Annual Review 2018
CROSSROADS‘ GLOBAL VILLAGE UK
CONTENTS Summary Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Needs Served: Conflict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9 Poverty Relief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13 Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-17 Decent Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21 Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-23 Corporate Engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-29 Get Connected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-33 2
Summary Statement
SU
T N E M E T A T S Y R A MM
e comprises th This report 2018. December
activities of
Crossroa
GV UK ), illage UK (C V l a b lo G s' d
for the year
ended
in need and een people tw e b s d a ro oss red in this provide a cr ich are featu h to w s: m st e o g fr g ts h e su ays, highlig as our nam is in three w seek to do e th w o r, d allenges e e v e w , s A the UK g global ch n In ti . la lp u e m h si n , ca then ctive those who e issues and s are intera th e h m it m w ra e g is ro th lp roups empa educationa review. mmunity g nce. These e co ri d e n -p a X s l ie a pan them so • Glob elp ‘match’ udents, com h st e K W U . rs lp e e n h ally in f part which gage. em strategic n in need o n e th e ft o ce to s la re y p a a y s w a GO look for GOs who m rs and UK N d suitable N d. U K d o n o n fi n a y H a l m a s b d lo w ay o u t goo • G mes. orking their ith valuable w er program w le id p rs w o o ir e n e p o d y th t b tha me or in items made either at ho ll fair trade se e w , their work: K U In the andicrafts. • Global H being lobal issues g y. r rt la e u v ic o rt p a f o rs review, to p es and othe lated, in this s on refuge re cu is fo ’ l ls a w a ci b sa o r S lo te ye a e ‘g f these thre and Corpora the UK. This rk in o s w ie t n n a p ce The work o e d com ealth care, d by N G O s a n nal need, h o ti addressed ca u d e t, placemen battling dis d to get it rit is neede g s y. a , it il n b o ti si a n itutions rspir Respo cational inst and 95% pe u n d o e ti d a n ir a s sp r, s, companie ours is 5% in ve, this yea any UK NGO ever, we ha at work like w m th o e y e h th sa s, th u d e d n s m in a e o , v h S be dri ffice iration that te our UK o ys, the heart a sp lu w in sa y e e n a th W f . m e o n , in do urselves our lives. ich capture To remind o elsewhere in otations wh s u a q ll l e u they serve. rf w e s a w o nual Review a series of p d in this An developed re tu a fe who help re a . Th e y d partners n a rs e rt o p work we do p r donors, su de to all ou tu ti ra g d n our profou We extend . and NGOs ork possible es, charities ss e n si u b make the w h links are wit its strongest t u b , ch a re global CGV UK has e UK . based in th 3
Quotes that Inspire Us
I HAVE DECIDED TO STICK WITH LOVE. HATE IS TOO GREAT A BURDEN TO BEAR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. 4
5
Conflict
THE ONGOING NEED TO RESOURCE REFUGEES Refugees and asylum seekers on Greece’s Lesvos Island are enduring unimaginable emotional and physical turmoil as conditions there are reaching a new level of crisis. The major camp, Moria, has been overwhelmed by numbers, this year. Thousands upon thousands who have fled the nightmare of war have given their all to get to this island in the hope that here they would be safe and see their lives start over. The reality, however, is heartbreakingly different. The hopelessly overcrowded camp is seeing suffering beyond anything they could have guessed. That is being felt across the UK, we found, this year, with people making contact to see if their gifts could make a strategic difference.
"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS ‘AWAY’. When we throw anything away it must go somewhere." Plastic is one of the greatest enemies facing our planet today. So is conflict. We watch both do their worst and agonise, looking for areas to help ‘right the wrong’ in any way we can. When, therefore, a company called up our UK office offering a massive donation of plastic items for families, children in particular, we were delighted on both counts. They were brand new, carefully designed for young ones at various stages of development: bowls, bottles, trainer cups, soothers, cutlery safe for children. Literally thousands of units were on offer. We immediately thought of the many thousands of asylum seekers who had fled war zones with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Such plastic items would fill a critical need for them in the camps and even be useful, travelling with them, if/when they are moved on to be re-settled: gifts that would keep on giving. Annie Leonard was right when she said "There is no such thing as ‘away’. When we throw anything away, it must go somewhere." Where better than to give such goods to people whose lives can be equipped as a result? 6
SEA OF HUMAN SUFFERING Our directors visited Lesvos Island on a recce trip there and told us, afterwards, they found it impossible to describe the pain they had encountered: what they termed a ‘sea of human suffering’. "Each life we encountered had a story too deep, and too painful, to be communicated," they told us, "and the heartbreak was that here, in the place the refugees hoped would give them safety, they remained at risk." One of the major challenges is the massive overcrowding in the camps, Moria particularly. Designed to hold just over 2,200 people, it was hosting as many as 10,000 at a time this year. "One of the saddest sights," our directors reported, "was the line of people waiting for medical help, knowing that the clinics had too few staff and very little medicine. It was heart-breaking to have conversations in which we could sense the Malcolm a sheer helplessness of both those who are sick and those who long to nd Sally Beg bie, in Gre o perations ece, visitin give them much-needed care." for refugee g re Island.
