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Action
QUESTIONS. IDEAS. INNOVATION. INSPIRATION. ISSUE 08 AUTUMN 2011
Do not forget us
Someone like you
The hopes and fears of Afghan women as troops withdraw
Please ask a friend to sponsor a child
Crisis in east Africa... ...when the rains fail
Haiti What we’ve been doing since the earthquake Zambia: a middle-income country? Plus... Win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to see ActionAid’s work in Uganda
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to write your Will If, like many other people, you have been putting off writing your Will, Will Aid 2011 is your chance to put that right. Every November, participating solicitors waive their fee for writing a basic Will. Instead, they invite clients to make a donation to Will Aid. The suggested minimum donation is £85 for a single basic Will, £125 for a pair of basic matching or mirror Wills and £40 for a codicil. Every November, thousands of people not only gain peace of mind by writing their Will in this way, they also
Visit: www.willaid.org.uk
help raise millions of pounds for nine of the UK’s best loved charities, including ActionAid. How to take part To find a Will Aid solicitor near you, simply visit the Will Aid website or call the helpline number below. The Will Aid campaign takes place in November, but appointments get filled quickly, so be sure to book yours as early as possible.
Call: 0300 0300 013
Email: enquiries@willaid.org.uk
ALL MONEY RAISED BY WILL AID SUPPORTS THE WORK OF:
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EDITOR’S LETTER
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Action
This magazine is 100% recycled and we only use vegetable-based inks. Something impressed you? Annoyed you? Got a story to share with other readers? Then tell us about it! Action magazine ActionAid 33-39 Bowling Green Lane London EC1R 0BJ
As the emergency in east Africa unfolded, the resilience of people in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia has been tested to the limit. In the harsh climate of Bulla Juu, Kenya, the only thing people have to cling to is the desperate hope that rains will come in October. You can read about what happends when the rains fail on page 14. It is unusual for us to make a direct ask of you in the magazine, but a sponsorship crisis means we have to ask for your help. We urgently need to recruit more child sponsors, as the financial crisis means only 50% of those we need have signed up this year. Can you ask a friend or colleague to sponsor a child? It would make a massive difference if you could. Turn to page 18 for more.
FEATURES 9
PICTURE THE DIFFERENCE Win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to see ActionAid work in Uganda
10 AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE Our work helping people in Haiti 12 ENOUGH EMPTY PROMISES ActionAid Zambia's Pamela Chisanga on the challenges she faces in her work
Our crisis re
in east Afr sponse 14 WHEN THE RAINS FAIL ica, page 4 How does ActionAid child sponsorship help in times of crisis?
18 SOMEONE LIKE YOU Can you help us find new child sponsors? 20 THE HOUSE OR THE GRAVE The renewed threat from the Taliban to women in Afghanistan 24 CHRISTMAS GREETINGS Our brand new range of Christmas cards
And lastly, what will it mean for the women of Afghanistan if the Taliban return to power? As UK and US troops withdraw, we surveyed 1,000 Afghan women about their hopes and fears for the future. You can read their stories on page 20.
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01460 23 8000 Email: action@actionaid.org ActionAid is a registered charity, number 274467. Design: Neo Print: Brightsource Next issue: Spring 2012 Cover image: Saida Abdullai, 14, holds her sister Darmi Waco, 3, in Bulla Juu, Kenya. Photo: Piers Benatar/Panos/ActionAid
actionaid.org.uk
Stephanie Ross Editor
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NEWS
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FACTFILE ON... …Lesotho
26 ACTION STATIONS What you’ve been up to, and what you can do.
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AFRICAN COUNTRIES CHALLENGE TAX DODGERS
FAMINE HITS EAST AFRICA
Recent ActionAid research revealed that Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia and South Africa have been losing out to systematic tax avoidance by beer giant SABMiller. Already a series of treaties is being signed by African governments, helping them share tax information on companies suspected of cheating. A lack of tax sharing treaties meant these countries were unable to jointly audit the behaviour of large corporations, but after meeting to discuss a joint investigation they’re now putting these in place. In the meantime, individual countries that wish to investigate SABMiller’s tax practices are gearing up to do so.
