Snapshots from the Field Your support in action
Pictured: Ethel Khundi and her daughter Memory, Whunachu Village, Malawi, 2017.
In Focus: West Africa Water Project Contaminated drinking water kills more than 1.5 million people every year. Many of those who die are children.
B
etter water management and improved sanitation can help prevent tens of thousands of deaths in West Africa, every year. Gorta-Self Help Africa is currently implementing a major new rural water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) project in Togo which is doing just that. In the far north of the country, where extreme poverty is widespread, education standards poor, and most households rely on smallscale farming for their survival, only 15% of households have their own latrines to manage waste. It means that water sources are easily contaminated, and diseases associated with drinking dirty water are widespread. The new scheme is aiming to tackle this problem, and is supporting the construction of 1,760 latrines and other measures that will reduce the risks for close to 20,000 people.
Improving agricultural production and access to enough food for rural poor people is at the core of our work. However, we recognise too that associated challenges – such as household sickness – are a major obstacle for families battling to end hunger and poverty in their lives.
Children’s health According to UN figures, nearly 900 children die a day from diseases caused by unsafe water. Building latrines, and providing access to clean water greatly reduce the instance of typhoid, dysentery and other water-borne disease
supporting women Women are responsible for 72% of the water collected in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the walks are often dangerous. When a community gets water, women and girls are safer and have more time to focus on other activities such as staying in school, spending time with their families, and starting small businesses.
Boosting economies The United Nations estimates that Africa loses 40 billion hours per year collecting water! Access to clean water gives communities more time to grow food, develop businesses and earn incomes – Gorta-Self Help Africa’s key poverty reducing activities.
EDUCATION Clean water and safe toilets keep children in school, especially girls. Children can remain in school instead of collecting dirty water for much of the day, or being sick from waterborne disease.
Support for HIV Households F
arming with only hand-tools is hard work at the best of times. Trying to farm when you’re feeling sick, weak or feverish can be a challenge that is beyond many African householders living with HIV.
A project that Gorta-Self Help Africa is implementing in Kenya supports vulnerable householders like Julia Gitari (47) to overcome some of these obstacles. Julia has been assisted with the creation of a backyard garden where she can grow fruit and vegetables, and has also been helped with breeding and rearing a small number of livestock, including sheep, cows and chickens. These are all practical, and less labour intensive farming activities that allow Julia, and others like her, to farm in a productive way that also allows her to conserve her limited energy. For Julia, the project also helps her to provide good quality food and nutrition for her family.
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UPCOMING Events The Great Ethiopian Run The Great Ethiopian Run (GER) is Africa’s longest established road race. More than 30,000 compete in the event through the streets of Addis Ababa each year. For the past number of years we have sent a team to take part. If you’re interested in doing some fundraising, and travelling with us to visit projects, and run, walk or jog this year’s GER at the end of November, why not get in touch?
Galway Festive Ball We’re set to host our fifth annual Galway Ball on the Western seaboard on November 17th next, and we’d love it if you could join us. The event takes place at The Galway Bay Hotel, and tickets are now on sale. Call our office or contact Ronan Scully at ronan.scully@selfhelpafrica.org for more information.
Dine Al-Desko Gorta-Self Help Africa’s “Dine Al Desko” to celebrate World Food Day will return for its second year in October. If you would like to take part, and organise a shared dining experience in your workplace this year, contact Louise at louise.rogan@selfhelpafrica.org and she will be happy to help.
Get Involved! If you are interested in arranging your own fundraising event to support our work we’d love to hear from you. Whether it’s a walk, run, coffee morning or music session, please do get in touch. Call us on 01 6778880 or email info@selfhelpafrica.org.
Recent Community Events Strictly for Africa In the past few weeks two dancing events in support of Gorta Self Help Africa have taken place with great success. The UCD community came together on March 4th with a wonderful show, raising €12,000! Then, on May 13th another amazing group of dancers raised a whopping €27,000 and wowed an audience of 450 in Stillorgan’s Talbot Hotel. Thanks to all those who both competed, and attended the events.
Bay-to-Bay Celebrating both his 50th birthday and his 25th year in international development, Ronan Scully and friends undertook a coast-to-coast, bay to bay walk from Dublin to Galway last month, and raised €20,000 to support our work. Well done Ronan!
The Race 2017 Close to 100 lined up at the starting line for this year’s ultra-endurance challenge, ‘The Race’, but just twothirds reached the finish line within the prescribed 24hour time limit! That’s why this 250 km event is called “Ireland’s toughest.” If you think you have the grit and stamina that it takes, why not check out details of next year’s event at: www.therace.org. All profits from The Race go to support the work of Gorta-Self Help Africa.
leave a lasting legacy IFF Like you, Gorta-Self Help Africa wants a M A K E A D E RE NC E world free from hunger and poverty – and leaving a legacy gift in your will is a real way you can support this effort and make an impact for generations to come. A legacy gift costs you nothing in this lifetime, but it can change the lives of future generations in rural Africa - to escape poverty, have enough food to eat and to provide for their families. We know that making a will is a personal matter. But after you have remembered your loved ones, please think about leaving a gift that will have the ability to transform so many lives in the future. When we receive a legacy from someone who has passed away – we recognise it’s importance, and we work to ensure the legacy is spent wisely and achieves as much as possible. If you are writing a will and would consider leaving a gift to Gorta-Self Help Africa – please contact Louise on 01 6708880.
Our impact: 2012 – 2016 in numbers 1,174,518 Ethiopia
901,338 UGANDA
286,524
480,468
664,940
224,850
Kenya
west africa
MALAWI
Zambia
*based on those surveyed, this a weighted average for our poorest beneficiaries. **316,974 households (1,958,212 people) have increased their crop production by at least 25%. This equates to 79% of households with whom we are focussing on increasing production.
248% increase in income*
25% increase in crop production**
Filimoni Malekano, Matembera Village, Malawi, 2015.
Thank You Our charitable expenditure in 2016:
87%
programmes
12%
raising funds
1%
GOVERnance
Almost 90 cents from every euro you donate is spent on our programmes in Africa.
farming for Africa's future /selfhelpafrica
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Kingsbridge House, 17-22 Parkgate Street, Dublin, D08 NRP2 Tel +353 (0) 1677 8880 info@selfhelpafrica.org Charity No. 5678