We were therefore delighted when hundreds of high quality mosquito nets were offered in the UK through Global Hand. Mosquito borne illness is just one of many that quickly gain ground under conditions like these and it was strategic to see nets delivered into the heart of the camp to help combat the spread of debilitating disease.
s seeking sa
fety on Lesv
scue os
MF OR T KE RM IT TH E FR OG: A TO UC H OF CO FO R RE FU GE E KID S IN GR EEC E touching one. Fouad Hannah, It was an unusual donation, but a red us 4,320 small back working in the corporate sector, offe Muppets fame, complete with packs featuring Kermit the Frog, of ones to cuddle. He was face, arms and legs suitable for little borne by refugee children painfully aware of the emotional toll a way to give them a touch and asked if this donation might be of comfort. responded and packed One of our UK Global Hand partners , shoes, clothes, toiletries, them into a massive delivery of food more, all part of regular sanitar y supplies, medication and people across Europe, Greece deliveries they make to displaced mpanying photo, Fouad told in particular. Upon seeing the acco and Kermit seem us that he thought "both the children that he was glad Kermit could happy to be together" and added the children and their families be a "distraction from the horrors are facing." 7
Global X-perience Conflict
T H E G R E AT T
R A G E DY O F
T H IS C E N T U
RY
"Syria has be come the gre at tragedy o Antonio Gute f this century rres. ," says U
8
N chief,
Last year, th e medical jo urnal, The La described th ncet, publish e 'weaponis ed a study in ation' of heal which peop which it th care in Sy le’s need for ri a: a paradigm medical sup denying the in port was use m access. M d against th edical servic but are actu e m b y e s ar e not just in ally targets o adequate in f war in this is ramping u Sy ch ria, illing scenar p, as time pas io. The frequ ses, with bo attacked at a e n cy th buildings rate that is u and personn nprecedente el being d in other co nflicts. We always w elcome resp onsible med and never m ical donatio ore so than ns through G th is year, there of new med lobal Hand, fore, when w ical equipme e were offere nt for people when Care U d a range with fracture K Charity too s. We were d k it for the Sy elighted rian dilemm a. We are looki ng for any an d all strategic region aston donations as ishes us all b the conflict y its longevi in this ty and inten sity.
"People like us often feel the world forgets us…" David Livingstone Okello
UK office manager, Natalya H 'A D ay in th anley (rig e Life of a ht), in Refugee' a t WEF 201 8
G E E: U F E R A LIFE OF E H T 2018 N I M U R O A D AY F C par tners ONOMI C E nsors and o p D s L r fo R t f people it no WO vening o ach were
our re e the con nd l ‘reach’ a ise believ rld w o e k W li e o rnationa th h d w te e ngthin d e n ir tr e e s att or th with th w , , s s is , o o v e v We again a a g n D D a in es effect ch Forum, in ned to it continu on desig ability to s ti Economic a ir la r e a u th e y im s ding. this nd, this nderstan through u de of g u d Switzerla it in n n n a e g y a th g for on the m eir empa to focus t, searchin eepen th h d g li p e e e Okello, fug manager, ivingston today ’s re e L c id ffi v o a K D Nor thern am, Our U soldier in of our te ), joined d n il e answers. a h n K c n O a e é s da e us ofte anley (n lf abducte eople lik e in s "P s . Natalya H e im y u h a y g c w a oli is onal colle y make p puts it th internati us… The Uganda, llenge of a ts h e rs. They c u e rg o t fo th orld tion ting el, no w la v u e le ir th im s l e e a represen th fe at gh ." It is ed ent throu e ground decisions rc r m th u e e o n c s th o la o re e p d k rdis an unde ganda to at life is li e need in ls from U k n ow w h r ticular, e a ’t v p n a o tr in d of refuge e l a h t ic he can ason tha doing all ities: med to d te a for that re co m m u n ic d conflict h year, de . avos eac ground in D e in her role th n o le ent life invaluab to repres Davos an r e id d s e n e o n . sc rofound scenarios We alway see this p EF W to e y it th n e c oppor tu ssed, sin and addre d e s s ders from u c dis lobal lea g r e th e g d the brings to demia an a c a , y tr s du ing our ost of tak politics, in c e h ond T r. t secto ld be bey fi u o ro w p r, n e o v n owe n there, h simulatio Premium Sponsors
