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action against hunger
Feeding Inspiration With the Refugee Olympic Team
These athletes are a testament to what people can overcome—but nobody should have to; hunger is manmade, and the solutions can be, too.
Jul 26, 2024
To meet the nutritional needs of 15,000 athletes and staff from 208 countries and territories, the 2024 Paris Olympics will need to prepare 40,000 meals every day—which adds up to 1.2 million meals, including 3 million bananas and 27 tons of coffee.
Their diverse sports demand very different requirements. Some athletes must maintain an exact weight, while others may need to increase their carbohydrate or protein intake. After all, nutrition fuels athletic performance.
And yet, some athletes come from places where malnutrition is a constant concern. In many parts of the world, hunger is deeply linked to conflict, which has been on the rise. More than 117 million people were forcibly displaced last year. It can create a vicious cycle, as many displaced people face hunger and uncertainty. But, their stories don’t have to end there.
As we prepare to cheer on the Refugee Olympic Team, we’re spotlighting accomplished athletes and their countries of origin—all places where Action Against Hunger runs programs that can help the next generation realize their potential.
Talent is everywhere, and it can become greatness when it is nourished. For proof, look no further than the Refugee Olympic Team. Launched at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, the team is a symbol of hope. This year, the team is composed of 37 athletes from 15 National Olympic Committees, competing across 12 sports. To be eligible, an athlete must be a top competitor in their sport and a refugee in their host country.
Action Against Hunger is familiar with the ongoing global refugee crisis, which has surged in recent years. Conflict is a major driving force behind the growing displacement, and more forced displacement equals more hunger—more than 85% of people living in conflict-affected countries are experiencing food insecurity.
As we prepare to cheer on the Refugee Olympic Team, we’re spotlighting accomplished athletes and their countries of origin—all places where Action Against Hunger runs programs that can help the next generation realize their potential.
Afghanistan
After decades of conflict and growing climate stress, 24 million Afghans, or nearly 60% of the population, need help to afford food and other basic necessities. Studies have shown that a majority of the population also is dealing with mental health challenges, which can be deeply linked to hunger.
A number of athletes originally from Afghanistan are part of the Refugee Olympic Team. We’ll be rooting for them:
- Manizha Talash is a breakdancer who now resides in Spain but has been reunited with members of her hip-hop community from Kabul.
- Farzad Mansouri’s sport is taekwondo. Born in Parwan, he was part of the Afghan Olympic Team in Tokyo 2020 before he had to leave his country due to safety concerns.
- Nigara Sha Heen was born in Afghanistan and currently resides in Peshawar, Pakistan. She is a judoka (someone who practices judo) and competes in the -70 kilogram category.
- Arab Sibghatullah also practices judo, and his love for the sport began when he was eight years old. Originally from Kunduz province, he now lives in Germany.
- Amir Ansari is a cyclist. Born in Iran, he grew up in Afghanistan before he was forced to flee in 2015. He now lives in Sweden and trains with the Stockholm Cycling Club.
Syria
Conflict has created a hunger crisis in Syria, where people are dealing with shattered infrastructure and soaring inflation. A full 6.7 million Syrians have been displaced, and 90% of the population lives in poverty, with 64% relying on humanitarian assistance to survive.
Here are some of the impressive Syrian refugee athletes we’re cheering on during the Olympics:
- Alaa Masso lived in Aleppo before he left the country in 2015. He now resides in Germany where he continues his education and is a competitive swimmer.
- Muna Dahouk began practicing judo in Damascus at the age of six. Forced to flee the country in 2019, she now lives in the Netherlands with her mother.
- Yahya Al Ghotany’s sport is taekwondo. He now trains with the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation’s Azraq Academy in Jordan.
- Both a long and triple jumper, Mohammad Amin Alsalami was born in Syria. Forced to leave his home country twice, he now lives in Berlin.
Sudan
Hunger has long been widespread in Sudan, and when civil war broke out last year, things became even worse. Sudan’s health system is under extreme stress and millions of people face crisis levels of hunger, yet only 30% of its hunger-related programs are funded.
In this year’s Paris games, two outstanding athletes originally from Sudan are competing on the Refugee Olympic Team:
- Musa Suliman competes in the 400 meter. Born in Sudan, he moved to Cairo at the age of nine and to Switzerland in 2021.
- Jamal Abdelmaji is a track athlete who ran the 5,000m in the 2020 Olympic Games. He fled Darfur as a teenager and now lives with a host family in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Ethiopia
Recently one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, Ethiopia now faces one of the 10 worst food crises on the planet. Conflict and climate-related drought have taken a toll. An estimated 40% of its children under five are stunted, meaning that chronic or recurring malnutrition is preventing them from reaching typical growth milestones.
