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

Action Aid is urging people to dig deep to provide help for the thousands of thousands of people in Pakistan who are fleeing the fighting between government and Taliban forces in northwest Pakistan. Around 800,000 people have fled the Swat Valley due to heavy fighting between the army and the Taliban, with many left with nothing more than the clothes they were wearing.

The situation is expected to get much worse, with conditions in emergency camps close to breaking point. People are struggling to survive in heat without proper water supplies, sanitation, or health care. Clothes and hygiene kits are urgently required so Action Aid staff at the camps can immediately help those most in need.

Action Aid is aiming to provide food packs, medical kits and health care to thousands of vulnerable people, in paticular Women and children who are the worst affected. Action Aid plan to provide long term support to the people of Pakistan but desperately need your help through donations to ensure all essential supplies are provided.

> > Click here to make a donation to Action Aid in Pakistan

Help Action Aid with a Charity Gift

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

From as little as £8 you could provide 128 cocoa seedlings for families in Ghana, or a goat breeding programme for £14.

You will also receive a pop up card with your fantastic gift, which is a great way to put something back into the world whilst also giving your friends and family a real conversation starter.

> > Click here to purchase an Action Aid ‘Gift in Action’

View top charity gifts

It’s often hard to think of an original gift to buy family and friends at Easter instead of the usual choclates and flowers. Gifts in Action offer you the chance to buy unusual and thoughtful gifts for your family and friends – whilst also helping poor communities gain the skills and knowledge to claim their rights for themselves.

The situation couldn’t be more different in the developing world where so many people live without a proper home, nourishing food, clean water and other essentials. These are recognised as basic rights, but continue to remain far beyond the reach of many of the world’s poorest people. Gifts in action offer a host of virtual gifts starting from £6, which include -

• Stove – £6
  Energy saving stoves retain heat for longer, require less firewood and are also better for the enviroment too.
• Cocoa Seedlings - £8
  Helps provide poor farmers with disease-resistant seedlings and fertilisers to build a thriving livelihood.
• Goat Breeding – £14
  Their milk helps nourish that family and the remainder is sold. When kids are born, some are kept to grow the herd. Others are sold so the family can buy tools and seeds.
• Classroom Equipment – £25
  With a blackboard, chalk, pens and pencils, children can gain the skills that can offer them a better future.
• Beehive – £75
  By providing hives, protective clothing and training, women can harvest honey to sell and provide for their family.
• Donkey & Cart – £174
  Great for transporting produce to market to earn more money, and can help their children to go to school.

By purchasing a charity gift from Action Aid, you can be helping less fortunate people to help themselves. Your chosen recipient will also receive a card or e-card illustrating how your present will be used this Easter. It’s the gift that keeps on giving…

> > Click here to order a Gift in Action

Other top charity gifts

Comic Relief’s ‘Red Nose Day’ is fast approaching, so be prepared for the nation’s favourite celebrities getting up to all kinds of mischief across the entire UK on Friday 13th March 2009.

The British charity organisation was founded in the United Kingdom in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis in response to famine in Ethiopia, and since the charity has started, Comic Relief has raised over £600 million.

Last year Comic Relief raised a record-breaking sum of £40.2m thanks to a host of performances from British comedies finest. Comic Relief, which is held every two years, distributes the money collected in a split of 60% to be spent in Africa and 40% in the UK. 

Below shows where some of the money has been put to good use -

BANGLADESH, INDIA and NEPAL
Christian Aid
Over 400,000 children have been subjected to trafficking and prostitution in South Asia. Christian Aid works with the survivors and those at risk of exploitation by offering support, shelter and health education.
Spend: £103,333 in each country

PAKISTAN
Save the Children UK
Children in Pakistan are forced to work in hazardous conditions to support their families. The Save the Children project helps protect children from dangerous working conditions and improving educational facilities.
Spend: £3,000,000

SOUTH AMERICA
Christian Aid
Many children in Brazil living on the streets turn to prostitution or gang life to escape abuse at home. The Christian Aid project provides counselling and access to education so they can start to build a new life away from the violence and hardships of the streets.
Spend: £606,120

AFRICA
Oxfam UK
Almost one third of the population of Mali depends directly on the cotton trade. Oxfam UK’s project works closely with producers to grow fairtrade cotton and ensure that cotton farmers enjoy a sustainable livelihood and a fair deal for their crop.
Spend: £3,145,025

UNITED KINGDOM
NSPCC
The UK is slowly becoming a nation for trafficked young people. The Comic Relief pays for the Child Trafficking Advice Line which is open to professionals and members of the public with questions and concerns about child trafficking. Social workers are also available to undertake casework where needed.
Spend: £368,684

As you can see the money raised is spent wisely helping the most vulnerable children in the far flung corners of the Earth and at home. Comic Relief is currently carrying out a review of its UK Grants programme to ensure that the money raised through Red Nose Day is still reaching the areas and people that need it the most.

