Author: The Nation

A Nigerian, Onome Ako, is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Action Against Hunger, Canada. She has been leading the global campaign for community-led approaches to addressing the right to food by fighting hunger and malnutrition for 40 years. She shares the moving story of how she ended up in the international development/non-profit space with DANIEL ESSIET.

A Diaspora Nigerian, Onome Ako, bestrides the international development/non-profit space like a colossus, using the platform of Action Against Hunger, Canada, where she is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), to lead the global advocacy for ending hunger and malnutrition. And in doing so, she drew sufficient strength from her experiences growing up in Nigeria.

“My journey into the not-for-profit sector is rooted in my experiences growing up in Nigeria. As you can imagine, my parents were my first influences. Very early on, I became aware and appreciative of my parents’ service to our community,” Onome, who is a B.A holder in English, from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, began.

Shading more light on the nature of her parents’ community service that shaped her  engagement in the non-profits space, Onome said: “My father provided clean drinking water to our neighbours and my mom would buy food items like bananas we did not need so that the girls selling them could go back home and do their homework and have a better chance for a brighter future.”

The zero hunger campaigner, who also earned a Masters in International Affairs and Diplomacy, from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, and an M.Sc. in Management of NGOs and Social Policy from the London School of Economics, also said her experience with three of her friends back in boarding school also played a role.

According to her, “three of my friends…were victims of early and forced child marriage. They were probably also victims of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), a precursor to early and forced marriage. Another friend of mine, an exchange student from Niger republic, Ibrahim, also shared a similar plight with his sisters.”

Onome said it was at that point she started connecting the dots. “I wanted to respond. I wanted to scale up what my parents were doing. I wanted to be a voice for my friends and for Ibrahim’s sisters. This is how I ended up in the international development/non-profit space,” she told The Nation, noting that one of her goals is to bring happiness in the lives of the people.

As Onome explained, “I became an advocate for ending hunger because access to food is one of the most basic human rights. Not having enough to eat is not only detrimental to the individual but to the society as well. Without treatment, hunger can lead to stunted growth, limited mental and emotional development, and even death.

“I also realised that widespread hunger is a symptom of much larger problems, including poverty and inequality. So, by advocating for the elimination of hunger, we are also advocating for an end to its root causes so that those who are vulnerable can regain their dignity and lead full lives”.

She reiterated that for her, personally, “seeing my dad serve the community was my biggest inspiration. I wanted to follow in his footsteps. I wanted to do something on a larger scale. Ultimately, everything begins at the community  level. I recommend that young people identify a specific need in their community, whether it is environmental pollution, the lack of clean water or electricity, and see the ways in which they can find solutions.”

According to Onome, the starting point could be a day of volunteering to help clean up their neighborhood or even teaching the community how to properly recycle. She said as time goes on, they will be able to see the ways in which their contributions, as minor as they may seem, positively impact their community.

“I would then recommend they scale up to different neighborhoods or seek the help of friends and relatives to offer their solutions to as many as they can. It’s all about building on each success that can lead to tacking larger national, regional, or global issues. For those who may not know where to start, I highly recommend that they refer to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It can be a major source of inspiration,” she said.

Onome’s choice of Action Against Hunger as perhaps, her starting point to tackling national, regional, or global issues particularly those related to the fight against hunger and malnutrition has been hugely rewarding. Using the organisation as platform, she has been leading the fight against global hunger for over 40 years.

“Each year, we reach on average 24 million people in different parts of the world. We take a tailored approach to address the need of communities and harness their unique resources, boosting agricultural production, jump-starting local markets, and supporting small businesses,” she told The Nation.

She, however, explained that where the need is greatest, like in famine-affected areas of East and West Africa, Action Against Hunger works closely with mothers to help them weather the drought. “We help women grow crops, raise livestock, save funds and improve the health of their families.

 ”In conflict-affected regions like Ukraine or the Sahel, robust interventions are needed. Action Against Hunger also works round the clock to get communities to safety and provide them with essential items such as blankets and toiletries, as well as access to food, clean water, and safe sanitation.

 ”Our organisation perceives conflict as an imminent threat to global food security, and we work relentlessly to supply innovative solutions and emergency assistance to mitigate its impact on vulnerable populations,” Onome said.

While confirming that world hunger is again on the rise, she said prior to 2019, global hunger was on a steady decline. She, however, said unfortunately, the combination of conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic deepened food insecurity in many parts of the world.

For instance, Onome said she was devastated by what she saw on ground when she traveled to Ethiopia last October. According to her, some 4,000 men, women, and children formed an Internally Displaced (IDP) Camp where there’s water.  She stated that from an aid worker perspective, an IDP camp creates a whole new set of challenges including security, sanitation, and risks associated with gender-based violence and unaccompanied children.