Unless the rains fall in October, famine is likely to spread across the region. PHOTO: FREDERIC COUBERT/PANOS/ACTIONAID
As severe drought turned to famine in east Africa, ActionAid has been delivering food and water to over 260,000 people across 11 of the worstaffected regions of Kenya. In Ijara we provided food relief to 26,000 vulnerable female-headed households. Our extensive school-feeding programme has ensured that 17,700 children get a nutritious meal every day. In Isiolo we provided fuel to power two school water pumps, which act as the only source of water for both schoolchildren and the surrounding community – a total of 1,000 people. We also worked with the government to supply fresh water to communities in Modogashe. The local tank is filled four times a day – twice by ActionAid and twice by the government. Together, we’re providing 800 households – some 5,000 people – with the water they need.
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Over the next three years we will continue to build community resilience. This will involve distributing drought-resistant seeds, training women in alternative livelihoods such as bread-making, introducing kitchen and school gardens and supporting micro-catchment and irrigation schemes. We will also help train communities and local government officials on disaster management, and link meteorological data with communitybased early warning systems.
Meanwhile, despite a SABMiller PR offensive, the company has still failed to answer our central question: why has the brewery paid no corporation tax in three out of four years in Ghana? It is still citing inflated figures, claiming to pay millions in tax, which were actually excise duties paid by consumers. But SABMiller is not alone in acting this way. That’s why our government must take action to close tax loopholes that enable multinational companies to dodge taxes all around the world. Action from your MP is vital this autumn to ensure the government feels continued pressure to act on this issue at the G20 summit in November and beyond. Action: ask your MP to help close tax loopholes at www.actionaid.org.uk/taxjustice or call 01460 23 8000.
Many thanks to our generous supporters, who donated a total of £903,000 to our emergency appeal. A Disasters Emergency Committee appeal raised a further £50 million, of which ActionAid will initially receive £1.1 million. Action: you can still support our emergency appeal. Just call 01460 23 8000 or go to www.actionaid.org.uk. Read more about the crisis on page 14.
Small trader Marta pays more tax than SABMiller. PHOTO: JANE HAHN/ACTIONAID
OLYMPIC CHAMP DOES IT FOR ACTIONAID
Go on, go on, go on – our Mrs Doyles announce it's Tea time for change. PHOTO: UPTON/PAWIRE/ACTIONAID
TEA TIME FOR CHANGE An unusual sight greeted MPs on 9 June as 10 ‘Mrs Doyles’ descended on Westminster to announce it was Tea time for change.
the day, thank you and congratulations! Since the event your calls have been echoing round parliament, with questions asked of ministers and a parliamentary petition put forward by MPs.
The Irish lovelies were joined by 1,200 supporters of ActionAid, CAFOD, Oxfam, Christian Aid, Tearfund and Save the Children, who came from all over the UK to lobby their MPs.
International development secretary Andrew Mitchell told supporters, “The issues you are championing were raised in the House of Commons, and there is strong support across the House. I want to thank you for the passion you bring to transforming the lives of people around the world.”
Over 140 MPs met constituents to hear their concerns about the issues facing developing countries, and the vast majority committed to support aid and act on tax dodging. If you were part of
One of Britain’s favourite Olympians, Sally Gunnell, is taking on the Great Ethiopian Run this November with ActionAid. The 10k race through the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, is run in high temperatures at over 7,000ft altitude. Known as ‘Africa’s toughest fun run’, over 33,000 people took part last year. “I am really excited about taking part,” says Sally. “It’s going to be a fantastic opportunity to run alongside some amazing people in a beautiful country and get the chance to see the great work ActionAid is doing. I urge all runners to take up the challenge!” Action: sign up to an ActionAid run at www.actionaid.org.uk/run
Action: sign up to our campaigns newsletter at www.actionaid.org.uk/campaigns or call 01460 23 8000.
