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food insecurity
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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730 Million People—Including 20% of Africans—Faced Hunger Last Year
Jul 24, 2024
More than 730 million people around the world faced hunger last year, including 1 in 5 Africans, with over half a billion people set to be chronically malnourished by the decade's end if current trends continue, according to a report published Wednesday by a United Nations agency.
One in 11 people globally went hungry in 2023, the latest U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report revealed.
"The report shows that the world has been set back 15 years, with levels of undernourishment comparable to those in 2008-2009," according to the FAO. "An alarming number of people continue to face food insecurity and malnutrition as global hunger levels have plateaued for three consecutive years."
"Hunger is not something natural. Hunger is something that requires a political decision."
The agency noted significant variation in regional trends as "the percentage of the population facing hunger continues to rise in Africa (20.4%), remains stable in Asia (8.1%)—though still representing a significant challenge as the region is home to more than half of those facing hunger worldwide—and shows progress in Latin America (6.2%)."
"If current trends continue, about 582 million people will be chronically undernourished in 2030, half of them in Africa," FAO said, warning that "the world is falling significantly short of achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, Zero Hunger, by 2030."
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said in a statement that "transforming agrifood systems is more critical than ever as we face the urgency of achieving the SDGs within six short years. FAO remains committed to supporting countries in their efforts to eradicate hunger and ensure food security for all."
"We will work together with all partners and with all approaches, including the G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, to accelerate the needed change," Qu added. "Together, we must innovate and collaborate to build more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems that can better withstand future challenges for a better world."
FAO argued that "achieving SDG 2 Zero Hunger requires a multifaceted approach, including transforming and strengthening agrifood systems, addressing inequalities, and ensuring affordable and accessible healthy diets for all."
"It calls for increased and more cost-effective financing, with a clear and standardized definition of financing for food security and nutrition," the agency added.
The new report comes ahead of this November's scheduled G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty Task Force Ministerial Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On Wednesday, Qu praised Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva—who currently chairs the G20—for centering food security in the bloc's agenda.
In the 2000s, Lula's leftist government implemented plans including Fome Zero (Zero Hunger) and Bolsa Familia (Family Allowance) that significantly reduced malnutrition and poverty in Brazil.
"We need to build on the progress achieved in this region, and share this experience with other regions, especially Africa," Qu said.
Speaking in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, Lula said that "hunger is not something natural. Hunger is something that requires a political decision."
Cindy McCain, executive director of the U.N.'s World Food Program (WFP), said Wednesday that "a future free from hunger is possible if we can rally the resources and the political will needed to invest in proven long-term solutions."
"I call on G20 leaders to follow Brazil's example and prioritize ambitious global action on hunger and poverty," she continued. "We have the technologies and know-how to end food insecurity—but we urgently need the funds to invest in them at scale."
"WFP is ready to step up our collaboration with governments and partners to tackle the root causes of hunger, strengthen social safety nets, and support sustainable development so every family can live in dignity," McCain added.
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Why I Was Arrested for Protesting Citigroup's Funding of Climate Chaos
I am here today to say to Citi that if you won’t listen to the data of scientists, you will need to listen to the bodies of scientists blocking your doors.
Jun 13, 2024
Editor's note: The following is a speech read by Sandra Steingraber before being arrested outside Citigroup’s New York City headquarters on June 12, 2024.
My name is Sandra Steingraber. I have a PhD in biology, and I’ve worked as a scientist my whole adult life.
Here are two things biologists are worried about.
The first thing is happening in the ocean. When fossil fuels are burned and CO2 fills the atmosphere, some of it falls into the sea.
When carbon dioxide touches water, it turns into carbonic acid: H2CO3.
Acid makes calcium carbonate (CaCO3) dissolve. Seashells are made of calcium carbonate. So fossil fuels are turning our oceans into pits of acid, and animals made of shells are starting to dissolve.
I did not become a biologist to write eulogies for the species I study.
All together, the babies of animals with shells are called zooplankton.
Zooplankton are the basis of the marine food chain.
If you dissolve their parents, zooplankton disappear—along with the fish who eat them.
One half of the world’s human population depends on fish for protein. The pH of the oceans is now on track to crash the world’s fish stocks. As a biologist I worry about that.
Now let’s go on land and look at bees. Bumblebees also have babies, and they need to stay cool. So adult bees beat their wings like a thousand little ceiling fans to cool the bee nursery. But they can’t keep up due to more intense heatwaves. Baby bees are dying. Populations are crashing.
Bees help plants have sex. Bees turn flowers into fruits, nuts, vegetables. One-third of the food we eat is made for us by bees. And they do it for free. It’s called an ecosystem service.
If we lose the bees, crops fail. This is how the ecological crisis becomes a human rights crisis. Biologists are worried about this
I have studied climate change since 1982. I’ve testified. I’ve sent letters to the White House. I’ve met with the science adviser. I went to the Paris climate talks. But CO2 levels just reached a new high, and Citigroup is financing the arsonists.
Citi has poured $396 billion dollars into the fossil fuel industry just since 2016.
So, I am here today to say to Citi that if you won’t listen to the data of scientists, you will need to listen to the bodies of scientists blocking your doors. Today my body is a data point. And all together, all these data points on this blockade line make a trend. The trend is that when extinction rates accelerate, scientists get louder.
My message to Citi CEO Jane Fraser: I did not become a biologist to write eulogies for the species I study. I am morally obligated to use my knowledge to defend life against extinction and oppose those who finance it.
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