Download - Action Magazine Spring 2015
Spring 2015 Change lives. For good. 1
Super supporters Going the extra mile
NEW
Ebola Give hope to children affected
ActionAidUK@ActionAidUK
@ActionAidUK
actionaid.org.uk
BABY MIRACLE
Hope in the time of Ebola
Hugh Dennis The difference we are making in Myanmar
FEATURE
Issue 6 Spring 2015
APPEAL
actionaid.org.ukChange lives. For good.2 Tommy Trenchard/ActionAid
Spring 2015 Change lives. For good. 3
OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S FAREWELL
It has been an incredible privilege to lead the
organisation. I’d like to thank you for the huge
part you’ve played in helping achieve positive
change for some of the world’s poorest people.
I am very proud of the deep roots ActionAid
has maintained – listening to local communities
and responding to their needs in over 45
countries. We have also tackled some of the big
causes of poverty – just trade, more and better
aid and fair tax – so poor countries can stand on
their own feet.
2015 is a big year with two critical UN
summits to agree new sustainable development
goals and a legally binding deal on climate
change. We will bring the voices of the people
we work with to these debates – communities
living on the margins of survival, where climate
change is not about the future but about now.
Finally I’m delighted to announce my new
role with ActionAid International, leading our
global response to emergencies. Thank you for
your tremendous support – I know I can count
on this in the future.
Richard
@richardmillerukFollow me on Twitter
Richard Miller ActionAid UK Executive Director
This will be my last article as Executive Director of ActionAid UK as I’m stepping down after 11 years
Rebuilding children's livesSeven-year-old Iye lives in Bo District, Sierra Leone. She knows how to protect herself from Ebola, thanks to a demonstration run by an ActionAid volunteer in her village.
We know from experience that one of the best ways to help people rebuild their lives after a devastating crisis such as Ebola is through child sponsorship.
Right now there are 566 children in Liberia and 228 in Sierra Leone hoping to be sponsored. Turn to page eight for an eyewitness account of life on the ‘Ebola frontline’ and how your support could help children like Iye to start again.
appeal give hope to children
affected by ebola
SEE PAGE 12
Seven-year-old Iye attends an Ebola awareness session run by ActionAid volunteers with her mother Mamie in Mbundorbu village, Bo District, Sierra Leone
33–39 Bowling Green Lane, London
EC1R 0BJ. 01460 238 000
Registered charity (number 274467). Cover Miracle was born in an
ambulance outside a hospital in Monrovia, Liberia on the day her father
died from Ebola. Her mother, Princess Paye, tells us; ‘The nurse who
helped me give birth said, “It’s a girl, you should name her Miracle”.
So I did – she is my miracle.’ Photo: ActionAid
actionaid.org.ukChange lives. For good.4
Ghana: Witch camps closed
Education campaigner wins Nobel Peace Prize
A ctionAid has helped 254
women being held in
‘witch camps’ in Ghana
to return home and become part
of their community again, after
getting the Bonyasi Camp in the
north of the country closed down.
Belief in witchcraft is common in
Ghana, and hundreds of women,
often elderly and living in poverty,
have been accused and banished
from their homes. There are fi ve
camps left in northern Ghana,
where nearly 700 women live with
little access to food and water.
ActionAid’s campaign to improve
conditions in the camps and
reintegrate the women into their
communities continues.
●
AROUND THE WORLDT h e l a t e s t n e w s o n o u r g l o b a l w o r k
W e were delighted that
Kailash Satyarthi and
Malala Yousafzai were
announced joint winners of
the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014
for their struggle for the right
of all children to go to school.
As a founding member of the
Global Campaign for Education
(GCE) with Kailash Satyarthi,
ActionAid has played a key role
in getting 50 million children
into school over the past 15
years. Kailash, said: ‘There is
no greater violence than to deny
the dreams of our children.’
Oliver Dixon/Imagewise
Jane Hahn/ActionAid
2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi with Send My Friend to School
youth ambassadors Rebecca (left) and Maisie
Through Ghana’s ‘Go Home’ project, women like Ayishetu (centre) can return to their villages and lead normal lives
Spring 2015 Change lives. For good. 5Spring 2015
Bank with TriodosW e are working with the
ethical bank Triodos to help
change lives, for good.