SUPERMARKETS RESIST WATCHDOG Nearly 80% of people believe supermarkets have become too powerful. A recent ActionAid poll also reveals that, at a time when a new Tesco, Asda, Morrisons or Sainsbury’s opens every other day in the UK, 84% of people now want an independent supermarket watchdog. ActionAid has long been fighting for a watchdog, and finally this summer the government published a draft bill to set up a new ‘groceries code adjudicator’. However, supermarkets and their trade body, the British Retail Consortium, were quick to
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announce that an adjudicator would be an unnecessary burden on them, and would hike food prices. “Supermarkets – these all powerful giants that make millions in profit every day – are trying to convince the government they can’t afford to have anyone overseeing their actions,” says ActionAid’s corporate campaigner Dominic Eagleton. “It’s like an unruly class saying they don’t need a teacher.” This bill is crucial to stop supermarkets abusing their power both here and overseas, so we will keep you updated on how it progresses.
Sally is looking forward to running with ActionAid. PHOTO: COURTESY OF SALLY GUNNELL
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Jimi shows off some moves he probably didn't learn on Strictly. PHOTO: DES WILLIE/ACTIONAID
BITE SIZE Flushed with success… The Bill Gates foundation is giving US$3 million to eight universities with the brief to help poor communities by reinventing the toilet. The challenge? It must be stand-alone and function effectively without piped-in water, a sewer connection or outside electricity.
MOVE ANY MOUNTAIN Strictly come dancing star Jimi Mistry visited Rwanda in June, spending time with widows and orphans who survived the 1994 genocide. Jimi, who has sponsored a child with ActionAid for several years, visited Mpanga primary school which, thanks to ActionAid child sponsorship, was moved from the top of a mountain to the bottom to save children and teachers an arduous 3km hike. Jimi also saw how simple things like cows can provide nutrition and an income for whole communities.
“ActionAid’s child sponsorship programme is part of what makes people happy because it works, not just for one child, but it changes the lives of whole families and communities forever,” said Jimi. Action: we currently have 558 children waiting to be sponsored in Rwanda. If you can help please call 01460 23 8000 or visit www.actionaid.org.uk/sponsor
HONOUR FOR ESSWARAMMA
Esswaramma, who is quadriplegic, fought discrimination in order to get an education despite her disabilities. With the help of ActionAid she has since tirelessly campaigned to increase acceptance of children with disabilities by the Indian
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The office is coming to Kabul, in the form of a remake of the hit Ricky Gervais comedy. Set in the fictional Afghan Ministry of Rubbish, it may be slightly more political than the UK version, promising to tackle ‘serious political issues’ such as corruption through its ‘incompetent but sympathetic’ lead character, Dalwat.
Sock it to ’em… A research team at Tanzania’s Ifakara Health Institute found the most effective scent for luring mosquitoes away from humans is…smelly socks. The specially scented synthetic bait is highly effective, attracting four times more mosquitoes than a person.
Kiss the sky...
Former ActionAid sponsored child turned campaigner recognised with international award. Eighteen-year-old Esswaramma from Karnataka, India, a former ActionAid sponsored child, has become the first person outside the UK to win a prestigious Diana Award. The award, set up in memory of Princess Diana, went international for the first time this year in celebration of what would have been Diana’s 50th birthday. It celebrates the amazing achievements of inspirational young people.
Slough to Kabul…
government and in her local region. She is an extremely deserving winner and we are delighted her efforts have been recognised with this award.
Kenyan scientists plan to use a technique known as cloud seeding to produce rain, in an attempt to ease the severe drought. Kenya usually experiences long rains from October to December, but forecasts for the coming season are not good. Many blame the problem on climate change.
A close escape…
Esswaramma with her Diana Award. PHOTO: ACTIONAID
A coat or a goat for Christmas? You decide! (see back cover)
A mine awareness team in Uganda was horrified to find an unexploded bomb being used as a bell when they visited a school to teach children how to spot bombs. Teachers had been banging the bomb with stones to call children to lessons. It was taken away and exploded in a rural area.