Sponsors
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Quotes that Inspire Us
10
POVERTY IS THE WORST FORM OF VIOLENCE. MAHATMA GANDHI
11
Poverty Relief
R IG H A S T E P IN T H E
T D IR E C T IO N
e," ased on sham than wealth b r te d et b an is y y rt it dign f pove "Poverty with its fair share o as h d n la ai it e verb. Th any Trust, mak says a Thai pro such as Epiph , ts an p y. ci it ti n ar p dig Global Hand to do so with to assist, but ly n o Hand from a t o al n b al lo o their g rough G th er ff o an as o prefers ple w ough one wh A recent exam th r, re u ct fa u oe man on the Global very famous sh er was placed ff o e th en h immediately, anonymity. W onded almost sp re y an h ip , Ep Vulnerable Hand website sistence level. b su tching at e liv o se "wh tence, and stre is ex th u o -m writing of tho d-to ch good . To receive su are living a han le e b er ka th in es th n ili u m fa shoes is have a new pair of ing they could h yt an the budget to d n o ey b t quality would be far es of excellen o sh e ar e quality shoes es r. Th tangible id their directo them that less e iv g s, ye , d imagined," sa years an last for many which would of dignity. special sense gift as well: a
M O L D O VA: ‘O R P
H A N E D ’ C H IL D R
EN
Most kids in Mol dova’s orphanag es are not orphan struggling with s, technically. Th some of the low eir parents, est incomes in Eu Moldova to work ro pe, simply leave in other countrie s for financial su estimates place rvival. Some the number of su ch kids as high as 98 orphanages. Alth % in Moldova’s ough they do ha ve parents, and th about them, they ei r parents care live without the daily interaction group and strugg of a small family le emotionally, ev en cognitively, to their developmen blossom in t. Global Hand NG O partner, Help th suppor ts not on e Children, ly orphanages bu t, increasingly, fin families for these ds fo ster ‘institutionalised ’ children to have normal family lif a ch ance at e. Care such as this costs money, ho wever, and this NG to scale up and be O, in order sustainable, has opened thrift sh it gives training op s where and employmen t to the ‘orphana enterprise in actio ge graduates’: so n. In 2018, CGV UK cial helped facilitate Help the Childre a valuable match n, when they rece for ived coffee shop donor, giving th furniture from a eir workplace a se UK nse of professiona invaluable gifts as lism and comfort these young peop , le transition into their adult lives.
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B EAU TY FR O M B R O
K EN N ES S
d for those ’s rural villages, an lia go on M in e lif n rre t It can be a hard, ba t and security don' ms of employmen ea dr y, der cit e un th st to ju e at vers who mov rate in Mongolia ho rty ve po e o Th to e. d tru an ttle, always come to find solace in a bo sy ea it es ak m ol 30%. Cheap alcoh lence. leads to family vio often, that alcohol n hope for Mongolia w) are a symbol of lo be ed ur , es ict ttl (p ls bo These ange from broken vodka alcoholism. Made by d te the ec n aff ow s kn ilie ve m fa who ha Mongolian women by ed uc t families or od pr pp e su ar they ds going to ee oc pr ith W g. in br can mbolic reminder hear tache alcohol little angels are a sy e th , ics ol oh alc g ry thing which of recoverin formed from the ve be n ca ul tif au be that something breaks lives. ve me years, and we lo ottle angels’ for so ‘b g llin se en be s CGV UK ha e angels are iced at 3 pounds, th this partnership. Pr de stalls en we hold fair tra a popular item wh ts. at community even
S U P P O R T IN G
RU R A L S A F E
T Y IN N