When you open a savings account
and deposit £100, Triodos Bank
will donate £40 to ActionAid
(terms apply).
Triodos only lends its savers’
money to organisations who are
working to make the world a better
place. It publishes details of every
single organisation it lends to,
which means you can see exactly
how your savings are being used
to change the world for the better.
Find out more at www.triodos.co.uk/actionaid
ActionAidUK @ActionAidUK @ActionAidUKactionaid.org.uk
Marion Lise Normand/ActionAid L ast August,
we appealed
to you to help
children and families
suffering during the
Gaza crisis. Thanks
to your generosity,
we raised £1.2
million to help those
in urgent need.
Vouchers were
given to 500 families
to buy essentials
like blankets, warm
clothing, heaters,
and plastic sheets
to make damaged
homes waterproof.
So far, 3,000 people
including elderly and
disabled people
have benefi ted.
Gaza appeal: thank you!
Ten-year-old Mahmoud Al Nassar plays his broken guitar in rubble that was once his home in Gaza, Palestine
actionaid.org.ukChange lives. For good.6
Extraordinary suppDedicated to you – our super supporters – and the incredible things you do to help us change lives for good. Thank you
Glyn, awarded an OBE for being a super supporter Research scientist Glyn Allen is a leading member of the Guernsey Supporter Group which has raised an astonishing £650,000 for our work. He was awarded an OBE in 2014 for his services to ActionAid.
‘When my son was seven, he saw a small ActionAid advert in the Guardian about child sponsorship. He waved it in our faces and said, “This is what you should be doing!”’
Glyn has supported us ever since – fi rst by sponsoring children in
Burundi and then by joining the local Guernsey Supporter group in 1992, which he chaired for 12 years.
Run by committed volunteers, the group raises between £30,000 and £40,000 a year through regular quiz nights, plant and food sales, coffee mornings, and an annual ‘World Aid Walk’ around the island.
Glyn is a strong supporter of international aid and was on the board of the Overseas Aid Committee for eight years.
But he feels ActionAid stands out from other aid agencies. ‘We know where our donations are going. It helps when we’re out on the street to tell people exactly where their money will be spent, for example on tackling Ebola in Sierra Leone and Liberia.’ Today, Glyn co-runs a bric-a-brac shop raising funds for ActionAid and two other charities. He was delighted to be awarded an OBE. ‘My wife, my son and I went to the palace to receive it from Prince Charles…a patron of ActionAid!’ ■
Peter Frankland/Guernsey Press
Glyn with ActionAid UK Fundraising
Manager, Liz Grant
Spring 2015 Change lives. For good. 7
pporter stories Feeling inspired? To fi nd out more about joining a supporter group, we would love to hear from you! Contact us on [email protected]
Pupils at Linlithgow Primary raise over £2,500 for Ebola response
Former Kent teacher Margaret Doak raised over £6,000 doing a half-marathon on a rowing machine in her local gym…aged 79.
Having only rowed for 10-20 minutes before, this was a momentous challenge for Margaret. Undaunted by the task, she trained for eight months and completed the full 13 miles in just two hours.
‘I had a few qualms on the way – can I do it? But I have to admit I never felt so fi t!’
Do you know a Super Supporter? From donating pocket money, to volunteering or running your fi rst ever marathon, we’d be delighted to hear your stories or nominations. Get in touch at [email protected] or 01460 238 000
For more ideas on how you can fundraise, turn to page 18!
Margaret, 79, raised £6,000 on gym rowing machine
Margaret was impressed by the way ActionAid helps communities to improve their own lives. ‘I particularly liked that you empower women and get girls into education.’
Since then, her work hasn’t stopped. She now sponsors a child and raised £1,200 on her 80th birthday by throwing two parties and asking for donations rather than presents. ■
Kent Messenger Group
Margaret completes her sponsored row at Maidstone Leisure Centre in Kent
All 400 pupils at Linlithgow Primary School in central Scotland sang their hearts out for ActionAid in December in a sponsored Christmas sing-along. Head Teacher Charlette Robertson said: ‘Our children were very concerned about the Ebola outbreak. They researched the good work ActionAid was doing to support
people and communities affected by this terrible disease.’
