One NGO Fighting Against World Hunger

There are 925 million people in the world who are living with hunger. According to a recent United Nations study:

• “Two thirds of undernourished people live in just seven countries — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia.

• The region with the most undernourished people continues to be Asia and the Pacific, with 578 million.

• But the proportion of undernourished people remains highest in sub-Saharan Africa — at 30 percent in 2010, or 239 million.”

On this Day 19 of 21 days for world hunger, I am sharing the second part of an interview with Dr. Anteneh Roba of the International Fund for Africa (IFA).  You can read the first part here. Dr. Roba, one of my all-time favorite social justice activists, works endlessly to help deal with the issue of poverty and hunger in Ethiopia.

Swartz Pepper:  How is IFA expanding their reach in Ethiopia?

Dr. Roba: IFA is focused on human advocacy and animal advocacy in the following areas:

1. IFA is collaborating with other NGO’s and Ethiopian civilians to create change in Ethiopia.  For instance, we are expanding our medical projects to help people in rural areas who do not have good access to health care.  We’re getting land in Northern Ethiopia – an area that doesn’t have good medical care – for a rural medicine project. We will improve the infrastructure of a clinic that is currently in operation, and we intend to bring in medical professionals.  We would like to rotate physicians from different areas from the US, Europe or anywhere else through our clinics in Ethiopia.  We would like to create these programs throughout Ethiopia. There are two hospitals – one in California and one in Houston who are donating equipment and helping to make it possible.
2. We are working with JUCAVM (Jimma University College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine). We support the faculty and in collaboration with the faculty, we support students that belong to the club for Animal Welfare.  The students go out to farmers, schools and those who live in rural areas to teach about animal kindness.
3. IFA is starting an equine sanctuary.  We are working with the mayor of a major city in Southern Ethiopia to help them reduce the number of homeless dogs, horses and donkeys and also start a spay and neuter program.  They are providing us with land (couple of acres) to be used to open a sanctuary for abandoned horses and donkeys.  With the right funding we will take all the homeless donkeys and horses, treat them and give them a home.
4. We are expanding the spay and neuter program in the capitol city.
5. We are also bringing in experts from the US Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association Field Service (HSVMA-FS) to train Faculty and students at JUCAVM . The idea is to teach future graduate vets how to take care of surgical emergency and spay and neuter.
6. We are promoting the adoption of animal welfare
7. IFA is promoting a plant based diet in Ethiopia.  We are doing this for several reasons:
   • Human health because the western diet is being adopted by Africans in urban areas.  As a result, there are higher incidences of chronic degenerative diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, strokes, heart disease and cancer.  The expectation is that by 2020, 70% of cancer patients will be from developing countries.
   • The environment because overpopulation of livestock and factory farming is causing many issues in Ethiopia.

Swartz Pepper:  Is IFA promoting a plant based diet in any other African country besides Ethiopia?

Dr. Roba: Yes, we’re doing this by supporting vegan and vegetarian societies such as in Ghana and Togo.  And also by supporting (through education and financial means) the African wing of IVU (International Vegetarian Union) we are supporting plant based diets in other African countries.

Swartz Pepper:  How is IFA specifically working with the Ethiopian government?

Dr. Roba: We have a memorandum of understanding with the ministry of health. They will support IFA with the activities to help rural people especially babies through our neonatal health programs. We will be working with regional medical bureaus for our rural medical projects.

We have a general agreement with the city of Addis Ababa to work together to improve the status with homeless animals and are now connecting with Addis Ababa health bureau because they want to reduce rabies which is a public health issue.

Two months ago while in Ethiopia, I along with Gregory Castle, CEO of Best Friends Animal Society, met with the City Manager and Head of Addis Ababa Health Bureau and representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture to discuss the reduction of rabies and reduce the number of homeless dogs.

Swartz Pepper:  You played a pivotal role in establishing the first vegan association in Ethiopia – the Ethiopian Vegan Association (EVA). How challenging was it to get that started and what obstacles have you encountered thus far?