“One staff member told us, “When you try to talk to these kids about the future, they have no idea what you’re talking about. They can only think about where their next meal is coming from,” Onome narrated.

She pointed out that during conflict, crucial infrastructure such as roads, markets and agricultural land are often destroyed, resulting in lower agricultural production, delay in shipment and distribution and therefore, reduced availability of food.

Added to that is the devastating impact of climate change. Onome’s words: “Temperatures are projected to increase, and the shift in rainfall patterns will affect the production of major crops such as maize and wheat, two of the most vital staple foods providing nutrients, and which make up 55 to 70 per cent of total calories consumed in developing countries.

“While these challenges are major roadblocks in the fight against world hunger, they also present us with an opportunity to build resilient and sustainable food systems that consider both people and planet. I remain hopeful that the battle can still be won, provided we leverage the power of technology to optimise production, minimise waste and mitigate climate change.”

For Onome, charity begins at home.

Nearer home, Onome said Action Against Hunger has been working to fight the root causes of hunger in Nigeria for 12 years. “We supply vital monthly food assistance to more than 200,000 people in Borno and Yobe States. Our local team of 392 also gives technical support to families in farming, livestock raising, fishing, and other income-generating activities to improve their access to food.

“Porridge Moms” is one of our staple programmes in Northeastern Nigeria, which educates internally displaced mothers how to prevent malnutrition and gives them a new sense of community. The program creates a support network, where mothers share knowledge and help each other cope with the trauma they have endured as a result of their displacement,” she told The Nation.

She revealed that through her organisation’s community-based approach, it has reached 2.9 million people in Nigeria as at 2021, and is currently looking forward to furthering its reach in the region.

As for the rest of West Africa, Onome said Action Against Hunger is active in several countries including Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire. “Our food security and livelihoods programs empower vulnerable communities to improve their access to food, income, and markets,” she stated.

The organisation, she added, also trains and builds the capacity of small-scale farmers to implement environmentally-sound agriculture techniques, increase production, and safely store and market their crops; the team also helps herders improve the health of their livestock and find pasture lands to feed them.

“In humanitarian emergencies, we provide cash-for-work programs to help affected families buy food and support local markets while also giving them the agency to prioritise their most urgent needs,” Onome, who has been in the forefront of the global campaign for “right to food” that is nutritious and age-appropriate, added. The zero hunger crusader, however, put forward a number of solutions to addressing hunger and malnutrition. While noting that there is never a one-size-fits-all formula when it comes to addressing hunger, she, for instance, that countries may strengthen food security and improve resilience to global shocks by investing in agriculture and rural development to boost local food production.

“They can do so by empowering small-scale farmers through training and education, providing access to climate-smart technologies that increase agricultural output and allow them to generate higher crop yields,” she recommended, adding that this also means addressing the access gap between female and male farmers.

Justifying the need to close the gender gap, Onome said, for instance, that despite representing 43 per cent of the agricultural labor force in developing countries, female farmers face many barriers in accessing the physical, financial, and technological resources to boost their productivity.

She said, moreover, women and girls eat less and at times last due to long held traditional belief based on men as the breadwinners and women as nurturers. “They (women) are, therefore, more vulnerable to hunger than any other group. Leaders and policymakers should prioritise gender-responsive agricultural policies that reduce inequalities and maximise local production,” Onome said.

According to her, women are also the most affected by malnutrition. She said despite their key role in ensuring that others are fed, they are the ones who eat last and eat least in many parts of the world. “As a woman, this is something I want to see change. It is this passion for issues related to social inequalities and poverty that really influenced my decision to take on hunger,” she emphasised.  Onome listed other solutions to addressing hunger to include tackling global food waste and redesigning the global system to be more efficient, inclusive, and resilient to future shocks. “It is still important, however, to ensure that these recommendations are carefully studied and implemented only after considering each country’s cultural, geographic, and political configurations,” she advised.

Onome has led initiatives in more than 20 countries with organisations, including Amref Health Africa, World Vision Canada, Africa Recruit (a programme of the Commonwealth), and UNESCO-Regional Bureau for Education.

Following her achievements, she was featured in the 2020 Canadian Women in Global Health list and recognised in 2021 as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards. The award spans the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. It recognises outstanding women across Canada for their accomplishments as change agents and their ability to inspire and engage future leaders.

Most recently, Onome was named a Hero for Children by World Vision Canada and was the recipient of their “Voice of the Children” Award.