IG E R IA Sadly, in man y developing nations, agri does not alw culture ays have the they are now n eeded supp "Farmers are in use. "The ort. an importan farmers were sa id Guildance t par t of our full of praise, says Adisa o . "They now society," " f Guildance use the safe th eir farms and Community ty ment Found b o o ts , D fr o e o ve n m loptheir feedbac ation, Nigeri hazards hav a. That's a se k, incidents understatem e reduced d of rious ent. In rural rastically." N igeria, farmin backbone o g is the f the commu The boots ar nity and, if fa can't work, th e a wonderf rm ers ul example o eir families d ca n help give a on't eat. Guild f how Crossro supports gra second and ads ance ssroots agricu e ve u n n th n e ir e d d lt e life to u d goods. The ral commun and in 2018, y were offere ities, Crossroads w alongside th goods, havin d as second-h as able to co em to help N g been form and m e ig e rl erian farmers y u donation of b se u d t th in e quality was the food ind with a UK safe footwear ustry, fi n e . We are excit made throu find a new lif ed to see the gh Global H e o n N an m ig erian farms, d. "Many farme to safety bu contributing t, in the larg rs have lost not only er picture, to le g s or suffered se foot disease u lt im at food security e ly, poverty al s from hazar rious and, leviation. ds on farms. been easily av These would oided if they' h av e d had farm b Working wit oots," says A h herbicides disa. and other ch additional h e m icals adds an azard. Wh e n a U K d onor organis ation offered industrial-qu 200 pairs of ality boots, G uildance was The boots ar quick to acce e not only w pt. aterproof an chemicals an d re sistant to d animal pro d u cts, they hav making them e steel toe -c extremely h aps, ardy and safe work. The b for agricultu oots were sh ra l ipped from th distributed to e UK and farmers in so uth-western Nigeria, whe re 13
Education
IN D IA: W HE RE CO RP O RA TE M EE TS GR AS SR O OT
S
At 22, Musharif should have been excited abou t the life ahead of him. He felt, however, he wa s going nowhere. His fam ily had tried to survive on his father’s mi nimal salary as a ricksh aw driver. They lived in a poor part of Pune, Ind ia, where Musharif dropp ed out of school early and started earning a mi nimal income in a mech ining to anic’s workshop. ffering tra l to thrive, o es u n es technica ti ir n u q co e which re ter school lif u p a While Musharif was fee r m fo co re e Th prepa ling trapped in Pune, an old as they investment company nearby had 27 compute young and rs to get rid of, some of them very high-end. skills. They reached out to Glo bal Hand and our UK an d HK offices together helped match them to NGO Saahasee, which ser ves the poor in India, including Pune. Saahase e used these superb co mputers to help set up computer school that no a w offers high quality tra ining at very low cost. It here that Global Hand’s was story met Musharif’s. A friend told him of the co He enrolled and did so urs e. well that he was offere d a job in a tech compan becoming team leader, y, and receiving a pay rise within four months. “Th school has changed my e IT life completely,” he says. We love Musharif’s story: one small opportunity, driven by one company’s decision not to trash the ir computers helping bre ak the poverty cycle for grassroots family. a
G IF T S T H AT EM P O
W ER
nation is less trinsic value of a do Sometimes, the in re initially, for or y. School furnitu st le ho w e th an th e effor t of us hardly wor th th to ed em se e, pl exam nd who ‘saw ’ rtners on the grou pa r ou as w It . re the shipping at grassroots, whe ng ki or W . es ey nt d it with differe beyond them, an ost basic items is m e th ol, en ho ev sc of e st tir co an en ch furnishings for su of st co e e th th ly , certain reasons. First them and for two they badly needed g on the floor. 't want kids sittin obvious: they didn dicated ous: although de vi ob ss le e th , nd Seco their hers are teaching and sacrificial teac t give rnment would no students, the gove they had tional status until their graduates na ct cility. That very fa a fully furnished fa al and ov studies, job appr impacted tertiar y l to ore, we are carefu more. Now, theref iture. rn fu ol offered scho think hard when desks provided us with Donors in the UK ana which went to Gh this year, some of dova. and others to Mol can the value of a gift It's surprising how . e sum of its parts be greater than th
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Students in
Ghana ben
efitting fro
m UK don
ated furnit
ure.
