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International Students from China Join the Hunger Movement During Their U.S. Visit

on  August 22, 2019

This summer, NC State University’s Global Training Initiative (GTI) welcomed international students from China to package Rise Against Hunger meals as part of the initiative’s support for ending global hunger.Focusing on leadership and unique ways to become an innovator, GTI encouraged students to think outside the box this summer. As a part of this initiative, about 30 students, including international students from Zhejang University in China, had the opportunity to participate in the Rise Against Hunger Experience.Melissa Edwards Smith, a program manager at GTI, coordinates the courses and workshops for the students in the program. Working directly with the international students, her goal this summer was to focus on global leadership, cultural skills and creating a union of students from different majors. With this in mind, Melissa knew that participating in a meal packaging event would bring all of the students together for a hands-on project.”This summer, I really wanted the program to embody a new way to think about global issues while also incorporating hands-on learning with organizations. We want our leaders to not just think about leadership, but to discover new ways to exhibit leadership,” she said.Helen, a psychology instructor from Zhejang University in China, had the opportunity to travel to the U.S. to join her students for the summer program. When asked what has been the most memorable experience from her visit, she said, “Coming to this warehouse was an amazing way to spend my first trip to America. This is what I will remember.”Together, the students and volunteers worked in teams to package thousands of meals in just under one hour.It’s not often that international and local students have the opportunity to join forces in our mission to end world hunger by 2030. Here’s what a few of them had to say about their Rise Against Hunger Experience:

“I attended my first meal packaging event at Rise when I was in the 6th grade. Having the opportunity to come back and work as a team is really cool.”- Molly, incoming freshman, NC State University

“We’ve been discussing leadership and new ways to display those traits throughout the program. Putting what we’ve been saying into action is what excites me. We’re not doing it because it looks good but because we’re making an impact.”- Juniper, rising senior, NC State University

“I’ve lived in a developing country most of my life, so I’ve seen people experience hunger firsthand. Knowing the impact and that I’m helping those same people that were once in my own backyard, means a lot.”- Rushali, rising sophomore, NC State University

Ready to schedule a Rise Against Hunger Experience event for your group? Get started today!

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About the Author

Janae Curtain is the Manager of Digital Marketing at Rise Against Hunger. Janae leads the development and execution of digital marketing initiatives including social media, email marketing, digital advertising and more!

More Posts by Janae Curtain

Strength, Stability And Hope

The gift that filled Nelly’s table.

“We were yielding very little, and the crops could not sustain us the whole year,” Nelly remembers. As a mother of seven and a farmer with two decades of experience, the stress of inconsistent yields was all-consuming. A poor harvest not only strained her family financially, but also limited their own meals to just two a day. Their story reflects that of many in their fishing and farming village near a lake in the Karonga district of northern Malawi. Here, heavy rainfall makes conventional farming methods nearly impossible. The entire village is, quite literally, saturated in food insecurity — a reality that leaves families struggling to survive season after season without a dependable source of nourishment.

In 2019, Nelly began participating in Harvesting Prosperity and Resilience, a sustainable agriculture project implemented by Rise Against Hunger in partnership with the Foundation for Community Support Services (FOCUS). The project works with 3,100 smallholder farmers in Malawi’s Karonga and Mzimba districts to strengthen food and nutrition security by improving production methods, nutrition practices and household income.

Just one year later, Nelly was ready to expand the variety of crops on her farm. What land once only produced maize began to flourish with sesame, cowpeas, rice and groundnuts during the rainy season (summer), as well as maize and vegetables during the dry season (winter). Through climate-smart agriculture training, she learned new techniques like manure making, pit planting and mulching, crop rotation and intercropping. Equipped with these tools, Nelly’s farm began to thrive.

After the 2023–2024 growing season, she sold enough produce to purchase an ox cart. Her harvests in 2024-2025 season yielded over 500 pounds of crops, including 22 bags of groundnuts, seven bags of maize, 12 tins of sesame and three bags of rice. With this surplus, she was able to invest in a motorbike, which she now uses to transport African doughnuts (mandasi) that she cooks and sells — creating yet another source of income for her family.

The transformation reaches far beyond her finances. Nelly now has the stability to provide for her husband and children. “I am able to eat different food types, pay school fees for my children and fulfill the visions that I have made with my family,” she beams. “I am now sleeping peacefully without any fears of food or paying school fees for the children.”

Her leadership has also grown. Today, Nelly serves as a leader in the Harvesting Prosperity and Resilience project, teaching other farmers in her district to adopt climate-resilient, labor-saving practices. By sharing her knowledge, she is multiplying her impact — empowering her neighbors to experience the same transformation she has achieved.

Across Nelly’s community, food and economic security are on the rise. Lombani, a government extension officer for the region, explains, “I can see the community is being transformed in the sense that in the area, there is food, income and nutrition security. Development is also happening at the household level.”

Nelly reflects on what it means to invest in holistic programs that address the root causes of hunger: “We are now healthy people. Children are going to school after eating their breakfast, having high yields and different types of crops due to conservation agriculture practices. With the support from the project, we have food, and we can access other food items from the market after selling our produce.”

This is the gift that fills: a future full of stability, strength and hope. It fills tables with food, families with security and communities with the resources to thrive. It’s an investment in futures rooted in resilience and hope.