Students against Hidden Hunger

Short description

The campaign “Students against Hidden Hunger” aims to sensitise people about Hidden Hunger and educate them on it’s dangers.

Which problem do I/we aim to solve ‐ and why?

“The ‘hidden hunger’ due to micronutrient deficiency does not produce hunger as we know it. You might not feel it in the belly, but it strikes at the core of your health and vitality.” – kul C. Gautam, former deputy executive director of UNICEF.

My aim is to alleviate Hidden Hunger through effective sentisation on modern methods of agriculture and the impoortance of education for a better tomorrow. As a student and as a Zambian citizen it is my duty to bring about positive change in whichever way I can.

Many individuals have lived in ignorance, for instance there are so many food taboos in Africa that are still in existence till today. These include, a pregnant woman should not eat eggs or finish the food she is served, vegetables should not be eaten when the pregnancy is in its final stage, children should not eat kidneys – they are only to be eaten by elders. From such taboos, a trend that enables an environment for hidden hunger to flourish is made possible.

My/Our idea for a solution

Start up an awareness campaign “Students against Hidden Hunger”
Starting up the awareness campaign spearheaded by student volunteers from the Copperbelt University, spreading the campaign to other universities and to any youth group movements.
Sensitisation on Hidden Hunger, agricultural methods, the importance of education and the importance of healthy diets and regular exercise
Sensitisation ideas I have considered: holding rallies, asking businesses to contribute by helping distribute literature, setting up stands at agricultural fairs or storefronts, creating poster boards and signs.
Bring necessary stakeholderts in to start a fundraising campaign
Execute a series of empowerment projects that benefit identified groups/communities.
Some ideas of projects include: Drilling of wells or boreholes, providing start-up capital for agricultural business as micro-loans.

Why is my/our solution an innovative idea and tackles the challenge from a new perspective

My idea tackles the challenge in a new perspective in such a way that each and every way that helps in tackling the problem is exploited. The unique aspect of my idea is in the delivery and the execution of the campaign. It provides a unique and easy way to create awareness and also as a way to acquiring partnership.

How is my/our idea feasible?

My idea is feasible in such a way that all sorts of ways are included in order to realise our goal. I thought of a campaign as the most viable way to create awareness. Furthermore, the campaign targets a large number of students. This is because I believe in order to succeed, involvement of young minds that are very energetic and ready to work for a greater cause makes the idea already a success.

Which methods and channels do I/we want to utilise?

Mass media is one of the ways to reach a wide audience, the Press, Radio, and Television are an effective way of reaching a wide audience – particularly with an awareness raising message. The use of the internet also plays a key role in dissemination via Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram and so on.

What’s my/our expected outcome and improvement?

I expect partnership with the government of the day, I believe the media coverage within the country can provide a basis at which the government can be willing to take up an active role in the campaign. I would also seek partnership with non-governmental organisations across the world to take keen interest in the campaign.

What's my/our budget and which partners I/we would expect to be valuable

Budget for Fliers, Billboards, Payments, Advertisements and Transportation: ~7.000€

Partners: Universities in Zambia, UNICEF, WHO, World Vision, The Zambian Government, the music and film industry, network service providers such as Zamtel, Airtel or MTN.