THE KEY FOR THE PADLOCK OF POVERTY A little boy rises before dawn and walks 90 minutes, on an empty stomach, to the nearby market. There he sells matches, not by the box, but individually, for twelve hours. He eats nothing. He pockets the tiny amount of money he receives, less than a ten cent piece, and then he walks home. There, he takes the family’s only vehicle, a bicycle, to collect water. That takes a couple more hours. Then the family cooks its one meal for the day: cornflour and water. The little boy puts his tiny earnings into a safe place, goes to bed and then, next morning, the daily pattern begins again. That was the way Bonaventure, a little boy in Nigeria, paid his way through primary school. "My parents could not afford to pay. If we wanted to go, my siblings and I had to earn the money during our holidays." Today, that little boy is the principal of a school giving education to the poorest in his community. What happened in between? Bona topped his primary school, academically, and his parents Bona sup er vising th borrowed money for him to e distribu donated sc tion of hool books start secondary. There a to his stud ents. compassionate priest took him under his wing and paid for him to stay in school till graduation. After that Bona came to Hong Kong and, there, worked with Crossroads, serving the poor and was then offered tertiary education as a gift from a supporter in Australia. He could have stayed there, but chose, instead, to go back to his village and start a school which even the poorest could attend.
School fees are US$10 per term for primary and US$20 for secondary. Even so it is hard for many parents to meet. "We take payments as low as 50 cents at a time for the parents who struggle," he told us. And if parents can’t pay for a while, the teachers go on teaching without their full salary. They don’t do this work for money. They feel ‘called’. Their goal is to give these kids education, the key, Bona says, that unlocks the padlock of poverty. Or, to change the analogy, Bona also says: "We are trying our best to bring light into a very dark tunnel that holds thousands of our people captive." We have partnered with Bona’s work for many years, but a special opportunity came, this year, when we received an offer of talking books in English: an invaluable contribution to his school (see photos).
o giv ffor t t ecial e ts. p s a ade tuden onor m na's s A UK d o oks to B o gb talkin
15
e
Education
"THE REAL FACE OF POVERTY" This year our UK team has again run education simulation programmes, Global X-periences, at school and university level, helping participants understand the challenges of poverty as well as the refugee dilemma. The programmes run deep and so do the responses. Here’s a sampling. “The real face of poverty is not what we think,” a nursing student from Zimbabwe fed back to us. “I cannot imagine the stress of those living that kind of life. I felt helpless and frustrated in the system. It was an eye-opening experience that will help me relate to the struggles they face on daily basis. It allowed me to put myself in their shoes.” The simulation, said one who organised adult student participation, gave “first-hand knowledge of a situation you would [otherwise] never experience. It was well planned and awesome, enjoyable but shocking too." A university participant said the programme showed her that “these things can happen to anyone regardless of how hardworking or intelligent you are.” The frustration in breaking out of the poverty cycle hit her hard. “It demonstrated how hopeless these situations can be, it felt like running in circles. The simulations changed the way I perceive poverty, homelessness and even being an addict. Instead of jumping to a conclusion and judging, I started thinking what bad things could have happened in a person’s life that led him/her to live like that.”
The programmes seek to re-produce the raw and intense struggle which so many battle when pitted against life’s odds. A Manchester University student wrote, “This event has changed perception of refugee camps for me entirely. The information you receive from the news is not enough. The simulation made it real.” She said it shocked her at the time but, after analysing the experience later, saw it represented reality. Escaping death, these people then face, as she put it, “iniquity because of their vulnerability.” She cited the choices they had: child labour, sexual abuse, even the sale of body organs, just “to have a little chance for their family to survive. What is sadder is that there is no guarantee that in the end all is worth it.”
ls Survivo ggle for u tr S e ley. g in th lya Han cipatin ts par ti ger Nata a n a m Studen UK ur CGV led by o
16
imulati
on
W H AT C A N A U K SCHOOL DO W IT H C R O S S R O A D S? We are often ask ed what activitie s schools can do with us. W e have four main ways: • DONATE unifo rms or education al equipment if it is in very good con dition. • RUN A COLLE CTION of much needed items. We’re happy to a dvise. • FUNDRAISE fo r a school in our network. • BOOK A SIMU LATION on glob al need.
