The Shelter charity has welcomed the Government’s pledge to tackle problems in the housing market and protect people by building more affordable homes.

Proposals to increase the exemption level for stamp duty and help first-time buyers onto the housing ladder were applauded, alongside the Governments commitment to help those who fall into arrears or are on the brink of losing their home.

The Government has pledged to invest £100m to improve the safety net for those in mortgage arrears, which could help prevent up to 10,000 repossessions. The introduction of a new mortgage rescue scheme will also help up to 6,000 vulnerable homeowners.

These changes are welcomed, but with an estimated 45,000 homeowners set to lose their property this year, this campaign will not fully avert the huge scale of the current housing crisis. Shelter intends to continue their campaign for further measures to tackle these issues and will looking out to influence the pre-budget report.

With your help, Shelter will try and support the hundreds of thousands of people priced out of the property market and the 1.6 million households stuck on council housing waiting lists.

> > click here to make a donation to Shelter

> > click here to find out more about the work of Shelter

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UNICEF UK is raising awareness for the people of India and Nepal, who have been hit by their worst floods in 50 years. Problems began after the Kosi River broke a dam in Nepal and breached mud embankments in Bihar, causing over a 1,000 villages to been affected.

The official death toll is now up to 55 people, with more than 70,000 people being displaced in Nepal. The floods have caused extensive damage and disruption to roads, with essential commodities now being transported by boat. The heat, combined with a lack of safe drinking water poses the risk of disease, with cases of fever and diarrhoea already reported.

UNICEF staff have been working with local authorities to provide tarpaulin sheets, jerry cans, hygiene kits and water purification tablets to the families hardest hit by the floods. The displaced families will not be able to return to their homes for another couple of months until the embankment is repaired and are in desperate need of shelter.

> > click here to make a donation to UNICEF UK

> > click here to find out more about the work of UNICEF UK

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UNICEF UK is delighted offer places for runners in The Royal Parks Half Marathon on Sunday 12th October 2008. The route planned encompasses Hyde Park, St James’s Park, Green Park and Kensington Gardens, with runners and spectators able to enjoy the magnificent views of Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, Marble Arch and the Royal Albert Hall.

If you would like to take a charity place in the race and fundraise for UNICEF, simply complete the registration form HERE. Places are first come, first served, so to avoid disappointment please complete and return your form as soon as you can. Once accepted you will receive a fundraising pack full of ideas and training tips, a UNICEF running vest or t-shirt, access to a UNICEF online sponsorship facility, plus much-needed refreshments at the finish line!

By fundraising for UNICEF you will be helping children all over the world to have a chance of a better life.

> > click here to make a donation to UNICEF UK

> > click here to find out more about the work of UNICEF UK

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On Saturday October 4th 2008, thousands of people will be gathering in Trafalgar Square to send a message to the Government to End Child Poverty.  With a campaign already in place to halve child poverty levels by 2010 and eradicate them by 2020, now is the time to remind Labour to ‘Keep the Promise’.

The 1 hour march will start and return to Trafalgar Square, where there will be childrens charity activities, entertainers, music, a film and a few short speeches. Play your part in the Campaign to End Child Poverty and demand the Prime Minister provides a better future for all our children.

One in three children live in poverty in the UK, and we can see the damage that poverty does to children in our society every day. Although progress has been made, positive movement has now stalled and the Government is not on target to meet their 2010 target. The Budget 2009 is the last realistic chance for the Government to keep alive their promise to end child poverty.

By helping to ‘End Child Poverty’ and make the Government ‘Keep the Promise’, you will be creating a better future for all children in the UK.

Sign up to here register your support today

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Illnesses in children caused by polluted water and sanitation are reaching crisis levels in Iraq, according to reports by UNICEF UK.

Iraq’s social services are now at breaking point, with only 17 per cent of Iraq’s sewerage being treated before being discharged into the country’s rivers and waterways. Pools of sewage are spread across North and South Iraq, with enough in Baghdad alone to fill 370 Olympic swimming pools every single day.

UNICEF Special Representative for Iraq, Roger Wright, said -

‘Lack of hygiene and unsafe drinking water are priority concerns for Iraqi families. Far too many are stretching scarce household resources to find safe drinking water – which should be readily available to all.’

Young children are particularly suffering, with diseases and malnutrition keeping many out of school and undermining their growth capacity. The situation is likely to worsen, with possible outbreaks of cholera possible through poor sanitation.

UNICEF is now planning to tanker over 300 million litres of drinking water to distribute with hygiene kits to up to 120,000 families across Iraq.  This will allow other agencies to rehabilitate water and sanitation to 1.8 million people, whilst also promoting hygiene education to the Iraqi people to help safeguard their future.

