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Breakfast, midday meals and farming achievement in Zimbabwe

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One woman’s quest to turn $100AUD into $500 annually through the power of local based income generating activities. Thamsanqa Khanye is a force to be reckoned with. As a nutritionist and sustainable food systems specialist she is fiercely passionate about supporting vulnerable communities across Zimbabwe to become nutritionally and financially secure. She has seen firsthand the direct impact that a small donation of one hundred dollars can have on providing quality seed to produce climate resilient crops such as millet, horticulture crops and small livestock initiatives so that one family can become financially stable for generations to come. Khanye is Programs Manager of the Zimbabwean-based charity, Community Technology Development Organisation (CTDO) and a recent fellow of DFAT’s Australia Awards Program hosted by one of Australia’s leading aid organisations, Action on Poverty (AOP). She is focused on promoting an intentional shift from monoculture to the diversification of crops i...
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Climate resilience and traditional forms of pastoralism in Tanzania

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Even in the harshest of sub-Saharan environments, there are promising low-cost approaches we can use, so that income-poor rural pastoralists can successfully adapt to climate change, without giving up their way of life.  In Australia, many are acutely aware of the increasing impacts of climate change on Pacific Island countries. But countries in East Africa, including Tanzania, are also prone to increasing climate variability and extreme events such as droughts and floods. While there is some uncertainty about exactly how climate change will play out in East Africa, its impacts are already hitting communities hard. And women, who are disproportionately affected by climate change , are bearing the brunt.  The most recent drought in East Africa lasted more than four years and set new records earlier this year, as rains failed for a fifth season in a row.  As the pendulum now swings towards floods, in line with scientists’ projections, the region is becoming one of the m...
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Developed nations must mobilise support for Sub-Saharan Africa amid unprecedented poverty crisis

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Sub-Saharan Africa is still reeling from the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has pushed the region’s poverty crisis to unprecedented levels. The   2022 Goalkeepers Report on the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals  highlights that the COVID-19 pandemic has erased more than four years of progress against poverty, underscoring the critical need for greater support from governments, philanthropists, and other key stakeholders. As the trusted partner for changemakers creating a better world, Action on Poverty (AOP) has been on the ground in developing countries for the past 50 years, proudly championing initiatives to combat systemic international development issues. Now, the leading not-for-profit’s Chief Operating Officer, Meghal Shah, suggests the need for Australia to refocus its international aid efforts to assist with the setback faced by communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. “The COVID-19 pandemic has created a seismic shift in how we perceive aid on a gl...
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Help tackle hunger and food waste in Vietnam

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  A life-changing project making a tangible impact on vulnerable people on the streets of Hanoi “Since having support from VietHarvest, our vulnerable people have bigger dinners. We take as much as possible to feed children and the elderly on the streets around Hanoi.” Since mid-2022 Action on Poverty has supported social enterprise  VietHarvest’s  mission to feed people in need, alleviate hunger and poverty, and innovate for social impact in Vietnam. As you will know, income shock and food insecurity have been major economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in both developing and developed nations around the world. And in Vietnam the pandemic has delayed poverty reduction progress and increased inequality. Household food security is tenuous in Vietnam. Although Vietnam made advances in poverty alleviation in the years before the pandemic, a  2022 World Bank report  found a large group of the population remains economically vulnerable, with around one in fi...
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Why Being ‘Generous’ Is More Important Than Ever Before

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Do you want to know the secret to happiness? And while we’re at it, health, wealth, better relationships, purpose, and personal growth? Maybe even better government?              I could tell you, but the great paradox is, you’d need to forget what I told you for it to truly work. Well, at least you couldn’t act on this knowledge for the purpose of gaining these things. Shall I give it away? Alright, why not… Generosity. Shocking, I know. But it’s science, so it must be true. But are you actually surprised? Chances are, you aren’t surprised at all. It turns out that most people are inherently generous people. When given the opportunity, we enjoy sharing. There is a strong and growing evidence base for the benefits of generosity, see publications such as the white paper,  The Science of Generosity  by Summer Allen. However, it involves a great paradox – motive is everything. In many ways, generosity is like love. It is often said that we incre...
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