Pupils from Ysgol Pen north Wales, deliver Y Bryn shool, the sister ’ messages to Nu ir ‘send my mber 10. PHOTO: PIERS MARK CHILVERS /ACTIONAID
10 YEARS AT READING
Harriet Ellis, Alice Welsh and Natassia Welsh enjoy Reading festival. PHOTO: GREG FUNNELL/ACTIONAID
ActionAid celebrated 10 years at Reading festival this August with secret sets by Simian Mobile Disco, Bombay Bicycle Club and Pigeon Detectives. Nearly 5,000 young people took our tax campaign action, more than in any other year. The decade-long partnership with Reading organiser Festival Republic has led it to donate more than £25,000 to build a recording studio for young people in Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya.
awareness of health, hygiene, politics and human rights issues. The station has also kick-started the Kibera journal, a newspaper staffed by budding local journalists who gain valuable skills in writing and reporting. We attended several other festivals over the summer including the Big Chill, where our family-friendly tent saw over 500 people learn about child sponsorship by creating colourful messages for children in China, Lesotho and Brazil.
The studio is home to Koch FM, a radio station run by young volunteers who raise
A week-long campaign highlighting the rights of homeless people took place in the Indian city of Chennai in June. More than 40,000 men, women and children live on the city’s streets.
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This year’s Send my friend campaign focused on girls, delivering a strong message to MPs the length and breadth of the country: Send my sister to school! Around 600,000 students took part, asking MPs to ensure world leaders keep their promise of ‘education for all’. Students notched up more than 80 school visits by MPs, and sent 98% of MPs a message in the post.
INDIA’S WALL STREET CHALLENGE
The Wall Street Campaign invited people to put handprints on walls to show their solidarity. “Over 74% of homeless people are involved in hard physical labour for daily survival – this includes services that we cannot live without and keep the city moving,” says Vanessa Peter from ActionAid India, who helped lead the campaign.
SISTER ACT!
A policeman who came to keep order shows his solidarity. PHOTO: ACTIONAID
One policeman who came to monitor the number of campaigners ended up adding his handprints after activists convinced him of their cause.
Pupils at Ysgol Pen Y Bryn school in Wales were invited to 10 Downing Street after their MP attended their school assembly and saw how much they cared about the issues. “It’s been the best feeling to see the children’s faces here at Downing Street, especially knowing how important the issues are behind this visit,” said teacher Tabitha Sawyer.
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...BUT THERE'S A THREAT IN THE AIR UK BIOFUELS PROGRESS… This summer 10,000 of you texted, emailed and wrote to the Department for Transport asking them to scrap the UK’s increased biofuels target, which dictates how much biofuel must be in all UK petrol and diesel. We handed in your petition to Norman Baker, Minister for Transport, who was overwhelmed by the passion of your
messages. The government has now decided to ‘act cautiously’ until 2012, when it will once again ask the public what its stance on biofuels should be. This is a huge step in the right direction, and we’ll continue to keep up the pressure. Action: sign the petition against biofuels at www.actionaid.org.uk/biofuels or call 01460 23 8000. Your signature will be handed in to the UK government and European Union to demand that they stop supporting this destructive fuel.
Meanwhile Europe’s biggest airlines, including British Airways, Lufthansa and KLM, announced a major drive towards biofuels at the Paris air show in June. Air France-KLM say they will already be operating more than 200 biofuelpowered flights by September, whilst British Airways is planning to build a biofuel production plant to ‘encourage others to follow our lead’. This is one of the first results of the current EU-wide push towards biofuels, going ahead despite warnings from the UN and the FAO that biofuel production is making food prices increasingly volatile.
BROTHERS IN MUSIC Sir Paul McCartney took time out before hitting the stage in Rio de Janeiro in June to meet two young music students from the ActionAid-supported Maré community, one of the poorest in Rio.