With a donation of £350 from an enterprise event run by Primary 7, the children raised more than £2,500. ‘Our chosen Christmas charity is ActionAid. We hope this money makes a difference to people in need.’ ■
actionaid.org.ukChange lives. For good.8
Londoner Christal Da Thong, 31, fl ew to her home country of Liberia in August to join the fi ght against Ebola. As ActionAid’s Communications Offi cer, she is the eyes and ears of our work on the ground
Life on the Ebola frontline
Interview by our resident journalist, Natalie Curtis
appeal: give hope to children
affected by ebola
SEE PAGE 12
Morgana Wingard/ActionAid
Spring 2015 9
When I made the
decision to return,
many, including
me, questioned
my sanity. Liberia
was descending
into chaos as Ebola spread like
a spider’s web, destroying lives
across the country. I wanted to
help in any way I could.
On my fi rst trip with ActionAid’s
Emergency Response Team, we
delivered much-needed supplies
like chlorine, bleach and soap to
an overstretched health centre in
the then quarantined Dolo Town,
Monrovia. It was a holding centre
for suspected Ebola patients, but
what I found there shocked and
saddened me.
I watched as a father
brought his 20-year-old son in a
wheelbarrow, desperate to fi nd
help for him, only to be turned
back. There were no spaces for
his son in the treatment centre.
The father, wearing no protective
clothing but a thin pair of gloves,
was in tears. With no specialist
protective gear to tend to Ebola
cases and no medicine to treat the
symptoms, there was nothing the
holding centre could do except
wait for a space to open up. This
was a heart-breaking moment that
I will never forget.
There is no doubt in my mind
that this experience has changed
me. I’ve worked for some amazing
causes in the past but right now
this is really personal. Seeing
ActionAid
Residents of ELWA junction learning how to prepare Clorox water to clean their hands
Christal Da Thong delivers sanitation supplies to survivors at the JFK Ebola Treatment Unit
‘
9Change lives. For good.
actionaid.org.ukChange lives. For good.10
More than 17,000
cases across the region
the impact of ActionAid’s work
and being able to communicate
that to other people, so we can
help as many as we can, has made
a huge difference to me.
It makes me proud when I think
of how my team has helped over
200,000 people affected by Ebola
in Liberia. We have been providing
emergency food to quarantined
communities, giving education
packs to kids unable to go to
school and running public health
campaigns to help people protect
themselves from Ebola.
I don’t know how long I will
stay in Liberia. It depends on how
long the country needs my help.
There are days when I would give
anything to have a cold drink
beside the River Thames with my
friends. And then there is of course
my husband. I miss him so much.
But we talk every day and he is the
one person who fully supports my
decision to be here.
The international community
is fi nally responding to the Ebola
crisis. One thing is clear though.
This needs to be a global effort.
I hope it will be enough to both
protect my country of birth and
enable me to go home to
the UK.’ ■
In numbers: Ebola in West Africa
Your support
8,000 people have lost their
lives
ActionAid raised
£700,000
The DEC Ebola Crisis Appeal raised over
£30 million
412,930 people
supported by ActionAid
348 volunteers
trained in raising awareness
224,090 people directly
educated in Ebola prevention
I NEVER IN MY WORST NIGHTMARES THOUGHT A KILLER VIRUS LIKE EBOLA WOULD TAKE ME BACK TO THE COUNTRY OF MY BIRTH
Residents of Mbundorbu village attend a hand-washing and Ebola awareness
session provided by ActionAid
ActionAid community volunteer Dora George puts up posters raising awareness of Ebola in Fengehun village, near Bo, Sierra Leone
Spring 2015 Change lives. For good. 11
How has ActionAid
helped stop the spread
Ebola?
