Accountant Kaitlyn Abrahall is one of the nineteen Australian women who have been handpicked to travel to India as part of the Hunger Project Australia’s leadership trip, in February next year.
Ms Abrahall and the other members will live in a remote village in the hill town of Nainital in the northern state of Uttarakhand, during their six-day trip, to understand the day to day challenges faced by the villagers, particularly women.
The main aim of the project is to help women unleash their leadership and capacity so they can be empowered to take action towards eradicating hunger from their lives and villages, once and for all.
India-malnourished-hunger Source: SBS
“We are going over to hear their stories, and act as a catalyst for change through knowledge and empowerment. The people living in these communities deserve to have basic hygiene, fresh water, and to know that they will not starve,” wrote Ms Abrahall on Hunger Project Australia’s fundraising page.
Ms Abrahall who is the only participant from Victoria is also required to raise $10,000 for the project which will be used to help people living in hunger. She has so far raised $1,881.
“As a female in Australia, I live in a world where I am in control. We have endless opportunities here, and we are so lucky to have the resources we have. Imagine you couldn’t read or write and you were elected to local government. This is their reality,” wrote Ms Abrahall in her fundraising campaign.
India is home to the largest undernourished population in the world.
The Global Hunger Index 2017 ranks India at 100 out of 119 countries on the basis of three leading indicators -- the prevalence of wasting and stunting in children under 5 years, under 5 child mortality rate, and the proportion of undernourished in the population.
As part of the Hunger Project Australia's India mission, workshops will be held during the length of the program to facilitate communication between the volunteers and women of the village enabling them to connect, stretch and make a difference in the world.
The Hunger Project is a global, non-profit organisation dedicated to ending world hunger by 2030 - not by feeding the hungry, but by breaking the cycle of poverty.
For this project, the Hunger Group has partnered with networking organisation Business Chicks to provide a leadership platform for women.
