Action Against Hunger and IHG Hotels & Resorts marked the first anniversary of a global partnership designed to combat food insecurity. Funding from the collaboration has contributed towards providing screenings for over 4.5 million people across more than 55 countries, including Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Among those screened, 1 million were pregnant women, and 3.5 million were children under the age of five.
The partnership focuses on supporting the delivery of screening and treatment programs for malnutrition. In addition, with more than 6,700 hotels worldwide, IHG’s reach helps to raise awareness and support for Action Against Hunger’s work, including the ability for its IHG One Rewards loyalty members to donate points to the cause. In places like Gujarat, India, funding from the partnership has supported the screening of children between the ages of six months and five years for malnutrition, helped train local health workers, and refurbished the local health center.
Jean Michel Grand, executive director at Action Against Hunger UK, said, “In just one year, our partnership with IHG Hotels & Resorts has delivered tangible, life-saving results for some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. Together, we are turning travel into impact through combining global reach with on-the-ground action. It’s a powerful example of how community impact, when embedded into a company’s values, can drive real change.”
Dr Charles Owubah, chief executive officer at Action Against Hunger USA, said, “By harnessing IHG’s global network, we’ve reached millions with essential nutrition services in just a year. It has been an outstanding partnership, one that shows how the private sector can be a powerful catalyst in humanitarian action. We look forward to building on this success together, responding faster, reaching further, and helping even more communities build lasting resilience.”
Elie Maalouf, chief executive officer at IHG Hotels & Resorts, said, “IHG operates in thousands of communities, and we value the opportunity to work with other organizations and use our global reach to make a positive difference across the world. Food security is a core focus of this work, and we are proud to partner with Action Against Hunger on the invaluable support they provide to the most vulnerable in society. A special thank you goes to our colleagues for volunteering their time to fundraising efforts and to our guests for generously donating their IHG One Rewards loyalty points to tackling hunger. We look forward to seeing our partnership grow and to continue making a greater impact in communities around the world.”