“This event has changed perception of refugee camps for me entirely. The information you receive from the news is not enough. The simulation made it real.” Manchester University student 17
Quotes that Inspire Us
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I ALONE CANNOT CHANGE THE WORLD, BUT I CAN CAST A STONE ACROSS THE WATERS TO CREATE MANY RIPPLES. MOTHER TERESA
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Decent Work
N AT IO N E M P O W E R IN G ‘A
O F W ID O W S’
ntsaba, ent came from Ti em at st nt na ig s.” That po after the loss a nation of widow powers women em d an s “AIDS is creating in tra ch hi p in Swaziland, w a fair trade grou ners. of their breadwin for her ol and little food ho sc no nt ea m , that loss g high quality ung Swazi widow rsmith, producin ve sil r te For Khetsiwe, a yo as m a be ns (see photo). ined Khetsiwe to ant, modern desig eg el to in s kids. Tintsaba tra as gr sisal And, today, oven with native a balanced diet. ve ha ey th y, items cleverly w da hool. To e now back in sc for which she Today, her kids ar a sense of hope, d an e os rp pu , ity ers include Khetsiwe has dign ld. Those custom or w e th nd ou ar d other omers icrafts at fairs an thanks their cust nd Ha al ob Gl UK rchasers of some of you: pu events. The same ,” says Khetsiwe. le ho rk da a of t us ou omen's and 26 smaller w “Tintsaba helped en om w 0 00 1, more than years. Our team could be said by over the past 30 ed lp he s ha ba sa darkness cooperatives Tint idows leave that w lp he s le sa UK ese is proud to see th behind. Tintsaba women wi th a variety of crafts they produce.
RELEASE FROM
T H E S E X IN D U
S T RY
It was never M aria‘s dream to become a sex her and a past worker. With a of rape and ab broken marriag use, though, sh in Hong Kong e behind e was strugglin . Desperate, sh g to bring up e signed up fo like many, cam he r child r w or k in a massage e with the exp parlour: one w ectation of ‘ext in this role, Mar hich, ra services’ for cl ia’s self-wor th ients. As years crumbled. Life convincing, th p as sed held little prom en, when she ise. It didn’t ta met a man on sight unseen. ke much WeChat who as “Come and m ked her to mar eet me in Aus of a new, trou ry him, tralia,” he said ble free life. , painting a pic ture When she arri ved at the airp or t in Australia officers were on , however, imm high aler t. Trai igration ned to identify victims, they ca signs of traffick lled Maria to on ing e side. Before that, had she su long, Maria dis ccessfully conn co vered ec ted with her ‘g become a stat room’, she wou istic: one in a lin ld have e of women tr or forced labou icked into wor r. k in a brothel It was a narrow escape for Mar ia. She returned Kong, shattere to Hong d in spirit, whe re she met one of par tners: Eden our , an NGO that suppor ts wom to escape the en w anting sex industr y. Sh e received frie counselling, En nd ship, glish training and became a agent. Eden is proper ty at work in seve ral Asian locati suppor ting ot ons, her ‘Maria’s on their journeys their centres tr . O ne of ains its women to make jewel photo): exquis le ry (see ite items that we sell at stalls Crossroads UK. th rough Perhaps Maria herself is best summing up th in e inspiring wor k of Eden. “You like my angels are .”
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B ET H LE H EM: FA IR
TR A D E IM P R O V IN G
W O R K P LAC E H EA LT
It was a surreal mom ent. We were visiti ng Bethlehem, hoping to find prod ucts we could sell to suppor t local residents whose liv elihoods had suffe red as Middle Eastern tension ke pt tourists at bay. Ca rpentry, we were told, was the best choice. And, at that ve ry moment, Joseph, the carpen ter, was on his way from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Could we wait? We blinke d, wondering if we had stepped into a Christmas carol. The scene showed little of that idyll, though. Whe n we watched the carpenters at wo rk, we realised the air arou nd them was laden with sawdus t and wood particles. Glasses pr otected their eyes, but the parti cles were also on their clothes, ha nds and hair. Surely, we though t, they had to be inhaling this stu ff. What was it doing to their lu ngs?
H
A local fair trade gr oup, Holy Land Ha ndicrafts, made it their goal to see the workplac es made safe. They began wi th Raja, a woodwo rker and himself a health vic tim. They cleaned ou t generations of wo od dust, and most im portantly, installed an extract or device that suck s up wood dust and coat ing fumes, removin g them safely from the wo rkspace. In such a small com munity, word soon spreads. Soon, dozens of ot her woodworking fa m ilies were begging for renova tion too. It’s literall y ch anging the health and lives of Bethlehem’s ar tis ans. Holy Land Handicr afts works with 35 workshops in its cooperative. Their olive wood carvings are popular sellers, especially at Christmas time. With each sale, we, and our custom ers, can breathe a little easier, knowing that the ar tisans can, too!
This is the darker sid e to Bethlehem’s wo odcarving industr y. Lung lesio ns, even cancer, ca n result. And death, of course, fo llow.
T B R IN G IN G FA IR T O YO U !