Luis Felipe, 13, and Lucas,15, sat down with Sir Paul and jammed their own version of Twist and shout and Brazillian song O ovo. The former Beatle even taught them how to play the blues. Thanking ActionAid for the musical and educational get together, Sir Paul said: “We are all brothers in music. Keep the children off the streets and doing music.”
SUMMIT TO SHOUT ABOUT Mollie Hughes, 20, from Paignton, Devon, is gearing up to climb Mount Everest – if she succeeds she’ll be the youngest British woman ever to achieve the feat. “Climbing Everest is not only a personal ambition of mine, but one I hope to use to raise money and awareness of ActionAid,” says Mollie, who has already scaled Mount Kilimanjaro. Having seen the effects of poverty during her travels, she is determined to raise as much money as possible for ActionAid’s work.
Paul McCartney jamming with Luis and Lucas in Rio. PHOTO: MPL COMMUNICATIONS/MJ KIM
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Adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes has pledged his support for Mollie’s expedition: “Mollie is a unique young lady with a genuine passion for adventure and achievement. I am proud to support her record attempt and wish her every success. I also wish her well in her efforts to raise money and awareness of ActionAid.”
tition e p m Co
Picture the difference! The prize The competition gives photographers the chance: • for their images to be seen worldwide, including by some of the world’s leading agencies • to be exhibited at a London gallery • to spend time with celebrity and travel photographer Daniel Kennedy • and to take part in a trip of a lifetime, photographing ActionAid’s work in Uganda.
Aladin Arnman from Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. PHOTO: ANURUDDHA LOKUHAPUARACHCHI/ACTIONAID
Enter the Picture the difference photo competition and win a once-in-alifetime chance to visit an ActionAid project, plus a six-day gorilla safari in Uganda. All you need to do is submit up to three images that illustrate ‘change’ – be it in your community, life, environment or society. Whether you’re using a digital camera or camera phone, live in the UK or overseas, you can take part. Entry fees are £10, half of which is donated straight to ActionAid. Just go
actionaid.org.uk
to www.picturethedifference.co.uk to enter and upload your image(s). You then have seven days to get friends and family to vote for you. A panel of photography experts, including Sophie Batterbury, picture desk editor from the Independent on Sunday and South African photojournalist Alf Khumalo, will judge the winning entries, taking into account the number of votes received by the closing date. Closing date: 31 January 2012
Charles, Susan and Sharron from Masindi, Uganda. PHOTO: GEORGIE SCOTT/ACTIO NAID
Keep up-to-date with the competition through Facebook and Twitter. www.picturethedifference.co.uk
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AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE The earthquake in Haiti killed 250,000 people and shattered millions of lives. With the support of friends and families – and ActionAid child sponsors – the people of Haiti are rebuilding their lives. By Bridget Cowan. PHOTO: ACTIONAID
Cherlandine was buried alive for three days under the rubble before her father could dig her out. But without the means to look after her, he abandoned her in Mona Clerveau’s garden. “She looked like an angel to me, so I took her in and took care of her,” says Mona. Now Cherlandine is a happy, laughing toddler, but Mona explains: “She was very ill, very sad. She was suffering, when she was hungry I had to feed her. I still do.” It’s obvious that Mona’s love and affection are responsible for Cherlandine’s recovery, but there is neighbourhood support too. ActionAid helped reopen the community school in Phillippeaux, Portau-Prince, where Cherlandine goes to play every morning. Through games and singing the teachers help children come to terms with the trauma. “When they first came here a car would drive past and they would start running,” says teacher Natasha Joseph. “We reassure them every noise isn’t an earthquake.” ActionAid was already working in badly hit Lascahobas, and so was able to distribute beans, millet seeds and agricultural tools to 1,191 families. With the support of child sponsors, we continued our school kit distribution programme for 2,550 children. Monia Anger, 11, says: “ActionAid gave us
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notebooks, pencils, geometric sets and backpacks. Before when I had maths homework I had to go to school early to use other children’s instruments.” Claudia Pierre’s sister fled Port-au-Prince and came to live with her. “With my sister we were six in the family and did not have much to eat,” says Caudia, who joined an ActionAid cash-for-work programme. Teams built 5,000m of stone walls and reforested to reduce soil erosion, each earning £3.10 a day. “I paid for my children’s school fees which I couldn’t afford before. My husband bought seeds and I bought my sister a bed to sleep on,” says Claudia.
