Archive for the ‘ActionAid’ Category

Bristol comedian Mark Watson from Mock the Week has just returned from Senegal in West Africa where he took the time to visit the local children and teach them a few of his Bristolian phrases! The comic helped launch the Action Aid UK ‘Make Your Mark’ campaign, which ban last month last month exclusively in the West Country. This is to help raise awareness of the 72 million children who cannot afford to go to school through poverty, and to try and find 1,000 people in the West Country to sponsor 1,000 children in Africa.

Whilst in Senegal, Mark learnt the local drumming and dancing, and also played football in a local league which is funded by Action Aid to help the football mad locals to take part in their favourite sport. Alongside all the fun stuff, Mark also joined in the daily chores of carrying firewood, fetching water and cooking. Mark has always been a regular donor to the Action Aid childrens charity, but after recently becoming a father, said that seeing the poverty hit him a lot harder as a new dad.

Mark said -

It’s been really exciting and inspiring to see the effect of ActionAid’s child sponsorship in Djilor. Now I’m back I am going to sponsor a child straight away and I’m hoping to get a lot of people in the West Country to do the same. This is a place that’s not all that unlike Bristol in some ways. The close sense of community and the importance of the kids are all the same really. This is a massive opportunity for people in the West Country to get involved in changing the lives of communities in a place that’s not all that far from home and where the people really, really do appreciate and need it.

Help ActionAid with a Charity Gift

You can also help raise funds with the ActionAid Gifts in Action scheme, giving you the chance to buy an unusual and thoughtful charity gift whilst also helping poor communities.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving…

> > Click here to order a Gift in Action

Other top charity gifts

British actor Ralf Little has just returned from visiting Rio de Janeiro’s notorious City of God, where the Action Aid charity are currently working on their project ’1Goal’. Having visited Rio myself, the area really is one of the most amazing places I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing, yet the close proximity of the rich and the poor is quite astounding. In the area of Ipanema you can be stood outside Louis Vuitton, yet no less than two blocks away is the entrance to a favela, which is governed by it’s own people and is a complete police no go area. On the beaches you can see the children of the rich play next to the street kids who have nothing but the shirt on their back. It truly is amazing, yet at the same time heartbreaking.

Ralf visited a favela and had the opportunity to see first hand the scale of the problem in this sprawling urban area. Up to 65,000 residents have just one secondary school and health centre between them, yet still manage to continue with their day to day life with a smile on their face. The children especially take a lot of joy from football, with many of the Brazil national team brought up in slum conditions yet manage to break free and rule the world.

The project he visited is the Action Aid supported Centre for Education and Cultural Actions (CEACC). This project allows children a safe place to play and a chance to learn new skills like computing, football and capoeira. Ralf, an ex semi pro footballer and recent player in the UNICEF UK Soccer Aid event, knows the importance of this project, especially with the World Cup currently dominating the screens of homes across the planet.

With the next World Cup taking place in Brazil in 2014, Action Aid has managed to make a connection between this year’s event and education through sport, which can only help raise the public’s awareness in the battle to help tackle poverty.

Ralf said -

It just takes one kick to score a goal and one little act of kindness to change these kids’ lives.

Help ActionAid with a Charity Gift

You can also help raise funds with the ActionAid Gifts in Action scheme, giving you the chance to buy an unusual and thoughtful charity gift whilst also helping poor communities.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving…

> > Click here to order a Gift in Action

Other top charity gifts

Action Aid UK will be holding their annual ‘PoverTee’ Day on Friday 18th June 2010 to help raise funds for children around the world who have little or no access to education. By joining in at work (for a £2 donation) or in school (for a 50p donation) this is a great way to bring everyone together to help fight the corner of some of the world’s poorest children.

People all over the country will be swapping their suits and school uniforms for this great fundraising activity, so why not host your own dress down day in your workplace or school? By taking part you’ll not only be raising awareness of poverty issues with the people around you, but also helping to raising funds to help tackle them.

The England football team will also be playing their second group qualifier at the World Cup 2010 in South Africa on this day, so it would be the perfect opportunity for people to show their support on this day for our boys as they try to win the elusive trophy!  So why not be part of the action and help make ‘PoverTee’ Day an event to remember by not only raising awareness, but also much needed cash to help those people who really do need it.

