Archive for the ‘Poverty’ Category

Christian Aid UK will be holding a supported day on Wednesday 20th October 2010, where they will we be handing a letter to David Cameron to remind him of his promise that this Conservative government will be the countries greenest ever. The gathering will be held at Westminster Central Hall and Parliament and will feature iconic civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson as guest speaker.

Reverend Jackson said -

We understand that times are hard, both in the US and the UK, but we are still better off than our neighbours in the developing world. We are reminded that Jesus teaches us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and shelter the homeless. Jesus reminds us that when we feast, we should invite the poor and injured. So while we fight for jobs and peace and justice in the US and the UK, we must remember to keep hope alive for our brothers and sisters in Africa, in the Caribbean, in South Asia, and all those in need around the world.

Christian Aid will be asking the Prime Minister to demand that UN climate change talks are put back on track and back deliver a better system for the the world’s poor. Now is the time for change, as if actions are not made soon, it may be too late.

> > Click here to reserve a place at the Supporters Day

Help Christian Aid with a Present Aid Charity Gift

Present Aid gifts represent a donation to Christian Aid’s life changing work in areas of poverty and crisis. So not only will you put a smile on a loved ones face, but you will also be making a big difference to families who need your help.

A charity gift can start from as little as £8 with a huge range to choose from, including -

• A Goat
• Meal for 80 Children
• Can of Worms
• Disaster Kit

Each Present Aid gift comes with a beautiful card illustrating how their choice of present will work in the real world and help transform the lives of poor people worldwide.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving…

> > Click here to order a gift with Present Aid

View other top charity gifts

The MicroLoan Foundation has just launched their Pennies for Life campaign, which is asking the general public to donate pennies and not pounds to extend their life changing work with women in some of poorest countries in the world. It’s really easy to get involved and help raise funds for people who need it the most, with just £25 helping women to start their own business and lift themselves out of poverty. There are 3 main ways you can donate -

• Donate 1p to Pennies for life every time you tweet on Twitter or update your status on Facebook
• Donate 1p for every item you purchase from a Pennies for Life partner
• Make a single cash donation

The MicroLoan Foundation is a UK based charity that provides small loans, business education and support to impoverished women in Africa. These loans help to provide the recipient with a chance to work their own way out of poverty and develop a sustainable livelihood for themselves and their families. 99% of all the loans are then repaid, with the money then being re-used to help even more women who are in desperate need of help.

CEO & Founder of the MicroLoan Foundation, Peter Ryan, said -

We’re really excited to have developed a new a way for people to give. By harnessing the power of social media, we want to create a culture in which giving becomes a part of everyday life. Even if only a tiny fraction of Twitter and Facebook users donate a penny each time they update their status, we can engage hundreds of thousands of people to make a massive difference for poor women and their families in Africa.

So if you think you could help raise funds for this worthwhile cause, why not sign up today and start helping those who need it the most.

> > More information on Pennies For Life

With school almost over for the summer, why not spare a thought for the teachers that have taught your children over the last year and show your appreciation with a gift from Concern Worldwide? As children across the country countdown the days until they are ‘free’, now is a great time to spare a thought for the hard working and dedicated teachers who strive to make a difference through education.

Concern Worldwide offer a great range of quirky and ethical gifts that are perfect for teachers of every age group. Each charity gift comes with a specially designed greeting card that can be personalised for the recipient, with every purchase from the ‘School Days’ section helping to fund Concern’s education projects around the world. Choose from -

• £7 could buy a water filter to provide clean, disease-free water so children can concentrate on going to school rather than collecting water.
• £21 could buy pens, pencils and other essential school items for ten school children.
• £63 could provide a teacher with training to improve their teaching methods to give children the best chance in life.

Concern Worldwide believe that education is the key to ending poverty which is why they run a variety of education projects in some of the world’s poorest communities. For example, in Kenya, Concern provide grants to local primary schools to improve buildings and help ensure children have a safe, secure place to learn. Whilst in Bangladesh, Concern work with school boards to ensure that the poorest children receive special attention in school to improve their performance.

By providing children with an education, they are being equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to break the grinding cycle of poverty.  So why not purchase a gift for your favourite teacher today…

and help children living in extreme poverty around the world receive the education they need for a better life.

> > Click here to purchase a Concern Worldwide gift

Other great charity gifts

Strains of ‘If you’re happy and you know it’ ring out as groups of children are gathered together laughing, singing and playing. It could be a scene from any nursery school in the UK but what makes this scene remarkable is that it’s in a refugee camp in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince – a city devastated by a terrifying earthquake just a few months earlier.

