Schools against hunger
Background information
Action against Hunger fights for a world without hunger and need. For everyone. Forever. The goal: to save lives and restore hope to people in need. For over 40 years, Aktion gegen Hunger gGmbH has been fighting against malnutrition and providing access to clean water and healthcare. Around 8,300 employees worldwide provide emergency aid and support people in building sustainable livelihoods. Action Against Hunger is supported by companies, international institutions such as the European Union, GIZ and various UN organizations, including the World Food Programme and UNICEF. In addition, over 1 million people around the world support the organization in its work, for example by making a regular donation or participating in the Schools Against Hunger project.
Schools Against Hunger is the organization's annual school project. The sport and education project draws the attention of children and young people to the problem of malnutrition in the world. At the same time, it enables them to become socially involved through sport. The project pursues three goals:
- Education: The Schools Against Hunger team visits schools to inform children and young people about malnutrition, reports on the work in the project countries and how the organization is fighting hunger worldwide. Every year, new topics are presented, such as the links between climate change and hunger.
- Sport: The children and young people then get involved in sport for a world without hunger. The schools usually organize a charity run. The pupils have previously mobilized their families and friends as sponsors: for every lap they run, they receive a fixed donation amount, which motivates them in their social commitment and at the same time supports the work of Action Against Hunger.
- A world without hunger: In recent years, Action Against Hunger has helped more than 25 million people in around 50 countries and regions in areas such as nutrition, water and hygiene.
Mission
- To present interactive themed talks (online and offline) to children and young people of all ages (primary, middle and high school).
- To sensitize students to the topic of malnutrition with the themed presentations and motivate them to engage socially in a sporty way for a world without hunger.
- Optimal preparation for the educational presentations with the help of materials and support.
- Organization of travel to and from schools in your federal state with the support of Action Against Hunger.
- If necessary, communication with the teachers to coordinate and confirm the dates of the lectures.
What the students say
"As part of the service learning, I was able to get to grips with the course content in a practical way. Thanks to the cooperation with the non-profit organization Action Against Hunger, I was involved as a volunteer in the Schools Against Hunger project. Specifically, this meant that I gave specialist lectures at schools and thus came into direct contact with young people who were eager to learn and willing to learn. The focus was on raising young people's awareness of hunger and malnutrition and motivating them to get involved in sport to combat hunger - in the spirit of education for sustainable development.
After each school day, certain moments stayed with me for longer. I felt the need to tell those around me about them and discuss certain topics. Dealing with the theoretical content at the same time enabled me to better classify certain things and understand my thoughts. The link between what I experienced and the theory certainly allows me to retain what I have learned for longer than if I had only learned the same content in university rooms.
It can therefore be said that the voluntary work has essentially contributed to my understanding of the theoretical content being more profound, that I will not forget what I have learned so quickly and that I have gained exciting insights as part of the reflection report. Writing down thoughts opens up access to many more insights."
Alessandra Mangold (SS 2022)
