World Vision’s relief teams are still hard at work to help the homeless after the destruction caused by cyclone Nargis in Myanmar (formally Burma). Teams of World Vision relief workers are distributed emergency food, mosquito nets, water purification tablets and blankets to the quarter of a million people who have been affected by the cyclone.

Crucial to the survival of the Myanmar people is a constant supply of clean water as most wells have now become contaminated. Children are in great danger of catching cholera and many other diseases. Many villages’ water supplies have become infected, but with the help of the distribution of World Visions water purification tablets, over 88,000 lives have already been saved.

More than 40 per cent of the one million people displaced by the cyclone were children, many of whom lost their parents to the tragedy. World Vision has set up 44 Child Friendly Spaces throughout the affected areas to help with the struggle to cope with the children’s physical needs along with their general well being. These areas provide a safe environment for children to play, eat, and space to recover from the events that have blighted the lives of the people of Mynmar.

> > click here to make a donation to World Vision

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

Poverty charity group Water Aid are looking to make 2008 the International Year for Sanitation.

Water Aid’s mission is to overcome poverty by enabling the world’s poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education.

The End Water Poverty campaign has been targeting the G8 to agree a global action plan for sanitation and water since 2007, but they plan to build even more pressure in the lead-up to the summit in July.
Sanitation and safe water should be seen as basic human rights. Everyone in the world should have access to these services, yet without them thousands of people will continue to die each day.

Please take a few minutes of your time to sign the End Water Poverty Petition. More signatures are needed to make this year’s G8 host -Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda- sit up and takes notice.

This petition has already been signed by nearly 750,000 people, so why not join the growing demand for safer water and sanitation for the entire world.

With Father’s Day fast approaching, why not give your Dad something really special this year by choosing from the World Vision Charity Gift selection?

Instead of purchasing the regulation socks and hankies, World Vision has over 70 charity gifts to choose from. By spending £11 you could buy him a much needed football for a team in Malawi (probably a better standard than anything we’ve seen in Euro2008 so far!). Other great gifts include buying fish for a farm in Sri Lanka, or a bike to help health workers travel around Zambia.
 

Alongside these great gift ideas World Vision have also created 240 unique cards to choose from, and you can even design your own. Simply drop your personal picture onto the front of the card and write your own unique message.

By choosing your gift through World Vision, you are donating funds towards people who are a lot less fortunate than oursleves. So not only will you be purchasing a unique Father’s Day present, but you will also be helping other people to help themselves in some of the poorest countries on the planet.

> > click here to find out more about World Vision

> > click here to view the top charity gift providers

As part of Oxfam Australia’s Mid Year Appeal, they are highlighting the plight of the stone quarry workers in West India, who are one of the most disadvantaged groups in the world today.

The workers are made up of mostly women who have to work for 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, in unbearable heat. Without portable water to drink, food to eat or a proper house to live in, migrant labourers working at the stone quarries have been severely let down. Not only are they paid as little as $1 a day, they are also exposed to serious amounts of dust concentration. This causes large amounts of respiratory problems and lung impairments for the workers who smash rocks all day in these appalling conditions. Radiological testing has shown that a massive 32.5 percent of all quarry workers are suffering from some form of possibly fatal respiratory problem

Lakshimbai Arjun Jadhav was only 12 years old when she started working in the quarry. She became married at 14 and now has 4 children of her own. Her husband can no longer provide for his family after being blinded by flying stone chips in the quarry. Lakshimbai now has to be a mother, a carer, AND a worker all in one day, just to help her family survive -

“I have worked in the mines every day, even when I was pregnant and on the day I went into labour. If I don’t go to work then I cannot feed my children, so I keep on breaking stones.”

Thanks to the sterling work of Oxfam Australia, the downtrodden quarry workers now have access to clean electricity, insurance, and most importantly clean drinking water This type of change does not happen overnight, but with your help it is possible to improve the lives of even the most disadvantaged people. These quarry workers want their children to have a better life, and with your support we can help make that dream become reality.

> > click here to donate to Oxfam Australia’s mid year appeal

Christian Aid, our featured charity for May, is looking for entries to compete in the BUPA Great North Run in October. 150 places are currently available for the world’s biggest half marathon, with runners only asked to raise £300 to take part.

One of last year’s runners, Kevin Clelland, ran with his wife Amy and his mate, Daniel.

“It was Amy’s first half marathon so we took it easy and came home over an hour down on my time last year and 29000 places further back but it was probably my most enjoyable Great North Run yet!   Daniel and I ran as Mexicans – I attached my Christian Aid vest to my poncho and thankfully the sombrero kept the sun off my head!”

Proof that the fun really is in the taking part!

Thanks to people like Kevin, Amy and Daniel, Christian Aid will be raising money to help poor communities worldwide. If you want to be part of this truly mind-blowing event and join in the fun call us now to reserve your place and avoid disappointment on 0207 523 2248 or email events@christianaid.org

You too can help Christian Aid by purchasing one of the 40 gifts available from Present Aid. Your gift could be a herd of goats all the way up to a health workers salary, helping to transform the lives of people in some of the world’s poorest countries.

> > click here to view the gifts available at Present Aid

Question: What’s the smartest way to help people in the world’s poorest communities help themselves?

Answer: Quizaid a new quiz night game from Christian Aid

Quizaid is the best quiz night in town – and it’s organised by you.

Challenge your friends, colleagues and neighbours to dust off their brain cells – and make a real difference this Christian Aid Week.