> > click here to make a donation to UNICEF

> > click here to find out more about the work of UNICEF

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UNICEF UK’s short film, The Gift, is a dramatisation of a powerful poem by Simon Armitage and narrated by Gwyneth Paltrow. It draws attention to the unwanted gift of HIV that is passed from thousands of mothers every year to their babies.

UNICEF UK strives to care for children affected by  HIV/AIDS whilst campaigning for improved drug treatments for sufferers. The Unite for Children campaign was globally launched in 2005 to research the lives of infected children worldwide, and to help governments improve standards through policy changes.

> > click here to make a donation to UNICEF UK

> > click here to find out more about the work of UNICEF UK

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The Government’s commitment to help end child poverty with a £1 billion investment has been warmly welcomed by UNICEF UK. This huge sum will make a real difference to the lives of nearly quarter of a million children, proving that the Government are serious in theor pledge to eradicate child poverty in the UK.

Britain’s cash commitment will help improve the well-being of the most vulnerable children, but will not hit the crucial target of halving child poverty by 2010. This is still an encouraging and important step forward for the Government, but further action must be taken to keep in line with other wealthy EU countries.

Parliamentary Officer for UNICEF UK, Senay Camgoz,, said -

‘UNICEF UK believes that with nearly £1 billion in today’s budget the Government has shown its determination to keep its promise and invest in the 3.8 million children being held back by poverty in the UK. It is therefore encouraging to see that the Government is serious about lifting a further 250,000 children out of poverty. We will continue to work with the Campaign to End Child Poverty to increase the pressure on the Government to keep its promise.’

UNICEF UK is a donation based charity which helps children both at home and abroad to maintain a better standard of living. Their hard work can only operate thanks to your help.

> > click here to make a donation to UNICEF UK

> > click here to find out more about the work of UNICEF UK

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UNICEF’s Soccer Aid is back at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 7th September. The last event, organised by Robbie Williams, raised nearly £2.6million for UNICEF UK donations to help the world’s children.

Commenting on this years match, Robbie said -

‘Being able to help so many people through Soccer Aid was one of the true highlights of my life. I hope that everyone involved has the time of their life as I did and raise loads of money for UNICEF and that the best side wins’

This year Harry Redknapp will be managing the England team, with a squad that includes his own son Jamie, and national legend Alan Shearer. Scotland hero Kenny Dalglish will take charge of the Rest of the World team, with players from showbiz and sport including Westlife’s Nicky Byrne, Jesse Metcalfe and Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel taking part.

UNICEF is the United Nations Children’s Fund and is the world’s leading child organisation in more than 190 countries worldwide. Their aim is to protect children whenever and wherever they are at risk and to make sure every child has clean water and the chance to go to school. All the cash raised by Soccer Aid will go to projects carried out by UNICEF and its partners for children around the world, including those affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa, protecting street children in the Philippines, and providing clean water in Nepal.

The charity is funded entirely by voluntary contributions, and without your help cannot exist. Your donations help to provide training for doctors and nurses, whilst also protecting children from violence and disease. Just a small donation can go a long way to ensuring a child’s long term future.

> > click here to make a donation to UNICEF

> > click here to find out more about the work of UNICEF

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With devastating drought and soaring global food prices, Action Aid aim to help the women and children suffering from malnutrition in Ethiopia, Kenya and other Horn of Africa countries.

Crops are failing and livestock dying all across Africa, with desperate parents having to scavenge for berries to feed their children. These berries can take up to three days to prepare just one meal, with many of the berries poisonous and causing sickness.

ActionAid Ambassador, Jan Ravens, said –

‘There’s no food here. There are no crops growing… It shouldn’t need to get this bad for us to help these people.’

Action Aid has so far distributed water to 25,000 people and provided food rations to over 1000 children under five. Along with helping the most vulnerable people with supplies of water and food, Action Aid also help families by supplying them with the seeds and tools they need to start farming again.

Action Aid needs your help to stop the death and devastation in Africa now. From as little as 50p a day you can sponsor a child and help provide access to safe and clean water, healthcare, nutritional food and education, which will eventually provide a means to generate a sustainable income.

> > click here to sponsor a child with Action Aid

> > click here to find out more about the work of Action Aid

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World Vision estimates that every year over 2.2 million children die through diseases, some as treatable as diarrhoea, picked up from dirty water - that’s almost 6,000 children a day.
With nearly 1.1 billion people in the world struggling to obtain clean water daily, something must be done to help people less fortunate than ourselves to change these harrowing facts.

By making a donation to World Vision you will be helping people with a lack basic sanitation and make a difference to the lives of children and families across the globe.

> > click here to make a donation to World Vision

> > click here to find out more about the work of World Vision

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