> > Click here to register for PoverTee Day

Help ActionAid with a Charity Gift

You can also help raise funds with the ActionAid Gifts in Action scheme, giving you the chance to buy an unusual and thoughtful charity gift whilst also helping poor communities.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving…

> > Click here to order a Gift in Action

Other top charity gifts

Having recently written a piece for this blog about how to Change the World This Election, I decided to follow my own advice and emailed my local candidate to show my support for the initiative. After signing up via the Action Aid UK website and emailing my local MP’s as a show of solidarity against tax dodging, I thought nothing of it until this morning when I was surprised to receive this email from Michael Ellis, the Conservative candidate for Northampton North. It read -

Dear Mr McDermott,

Thank you for getting in touch with me about your concerns on tax justice. I think you raise some worthy points. Let me set out for you the position on this that I and my fellow Conservatives hold.

Just as Conservatives believe that aid needs to be more effective and accountable in order for it to have the maximum possible impact on global poverty, so there is no doubt that more needs to be done to increase transparency in tax affairs.

The UK Government has a responsibility to work with other countries, including overseas territories, to ensure that information on the tax position of individuals and companies is exchanged between tax authorities. This is vital in addressing tax evasion and also money laundering.

Ultimately, an international accounting standard on country-by-country reporting may well address many of the problems currently created by a lack of transparency. We need to ensure that any such reporting regime provides the relevant information and does not deter multinationals investing in developing countries. In the shorter term, the UK Government must continue to press for further exchange of information agreements, greater monitoring of the use of transfer pricing and the use of complex structures and greater transparency.

I agree with the sentiment behind the ‘Robin Hood’ campaign and you may be interested to know that the Conservative Shadow Chancellor George Osborne has met with its representatives in order to discuss our common objectives.

That is why the Conservatives have said that we will introduce a levy on banks in the UK. At the same time we will push for international agreement, which could raise billions of pounds to fund domestic and international policies, including action to help the most vulnerable, and tackle climate change, at home and abroad. We will continue to pursue international agreement if possible on the exact design of a tax, and will consult widely.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is producing a report on what form such a tax might take. They are considering the practicality of a transaction tax, alongside other options like a levy, a form of which President Obama has proposed and the Swedish government has implemented.

I also agree that, in spite of other pressures on public spending caused by the recession, government spending on international development should continue to be a priority. We are therefore committed to increasing aid spending to 0.7% of GNI, because we believe that overseas aid can save lives, combat diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS, and help to create bring new jobs, universal education and other opportunities for people living in the poorest countries.

In addition, we recognise that climate change is already hitting some of the poorest people in the world, and urgent action is needed to cut emissions and help protect people from the impact of rising temperatures. David Cameron has made this a personal priority of his. We have signed up to the 10:10 campaign, and committed to cutting UK government emissions by 10% within 12 months of the general election. As we have repeatedly stated, we also support international negotiations on new mechanisms to provide additional funding for this important issue.

I do hope you find this answer to be satisfactory. If you have any further questions, on this or any other matter, then please do get in touch again.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Ellis
Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Northampton North

So there you have it, straight from the horses mouth. It seems that Action Aid’s work to highlight the need for change has made a lot of prospective MP’s stand up and take notice. If you would like to email your local parliamentary candidates to make a stand against tax dodging that costs developing countries up to $160 billion a year, then simply click on the link below to join the cause.

> > Click here to email your local candidate with Action Aid

Help ActionAid with a Charity Gift

You can also help raise funds with the ActionAid Gifts in Action scheme, giving you the chance to buy an unusual and thoughtful charity gift whilst also helping poor communities.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving…

> > Click here to order a Gift in Action

Other top charity gifts

Help change the world this election with Action Aid UK, and give up to 72 million children worldwide the chance of an education. ActionAid research has uncovered that developing countries lose up to $160 billion a year to tax dodging by multinational corporations, and now is the time to make a stand against this.

Now is a great time to make a difference with the upcoming election, and if we stand together and show all the parties that we want the end of tax dodging and start to put a tiny Robin Hood tax on bankers, developing countries would have billions of extra pounds every year to spend on education and eradicating hunger. By emailing local party candidates in the run up to the election, you can let your voice be heard, along with thousands of others, that you want change and you want it today, not tomorrow.

With over a 1 billion people currently going hungry across the globe, alongside 72 million children who miss out on an education due to lack of money, now is the time to take action. The global financial crisis continues to effect those who did the least to create it. Action Aid’s mission is simple – to make sure whoever gets elected achieves tax justice, and quickly. Their sensible solutions could generate billions of extra pounds, not just for poor countries, but also the UK. With the general election just around the corner, this is a marvellous opportunity to get every politician behind Action Aid’s mission for tax justice.

