Freedom from Hunger’s response to chronic hunger is rooted in our assumptions:

1. Chronic hunger, or food insecurity, is a complex state related to many variables of food availability, access and utilization rather than food scarcity per se.   Poverty and poor health, in particular, interact to trap the poor in a vicious cycle. 
2. The complexity, scope and scale of chronic hunger demand more than one strategy or response.  The most effective strategies are those that address multiple causes of chronic hunger and are capable of widespread expansion and financial sustainability.
3. Income increases that will have the most direct, positive impact on food security are those earned by the poorest households, controlled by women, and earned in steady and regular amounts. 
4. Income increases alone are unlikely to have substantial impact on the malnutrition of women and young children unless key maternal and child health/nutrition behaviors are also adopted.
   

We know from experience that integrated financial and non-financial services address these assumptions because they

1. tackle poverty, discrimination, lack of power, undernourishment and disease, and lack of knowledge and practices for food utilization—breaking a vicious cycle by improving financial security and food security at the same time;
2. equip the poor to help themselves through a highly scalable and sustainable household-level approach;
3. are tailored for poor clients, particularly women, and typically support stable income-generating activities; and
4. combine microfinance with education, linkages to health protection services and other non-financial services to support changes in knowledge, skills, attitudes and behavior to improve food security.
   

Ultimately, though, our focus on integrated services as a response to chronic hunger is based on its outcomes—improved food security and family nutrition—as illustrated in our Benefits Diagram below and demonstrated in our impact studies.