Volunteers started seven
months ago to go from
door to door, helping
people understand what
actions they can take
to stop the spread of
the disease, to protect
themselves and their
children. We’ve also
supplied health centres
with equipment such as
gloves, aprons, protective
masks, soap and bleach
so that they can control
the spread.
What support have
we given to those
affected?
We’ve provided people in
quarantine or care units
with food and essential
items. We’ve given food
and clothing to families
whose belongings have
been destroyed for fear of
contamination, so they can
start rebuilding their lives.
Virtually all schools have
been closed, so we’ve
provided children with
education packs to help
them stay in touch with
school work.
Why has ActionAid
been able to make such
a difference?
We work in communities
that know us well.
Especially at the beginning
when people were anxious
about the disease, the
trust we had built up
from having worked in
communities for a long
period of time made a big
difference in getting the
message across.
What will ActionAid
do now to help
communities recover?
Even if the outbreak was
over now, it wouldn’t be as
simple as ‘life is back to
normal’. Ebola has slowed
down life considerably
– traders are not getting
to market, kids are not
getting to school. Our
next steps are very much
helping people rebuild
their lives, supporting
them to get over the
devastation this disease
has caused.
58 isolation and medical centres given detergents and disinfectants
500 quarantined
families in Liberia given
food packages
Ebola virus Q&AThanks to your generous support, ActionAid has played a major role in slowing the spread of Ebola in Liberia and Sierra LeoneOur Head of Humanitarian Response, Mike Noyes, explains
Tomm
y Trenchard/A
ctionAid
Moinya. whose mother Aminatta is an ActionAid volunteer raising Ebola awareness
actionaid.org.ukChange lives. For good.12
URGENT APPEAL: Give hope to children affected by Ebola
Help us reach 566 children in
Liberia and 228 in Sierra Leone
who are now urgently waiting
for sponsors. At fi rst, your
support will go directly to
our Ebola response:
> giving emergency food and
sanitation supplies to your
child’s community
> providing education packs
to stop children falling
behind in school
> supporting public health
campaigns, teaching children
and their families how to protect
themselves from Ebola.
Our frontline staff will send
you news and photos of the
communities you’re supporting,
showing the impact of your action .
Once the crisis is over there will
still be a desperate need for
your support to help rebuild
communities who have lost
everything. As soon as your child
goes back to school you’ll get
messages and pictures directly
from your sponsored child.
Sponsor a child today. Visit: www.actionaid.org.uk/childsponsor
appeal give hope to children
affected by ebola
One of the best ways to help people rebuild their lives after the devastating Ebola outbreak is through child sponsorship
Tommy Trenchard/ActionAid
Fatmata attends an Ebola awareness session run by ActionAid volunteers in Mbundorbu village, Bo District, Sierra Leone
Spring 2015 Change lives. For good. 13
Although visiting
the remote villages
where ActionAid
works felt like
stepping back in
time, Hugh found a
community very much leading its
Transforming lives in MyanmarBritish comedian Hugh Dennis travelled to Myanmar last year to visit the fi ve-year-old girl he sponsors
own development.
‘I recently realised I’ve
sponsored an ActionAid child
for nearly 30 years – fi rst in
Kenya and now in Myanmar.
So landing at Yangon Airport,
I was very excited.
Greg Funnell/ActionAid
Hugh with Lae Yi Soe, the fi ve-year-old child he sponsors in Myanmar through ActionAid
actionaid.org.ukChange lives. For good.14 actionaid.org.uk
Five-year-old Lae Yi Soe, the
child I sponsor, lives with her
parents and two brothers in a
small village in the dry zone in
central Myanmar.
In these agricultural
communities the heavy moving
is still done by bullock cart. The
water is collected from a pond, a
resource entirely dependent on
rainfall. Healthcare facilities are
poor – a clinic can be up to two
hours’ drive away. Children are
under pressure to leave education
because they are needed for work.
Now, a blue, plastic water pipe
from the rainwater pond to each
household has freed up those
who had to collect it numerous
times a day (mostly women), giving
them more time to earn money.
The village has a school which is
part-funded by ActionAid, making
it easier for Lae Yi Soe and her
friends to learn.