Dr. Roba: It was actually easy to start it, because I met very motivated individuals who were interested in establishing the EVA.  I had no idea there were vegan Ethiopians!  A few months ago there was a five minute program about me on Supreme Master TV.  One day I got an email from someone in Ethiopia who saw the program and wanted to communicate with me.  They were ecstatic about starting an association.  It’s a civil society organization, so it has to be registered with the government.  That was the hard part.  Being registered gives them legal rights, and they only just within the past few days received word that they will be getting their legal status.

In December they are having a two-day seminar educating on veganism.  Participants will hopefully include the ministry of agriculture and other governmental agencies.  EVA is promoting plant-based farming and other related activities.  The hard part is what they are doing, I did the easy part.

Swartz Pepper:  How active is the EVA?

Dr. Roba: Currently there are 13 members and they are recruiting aggressively.  It will grow into a big number.  It’s just a matter of time.  It’s still very young.  Getting the legal status, which they now have, was the most important thing.

Swartz Pepper:  Is EVA the first Vegan Association in Africa?

Dr. Roba: I don’t know.  I do know we are supporting a student vegan association of Togo.  They are very active and doing a lot of good work.  There are probably other organizations in Africa.  Given the size of Africa it’s hard to know what all the others are doing.  One of my dreams is to create a big collaboration.

Swartz Pepper: How do you think the EVA will help combat hunger in Ethiopia?

Dr. Roba: One of their projects that IFA will be funding is a program of feeding homeless people in the city of Addis Ababa similar to the organization of Food Not Bombs.  We will start with offering vegan meals in Addis Ababa and will be opening to other parts of the country.  While it doesn’t solve the problem, it’s a big step toward helping.  Part of the mission of this program is promoting plant-based diets and the benefits of veganism.  The EVA will get locals and the media interested and will have an effect on how veganism can help combat hunger, which is more sustainable. Like the United Nations said a couple of months ago, veganism is more sustainable.  EVA will also have events and conferences in which they are bringing experts to speak and educate on veganism and its benefits.  They will get politicians and parliamentarians to become involved.

Two of the EVA members are plant-based (mushroom) farmers.  These same two people have studied agriculture and were animal-based farmers and realized the benefit of switching to plant-based farming.

Swartz Pepper:   I understand you’re thinking about starting vegan farming in Africa.  Tell me more about your objectives and how you envision getting that started.

Dr. Roba: We are in the early stages of this – thinking about plant-based farming.  We are trying to decide the best approach.  One way is that we support others who are already involved in plant-based farming and try to get grants for them.  Two NGO’s have sent up proposals to help get grants.

Another way is that IFA is thinking about starting a plant-based farm in Ethiopia to see if we can grow it to a point of where it becomes financially lucrative which will help the IFA through the proceeds – to help the projects we are supporting.  Still undecided on which path we’ll take.

Swartz Pepper: Given the work you do – both with humans and nonhumans – you encounter great hardships.  Please share a little bit about that and tell me how you continue on – even in the face of such great adversity.

Dr. Roba: When we first started IFA shortly after 2007, we clearly determined that we were both a human rights and an animal rights organization.  We are one of few organizations that combine human rights and animal rights.  That has its own challenges especially when one is trying to get funding for a human-related organization when the potential funders see you are also an animal rights organization.  They don’t take us seriously – thinking we are not focused. They think ‘how dare you’.

A few months after we started IFA, I found out something painful through an organization we were helping in Ethiopia.  We found out that four dogs were thrown into a pit, like a cave.

Dogs were being thrown into this pit for the last 20 years – 20 dogs on average a month.  It’s at least 10-15 feet deep.  If they survive the fall then they sit there until they starve to death or die of thirst.  In the summer months they die quickly because there’s no water.  In the winter months, water gets in so then they starve to death first.  A lot of families who have dogs, if they have a female dog, she eventually gives birth.  That becomes an unsustainable situation for the family.  They take the mother and the babies and throw them into this pit. When we found out about this, we discussed it with an organization, the Homeless Animal Protection Society (HAPS). Now they are inactive.