RADE
elling rough s mium’ th f profits is re p l ia a ‘soc r tion o to s earns ns a po y chose at mea ndicraft a h T H 018, the . 2 s d d n In a d t. ro n c s a s je s ro Holy La ro n hC nit y p nditio ods wit co m m u work co their go est in a d e ce n t v r in fo d to e e e ne set asid oting th y prom do so b fety. work sa
all at your handicrafts st e ad tr ir fa a t Wan roducts ve beautiful p ha e W t? en ev fair or d Christmas homewares an like jewellery, e world, om around th fr ns io at or ec d tling mmunities bat co in ed uc d ro all p ed. pover ty and ne s@cgvuk.org Email enquirie joyed selling In 2018, we en ornings, fairs, coffee m handicrafts at e. Ask hools and mor craft events, sc your us to come to us if you’d like event.
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Health
HYGI EN E KI TS HE LP IN G AC RO SS TH E GLO BE Dental care often falls wa y down the list for refug ees and others in desperate circumstance s. The consequences can be serious though, with complications from tooth decay leading to infection and even heart disease. In 2018, we helped a UK dental care company offer a massive donatio n of dental hygiene pro ducts, including toothpaste and toothb rush travel packs, and lar ge tubes of toothpaste: 42 pallets of goods in all . Global Hand partner Ho pe and Aid Direct was experienced enough to handle such a big do nation, and immediately started dis tributing the goods to the ir various projects. They took 10 pallets to France, where the denta l products helped refugees in the ‘Calais jun gle’. The donation also reached Syrian and other refugee s in Greece, along with people living in deep poverty in Moldova an d even Africa. A far reach ing gift for a far reaching problem.
D I A LY S I S
SUPP
SYRIAN LIES FOR
H O S P I TA
L
eritoneal pply of p u s t n a c weet. ifi as bitters red a sign w e ff it , o e r it o s n d K do able to lobal Han Wh e n a U dibly valu on our G re s c e e ve r y li in p e p b u aid, but th would l a s dialysis s d ic o d e o g m of that the wife had this kind We knew e donor ’s f exactly th o : cial d e e n e o n in a sad s and spe s e a ip w w d , someone s re ffe em, d the fluid ey were o donate th er neede g to n reason th d lo te o n n a w y. They t he w ay a n d s a m e wa e ched tha u th passed a to lt fe re e ty s rs. We w l supplie UK Chari connecto ir medica tner Care e r a th t p b d to u n o d a d al H to ad ey will no and Glob th e goods th re e d h te w p a, a cce ital in Syri gratefully . h a hosp it w ng there ri rk e o w le suff p o e for their p to ense use be of imm
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h a mu c e s a re li p p u ls e e s. D enta r re f ug ion fo is v o r p
neede
d
Photo: Andy Hall, Oxfam East Africa
‘A N G E L S’ H E L P
N O U R IS H U G A
N D A N K ID S
“22% of childre n under 5 in ou r town have st growth,” said ou unted r par tners in U ga nda, who run and health pro research jects for childre n in need. Thro Global Hand w ugh the ebsite, they fo und an offer fr Angels, a US ag om Vitamin ency that don ates vitamins, gift that helped and received a 30,500 malno urished childre district. n in their
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Quotes that Inspire Us
YOU HAVE NOT LIVED UNTIL YOU HAVE DONE SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE WHO CAN NEVER REPAY YOU. JOHN BUNYAN
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Corporate Engagement
THE LONG REACH OF UK COMPANIES‌ Companies have a choice when it comes to excess product. It can go to landfill or it can be sent to people whose lives will be changed as a result. Many UK companies make contact with us when they have significant surplus. Usually, though, they do not manufacture inside the UK so the items may be located elsewhere in the world. China, of course, is one example. This year saw several massive donations of clothing offered in China for NGOs within the country. The companies involved were, in each case, reticent in seeking publicity for themselves, but not reticent in their generosity. One provided 15,000 children’s items, and another gave 15,255 items for both adults and children. Through Global Hand we matched these and other offers with the Chinese Relief and Development Foundation (CRDF), an NGO which is one of 30 awarded for its transparency. They work in disaster relief, elderly care, student support and provision for children and families where parents are employed far from home. 26
To follow up, we se nt a team Directors comprisi , Malcolm ng Cross and Sally Jason No roads’ Begbie, to ble, Enga gether w gement Crossroa ith Strategis ds' Globa t and Pre l Village sident of (US).
