The Hunger Project seeks ‘angel investors’ to raise funds for poverty-stricken India during COVID-19

With over 25 million cases of Coronavirus and over 270,000 deaths, India is one of the countries hit hard by the global pandemic.

Increasing food insecurity remains a top concern across the states and accessing resources and funds to effectively implement immediate and long term COVID19 measures has been a particular challenge.

Chief Executive Officer at The Hunger Project Australia, Melanie Noden, says “Record numbers of daily COVID cases have plunged India into a horrific humanitarian crisis, pushing the most vulnerable people further into hunger and poverty. While the message about how to stop the spread has been widely understood, the challenge now is to address the growing social issues – such as child trafficking, domestic violence, slave labour and child marriage – that will have a deep and devastating impact.

Leveraging 20 years of experience in India, The Hunger Project is working with 550,000 locally trained leaders to create and enable COVID resilient communities in India and around the world, through building peace, trust and cohesion.”

“Given the urgency and seriousness of the unfolding situation in India, our Angel Invest Now campaign aims to support our local leaders to protect their communities and make them COVID resilient.”

Established in 1977, The Hunger Project has a global reach of more than 15.8 million people living in rural villages in Africa, India, Bangladesh and Latin America. The organisation is seeking investments from angel investors and any other Australians eager to invest in local people who are making an impact in India and around the world.

One such angel investor, Medical Director of Academy Face and Body Dr Jayson Oates, understands the critical role angel investors play in enabling change in the world and has generously offered The Hunger Project that he will match investments dollar for dollar, up to $100,000. Dr Oates, and his wife April who witnessed poverty first hand on her initial trip to Uganda in 2015, recently pledged to fundraise $200,000 towards the final phase of work at the Sanar Epicentre, in Senegal. The impact The Hunger Project have at grass roots level is incredible and the additional funds raised will continue leadership training and local governance to ensure ongoing reporting outcomes for at least two years.

Melanie Noden, says “We are so grateful for people like Dr Oates who are willing to contribute. The funds raised will help us to empower our trained local leaders to build COVID-resilient communities across India and around the world.

But you don’t need to invest a large sum of money to make a difference. Every little bit helps!”

Support The Hunger Project’s Angel Invest Now campaign by donating here – www.thp.org.au/angel-invest

More About The Hunger Project

The Hunger Project reaches 15.8 million people across 14,600 communities.
● 897,000 people living in 54 self-reliant communities after graduating from THP programs
● 548,000 local volunteer leaders have been trained globally who mobilise themselves and others to solve problems locally
● hunger has been completely eliminated from 34 communities and severe hunger has been reduced to less than 1% in 9 more
The Hunger Project uses an innovative, holistic approach that tackles the core issues linked to hunger by starting with women, building self-reliance at the grassroots level and forging effective partnerships with local governments.

Angel Invest Now Campaign – The Hunger Project Australia FAQs and Talking Points 

Go to www.thp.org.au/angel-invest 

When is the campaign running?
25 May to 30 June, 2021.

What is its purpose?
To raise funds to empower and support our 550,000 highly trained local leaders who we work with in India and around the world, so they can create COVID resilient communities.

What does dollar matching mean?
Academy Face and Body (a business owned by long time THP investor Dr Jayson Oates) has put forward $100,000 as a match. So every dollar invested will be matched, up to a $100,000 cap overall. This means you double your impact!

What is a COVID-resilient community?
A COVID-resilient community is one that can powerfully respond and adapt to COVID-19 and its associated challenges, including social issues such as child trafficking, domestic violence, slave labour and child marriage that will have a deep and devastating impact. The Hunger Project works with highly trained local leaders who mobilise their communities to develop deep resilience to any challenge that arises – from hunger and poverty, to the pandemic, to social issues and more.

What is an Angel investor?
An angel investor usually puts their own money in small ‘startups’ just as they are getting off the ground and finding stability. Angel investors are driven by something more than profit – motivated by factors such as altruism, the satisfaction of enabling ideas to become realities, and getting people and projects to succeed. Angel investors tend to be interested in the entrepreneurial side of thinking. They have commitment and passion for people who are finding ways to make change in the world. Since crowdfunding platforms are on the rise, opportunities for everyone to become an angel investor have really opened up, regardless of their budget. When you invest with The Hunger Project you provide funds with like-minded people or ‘angel groups’. Together your pool of money or ‘capital’ alongside other like-minded investors, makes it possible for local leaders and communities to create sustainable projects that transform lives.

What does The Hunger Project do in India generally?
The Hunger Project works with women in India who have been elected to their local councils (panchayats), many to fill the seats reserved for women. Commonly from low socio-economic backgrounds, these women are often illiterate and uneducated – and thrust into positions of power for the very first time. As they go through The Hunger Project’s 5 year training program, the women learn to leverage their position of power and influence to question and defy entrenched social norms, transform gender relations, role model women in leadership for adolescent girls, and become agents of change ensuring long-term, sustainable, inclusive development within their constituencies. To date, 200,000+ women have been trained by THP to become respected, effective leaders for their villages.

Does The Hunger Project deliver emergency medical relief?
No. Many other experienced and reputable organisations are already doing this kind of work. Our expertise lies in creating sustainable solutions via our 550,000 highly trained local leaders who are already on the ground mobilising their communities to overcome challenges from hunger and poverty, to COVID-19, and more. In this way we can create huge leverage and long lasting impact.

Note: Funds will be applied to the area of greatest need in The Hunger Project’s work