Hurricane threat Haiti has lost 80% of its forest, and it’s this massive deforestation that contributes to the flooding that devastates communities during hurricane season. In Thiotte, Junel Pierre was one of 500 children who helped ActionAid reforest the area. So far 1,600 seedlings have been planted. He explains: “We learnt various techniques to look after seedlings. I hope every student in Haiti will work on our reforestation.”
More than 800 families fled to Thiotte after the quake, putting the whole community under pressure. We provided 700 vulnerable families with fast-maturing
seeds such as tomatoes, spinach, aubergine and corn, so they have food to eat and an income. We also continued our support of a successful dairy project. One hundred farmers, who were supplied with dairy cattle in 2009, have employed 30 local builders to construct a milk processing plant so they can produce butter and cheese. In Roseaux in southwest Haiti, 6,500 people returned, doubling or trebling the size of some households. “My little house has 10 people in it,” says Marie Came Joseph. “Even though I loved to see them all safe, it was so difficult to look after them all. I fed them all my harvest but then I had nothing left to sell. Fortunately ActionAid came to help the farmers and I received beans and corn seeds. I am happy now because this gives me what I need to invest back into my farm.” We’ve been working in Haiti since 1998, currently supporting over 3,000 sponsored children, and we reached an additional 132,000 people after the earthquake. Since the quake, Haiti has fallen from 140 to 145 out of 182 in the UN Human Development Index, the world’s poverty scale, making it hard to view the future with optimism.
organisations with funding and training, they can help people like Mona. Cherlandine is now thriving at the community school. “Her spirit is growing, step by step,” says Mona. “When I see she is sad, I ask her to come and sit with me so we can sing together.” Children paint their new shcool in Lascahobas. PHOTO: CHARLES ECKERT/ACTI ONAID
But Haiti has a strong sense of community responsibility, with many local organisations determined to work together to solve their own problems. If we support these
ACTION: ActionAid is desperately short of child sponsors. To learn more about how you can help, turn to page 18. To see Cherlandine at her community school and hear Mona’s interview, go to www.actionaid.org.uk/action
Fast facts 80% of the population live below the poverty line. The rubble has been cleared from the streets but the Washington post estimates it will take eight million lorryloads to clear away. More than half Haiti’s children don’t go to school.
Cherlandine, aged 3, on the steps of the house she now shares with Mona. PHOTO: CHARLES ECKERT/ACTIONAID
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Enough empty promises Pamela Chisanga is country director of ActionAid Zambia. From schools so old they threaten to collapse, to mining companies not paying their way, she explains some of the problems she deals with in the course of her work. When I was growing up, we were taught that Zambia was a beautiful country endowed with immense natural resources, and that the government was working hard to ensure all Zambians had a decent standard of living. I don’t actually remember the word poverty being used then. The aspiration was ‘an egg a day for each Zambian’, and we were hopeful it might happen. Sadly the reality today is that poverty levels are extremely high – as much as 80% in rural areas and 60% in urban
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areas. Many people still do not have access to basic services such as health, education or safe drinking water. Zambia has very high unemployment levels – out of a population of about 13 million, less than 400,000 are in formal employment. To many people, this picture is perhaps typical of so many poor countries. But it is only when you begin to work with extremely poor people that you realise statistics like these will never fully explain poverty and its impact, especially on women and children.
