ACF International Network
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Action Against Hunger has developed its water and sanitation expertise over nearly three decades of field work, advancing a number of solutions for populations at risk from water insecurity.
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Central to the targeting of malnutrition, Action Against Hunger extends water and sanitation improvements to communities with little or no access to proper sources.
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Action Against Hunger's programs are sustainable because of our commitment to community participation—to build local capacity and harnesses a population's energy and resources.
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Though strategies may vary, our food security interventions all share a common goal: to fight hunger by preserving and strengthening livelihoods in a sustainable and contextual manner.
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Action Against Hunger’s innovative food security programs offer a broad range of solutions for generating income, boosting food production, and strengthening livelihoods.
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Our comprehensive approach to hunger involves extending water and sanitation services to communities faced with water scarcity, unsafe drinking water, and inadequate sanitation.
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Action Against Hunger occupies a unique place among international organizations: our expertise encompasses emergency relief, longer-term development, and the terrain in between.
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We have developed an effective method to treat acute malnutrition that includes field-tested protocols and nutritional products backed by an international scientific advisory committee.
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Action Against Hunger helps rehabilitate and restock public health infrastructure, fields mobile health clinics, and trains local medical personnel on preventative and diagnostic care.
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Our comprehensive programs address the linkages between disease and malnutrition by coordinating with local expertise and strengthening existing public health systems.
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Burundi: In Honor of Agnès
January 3, 2008
Paris, France — On Monday, December 31st, 2007, a car belonging to the international humanitarian organization Action Against Hunger / Action Contre La Faim (ACF) was targeted by gunmen on a street in Ruyigi, eastern Burundi. Two of the passengers were critically wounded: Agnès, a psychologist working in ACF’s Burundi programs since July 2007, and Aude, a Nurse/Nutritionist. They were transported to Ruyigi Hospital and then to a larger hospital in the city of Gitega.

Sadly, Agnès succumbed to her injuries and passed away upon arriving in Gitega.

Aude was transferred yet again—to a hospital in Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura—from where she was flown overnight to Johannesburg, South Africa accompanied by an ACF doctor. She underwent surgery on January 2nd and her status is now considered stable and her vitals good.

The Burundi Police Department has initiated an investigation into this inexplicable and incomprehensible crime. ACF’s remaining international staff have since been called back to Bujumbura where trauma counseling and psychological support are being provided.

Action Against Hunger’s teams are stunned and shocked by this senseless tragedy—both in Burundi and around the world. In response, ACF would like to honor Agnès by reminding the world of her devotion to humanitarian action and commitment to the communities she served.

Agnès was 31 years old and hailed from Saône et Loire, France. Although Burundi was her first experience in international humanitarian work, her sense of engagement and solidarity had always been part of who she was. As her father recalls: “Helping others, that was her thing. This is, actually, a family trait.” And her academic studies and work experiences in Europe were emblematic of this pursuit.

Agnès was particularly concerned with HIV/AIDS issues in Africa. She worked for several years in programs that partnered with African communities in Europe affected by HIV/AIDS (Toulouse, Birmingham), and in pursuing a doctorate in “Intercultural Psychology” her thesis focused on the prevention of AIDS in cross-cultural environments. She had applied to go to “the field” in 2005 with various organizations but had not had enough humanitarian experience at the time. She then pursued humanitarian training from the specialized programs at the Bioforce Institute in Lyon, France, prior to leaving for Burundi with ACF.

While in Burundi Agnès set up “HIV-Nutrition” programs in the area around Ruyigi. These programs provide psychological support to HIV-positive women at risk of transmitting HIV/AIDS to their children during birth. She followed up the young women enrolled in the program all throughout their pregnancies and the infants up until they were fully weaned—a period of roughly two years—as breast-feeding is a high risk factor when it comes to virus transmission. She was working with families on HIV acceptance in their communities and in their households, and on the hardships of being pregnant and potentially transmitting the virus to their children. Having been with Action Against Hunger in Burundi since July of 2007, she was a well-integrated member of the team.

Action Against Hunger’s teams, at work in some 40 countries around the world, send their most heartfelt condolences to Agnès’ family and friends.

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger / Action Contre la Faim (ACF), an international relief and development organization committed to saving the lives of malnourished children and families, provides sustainable access to safe water and long-term solutions to hunger. For nearly three decades, ACF has pursued its vision of a world without hunger by combating hunger in emergency situations of conflict, natural disaster, and chronic food insecurity.

Press Contact

Action Against Hunger - USA

James L. Phelan
Senior External Relations Officer, ACF-USA
Contact James Phelan
Direct: 212-967-7800 x108
Cell: 646-265-7796

Action Against Hunger - France

Lucile Grosjean
Chargé de communication, ACF-France
lgrosjean@actioncontrelafaim.org
Direct: + 33 1 43 35 82 22
Offsite/Weekends: + 06 70 01 58 34 / + 06 70 01 58 43