnutrition from occurring in the first place.

Our food security and livelihoods programs empower vulnerable communities to improve their access to food, income, and markets. We train and build the capacity of small-scale farmers to implement climate-smart agriculture techniques, increase production, and safely store and market their crops. Our teams help herders to improve the health of their livestock and find pasture lands to feed them. We also help mothers save money and access capital to start businesses.

In humanitarian emergencies, we provide cash transfers or cash-for-work programs to help families in crisis buy food and support local markets while also enabling them to make their own choices about their most urgent needs.

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A woman hugs her daughter

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Join our community of supporters passionate about ending world hunger.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.