Here are two Ethiopian athletes participating in this year’s Refugee Olympic Team:
- Eyeru Gebru is a cyclist from Ethiopia who moved to France in 2021 in order to escape conflict at home.
- Farida Abaroge grew up in Jimma and is passionate about running, football, and karate. Forced to leave Ethiopia at a young age, Abaroge traveled through many countries before finally finding refuge in France.
These athletes are a testament to what people can overcome—but nobody should have to. Hunger is manmade, and the solutions can be, too. Together, we can create a world where every life is well nourished.
We hope you’ll join us in showing your support for athletes and refugees during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Cheer them on, share their stories, and post about them on your socials. Note the link between nutrition and performance in sports and in life, celebrate the talent that can emerge from hardship, and help bring attention to the tens of millions who still need support.
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Aid Groups Say Permanent Cease-Fire Is 'Only Way to Avoid' Risk of Gaza Famine
"Avoiding famine cannot be done with ongoing hostilities," said an international coalition.
Feb 14, 2024
With Israel blocking aid and decimating all infrastructure that Palestinians in Gaza have used to feed the population, a coalition of international human rights groups on Wednesday said that nothing less than "an immediate and permanent cease-fire" is needed to ensure the enclave does not descend into famine.
Fifteen groups including Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and Action Against Hunger issued a joint statement demanding an immediate end to Israel's bombardment of Gaza as it became clear that the Biden administration's efforts to provide aid to civilians are backfiring.
Weeks after high-level White House officials negotiated a shipment of flour to Gaza, where just 15 out of 97 bakeries are operational following Israeli airstrikes and ground attacks, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich blocked the transfer of the flour from the port of Ashdod.
The shipment was supposed to be sent through the Kerem Shalom crossing, but has been held up at Ashdod for several weeks because Smotrich was told the flour was destined for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The aid agency for Palestinians in Gaza has lost significant funding in recent weeks due to Israel's unsubstantiated claim that 12 of the group's employees were involved in a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel last October.
An Israeli dossier examined by Channel 4 in the U.K. this month provided no evidence that UNRWA workers were involved in the attack, but the U.S. and other countries have nonetheless refused to reinstate funding for the agency, on which Gaza's 2.3 million residents heavily relied for aid even before the war.
In their statement, the aid groups on Wednesday warned that "the only way to comply with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2417," which condemns the use of starvation as a weapon of war, is to agree to an immediate and permanent cease-fire and allow all humanitarian aid to reach victims in Gaza.
"The siege tactics imposed by Israel on Gaza are one of the key factors impeding the delivery of aid," said the groups. "Under international humanitarian law, parties to the conflict are obliged to facilitate rapid unfettered access to aid."
The groups released the statement as Israel was expected to begin a ground offensive in Rafah, where 1.5 million peopleare now living following the displacement of about 85% of Gaza residents—as the city has been labeled a "safe zone."
Dozens have been killed in bombings on the city in recent days as Palestinians seek shelter in makeshift tents, all while struggling to feed their families.
Matthew Hollingsworth, Palestine country director for the World Food Program, described how the city is "packed with a throng of humans" who have been forced to spend their days "bustling around, looking for support, for assistance, for fuel to burn to keep warm or cook, looking for food, being elsewhere other than a fairly damp, cold, and miserable [makeshift] home."
The aid groups noted that Integrated Food Security and Nutrition Phase Classification (IPC) analysis from late last year found that the entire population of Gaza was living in a state of "crisis-level hunger," with 1 in 4 households—more than half a million people—facing "catastrophic" hunger, defined as "an extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities."
"This is the highest proportion of any population in food security crisis and above on the IPC's global records," said the groups. "Virtually all households are skipping meals each day. Some families go days and nights without eating."
The groups added that the United Nations has predicted a 27% increase in child wasting—which occurs when a child is too thin for their height as the result of rapid weight loss—in the coming months unless a cease-fire is brokered and humanitarian aid is restored.
Two-thirds of Gaza's population relied on daily aid deliveries before the current Israeli escalation, and now needs have "largely increased and worsened," said the groups, due partially to the destruction of agricultural fields, water pipelines, and other food infrastructure.
"The prevention of sufficient food aid from reaching the population and targeting food production and distribution infrastructure, including farms, water systems, mills, food processing and storing sites, hubs, and means for food transportation are a direct violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2417," said the groups.
"The only way to avoid the risk of famine is to immediately stop the deterioration of health, nutrition and food security, and increasing morbidity, through the restoration of health services, water and sanitation services, fisheries and agricultural lands, and markets," they added. "Avoiding famine cannot be done with ongoing hostilities."
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