SELECT PROGRAMSclean drinking water, latrines, washingareas, and hygiene kits to helpcontrol disease outbreaks—a maincause of malnutrition.<strong>ACF</strong> worked in close collaborationwith government health authorities toprevent and treat acute malnutritionin the eastern region of Tapoa througha variety of food security initiativesand support to community-basedtherapeutic and supplementarynutrition programs.GuatemalaIn the Corredor Seco, an arid regionon the border of Guatemala andHonduras, severe food insecurity andhigh childhood malnutrition ratessurfaced in <strong>2009</strong> as a result of unusuallylow rainfall and the effects of theglobal economic recession. In someareas, more than half of the cornharvest, and 70 percent of the beancrops, were lost due to insufficientrainfall. According to <strong>Action</strong> <strong>Against</strong><strong>Hunger</strong>’s assessments, 40 percentof families were skipping at leastone meal a day, and 90 percent hadstopped consuming one of the basicfood groups.In Guatemala since 1998, <strong>ACF</strong>intervened on an emergency andlong-term basis, treating childrenwith severe acute malnutrition andproviding nutrition, food security,and water and sanitation programsin the area. <strong>ACF</strong> launched cash-forworkand agro-forestry programs,constructed wells, and offered instructionin nutrition and improvedagricultural techniques.MaliA protracted drought in eastern Malidestroyed crops, decimated cattle,and caused an alarming increase inthe number of children with moderateand severe acute malnutrition.The drought prolonged the dryseason by two months, forcing farmersto delay planting and harvestingcrops, which in turn set off a dramaticrise in the price of basic foods. Insome areas, the rice harvest was down75 percent, a major blow to peopledependent on this staple food.<strong>Action</strong> <strong>Against</strong> <strong>Hunger</strong>, in Mali since1996, responded by ramping up itstherapeutic nutrition programs toensure sufficient supplies of readyto-usefoods for 1,600 children withlife-threatening malnutrition. Theorganization also launched a series ofprograms aimed at diversifying agriculturalproduction and improvinghousehold income, including seedand tool distributions, technical skillstrainings, and support for women’seconomic cooperatives and othermicro-enterprises.LiberiaActively involved in Liberia’s reconstructionand development effortssince the civil war ended in 2003,<strong>Action</strong> <strong>Against</strong> <strong>Hunger</strong> workedalongside local partners with the aimof ensuring that life-saving services innutrition, clean water, and sanitationcontinue to meet the needs of vulnerablepopulations well into the future.Since 2006, <strong>ACF</strong> has worked withAid for the Needy Development Program(ANDP), the only local non-Poverty, deprivation,and hunger are alltoo common, but<strong>ACF</strong>’s programs helprestore dignity, health,and self-sufficiency.Our 4,600+ staffare seasonedprofessionals andtechnical experts inwater and sanitation,food security, publichealth, and nutrition.Our emergencyinterventions ensureaccess to cleanwater, a first line ofdefense in mitigatinga natural disaster.8(From left): <strong>ACF</strong>-Liberia, courtesy V. (From Burger; left) <strong>ACF</strong>-Georgia; <strong>ACF</strong>-Guatemala, <strong>ACF</strong>-Uganda, courtesy B. courtesy Grignet; T. Frank <strong>ACF</strong>-D.R.Congo, courtesy Burger/Phanie; <strong>ACF</strong>-Cambodia, courtesy J. Lapegue
action against hungeraction against hungergovernmental organization specializingin the detection, prevention andtreatment of malnutrition in greaterMonrovia, where many clinics andhospitals were damaged or destroyedduring years of conflict. After graduallyincreasing their capacity, ANDPassumed responsibility for directlyimplementing all aspects of the nutritionprograms in the capital, with<strong>ACF</strong> playing only a supporting roleby providing advice and guidance.And, as poor access to safe drinkingwater and lack of sanitation facilitiesis a major cause of illness and malnutritionin Liberia, <strong>ACF</strong> providedtraining and operational support toanother local organization, GroundWater Exploration Incorporated,which brought safe drinking waterto some of the hardest to reach ruralcommunities in the country.AfghanistanIn 1979, <strong>Action</strong> <strong>Against</strong> <strong>Hunger</strong>launched its first emergency humanitarianintervention in Afghanistan andcontinues to run programs that helppeople provide for their families inthe face of changing environmentaland security conditions. While yearsof drought and desertification havetaken a significant toll on the Afghanpopulation, plunging them into severefood insecurity, the resurgence of violencesince 2008 has made access tovulnerable communities increasinglydifficult. In the provinces of Kabul,Day Kundi, Ghor, Samangan andParwan, <strong>ACF</strong> provided lifesaving assistanceto families, organizing majordistributions of food and seeds for theharvest season and ensuring sustainableaccess to clean drinking water inhard-to-reach areas.<strong>ACF</strong> INTERNATIONAL<strong>ACF</strong>-Liberia, courtesy L. Grosjean9