Hacking Hunger

Years of conflict have pushed Yemen to the edge of famine. There are 8 million people in the country suffering from severe hunger, and intensifying violence could bring this number to 12 million. WFP’s Yemen Country Director, Stephen Anderson, talks about his experience on the ground in Yemen. He shares the stories of Yemenis struggling to feed their families, and how WFP is doing whatever it takes to deliver food and nutrition to the people who need it the most.

In her final episode as host, M.J. Altman turns the mic over to three women in Guatemala, Chad and Jordan who share their own stories in their own languages as part of a unique project from the U.N. World Food Programme known as Storytellers.

The Sahel of Africa has always been an unforgiving landscape, but now families in the region are facing two growing threats at the same time: Climate change and conflict. Boko Haram’s campaign of terror has displaced thousands of people as farmers and pastoralists clash over access to shrinking land. M.J. takes you to Niger, a country in the Sahel where families are fighting for their lives—and a better future for their children.

Diko Amariah has been on both sides of humanitarian aid, first as a child refugee and now as an aid worker in South Sudan, where five years of conflict have pushed millions of people—especially women and girls—to the brink of famine. M.J. talks to Diko about delivering emergency supplies in one of the world's most dangerous conflict zones and how she maintains faith in a brighter future for her country.

Escalating violence in Eastern Ghouta has dominated recent news coverage of the conflict in Syria as humanitarians struggle to reach families trapped without food. Jakob Kern has witnessed the turmoil firsthand as head of the U.N. World Food Programme’s operation in Damascus for the last two years. As the conflict enters its 8th year, hear what Jakob has seen—and what the headlines often miss.

When violence in Myanmar sparked a mass exodus last August, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled for the border. Today, the Kutupalong camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh has become the world’s largest refugee camp, hosting more than 1 million people. M.J. talks to one aid worker who’s been on the ground since the beginning of the crisis—and hears about a new threat that now looms.

When a historic drought struck Mozambique last year, the nation’s farmers found themselves plunged into hunger. So how did the U.N. World Food Programme help pull the country back from the brink? On the last of a two-part series, M.J. shares five voices in Mozambique—a farmer, an aid worker, a teacher, a student and a father—who found themselves on the front lines of this slow-motion natural disaster and a massive and artfully timed humanitarian operation that saved millions of lives, including theirs.

A year ago, Mozambique was on the brink of disaster. Successive droughts meant the country’s farmers had almost nothing to harvest—or feed their families. In the first in a two-part series, M.J. takes you to the country’s urban streets and rural farms, introducing you to five Mozambicans who recount how their lives intertwined with a historic humanitarian crisis that left the U.N. World Food Programme with no choice but to sound the alarm.

Good nutrition helped Natalie Coughlin earn the most Olympic medals of any female swimmer in U.S. history. But a recent trip to Uganda with World Food Program USA — where she met farmers, elementary students and refugees from South Sudan — transformed her perspective on nutrition and food. M.J. talks to Natalie about her journey of discovery and how she intends to use her celebrity platform for good.

Republicans and Democrats don’t agree on much these days, but hunger has always been different. For decades, Congress and the White House have worked together to feed families around the world. M.J. talks to former Senator Tom Daschle about why this American legacy must endure — even as war, climate change and four looming famines threaten millions of families across the globe.

In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, farmers can expect to lose nearly half of their harvest before it even leaves the farm. M.J. talks to the World Food Programme’s Brett Rierson about why — and how “tupperware for crops” could change the way the world’s small-scale farmers do business.

As conflict rages in neighboring South Sudan, Uganda’s leaders -- many of them former refugees themselves -- are welcoming thousands of people seeking refuge from the violence with food and opportunity. M.J. talks to WFP USA’s Erin Cochran about her recent trip to Uganda and how aid workers responded when an entire village in South Sudan fled for the border one night following a brutal attack by government forces.

Famine paints an unspeakable picture: Families desperate for food, children dying of hunger, an urgent need for life-saving aid. The recent declaration of famine in South Sudan reveals the tragic consequences of war—and how the gradual collapse of a country can drive people into starvation. M.J. talks to Rose Ogola, a World Vision staffer in South Sudan, and Challiss McDonough, a World Food Programme staffer, about the human toll of famine, what’s at stake for the world’s youngest nation and what you can do today to help save the lives of innocent children.

Lovebirds Poonam Kaushal and Nishkaam Mehta are getting hitched this Valentine’s Day. Instead of throwing a big wedding, they teamed up with friends, family and perfect strangers to create an unconventional wedding gift using the world’s first hunger-fighting smartphone app. As they prepare to tie the knot in four days, M.J. talks to Poonam and Nishkaam about their “Million Meals for Love” campaign and explains how you can be part of their big day by changing the life of a hungry child.

Season 1 of Hacking Hunger was an experiment that uncovered moments of joy, heartache and the unexpected. M.J. takes a look back at a few of her favorite interviews from Season 1 and shares what’s in store for Season 2 -- and what you can do to help her find hidden, human stories about food on the front lines of hunger.

The city of Mosul has become the latest frontline in the war against ISIS and hunger in Iraq. Tens of thousands of families have fled the violence, reuniting with food and loved ones after years of separation. M.J. talks to Alex Murdoch, a World Food Programme communications officer in Iraq, about documenting the human experience of this exodus -- from the heartbreak of continual displacement to the joys of unexpected reunion.

Journalist Dalia Mortada may have been born and raised in the U.S., but she grew up in a Syrian kitchen. As a child, she savored aromas and flavors like orange blossom, tamarind syrup and cardamom -- tastes that would define her childhood and seal her identity as a Syrian-American. M.J. talks to Dalia about the inspiration behind her new project, Savoring Syria, and how she’s using food to spark a deeper conversation about a country torn apart by conflict.

When Hurricane Matthew slammed into Haiti last month, the storm ravaged its southern coast and left hundreds of thousands of families without food, shelter and clean water. But its devastation only tells part of the story. M.J. hands over the mic to Laura Cantave, a World Food Program USA staffer born in Haiti, to share her reflections on the spirit of her homeland and to Alexis Masciarelli, a World Food Programme staffer, who has spent the past month on the ground talking with families who survived the hurricane’s wrath.

For Peter Mumo, escaping a childhood of hunger and poverty in Kenya began with an empty bowl, a nervous excitement, and the delivery of his very first school meal. These simple meals and the encouragement of his parents would change the trajectory of his life. M.J. talks to Peter about what it was like sharing a scarce amount of food with five brothers growing up, how he’s helping transform the way his homeland feeds its people and being selected for President Obama’s prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship.

When violence or natural disaster strikes vulnerable communities, good data on the hunger that often results can be hard to come by. For aid workers, knowing where food is scarce and how families are coping is crucial to alleviate suffering. M.J. talks to Jean-Martin Bauer, founder of the World Food Programme’s mobile Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (mVAM) unit, about how mobile phones in the most remote and dangerous corners of our world are changing how we understand and fight hunger.