Some people from HAPS went to this place.  Four dogs were sitting in the bit barely alive.  HAPS didn’t have the means to get them out, and IFA supported them to get the animals out.  They had to feed the dogs by throwing food down the pit.  They eventually created a pulley and ladder system to physically go down and get the dogs.  Four were saved.  We had the pit closed.  It was built by the Italians in WWII.  The government had an issue about closing the pit because of its historical significance.  We petitioned the government. Most didn’t know about what was going on – that such cruelty was being perpetrated against animals in this pit.  It was closed forever.  After four weeks, HAPS couldn’t get the dogs adopted.  They thought the only choice was to get them euthanized.  We paid for the transport to the US to get them adopted.  Two got adopted in Houston and two went to Best Friends.

National Geographic did a story about it.  One of the dogs is featured on the Christmas cards for Best Friends.  Such a story.  Going from dying – she was the one that was the weakest – and landed on Christmas cards for Best Friends.  She has a human mother now who takes her to work every day and now has a dream life.  The other one, Tommy, has been adopted in Houston and was in a movie recently. It’s a documentary called One Hundred Thousand Hearts.

Next thing I know.  I’m getting inundated with nasty emails and letters.  ‘How dare your organization help animals in Ethiopia when people are dying’?  There was venom coming from  certain parts of Ethiopian community.  Even my own family members were challenging us.  To this day, we are criticized because of that.  Do you know how hard it is to be criticized by people telling you how dare you take care of animals while people are dying?  We care about animals and humans.  We are starting neonatal units that are saving babies.  Our organization was basically identified only as animal rights. In Ethiopia to be stigmatized like that is very bad.  Then people don’t take you seriously.  We had to fight this for years.  A very prominent CEO of a hospital that wanted to help us (neonatology work) was very interested in helping.  He saw the website and said he wants to help but we need to get rid of the animal part of this.  He did not help us.  About a year ago when we changed our name and our website, we came to a crossroads, we had to decide on our principles.  Being both a human rights and animal rights organization, but when it comes to funding it affects us negatively.  Our philosophy is what makes us unique.  All life is to be respected.  We would rather stay small and stick with our principles instead of abandoning what we believe in – have a voice for ALL those who cannot speak for themselves.  This is my personal challenge.  These stories deeply hurt me.  To this day, people joke and it hurts me.

Side Note: If you’d like to meet one of Dr. Roba’s Ethiopian adoptees, Suzie Q, click on this link.   Suzie Q is a new member of Dr. Roba’s family as of June 2009.

Swartz Pepper: In your opinion, what are the most important personal characteristics a person can develop to become a successful activist?

Dr. Roba: Based on my personal experience and what I’ve seen in the 3-4 years I’ve been very involved in activism, one of the most important characteristics is the passion and believing in the cause deeply and 100%.  Having the passion to follow what you believe in and being focused – not distracted – and being persistent.  The adversity is incredible and discouraging.  If you don’t have the passion, focus and persistence, then your activism won’t work.  There are many things that are discouraging and challenging, and you have to keep believing you’re doing the right thing and the universe will help you in accomplishing your dreams.

Swartz Pepper: Activists encounter folks in opposition who are outright mean and sometimes verbally abusive.   What recommendation do you have for someone who wants to become an activist yet who is hesitant or fearful because of the reactions of others?

Dr. Roba: I’m not a Buddhist in my belief system, but I respect some of the tenants.  I love the concept of equanimity.  Staying centered and focused and knowing who you are and not letting yourself be affected by what’s happening around you.  It takes strength and focus.  Having compassion, which is not easy, for those who are attacking you.  You take the high road and realize they haven’t reached the same level of consciousness you have attained that allows you to look at them and forgive them for what they’re doing or saying.  Believe in yourself and know you are doing the right thing.

Many activists – whether animal rights or social justice tend to be single issue-minded. It’s so important to realize that all social justice issues are interconnected.  Whether it’s ageism, racism, classism, or speciesism, they all have the underlying same root cause.  If we don’t work together, nothing will improve.  If we don’t alleviate the suffering of poor people whether it’s in the Appalachian Mountains or in the rural parts of Ethiopia, there is a domino effect of suffering that spans all ages, races, and species.

This is a controversial statement, but the political-economic paradigm promotes profit over people, animals and the planet.  Until this paradigm changes, nothing changes.  We must work to change this paradigm.