It’s also clear that this is
THANKS TO ACTIONAID, THE WORLD IN WHICH LAE YI SOE IS GROWING UP SHOULD BE A VERY POSITIVE ONE
Greg Funnell/ActionAid
Hugh talks to fi ve-year-old Lae Yi Soe and her brothers
Hugh with Lae Yi Soe, the fi ve-year-old child he sponsors in
Myanmar through ActionAid
Spring 2015 Change lives. For good. 15
development at the request of the
people it benefi ts. The village itself
has worked out which changes
would be most helpful and what
the priorities should be. It is a
highly effective system.
What is striking when you
visit them though, is how,
thanks to their own efforts and
ActionAid child sponsorship,
these communities are being
transformed. And how simple the
changes have been.
Thanks to ActionAid, the world
in which Lae Yi Soe is growing up
should be a very positive one.’ ■
Myanmar is one of the least
developed countries in the world.
One in four live below
the poverty line, and only
50% of children fi nish primary
school. To fi nd out how you could sponsor a child and transform lives today, visit www.actionaid.org.uk/child
Lae Yi Soe at school
Hugh visits Lae Yi Soe during class time in her village school
Hugh with Lae Yi Soe at school
actionaid.org.ukChange lives. For good.16 Change lives. For good. actionaid.org.uk
A lmost two thirds of Zambia’s people live below the poverty line.
At the same time, mining companies are making huge profi ts while not paying their fair share in tax. This is leaving the country short of funds to spend on vital services and – as this story shows – children are losing out.
Ivor Mwena stands in an empty classroom. As head teacher of Isoko Primary School in Zambia, he is frustrated that the government does not provide basic equipment for the children in his school.
‘Although we have new classrooms, they do not have any desks yet,’ he explains, ‘meaning the students have to sit on the concrete fl oor during classes.’
In recent years, the number of
Why tackling tax is a priority for a Zambian head teacher
children attending the school has grown. They applied for a grant from the government to extend the school, but heard nothing back. So with ActionAid’s help, they started to source their own building materials and collect funds for construction, but money for equipment soon ran out.
In Zambia, the average class size is 49 children and only £15 is available to educate each child per year.
Ivor believes that tackling tax dodging could make a huge improvement to the situation in his school.
‘If the government had more tax revenue they could fund the construction of more blocks to house more pupils in more schools. They could pay for the desks in the new building.’ ■
schooldesks
The
with no
Spring 2015 Change lives. For good. 17
How big an issue is tax
dodging in Zambia?
We’ve lost massive amounts to
tax dodging – our fi nance minister
estimates US $2 billion per year.
The tax that the country gets from
big companies – like Associated
British Foods and Zambia Sugar
– is nearly zero. As a country
we should be able to raise more
revenue given our huge natural
resource base. It is as a result of
tax dodging that we remain poor.
What impact would that money
have on people in Zambia?
Around 45% of children are
stunted because they don’t have
basic nutritious foods. Ideally, in
the fi rst fi ve years of a child’s life
government health programmes
would provide supplements like
vitamins for less well-off families.
In Zambia we have identifi ed that
we can do better, that we have
the potential to raise taxation and
that is the only way we’re going to
eradicate poverty.
Would it help Zambia if the
UK had better policies on
tax dodging?
Many multinational companies are
based in the UK, so the tax policies
in countries like the UK have an
effect in other countries where
those companies operate. So
ultimately, if the UK implemented
better policies on tax dodging
it would have a big impact on
countries like Zambia.
Kryticous Nshindano Q&A
Our Zambia Economic Justice Project Offi cer
Tax dodging allows some of the world’s biggest businesses to avoid paying their fair share, depriving governments of funds for vital public services like education.
Things don’t have to be this way. Changing the UK’s tax rules could ensure UK companies pay their fair share of tax wherever they operate.
ActionAid is part of a coalition calling on all political parties to introduce a Tax Dodging Bill. This could curb tax dodging by UK companies that costs poorer countries an estimated £3 billion every year, enough to put half the children in the world who currently don’t go to primary school into the classroom.
We can win this – but we need your help.