> > Click here to email your local candidate with Action Aid

Help ActionAid with a Charity Gift

You can also help raise funds with the ActionAid Gifts in Action scheme, giving you the chance to buy an unusual and thoughtful charity gift whilst also helping poor communities.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving…

> > Click here to order a Gift in Action

Other top charity gifts

With Easter just around the corner, now is a great time to start planning your special gifts for friends and family. With the amount of chocolate flying around at this time of year, why not get away from the Willy Wonka factor and surprise your loved ones with something a bit different from ActionAid’s Gifts in Action?

These innovative charity gifts are a fantastic way to show someone that not only do you care from them, but also the world around you. Each gift features -

• a personalised pop up card illustrating how your donation might be used
• an e-card is also available for many of the gifts, perfect for those far flung friends or last minute presents
• the great feeling of knowing they are helping those in need

There is a wide selection to choose from, but as it’s Easter, why not send -

• chicken breeding programme
  We all know Easter is about eggs, but why not help less fortunate families breed chickens to create their own eggs! This nutritious produce can be eaten or sold at local markets, enabling those that struggle to grow food and make a living from their land the chance to earn an income.

• 128 cocoa tree seedlings
  Instead of sending boring old chocolate, why not surprise someone you love with these disease resistant cocoa seedlings which will allow farmers to grow their own crops. ActionAid will ensure the farmers have all the tools and fertilisers they will need to build a thriving livelihood.

This is just two Easter charity gift ideas, and there is a wide and varied selection to choose from. So why not think outside the box this year and purchase an exciting present from ActionAid’s Gifts in Action, and help provide the funds for other people across the world to start helping themselves with…

the gift that keeps on giving.

> > Click here to order an ActionAid Gift in Action

Other exciting Easter charity gifts

Many thanks must go out to Paul Weller, KT Tunstall and the many other top musicians, comedies and celebrities who managed to raise £90,100 for the Haiti earthquake disaster thanks to their benefit at the Roundhouse. The fundraiser, which is helping to provide funds for ActionAid UK and Medicins Sans Frontieres ongoing work on the fronline in earthquake-struck Haiti, was a huge success for all concerned

.

Compered by top comedian Marcus Brigstocke, the concert boasted a selection of live acts including Paul Weller, KT Tunstall, The Futureheads, The Magic Numbers, Seasick Steve, NME Best New VBand Bombay Bicycle Club and Kanye West prodigy – Mr Hudson. The line-up was brought together in only FOUR DAYS by music industry insiders, and create a spectacular evening of entertainment at Camden’s Roundhouse and, later, at the Proud Galleries.

ActionAid Country Director in Haiti, Jean-Claude Fignole, said -

Music and song are the cultural backbone of our nation. This concert was a wonderful way to raise vital funds that will help thousands of Haitians in  the  aftermath of such devastation. I’d like to thank everyone who organised and performed at the event and especially to all those who bought tickets. Your generosity will make a real difference – enabling ActionAid to provide food and shelter to those who need it most and to help get children back to school and people back to work so they can start to rebuild their lives.

100% of all the money raised through the event will be donated directly to ActionAid and Médecins Sans Frontières to help support their life saving work and re-building the future of those affected by the Haiti earthquake.

Help ActionAid with a Charity Gift

You can also help raise funds with the ActionAid Gifts in Action scheme, giving you the chance to buy an unusual and thoughtful charity gift whilst also helping poor communities.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving…

> > Click here to order a Gift in Action

Other top charity gifts

ActionAid’s People’s Lottery has been running for over 10 years raising over £6 million towards funding for ActionAid. It gives participants the chance to win cash prizes whilst donating to help some of the world’s poorest people secure basic needs and rights.

The People’s Lottery works by users spending just £1 a week to play, from this 75p goes towards ActionAid and 25p goes to the People’s Lottery prize fund that can be won each week. There are up to 5 winners with the first prize being approximately £2,000.

Contributions made from the People’s Lottery to the childrens charity ActionAid help many people in developing countries like Africa and Asia and around the world to lift themselves out of poverty, by providing help with education, food, equality for women, HIV and aids. There are many case studies where the work of ActionAid can be seen. Each week we will be providing a little insight to how the donations have helped ActionAid.

A case where this can be seen is through a young girl from Haiti:

My name is Venilia Philippe. I am 14 years old and I have attended Loncy community school since 2001. In Haiti, where over 50% of children don’t go to school, Venilia is lucky to be in education. ActionAid is helping her school benefit from a book lending programme to help improve education in Lascahobas, one of Haiti’s most deprived areas.