Many thanks to Dr. Roba and IFA.  Your work is invaluable, and I’m grateful for all you do.

IFA is one small organization making big changes – changes that directly and positively impact Ethiopia and indirectly and positively impact Africa and the rest of the world.  Without funding and volunteers they will not be able to accomplish the great work they do.  Your donations are greatly needed and appreciated.   You can also help IFA by purchasing a World Hunger: Be the Solution Tee.  Proceeds from the shirt will go to the Small Planet Institute Fund (which helps benefit Navdanya) and the International Fund for Africa.  All tees are sweat free and available in organic cotton.

IFA is looking for a few dedicated volunteers. All skill sets are welcome yet they can most benefit from volunteers with skills in fundraising, marketing, donor relations, business development, researchers and organizational skills.

My World Hunger Diet Experience

I had a series of disturbing dreams last night.  In each one my life was threatened by some evil force.  While I was able to fend off or fight off the various evil-doers, I awoke exhausted.  I can’t help but think this current world hunger journey is tapping into some core part of myself; some part that is acutely aware of the fragile fine line existing between feeling safe and feeling threatened.  A fine line between having enough and not having at all.  Scary.

My reduced calorie world hunger diet (less than 1000 calories a day) reminds of three important things:  1) I really love food; 2) Reducing my food intake increases my appreciation and gratitude for the ample supply of food that is generally at my disposal and; 3) On a normal (nonWorld Hunger) day I eat more than I truly need.

I recall from my last 21 Days for World Hunger Souljourn that the first three or so days of the world hunger diet were the most difficult.  Today, being my third official day, is no different than that last time.  I awoke thinking about food.  Mild pangs hit about 9:30 am.  Fatigue hit about 1:00 pm.  Intense pangs hit about 2:00 pm.  Today I broke down and had some raw kale right about the time a headache arrived in conjunction with the intense hunger pangs.  This green food interlude was nothing fancy or filling – raw kale.  While it didn’t fill my stomach, it did give occupy my desire to chew on something.  It helped me just a bit carry on through the rest of my work day.  I would’ve never thought I loved kale as much as I do.  It’s as if my taste buds grew up and now they can’t get enough of the nutritious delicious goodness of kale.  Outside of the hunger, the headache, the weakness, some confusion and slight irritability, it was a very good day.

I had the two-part mealtime again this evening, because it worked swimmingly well last night.  A serving of tortilla chips at 5:00 and a bean and rice burrito at about 8:00.  Delish…and I anticipate no hunger at bedtime.

Two more days to go and counting.

The world has enough to meet everyone’s need, but not everyone’s greed.

~ M. Gandhi

21 Days for World Hunger

Day 1

Day 2 Focus on Hunger: Interview with Vandana Shiva

Day 3 Cambodia: Portrait of Hunger

Day 4 A Mindful Approach to Food Fosters Compassion for the World’s Hungry

Day 5 How Does Mindful Farming Help Solve World Hunger

Day 6 Sustainable Vegan Farming Practices Empower the World’s Hungry

Day 7 Food Deserts and Urban Farm Markets

Day 8 Vandana Shiva and the Navdanya Farmers Network

Day 9 World Hunger: From GMO Chemistry Set to Table?

Day 10 The Generational Consequences of GMOs

Day 11 How to Avoid the GMO Bad Nasties

Day 12 What do GMOs have to do with world hunger?

Day 13 Why do People go Hungry in The Big Apple?

Day 14 Hunger in New York City: Meeting the Victims

Day 15 The Urban Hunger Problem:  Causes

Day 16 Becoming a Leader in the Hunger Battle

Day 17 The Psychology of Activism

Day 18 Hunger in Africa:  One Small NGO Making a Big Impact

Day 19 One NGO Fighting Against World Hunger

Day 20 Tools and Support for Getting Your Activist Activated

Day 21 Conducive Chronicle World Hunger Writers on Activism

Consider purchasing a World Hunger: Be the Solution Tee.  Proceeds from the shirt will go to Navdanya, the Small Planet Institute Fund the International Fund for Africa.  All tees are sweat free and available in organic cotton. To see the selection of World Hunger tees at Conducive’s Humanitarian & Human Rights Tee store, click here.