QuizAid events are currently being held across the nation for Christian Aid Week. Take a look at this fantastic event that was held on Monday night in North London :

If you are interested in holding a Quiz Aid evening all the available resources can be found here: http://www.christianaid.org.uk/getinvolved/christianaidweek/quizaid/index.aspx

Cyclone Nargis has claimed up to 22,000 lives in Burma, with the number of dead possibly rising to 50,000 according to reports from Oxfam.

The cyclone swept the country with winds as high as 160mph, pulling down trees and phone cables, whilst destroying most buildings in its path.

Burma has declared five regions, including the main city Rangoon, home to most of its expatriate aid workers, to be disaster areas. Towns close to Rangoon have almost no houses remaining, with people living in the open without clean water, power or food. Along with extensive damage to the mainland, over 20,000 homes have been destroyed on the island of Haing-gyi, with up to 90,000 people made homeless.

The worst hit areas are in the Irrawaddy Delta region, which also happens to be one of Burma’s poorest. Alongside the massive death toll comes the huge amount of damage to food supplies and crops. Rice prices across the globe have been increasing over the last 12 months, causing severe strain on poorer nations. With millions of gallons of salt water flooding the rice paddies, Burma’s food economy and population may have to become importers of rice, something they cannot afford.

Immediate need for shelter, food and water is vital. In the cyclone-hit areas, communications are down and roads have been washed away, making it difficult to reach those who most need help. Oxfam is part of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), who are co-coordinating an emergency appeal to fund work across Burma in providing cash support and technical expertise. All donations will support the major effort that is urgently needed to meet the needs of this devastated country.

> > click here to buy an Oxfam charity gift

Charity of the Month Christian Aid kicks off their Christian Aid Week today. Read on below to see how the money raised during Christian Aid Week is spent.

Rekha Biswas from Bangladesh provides one of the most humbling and inspirational examples of tenacity this Christian Aid Week. This courageous lady has helped set up a water council which gives training to help people understand what they need to do to get clean water and then how to achieve it. And vitally, she challenges gender roles. She encourages women to come to meetings of the local pani parishad, the village water council.

Getting clean water is a problem throughout Bangladesh. People often have to walk for up to 24 hours carrying heavy pots to collect water to drink.

Through the new village pani parishad (water council), Rekha is teaching the community how to harvest rainwater safely so that they don’t have to travel for a whole day and cross a dangerous river to fetch drinking water.

By giving up a couple of pounds during Christian Aid Week, you are giving so much more than money. Your generosity can mean water, rights and courage.

• A gift of just £0.50 to Christian Aid would pay for one day’s gender training per person with BCAS to improve relationships in families and lessen the burden on women.
• £50 would pay for the monthly salary of a community pani parishad coordinator, who helps women and the poor to discover their voice, understand their right to water, learn about health and hygiene, and begin to instigate change.
• Your gifts this Christian Aid Week can help to give voice to a single woman or to a whole community.

>> Click here to donate during Christian Aid Week

Christian Aid is to be the very first “charity of the month” on charity information website donation4charity which has recently rebranded and added a new charity gift shop section. The new sponsorship initiative coincides with Christian Aid Week (11-17 May) and will promote the organisation’s work to potential supporters and donors.

Christian Aid Week is the UK’s largest and longest-running national awareness week and in 2007 raised nearly £15 million for vital overseas development work. This year, as well as raising money, Christian Aid is encouraging supporters to pledge to “do something else”, like recycling an old mobile phone.

The collaboration with Donation4charity - an independent portal providing users with information on UK charities - is an excellent opportunity to promote the week and new pledge-initiative.  Since launching just over two years ago Donation4Charity users have set up over 15,000 regular direct debit donations to the charities featured on the site and have purchased over £500,000 in charity gifts.

Chris Russell, head of interactive marketing at Christian Aid said: “This year we want people to give and get involved. By taking simple actions like switching to green electricity or emailing their MP about climate change, everyone can contribute.”

“The new Christian Aid Week website has lots of innovative ideas about how to get involved, and the partnership with donation4charity it is a excellent opportunity to promote and boost awareness in the run up to the event.”

Ross Travill, marketing director at Venturian Media Ltd, publishers of Donation4Charity said: “We have chosen Christian Aid as our partner for the site re-launch as with Christian Aid week fast approaching it presents an ideal opportunity for us to educate our community on the important work that they are doing and hopefully facilitate some additional support”.

If you’re planning a special event this year, why not set up an ActionAid gift list and help change someone’s life forever?

Instead of receiving the usual uninspiring gifts of flowers and chocolates for your birthday or anniversary celebration, why not ask friends and family to make a donation instead of a present? The average bunch of flowers costs £10, yet the same amount could feed a child for a week in East Africa. Your donation could help provide safe water and a regular supply of food to some of the world’s poorest people.

Not only can you ask your friends to make a donation as a present, you can also create your very own celebration web page, charting your party’s success. There you can tell people how their gift will make a difference, add photos of the event and write a blog letting people know how it all went. Action Aid can also provide you with special cards to accompany your party invitations and supply an alternative gift list to share with your guests.

10% of all children in the third world die before their 5th birthday.

You can help a child’s healthcare and education for as little as 50p a day. As a sponsor you will receive photos, messages and regular updates on how your money is being put to good use. So why not turn your special day into a special year for someone less fortunate…

> > click here to make a donation

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