Since the school started doing this, lots of things have changed in my life. The problems I had with my grades are now solved, and overall my grades are increasing. I want to thank ActionAid in a special way for the work they are doing to improve education in Lascahobas. We hope that one day they will be able to rebuild our school, so that other children from Loncy can benefit from that privilege.

Even Celebrities get Involved

Many celebrities now actively support many charities to use their fame to help charities. Emma Thompson has been an ambassador for ActionAid for nearly 10 years. She said -

There’s good aid and bad aid ActionAid gives good aid, communicating with people on the ground who know what it is they need. They only work with people who live or come from wherever it is they’re trying to help. ActionAid supports and sustains them, and puts suitable measures into practice.

Through being involved with ActionAid projects, Thompson and her husband adopted a Rwandan orphan, Tindyebwa in 2003 whose mother disappeared during the Rwandan genocide in ’94 and father died of Aids. Tindyebwa has been successful and graduated from university and is also studying towards an MA in London.

Help ActionAid

You can support ActionAid’s groundbreaking work for as little £1 per week with the People’s Lottery and help give many people like Venilia, the opportunity to a brighter future.

> > Click here sign up to the ActionAid People’s Lottery

Action Aid has been sending medical teams to Swabi in Pakistan to help the hundreds of thousands made homeless by conflict between the Taliban and government forces. These people are struggling to survive in scorching heat without proper water supplies, sanitation, or health care. Below is diary of Dr Ahsan Hamed, one of Action Aid’s volunteers, described the conflict -

We have been moving from village to village with a team of doctors, nurses and final year medical students. The teammembers showed no sign of fatigue and showed their resolve to come repeatedly and help these poor and destitute butdetermined souls.We have found them to be simple, humble and determined people, though, badly scarred by what they have been through.Some children have prematurely assumed the roles of the adults, using the language of the adults and taking on the same responsibilities of protecting their younger ones.

The valiant people of Malakand

We are now turning our attention towards preventive healthcare – we will organise talks with the village people, both the guests and the hosts, and educate them about common illnesses and their prevention.We will touch subjects like using boiled water, keeping food covered, using soap and brushing teeth. We will also have special sessions with children, young boys and girls and women to listen to their problems and identify their specific needs.

Sitting in their tents or Hujras struggling through each day is not something that these people had anticipated. Although homeless and clueless about their future, the innocent people of Malakand who braved terrorism and sacrificed the comfort of their homes for the military to take out the ‘bad guys’ are still trying to make it through the tough days.

Moosa Khan

I recall an elderly patient Moosa Khan on my very first visit suffering from Parkinson’s disease. He explained that his legs have jammed, though there was no pain.I was cursing myself for not catering for him, but I had no way of knowing if I would encounter such a patient. How I wished I had put just a bottle of his pills in my pocket and that would have lasted him a month. The humanitarian assistance is coming in… the support that we are providing must not stop.

Help Action Aid with a Charity Gift

You can also help raise funds with theAction Aid Gifts in Action scheme, giving you the chance to buy an unusual and thoughtful charity gift whilst also helping poor communities.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving…

> > Click here to order a Gift in Action

Other top charity gifts

ActionAid launches the UK’s first ever PoverTee Day on Friday 26th June, to help fight the major causes of poverty and hunger worldwide. People across the UK are being urged to ditch their usual attire and take part in PoverTee Day by simply swopping their formal shirts for the day and wearing a t-shirt.

If every t-shirt wearer on Friday 26th June donates just £2, it will help to change the world. This money will make a huge difference to families living in poverty in across the globe. For example, each £2 donation would enable ActionAid to provide a nutritious breakfast of porridge for twenty children in Malawi.

The money raised on PoverTee Day will go towards vital ActionAid projects such as school meals and irrigation programmes for struggling farmers, plus emergency food aid during droughts. As the number of people living in hunger worsens, ActionAid is calling for people to pledge their support by wearing a T-shirt to help end poverty.

Director of ActionAid UK, Richard Miller, said -

ActionAid is asking everyone in the UK to take part on Friday 26 June and help provide a window of hope for millions in many neglected parts of the globe. The message behind PoverTee Day is simple; wear a T-shirt for £2 and help give the worlds’ poorest and excluded communities a voice.

When you sign up you’ll receive a free fundraising pack with posters, stickers, a fundraising guide and donation box – everything you need to make your own PoverTee Day event a success. By taking part  you’ll not only be raising awareness of poverty issues, but also raising funds to help us tackle them.

Help change the world – Wear a t-shirt

> > Click here to sign up for Povertee Day 09

> > Click here to make a donation to Action Aid