It’s hard to imagine your whole life changing in an instant but for millions of people living in Haiti, it did on January 12^th 2010. In just a few minutes, the earthquake claimed the lives of over 230,000 people and left 1.5 million homeless.  As the island shook, homes were destroyed and roads, hospitals and other essential infrastructure decimated.

The education system in Port-au-Prince was particularly badly affected – school buildings were destroyed and others left in urgent need of repair.  Without schools to go to, many children are forced to wander around camps like Place de la Paix, one of Port-au-Prince’s largest and most densely populated makeshift settlements.

But on the edge of the camp there is an unexpected bright spot:  a playground with a children’s slide, a tiny merry-go-round and a colourful mural, and children gathered together, singing and playing.

This is part of the Concern Worldwide emergency response programme in Port-au-Prince. Where in the midst of some of the largest camps, Concern has set up its Child-Friendly Spaces – classrooms, many in large tents or existing structures, that give children the space to forget their traumatic experiences and just be children for a short while.  Concern has already reached nearly 2,000 earthquake-affected children, giving them instruction in basic reading and writing, as well as arts, crafts and music.

Annette Ambroisa, made homeless by the earthquake, has seen changes in her daughters, Farline, (6), and Fedeline, (2) already:

They’re happier, they’re learning something new every day, and they’re able to stay clean.

The children of Port-au-Prince have been through so much since the earthquake but thanks to the dedication of Concern’s staff on the ground, they have helped make the children smile again.

You can help Concern be ready to respond to the next emergency wherever and whenever it happens by treating a loved one to a charity gift this summer. There’s gifts for every taste and budget from life-saving water filters at £7 to emergency food supplies for £48. Each and every gift makes a real and lasting difference to people affected by emergencies and comes with a lovely card for you to personalise and send on.

With your help, Concern Worldwide can be ready for the next emergency – please buy a Concern Gift today.

> > Click here to order a gift with Concern Worldwide

Other great charity gifts

With the spotlight firmly on the World Cup in South Africa at the moment, behind the carnival atmosphere the British Red Cross are working hard to battle the daily struggle that many people are suffering through the AIDS epidemic. In a country where 20% of adults are HIV positive, Red Cross volunteers are on the front line in South Africa trying to get their message across to stop the spread of AIDS through drama, music and sports.

The British Red Cross is currently working in an area called KwaZulu Natal, where more than 37% of the people are living with HIV. This is one of the worst affected regions in the country, where one in five children have lost their mother, father or both parents to the deadly disease. Through a combination of care and treatment, the British Red Cross workers are having a big impact in the area through their prevention activities.

With the all the fun and games that the World Cup brings, please take the time to think about the other things that are happening behind the scenes in South Africa at the moment…

with your support the Red Cross is already making a difference, and hope to do even more.

> > Click here to make a donation to The British Red Cross

If you are struggling to find that special something for your Dad this Father’s Day why not check out Concern Worldwide’s interesting and innovative gift selection. There’s a wide of fun and quirky presents for every taste and budget and each one makes a truly lasting difference to some of the world’s poorest people.

For BBQ enthusiasts there is a fuel efficient stove at £18. These brilliant little devices make the world of difference to women in Darfur who use them to keep warm and cook meals for their families.

For the green fingered you could purchase a vegetable pack for £28 which includes seeds, insecticides, fertiliser and a small sprayer. The crops that are grown can be eaten or sold to pay for essential items like school fees or medical bills.

Plus for those gadget Dads out there, you could purchase a mobile phone and solar powered charger for £48. Concern Worldwide use these to transfer emergency cash grants and are being used right now in Niger where a food crisis is affecting thousands of people.

Each and every charity gift comes with a beautiful, personalised card to make sure your Dad’s day is extra special. So whatever your Dad’s into this Father’s Day, you’ll find something perfect for him at Concern Gifts.

> > Click here to order a gift with Concern Worldwide

Other great charity gifts

Concern Worldwide has been helping some of the world’s poorest farmers in Zimbabwe to increase the amount of food they grow and work their way out of extreme poverty. It’s been so successful that Concern wants to roll it out to all of the other countries they work in.

To find out exactly what conservation farming is and how it’s worked in Zimbabwe, please watch this short video.

Over 1 billion people go to bed hungry each night and that’s a scandal that Concern is committed to ending. With projects in 28 of the world’s poorest countries, Concern works with the poorest of the poor to help them improve their lives. But they can’t do it with you.

