Commonwealth Day

Commonwealth Day is an opportunity to promote understanding of global issues, international co-operation and the work of the Commonwealth’s organisations, which aim to improve the lives of its citizens.

The Hunger Project works in a number of Commonwealth Countries including Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Malawi, Mozambique and Uganda. Our programmes aim to support women and men by assisting them in taking the steps to end hunger and poverty for not only themselves, but also the communities in which they live.

What you can do this Commonwealth Day…
Stand in solidarity with the millions of women, men, children and locally trained volunteers who are taking the steps to end their own hunger and poverty through our programmes, accross Commonwealth countries.

Women in developing countries across the Commonwealth bear almost all responsibility for meeting the basic needs of the family. However, they are systematically denied the resources, information and freedom of action they need to fulfil this responsibility. 

The vast majority of the world’s poor are women.
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Of those that cannot read or write, two-thirds are female.
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Of the millions of school age children not in school, the majority are girls.
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Women account for a rising proportion of people living with HIV. In several southern African countries, more than three-quarters of all young people living with HIV are women.

Studies show that when women are supported and empowered, all of society benefits. Their families are healthier, more children go to school, agricultural productivity improves and incomes increase. In short, communities become more resilient. By empowering women as the key change agents in rural communities, over 35 million people in 11 countries now have the  opportunity to move from abject poverty to self-reliance.

✨In Africa, by providing women food farmers affordable access to credit, adequate training and instilling in them the importance of saving, The Hunger Project’s Microfinance Programme enables women to engage in income-generating activities to increase their incomes and invest in their families and communities.

✨There are now 30,000 rural women actively accessing financial services as part of our Microfinance Programme.

✨More than 980,000 people have taken the HIV/AIDS and Gender Inequality Workshop, in which they not only learn the facts of AIDS, but also confront and transform the gender-based behaviours that fuel the pandemic.

✨In India, more than 75,000 women, who are elected to their local councils, have participated in our Women’s Leadership Workshop to be effective change agents in their villages. They are forming federations to ensure that their voices are heard at all levels of government.

✨In Bangladesh, The Hunger Project catalysed the formation of a 300-organisation alliance that organises more than 800 events across the country each September in honour of National Girl Child Day, a day to focus on eradicating all forms of discrimination against girl children.

💡Inspired?
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