The 2026 Global Hunger Index warns that progress against hunger has gone into reverse. After almost four decades working alongside vulnerable communities, Ronan Scully of Self Help Africa reflects on the families and children behind the statistics and why the world must act.
What does it say about our world when, despite our knowledge, technology and resources, hunger is rising again? The 2026 Global Hunger Index reports that its global score has risen from 17.6 in 2018 to 18.2 in 2026.
Hunger has worsened in 32 countries, while 645 million people worldwide are going hungry. Conflict, climate shocks and economic crises threaten livelihoods and food security. These are not merely figures. They represent children at risk, parents struggling to provide meals and farming families watching their hopes disappear. Many take for granted a fridge, clean water and food for tomorrow. For millions across Africa, none is guaranteed. Somewhere tonight, a mother in Ethiopia will wonder how to feed her children; a farmer in Kenya will worry about livestock; a woman in Malawi will pray her crops survive. After almost four decades working alongside vulnerable communities in Africa, Asia and Ireland, I have learned that behind every hunger statistic is a human story. These parents want what we want for our children: safety, nourishment, education and a better future. When drought, flooding or conflict destroys a harvest, that future can disappear overnight. Are we prepared to change it?
When conflict and climate steal hope
Ethiopia holds a personal place in my heart. My wife, Jacqui, and I adopted our daughters, Mia and Sophie, from there. Its people and future became part of our family story, making insecurity and the threat of renewed conflict in the Horn of Africa especially distressing. Conflict strips families of homes, land and livelihoods. Farmers cannot harvest, children miss school and families flee with little more than the clothes they wear. An uncultivated field today may mean hunger months from now. Climate change compounds the crisis with droughts and floods destroying crops, killing livestock and damaging water supplies. For a family already on the edge, one failed season can mean hunger, debt and losing the means to start again. We cannot end every conflict or control every rainfall pattern, but we can help communities prepare through climate-resilient farming, better water management, training and early-warning systems. The UN Environment Programme’s Emissions Gap Report 2026 warns that current policies could lead to around 2.8°C of warming this century. Smallholder farmers face greater uncertainty over crops, livestock and feeding their families. Those least responsible for the crisis too often pay the highest price.
Dignity, not dependency
Self Help Africa partners with farming communities and local organisations to improve food security, strengthen livelihoods and help families withstand climate shocks. The principle is simple: a hand up, not a handout; partnership, not dependency; dignity, not pity. I think of Caroline in Kenya, who walked approximately 11 kilometres each day to collect water from a dirty stream. Reliable water closer to home can free time for farming, education and earning an income. Water means health, dignity and hope. Better farming practices and access to markets help families build secure futures. Women farmers deserve particular attention: many work the land and carry heavy family responsibilities, yet lack equal access to land, finance, training and technology. Supporting them strengthens incomes and children’s nutrition. Africa must never be defined solely by poverty and conflict. Its people do not need rescuing; they need fair opportunities and partnerships to shape their futures. Poverty is not a lack of potential, but too often a lack of opportunity.
Compassion must cross borders
Emergency food assistance saves lives today; investment in agriculture, water, education and resilient livelihoods helps prevent tomorrow’s emergencies. Ireland has an important role to play. Our commitment to overseas development assistance, supported by Minister Neale Richmond and the Irish Aid team, deserves continued strengthening. Helping vulnerable communities must remain a responsibility, not an optional extra. Families here also face poverty, housing insecurity and hardship. They deserve compassion. But caring for a family in Galway, Offaly or Dublin does not require turning away from a family in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi or Sudan. Compassion should never become a competition. Ireland’s Great Famine reminds us that hunger is about dignity, family, survival and the possibility of a future. That memory should deepen our empathy. I have witnessed extraordinary generosity from people organising fundraisers and supporting communities. Readers can help by supporting Self Help Africa, organising fundraisers, encouraging businesses and sporting clubs to contribute, and urging elected representatives to protect international development. Learn more at www.selfhelpafrica.org Before we look away
We should be troubled by a world where food is wasted while children go hungry and a failed harvest can destroy a family’s future. Hunger is not simply a tragedy of nature; it tests our humanity, priorities and willingness to share the resources with which we have been blessed. We cannot put every meal on every table, but we can do more. The question is whether we care enough to change these families’ circumstances. The prophet Micah challenges us to “act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8 ). In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40 ). These words challenge how we live and use the resources we possess. Somewhere tonight, a mother will wonder how to feed her children; a farmer will pray for a successful harvest; a family will struggle to recover from conflict or flooding. We cannot save everyone. But we can refuse to accept that hunger is inevitable, poverty permanent or suffering thousands of miles away is somebody else’s responsibility. Perhaps we cannot change the whole world, but we can change somebody’s world: one farmer, one woman, one child, one family and one community at a time. The Global Hunger Index has given us another warning. We know hunger exists and that practical solutions are possible when communities receive support and opportunity. Before we look away, let us choose to see, and once we have seen, choose to act. We cannot say we did not know, and must never allow it to be said that, knowing what we knew, we did nothing.
Ronan Scully works with Self Help Africa and has spent almost four decades alongside vulnerable communities in Africa, Asia
and Ireland.
Visit www.selfhelpafrica.org or drop a message to Ronan Scully,
Self Help Africa, Westside Resource Centre, Westside, Galway