sasters, and pacted by di im le op pe d es on onomic nee CRDF focuss battling ec lk and fo r ay de ol aw d any hours children an k in cities m . or w es ili ts n m re fa r when pa care of thei immediate cannot take
received nal award ith the natio w r, nsidered de co un , fo to charities d Richard Cai de ar aw e of thir ty by CRDF, on . d’ te us ‘most tr
with some Crossroads’ Directors ents of ipi rec of those who are sity. ero gen s’ nie UK compa
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Corporate Engagement
TEAM BUILDS FOR A BROKEN WORLD It’s a team build with a difference: companies with a conscience, looking for meaningful staff ‘time out’, often ask us to run simulation Global X-periences for their people. This year, in the UK, our corporate team builds focussed on ‘Struggle for Survival’: our programme which simulates the complex range of issues underlying poverty. In it, participants make market bags out of newspaper with a simple glue of flour and water. With that, they must earn an ‘income’, under the pressure of a condensed timeline, in the face of poor housing, facing the battle for food, shelter and education. Among this year’s participants were law firm, Linklaters, Cathay Pacific and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Of course, at best, we can only simulate such pressures, but we aim to embed them in reality for those we serve. It was then especially moving to hear from one of the participants that, while she now works in the UK, she too used the flour and water glue when she lived in one of Hong Kong’s less affluent villages.
T H E LU X U RY
O F C H O IC E
came up. sue of choice is e th , n o ti la simu e absence nder took the leisure and th u e, ts ic o an p ch f ci o ti ry par for people As corporate ing of the luxu ly impactful r understand d n te u or. et fo b ro a p e e m can b e private sect “It gave at realisation salaries in th ) Th le e. n ab o rt te fo m ro co of fear, ” w r better than poverty. mfortable (o co n o ose battling g th in r rk fo wo en ft o o to iven. Not so, sheer Choice is a g scious of the n co re o m g in e them that , “was becom change to giv rote another to w s d t,” ee ac n p at im h t g poverty and w “The bigges es surroundin ic people have, o g ch lin e g g th ru to st in e lack of choic lot of insight mme gave “a ra g ro p e Th ” choice. is.” understood it ental I can be and how mis nt how judgm o fr n co to e ed m vacuum. perience “forc ot made in a n xe e ar th es at ic th o ch ed Another add overty. Their ose stuck in p th g erstand.” in d d n u ar g to begin when re en ev ’t n ca I s ntext narrows the They live in co ective, how it sp er p es g an there is more ion ch cognize that re w one’s situat e o m h e w ad sa m “I : It ed Another add we should be. ggles e forget who w the daily stru d to an es ew ey vi y m ed field of en p g: o love best tively be doin at ’s what we ac Th ro p s." n ld io u at co I situ ives way are in certain at empathy g le th p ct eo fa p e y h th : w and rogrammes simulation p about these e. t with the issu to engagemen
"It opened my eyes in a way I didn't know was possible," said a Linklaters staff member, after doing the Struggle for Survival in London, 2018.
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W H AT C A N U K CO M PA
N IE S D O?
• DONATE GOODS: Do you have quality pr oduct available? Whether it is in the U K or anywhere else in the world, we would love to hear about it. Our Global Hand serv ice is, in essence, a virtual warehouse th rough which we seek to match appropriate product with NGOs, in any countr y. Sometim es that ‘match’ happens intranationa lly. At other times, the product may be shipped internationa lly by the NGO. Either way, please let us know if your UK company ha s surplus product. • FAIR TRADE: Are yo u interested in fair trad e products? We have producers w e can connect you with and will happily do so . • BOOK A SIMULATI ON: Would you like to consider a team build which incorporates on e of our simulation xperiences? We have seasons when they ar e available and, if you let us know, we’d be glad to plan accordin gly.
“ This made the is some sues f thing e e l re to he enga a lp.” H ged o ewlet l. It made m ve r a includ t Pack e wa n umbe ing o a rd E r fferin nterp nt to do 2018. g t h e o f ye a r s w rise s it Strug gle fo h Crossroa taff have r Sur v d ival to s, staff in
ay Pacific roads Cath ers of Cross n rt ion for pa at c ul gi m rate r Survival si fo Longtime st le gg ru run the St invited us to 2018. in f af their st
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Quotes that Inspire Us
I'VE LEARNED THAT PEOPLE WILL FORGET WHAT YOU SAID, PEOPLE WILL FORGET WHAT YOU DID, BUT PEOPLE WILL NEVER FORGET HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL. MAYA ANGELOU 30
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Get Connected
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