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07.07.2020 | Press Release

Welthungerhilfe Presents its 2019 Annual Report

Climate Change and Wars Are Still Major Causes of Hunger – COVID-19 Dramatically Affects the Poorest Countries.

Eine Frau in Somaliland steht vor ihrem Zelt, 2020.
Ilhans Familie lebt jetzt vom Obst- und Gemüseanbau. Wetterextreme ließen der einstigen Hirtenfamilie in der Region Awdal im Nordwesten Somalilands keine andere Wahl, als sesshaft zu werden. © Wuchenauer/Welthungerhilfe
Simone Pott Team Communications

Bonn/Berlin, 2020-07-07. At its annual press conference, Welthungerhilfe warns that the number of people suffering from hunger worldwide may rise to over a billion. The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic will be particularly devastating for the poorest. More and more people are falling into absolute poverty and cannot survive without assistance.

“The pandemic is now hitting the countries of the South with full force. Many people are falling ill with COVID-19, many people are losing their jobs, the economy is collapsing, food prices are rising, and health systems are overloaded. There is also a plague of locusts in many regions of Africa and Asia. Pandemics and locusts know no boundaries. We cannot fight them unless we are aware that we all live in one world and we can only defeat the pandemic together. International solidarity is more important than ever. We need more long-term support for people in the South”, stresses Marlehn Thieme, President of Welthungerhilfe.

The effects of wars and climate change determined the work of Welthungerhilfe in 2019, and they are still great challenges in the fight against hunger.  “The coronavirus pandemic acts as an accelerant for pre-existing crises. For this reason, and as a result of climate change and wars around the world, there is a risk that the number of people suffering from hunger may rise to over a billion. The multitude of crises could reach an unprecedented scale. Sub-Saharan Africa will be particularly badly affected”, says Mathias Mogge, General Secretary of Welthungerhilfe.

In 2019 Welthungerhilfe had 249.7 million euros to spend on the fight against hunger and poverty. 56.6 million euros came from donations received. Public donors provided 189.5 million euros for project work. The proportion coming from the German federal government was over 40 percent, the largest individual donor being the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), which provided 37.1 million euros. South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria / Turkey received the largest amount of project support.

Press pictures for download

Ilhan's family now lives from growing fruit and vegetables. Weather extremes left the former shepherd family in the Awdal region of northwest Somaliland no choice but to settle down. © Wuchenauer/Welthungerhilfe
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Persistent drought is making it increasingly difficult for the people of Somaliland to live from their animals or agriculture. The two women transport water back to their homes with the help of a donkey. © Welthungerhilfe
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With the support of Welthungerhilfe, the small farmers have constructed erosion protection ditches in Burundi. Melchurie Mukeshimana can now use the money she earns to pay her children's school fees. © Justfilms/Welthungerhilfe
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Education opens new perspectives for young people. The "Skill Up!" program provides young people with a practice-oriented education. © Brandstaetter/Welthungerhilfe
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In Burkina Faso and Liberia, the majority of people live from agriculture. But more than 40 percent fear losing access to the land they live and work on. Without land rights security, there can be no investment and thus no progress in fighting hunger. © Welthungerhilfe
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Floating gardens made of bamboo sticks and water hyacinths mean that floods cannot harm the harvest in Bangladesh. Among other things, pumpkins now thrive in the garden of Laily Begum. © Welthungerhilfe
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With the installation of solar systems in a model project, households, companies and institutions receive clean electricity. Sheka Massaquoi checks and repairs the systems. © Loeffelbein/ Welthungerhilfe
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Droughts destroy crops. Every ten seconds, a child under five dies from the effects of hunger. © Rosenthal/Welthungerhilfe
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Effective protection from corona is almost impossible for the people living in the slum on the outskirts of Delhi. Here, migrant workers live who earn their living by collecting, sorting and selling rubbish. They are part of an informal system of waste management and recycling. Due to the Corona Pandemic and the associated curfew, they are dependent on the distribution of food by aid organisations. © Florian Lang/Welthungerhilfe
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During a risk communication session related to Covid-19 in Pakistan, our partner organisation TRDP demonstrated "Physical Distancing". © Welthungerhilfe
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A colleague from the Central African Republic demonstrates how to wash your hands to be protected from corona. © Welthungerhilfe
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Locust plague in East Africa: The locusts eat whole fields and areas of bare land within minutes, like here in Ethiopia. © Welthungerhilfe
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Extreme weather: Flooding after cyclone Idai in April 2019. © Welthungerhilfe
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Temporary accommodation from tarpaulins after cyclone Idai in Mozambique. © Welthungerhilfe
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Extreme weather due to climate change: A group of women in Somaliland are on their way to the water distribution centre with their donkeys. Due to drought, many wells have dried up. © Welthungerhilfe
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Extreme weather caused by climate change: destruction in Haiti after a hurricane. © Welthungerhilfe
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Extreme weather caused by climate change: droughts and storms destroy crops in Burkina Faso. © Happuc/Welthungerhilfe
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Mathias Mogge, General Secretary of Welthungerhilfe © Barbara Frommann/ Welthungerhilfe
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Mathias Mogge, the General Secretary of Deutsche Welthungerhilfe, in Mali. Since 2012, the armed conflict in the north of the country has also threatened the food security of the population. © Pilar/Welthungerhilfe
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The President of Deutsche Welthungerhilfe: Marlehn Thieme. © Christoph Papsch / Welthungerhilfe
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Marlehn Thieme, President of Deutsche Welthungerhilfe at a press conference in 2019. © Maurice Weiss
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Usage note:Please note that the pictures may only be used in a Welthungerhilfe context and may not be passed on to third parties. Images must bear the credit copyright "Photographer/Welthungerhilfe". No long-term archiving. Please delete pictures after use!

Infographics for download

WHH is working worldwide toward #ZeroHunger © Welthungerhilfe
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WHH supported 499 overseas projects across a number of different sectors in 2019 © Welthungerhilfe
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In 2019, WHH spent 249.4 million euros in total. 89.1% of this was spent on overseas project funding © Welthungerhilfe
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In 2019, WHH's income amounted to 249.7 million euros © Welthungerhilfe
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WHH received 189.5 million euros in institutional grants in 2019 © Welthungerhilfe
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Usage note:Please note that the infographics may only be used in a Welthungerhilfe context and may not be passed on to third parties. Infographics must bear the credit copyright "Welthungerhilfe". No long-term archiving. Please delete infographics after use!

Welthungerhilfe is one of the largest private aid organisations in Germany; politically independent and non-denominational. It is fighting for “Zero Hunger by 2030”. Since it was founded in 1962, more than 9,830 overseas projects in 70 countries have been supported with 3.95 billion euros. Welthungerhilfe works on the principle of empowering people to help themselves: from rapid disaster relief to reconstruction and long-term development cooperation projects with national and international partner organisations.

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