Take action now: www.actionaid.org.uk/tax-dodging-bill
Time to make tax fair.Time for a Tax Dodging Bill
Jaso
n La
rkin
/
Act
ionA
id
ActionAid
Ivor Mwena, head teacher of Isoka Primary School
actionaid.org.ukChange lives. For good.18
Starting in London,
this 100-mile road-race
covers the famous
Olympic course through
Surrey countryside and
fi nishes on The Mall.
Join our team and
cycle like an Olympian!
2 August – Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100.
One of the UK’s
most popular half
marathons, this fast
and fl at course has an
amazing atmosphere.
It takes a scenic route
past London’s famous
landmarks and through
four of the Royal Parks.
11 October – Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon.
Join us and work
alongside local people
to build a centre for
survivors of violence,
helping to improve
women’s rights and
end violence in the
community. You don’t
need any experience
– just enthusiasm,
motivation and the
desire to muck in!
24 October–1 November.
Get involved…
On your bike!
Run the Royal Parks
Volunteer in Mozambique
Visit www.actionaid.org.uk/ridelondon
Visit www.actionaid.org.uk/royalparks
Visit www.actionaid.org.uk/experiences
Four wa ys to be an Action Hero in 2015
Act
ionA
id
Act
ionA
id
Act
ionA
id
Sophie Westmoreland takes part in the ‘Cambodia
First Hand Experience’
Cindy Smith runs the ‘Virgin London Marathon’ in support of ActionAid
A triumphant Lee Walker after completing the ‘Ride London-Surrey’ bike ride
Spring 2015 Change lives. For good. 19
From 27 April to 1 May, we challenge you to
take on the UK’s largest experiential charity
challenge and get sponsored to live on just £1 a
day for all of your food and drink.
Do it on your own, as a couple, with your
colleagues, fl atmates or family. We’ll provide
you with meal plans, recipe ideas, top tips and
a forum to share your highs and lows. Got the
appetite to make change happen?
Sign up now at www.livebelowtheline.com/uk/partner/actionaid
Open any savings account with Triodos
Bank online at
triodos.co.uk/actionaid,
deposit £100+ and
it will donate £40
to ActionAid (terms
apply). The donations
we receive from
Triodos will help us to
continue to change
lives, for good. The
money you put
aside for the future
will only be lent to
organisations working
to make the future a
better place.
For more inspiring ideas visit www.
actionaid.org.uk/
fundraise. If you’ve
got your own ideas
for fundraising then
we’d love to hear
from you. Email us at
supportercontact@
actionaid.org.
Go on, be an Action
Hero in 2015!
Contact us to join our team
Join ActionAid and create a recipe to change the lives of women and girls around the world, for good
Do you have what it takes to Live Below the Line?
Cou
rtesy
of o
ur s
uppo
rters
actionaid.org.ukChange lives. For good.20
It is helping to pay for
them and two other
children to stay at a
hostel attached to their
local school. This means
the children get three
good meals a day, a
safe place to sleep,
and a chance to get an
education which will
change their lives
for good.
The very poorest
children living at home
in this region often have
to look after siblings or
Change lives for good with a gift in your will
work to help support
their families. But living
in the hostel during the
week ensures they have
time to focus on their
studies.
This gift was left by
a long-term supporter
of ActionAid who gave
£5,000. It’s a gift that
will support Sanju, Kala,
Rajmani and Karuna
throughout all of their
schooling, and will help
ensure their lives are
transformed forever.
To fi nd out more about
the difference this gift is
making, watch the short
fi lm: www.actionaid.org.uk/jyoti
Please get in touch if you have any questions about leaving a gift in your will, or to let us know if you have already. Contact our Gifts in Wills Manager Peter on 0203 122 0512 or email [email protected]
A gift in a will meant everything to Rajmani and Karuna who live in one of the poorest areas in a remote part of Nepal
Kis
hor K
. Sha
rma/
Act
ionA
idA gift in a will has enabled 14-year-old Rajmai Rai (left) and 6-year-old Karuna Rai (right) to
study at Jyoti Lower Secondary School in Nepal
27031_MAG