Partner : Welthungerhilfe

Welthungerhilfe was founded in 1962 as the national committee of the "Freedom from Hunger Campaign" set up by the United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). Today it is one of the largest non-governmental organisations in Germany . Non-profit making, non-denominational and politically independent, the organisation is run by a board of honorary members under the patronage of the Federal Republic of Germany, it work is funded by private donations and public grants.

The vision of Welthungerhilfe is a world free of famine and poverty. Objectives of Welthungerhilfe work are:

promote self-help activities in order to improve living conditions for the rural population and socially weak communities

encourage international understanding through cooperation with organisations in Germany and abroad

support institutions such as homes and day care centers, open access to social facilities and rehabilitation centers for orphans and social orphans, handicapped children and young people of minor age as well as children in need with their families

provide people in need (e.g. victims of war, famine and natural disasters) with food and production inputs as well as other emergency supplies

During the last 40 years Welthungerhilfe has supported over 700 rural development projects in partnership with local Indian organisations in several states in India . Currently, 59 projects supported by Welthungerhilfe are under implementation in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam, Kashmir and Rajasthan, focusing on Natural Resource Management, Agriculture and Forestry, Watershed Development, institution building and Self Help Group formation especially of those below the poverty line.

Welthungerhilfe receives funds for its operations mainly from private donations of the German public and grants from donors like European Commission, German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), World Food Program (WFP) and private sponsors. Welthungerhilfe is a member of Alliance 2015, an association of like minded European NGO partners working in development cooperation. Jointly the Alliance promotes initiatives towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs).

Until recently, disaster management was not a development priority of Welthungerhilfe in India until the 90s when a series of devastating floods, earthquakes and cyclones caused severe destruction in several places and it was increasingly realised that if proper disaster management is not in place, disasters would seriously erode development gains.

Although having been substantially involved in disaster response after the West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh floods at the end of the nineties, Orissa Super Cyclone and later on in the Gujarat Earthquake, actual attention to Disaster Preparedness (DP) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) became evident in the Tsunami Response Programme. The strategic orientation of the Tsunami Response Programme (2005-2009) in India follows the approach of Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development (LRRD). Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) is one of the core sectors in this programme strategy.