ActionAid's HungerFREE campaign marked World Food Day on 16 October with a series of big, bold events in 26 countries.

Find out what happened in the UK, in Nepal, in Brazil, in Sierra Leone and in Rwanda as ActionAid called for world leaders to Free the Hungry Billion.

Who's really fighting hunger?

The centrepiece of our campaign was the unveiling of a new report: Who's really fighting hunger?

The report ranks 51 countries in their efforts to fight hunger, and the results were handed to national ambassadors in the UK on the day (and recorded in our live photo blog).

Here are the countries working the hardest:

But who's not pulling their weight? View the full scorecard here.

Below are some highlights of what went on internationally on the big day:

In the UK... and Uganda

The UK HungerFREE team marked the occasion by handing maize seeds from Uganda to No 10 Downing Street.

ActionAid called on Gordon Brown to plant the seeds in his garden and make tackling hunger a political priority.

The maize came from Leya Chede - a small-holder farmer from Pallisa in eastern Uganda - who once suffered from terrible hunger, but who's now thriving (and sending her children to school), thanks to a community seed bank, which she helped set up with a local ActionAid partner.

While her maize seed was being handed over in London, Leya Chede was campaigning in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, with hundreds of poor women rural community members.

She handed over a petition from them and other groups to a prominent parliamentarian working on food and hunger, Wonekhol Oliver.
Live photo blog from the day

In Brazil

“The noise against hunger was an absolute success. We managed to promote an angry shout that will reverberate on the National Congress calling for the inclusion of the human right to food in the Brazilian Constitution." Marcelo Montenegro, co-ordinator of Activista in ActionAid Brazil.

Activista, ActionAid’s global youth network, made sure their call to free the hungry billion was heard loud and clear with a minute’s worth of noise.

Activistas in locations ranging from Copenhagen to Khatmandu, Naples to Nigeria, took to the streets with drums, pots and pans to send a noisy message to world leaders to take action on hunger now.

In Rio De Janeiro, 2,000 people made noise against hunger in nine night clubs across the capital.

Live updates from the 13 make noise events were texted to Activista’s online social network: www.myactivista.org

In Rwanda

People in Karongi District, Rwanda combined activities for World Food Day with those of Anti-Poverty Day.

The Karongi economy is centred on agriculture and livestock, but poor soil and traditional farming methods make expansion slow progress. Women are particularly affected by poverty and hunger, many having become heads of household in the wake of the 1994 genocide. 

A message of hope
On World Food Day, over 20 co-operatives came together to share their stories of fighting hunger in the presence of District Mayor Bernard Kayumba.

The call for action was made through dance and drama performances, with women and youth groups focussing on the need for increased financial support to women and small-scale farmers.

In Sierra Leone

As well as making a minute’s worth of noise as part of the Activista global campaign, young people across Sierra Leone took action by travelling to Freetown.

They called for the government to deliver on promises to make Sierra Leone food self-sufficient.

The HungerFREE scorecard was unveiled at a national symposium on World Food Day, which brought together members of parliament, ministers of state, representatives from NGOs, academics and wider society.

In Nepal
A total of 15,000 people were mobilised across 16 districts in Nepal.

From a huge gathering in Kathmandu to local rallies, the message from Nepal was clear: action must be taken to free people from the cycle of poverty and hunger.

An interaction programme between young people and Constitution Assembly members saw discussion around production and distribution of food materials, food as a fundamental right and accessibility of food materials in all regions. 

More highlights

In Nigeria, activists visited relevant committees of the National Assembly, while thousands marched against hunger in the capital, Abuja.

In Australia, an empty classroom opposite the Sydney Opera House was commandeered by ActionAid staff, who encouraged people to sign a petition for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

In Mozambique, World Food Day actions were combined with Rural Women’s Day events, and included televised public debates, community radio broadcasts and calling for government to increase the agriculture budget for sustainable agriculture. 

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, ActionAid distributed seeds and basic hand tools to 28 rural women groups from North Kivu Province.

One in six people on this planet live in hunger. Take action now!