PRESS RELEASE Jan 21, 2014 – Professor MS Swaminathan and Ashwini Kakkar to launch first Indian organization dealing exclusively with acute malnutrition. Malnutrition remains a devastating problem in India. Eight million Indian children under five currently suffer from acute malnutrition and over half of all child deaths before the age of five are due to malnutrition related causes. Despite several initiatives led by the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the implementation of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), most basic needs, like access to safe drinking water and sufficient food are not available for children. In fact, one child dies from malnutrition every 30 seconds in the country. The Fight Hunger Foundation is a new Indian organisation dedicated to the treatment and prevention of malnutrition in urban and rural areas in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Mumbai. The approach is to identify and correctly diagnose the most affected children, and treat them using Medical Nutritional Treatment and micronutrients. Locally trained community workers then follow-up with home visits to ensure children do not return to an under nourished state. Pregnant women and young mothers will be educated on the importance of varied nutrition, based on affordable and available local products. Awareness campaigns to create an understanding of under nutrition will also be launched. The Fight Hunger Foundation’s goal is to reach 3 million people by 2017 with a specific focus on children and mothers. Valerie Trierweiler,who is committed to the cause, will be in Mumbai on the 27th January to launch the Fight Hunger Foundation unless her trip is cancelled for medical reasons. Ms. Trierweiler says, “Nothing compares to the suffering of a child due to malnutrition. By helping Fight Hunger Foundation, I hope to contribute to a future where every child has enough to eat and will grow to full strength”. # # #

About Fight Hunger Foundation: Fight Hunger Foundation has the full support of Action Against Hunger (www.acf-international.org), which was founded in France in 1979. Action Against Hunger is the leading international NGO specializing in malnutrition and is present in over 45 countries with 35 years of experience. Through an exclusive agreement with Action Against Hunger, Fight Hunger Foundation will benefit from their expertise and will implement the best medical techniques to improve treatment to save children’s lives.