So why not make a donation and join in the fun next Friday?

> > click here to make a donation to Comic Relief

The Action Aid charity for international development is offering some alternative gifts that let the Christmas shopper enter into the festive spirit while making a real difference to those living in poverty.

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

From as little as £14 you could provide a goat for families in Ghana, or for £174 you can purchase a donkey and cart for a village!

You will also receive a pop up card with your fantastic gift, which is a great way to put something back into the world whilst also giving your friends and family a real conversation starter. E-cards make a more environmentally friendly charity gift, and are for those last minute shoppers who have missed the Christmas post deadline. The new Action Aid E-cards are beautifully detailed cards that both look and sound wonderful.

Loved ones will receive a personal card with interactive features that lets them click through to complete an animated story, with a Christmas greeting appearing at the end of the short animation.

These fantastic presents are the gift that keeps on giving…

> > click here to purchase an Action Aid ‘Gift in Action’

View Top Christmas Charity Gifts

Why not give a present this year that will keep on giving with the Action Aid Gifts in Action scheme? For just £14 you can help fund a goat breeding scheme in Mozambique. The goats are given to the poorest households, with their milk helping to nourish the family. When the goats breed, the herd can them grow, whilst others can be sold so the family can buy tools and seeds.

Gifts in Action presents will continue to give long after Christmas is over, helping support a wide range of projects all working towards ending poverty. Each gift will help poor people across the world to make a lasting difference and change lives. There are 24 great gifts to choose from, starting from as little as £6 you could provide 128 cocoa seedlings for families in Ghana, or for £174 you can purchase a donkey and cart for a village!

You will also receive a pop up card with your fantastic gift, which is a great way to put something back into the world whilst also giving your friends and family a real conversation starter. These beautifully illustrated pop-out cards are fun and engaging and will look good on any mantelpiece.

> > click here to purchase an Action Aid ‘Gift in Action’

View Top Christmas Charity Gifts

Action Aid UK are trying to urgently raise £250,000 to help the vulnerable people in and around Goma to find water, food and shelter after fleeing their homes as violence engulfs the Democratic Republic of Congo.

With thousands of people being forced into leave everything behind, families are now living in churches and on the street, and they are hungry, thirsty and in need of medical help. Fleeing families also need other essentials like blankets, cans to store water and pans for cooking.

Over three million people have been killed in the fighting over the last 10 years.

Action Aid UK has worked with people in the camps around Goma for over five years, with the ceasefire now allowing staff to go back to work and help up to 10,000 people in the coming days with vital supplies.

To respond to the people of Congo, Action Aid need more funds to help those most at risk.

Help Action Aid this Christmas with a Charity Gift

You can also help raise funds with the Gifts in Action scheme, giving you the chance to buy an unusual and thoughtful gift whilst also helping poor communities.
 
From as little as £6 you could provide 128 cocoa seedlings for families in Ghana, or for £174 you can purchase a donkey and cart for a village!

You will also receive a pop up card with your fantastic gift, which is a great way to put something back into the world whilst also giving your friends and family a real conversation starter.

> > click here to purchase an Action Aid ‘Gift in Action’

View Top Christmas Charity Gifts

Action Aid is organizing a Midsummer Challenge to help raise funds to help fight poverty. The challenge is a full day sponsored trek in the beautiful Snowdonia national park, whilst taking in the spectacular scenery as you climb one of the highest mountains in Wales.

Last years challenge raised over £12,000, helping Action Aid make a lasting difference to people who live below the poverty line. With more than two million people dying each year due unclean water, many lives could be saved with your sponsorship walk. You could even bring your friends and work colleagues along for the journey of a lifetime whilst raising funds to help ActionAid’s work in fighting poverty.

Action Aid will provide a full fundraising information pack and will be on hand to support you every step of the way. No experience is necessary, just enthusiasm and the desire to help make a difference.

>> click here to order more information on the Action Aid Midsummer Challenge

Help Action Aid this Christmas with a Charity Gift

You can also help raise more funds at their charity store, with Action Aid’s Gifts in Action allowing you to purchase virtual presents from a little as £8 which make ideal presents at Christmas time.

> > click here to buy online with Gifts In Action

View the top Christmas Charity Gifts