PHOTO: ACTIONAID
A CLEAR FOCUS I joined ActionAid because I have always admired its clear focus on poverty and injustice, and I now understand what this really means. ActionAid in Zambia works with the poorest of the poor, such as those in Luano Valley where, 44 years after independence, the government still hasn’t built a school. Children were learning in old, dilapidated structures put up by the Catholic church some years back. They often had to learn outside for fear of the school collapsing.
ZAMBIA
A MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRY? ActionAid Zambia has been actively engaging with the government to push for more resources to be channelled to areas like Luano Valley. Interestingly, Zambia was recently reclassified as a middle-income country, which to us confirms what we have always known – the country is generating huge revenues from vast mineral wealth such as gold, silver, emeralds and copper. Yet what is shocking is that poverty levels continue to rise. So where is all this money going? I believe it can only be two places – corrupt government officials and others close to them, and the equally corrupt rich multinational companies who exploit our resources and then do everything they can to avoid paying any taxes to our government. Schoolchildren walk in the shadow of Mopani copper mine, Kankoyo township, Zambia. PHOTO: ACTIONAID
With the support of ActionAid, the community has been able to build a better school and good-quality teachers’ houses. Local people worked hard to lobby the government to send more teachers to the area. Last year, the school recorded a higher progression rate from grade seven to grade eight, with a lot more girls qualifying – something that this community had never before experienced. There is now a lot of excitement (and competition!) as girls look forward to making it to grade eight. As ActionAid, we recognise that it is not our responsibility to construct schools. But this had to be done for the community of Luano because everyone, including the government, thought it was impossible – the area is remote and often inaccessible, making construction efforts extremely difficult. Difficult but, as we were able to prove, not impossible.
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Our country is highly dependent upon revenue from copper mining. But the Mopani mine, the second largest in Zambia, has been accused of tax dodging on a massive scale. Mopani is majority owned by Glencore, a controversial international commodities trading group that recently listed on the London stock exchange. An audit report into Mopani was commissioned by the Zambian government – and was leaked to the press. Based on the leak, we worked out that the company’s tax evading potentially cost our government up to £76 million a year. That’s far more than the £59 million a year the UK government gives Zambia in aid. This scandal is just one example of how much our people lose out, and shamefully, how poor communities are subject to high levels of pollution clearly visible in the areas around the mine. And yet officials do nothing but accept endless promises by Mopani to improve the situation in future. People in the meantime are living there, and their lives and health will not wait for these future plans.
TAX AND INVESTMENT As ActionAid, we are proud that our engagement on this issue has been consistent and that we have pushed the government to backtrack, now asking companies like Mopani and others to pay more tax. Our work now is to ensure that the government invests this money in critical areas such as education and supporting smallholder farmers, particularly women. This sounds easy and looks like a good ending for this story. Far from it! Sadly, corruption is widespread, our country is not fully democratised and, basically, it does not listen to its citizens. Citizens, especially those in civil society organisations who push the government to make changes, are often persecuted or ‘bought over’ to silence them. People live in real fear, and getting them to work with us to challenge the government is no easy task. But it's one that ActionAid will continue to work on so that one day having an egg, or an apple, a day in Zambia is not the preserve of a handful of Zambians.
Fast facts Mining accounts for 70% of Zambia’s foreign exchange earnings. Life expectancy is 39 years. The average primary class size is 61. Zambia spends just £15 per pupil per year – lower than anywhere else (where stats are available) in Africa.
ACTION: join our campaign to close tax loopholes and help Zambian schoolchildren get the education they deserve. Visit www.actionaid.org.uk/taxjustice or call 01460 23 8000. 13
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Hamza Hassan with his children Abdinoor aged 2, and Deqo aged 4, in Bulla Juu village, Kenya. PHOTO: PIERS BENATAR/PANOS/ACTIONAID
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KENYA
When the rains fail As hunger turned to famine in east Africa, ActionAid’s emergency response delivered life-saving food and water. But it is child sponsorship that has created the basis for this vital work, says Stephanie Ross. As we make our way north from the small town of Isiolo, we soon see the first signs of the tragedy unfolding here: a dead dog lies by the roadside. Gradually the carcasses increase in number and size – next come sheep, goats; eventually a camel. Then just piles of clean white bones.
