In 2001, Hans Mahncke joined the illustrious ranks of those thinkers and inventors who have received awards for their humanitarian efforts, and for ideas that truly make the world better. Hans Mahncke, who works as a legal consultant in Hong Kong, and is also involved in several prestigious editing and teaching projects, was extremely happy to add a Digital Diplomacy Award to his many accolades. The Digital Diplomacy Award is handed out by the United States State Department in recognition of humanitarian causes expressed through digital means. In Hans Mahncke’s case, the award was granted for a special project he had worked on, called “An End to World Hunger: Hope for the Future.” “An End to World Hunger: Hope for the Future” maps out the many intricate details of world hunger, and takes the first step in solving it: spreading awareness.

“World hunger is a huge problem in many parts of the world,” said Hans Mahncke. “I just knew I had to find some creative way to highlight this pressing issue. That’s how I got involved in creating ‘An End to World Hunger: Hope for the Future.’ We called it that because we wanted to come from a place of positivity, so that people would be charged into action not by desperation, or a feeling of hopelessness, but because they understand that there are possible solutions and we can all be a part of them.”

Did Hans Mahncke have any idea that presenting these solutions would lead to such recognition? “It was such an amazing honor to receive this award from the State Department,” he said. “But the truth is, this was never really about winning an award, or even being recognized. We just wanted to make a difference, and I think we accomplished that. To be recognized by the State Department ‒ which in a way reflects that the program is working ‒ is just an amazing experience on top of that.”

Hans Mahncke noted one possible outcome to getting the award: the possibility that it might help spread awareness even further, and hopefully lead to even more solutions.