How you can help Concern Worldwide

Could you buy a loved one a charity gift from Concern Worldwide? There’s a great selection of fun and quirky gifts to suit every taste and budget, including -

£7 Piglet are easy to look after to provide income and security for a family in Uganda
£25 Goat for a family in Angola, providing loads of healthy milk to drink and sell
£35 HIV testing for a person living in Haiti

Whatever you buy, you can rest assured that every penny will be spent where it’s most needed. By buying a Concern gift today, you really will be making a difference – thank you.

> > Click here to order a Concern Gift

Other great charity gifts

The British actor Nicholas Hoult took time out from his busy filming schedule to visit the slums in Kenya to see how the Christian Aid charity are helping to provide the local people with clean water and sanitation. Nicholas, who is also a NSPCC Young Ambassador, was able to see first hand how your donations help make a difference to poor communities across the world.

Projects like the one that Nicholas visited are only made possible thanks to your support and donations, so please do continue to give generously so Christian Aid can continue their tireless crusade to help the world’s poorest people.

Help Christian Aid with a Present Aid Charity Gift

Present Aid gifts represent a donation to Christian Aid’s life changing work in areas of poverty and crisis. So not only will you put a smile on a loved ones face, but you will also be making a big difference to families who need your help.

A charity gift can start from as little as £8 with a huge range of gifts to choose from, including -

• A Goat
• Meal for 80 Children
• Can of Worms
• Disaster Kit

Each Present Aid gift comes with a beautiful card illustrating how their choice of present will work in the real world and help transform the lives of poor people worldwide.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving…

> > Click here to order a gift with Present Aid

View other top charity gifts

Africa is faced with issues of poverty and pollution on a major scale. For one, the cycle of poverty can have a devastating effect on children that continues into their adult lives. Unfortunately those struck with poverty do not always receive an out and are very rarely given the opportunity to grow and prosper like many of us have. Our carbon footprint on the planet is another concern. How do we go through our everyday lives care free with the knowledge that we are damaging and destroying our planet?

None of us like to think of child poverty and even less of our effect on the planet. Now we can relieve both these issues while providing a lasting and helpful effect, with the help of the Path out of Poverty’s ‘sponsor a child’ and ‘olive tree challenge’ programs. This poverty organization is one that has a two pronged approach to poverty eradication and the reduction of each human’s carbon footprint. Path out of Poverty makes it easy for us to contribute to the eradication of child poverty in South Africa.

By sponsoring just £10 per month you can help to ensure that a poverty stricken and abandoned child is fed, kept warm and provided with much needed love. Each child supported by the program is supported up until the time that they are educated, skilled and developed enough to go out into the world on their own. The program also encourages individuals to take part in the olive tree challenge where 2 olive trees will be planted in your honour. These olive trees are then used to absorb carbon omissions, create gasses for cooking and produce olive oil which is used for poverty eradication.

Goedgedacht farm effectively uses the funds received to run their various poverty projects which include parenting skills training, crèche facilities, pre-school and grade R tutoring, life skills for children, school support, after school care, sports programs, food and nutrition distribution, home based care training and AIDS peer training workshops. Visit their website and find out how you can help with poverty eradication in Africa while still saving the planet.

> > Click here for more info on Path out of Poverty

Concern Worldwide charity workers are using mobile phones to help distribute cash grants to Kenya’s poorest residents. This innovative new way of helping people in desperate need is proving to be a real success in the slums of Korogocho and Kibera in Nairobi, where some 7,000 grants have been passed out. The grant works out at around 15 euros a month for eight months, which my not sound like a lot, but to the people of Kenya this helps them to pay for school fees, food, medical care and other essential items.

Aid agencies would normally give food to people who are hungry and living in dire straits. Yet by providing cash, this allows for double the impact as the money will be spent at the local market stalls which are run by the poor people, allowing for the extra distribution of the funds across the slums.

Concern Worldwide director for Kenya, Anne O’Mahony, said -

First of all, you can target the poor people with the cash. You’re also enabling the market sellers to earn and generate an income. If we were to bring in food we would undermine the markets and probably create more poverty as a result.

How you can help Concern worldwide

By purchasing a Concern Gift online today you can help Concern be there for the people affected by the food crisis in Niger and other emergencies around the world. We’ve got items to suit every taste and budget including -

• Plumpy Nut sachets to treat childhood malnutrition at £16
• Vegetable packs containing seeds and tools for £28
• School supplies for £21

Each charity gift will make a last and real difference to the lives of people living in poverty around the world. Do something amazing today and buy a Concern Gift!

> > Click here to order a Concern Gift

Other great charity gifts