The drought affecting northern Kenya and Somalia has been officially declared a famine. Families who would move with their herds from pasture to pasture now crowd round the only water source for miles around. Everyone knows that when this water runs out, there is nowhere else to go.
It hasn’t rained here for three years. The carcasses are signs of a way of life literally dying out, pastoralist communities who, until recently, relied on their animals to provide them with food, milk, meat and something to sell when times got hard. But few can remember the last time things were this hard.
At around 11am we stop at the village of Bulla Juu, where there is already a queue of about 20 women sitting in the unbearable heat, waiting at the standpipe in the middle of the village. Most of them have been here since just after dawn. Water is released from the standpipe once a day – at 8pm – and strictly rationed to two jerry cans per family.
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There won’t be enough to go round, so for those who come too late, it will be another day with nothing to drink.
PHOTO: ACTIONAID
The water that arrives in the village is pumped down from two wells 5km away. So far, water has been available all day at these wells, and as a consequence a makeshift camp has sprung up around them – a once nomadic people too scared to move away from this precious resource.
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ACTION MAGAZINE
Haredha Mohammed and her daughters in their makeshift house near the well. PHOTO: PIERS BENATAR/PANOS/ACTIONAID
Haredha Mohammed, 50, came here with her husband and four children four months ago. “Most of the time we are hungry, we are facing a lot of pain, a lot of hardship,” she says. “About 10 of our sheep have died, and three cows. The rest are so weak we have to pull them to their feet by their horns to get them to the water. I don’t know how long they will survive.” As we talk a commotion breaks out nearby – people collecting water are charged by a cow so desperate to drink it is willing to face the wrath of 20 thirsty humans to get there. The cow eventually wins, and drinks long and deep. Haredha explains that there is a fight over water every day – sometimes it is the animals, but often it is people. One of the two wells stopped supplying water yesterday. This morning the pump on the second one stopped working. It is only a matter of time before it runs dry, before the women waiting patiently in the village are told that there is no longer anything to wait for.
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A silent emergency For all its severity, this crisis didn’t arrive out of the blue. By the time it started gaining media coverage in June, there had been suffering and drought here for over three years. It’s what’s known as a silent emergency, one of hundreds affecting the countries ActionAid works in at any given time, ready to tip over into crisis if the rains fail, or the floods come, or the fighting flares up again. ActionAid and our partners work with local people over many years to help them prepare for emergencies and stop the worst effects. But until they hit the headlines, it is very difficult to raise funds for emergencies such as these. Which is where child sponsorship comes in. If you sponsor a child in a community that is under threat, then you will already be helping them protect themselves against risk. In the case of Kenya, this means we have been able to deliver water, emergency food supplies and school feeding programmes since the rains first failed.
In addition we have supported community-led initiatives such as irrigation schemes, installed water reservoirs and boreholes, organised water trucking and the distribution of high nutrition porridge, and have been lobbying the government to put in place a long-term plan to treat drought-stricken areas as an absolute priority, while strengthening community resilience to drought. “It is very clear that the effects of this drought are not as terrible in the communities where ActionAid has been working,” says Enrico Eminae, who is in charge of our emergency response in northeast Kenya. Enrico knows the situation better than most – he was born and brought up in this area, and was himself sponsored through ActionAid as a boy. “Child sponsorship allowed me to get an education, to make something more of my life,” he says. “And right now it is giving us the flexibility to come up with innovative solutions to the crisis. It’s a difficult situation, but this work is saving lives. I have no doubt about that.”
ActionAidChildren play at the Kieni. in k tan funded water /PANOS/ACTIONAID PHOTO: PIERS BENATAR
Families were just beginning to recover from the effects of prolonged drought from 2007-09, when poor rains in October 2010 resulted in a rapid decline in food security. The UN says more than four million Kenyans are threatened by starvation in the region’s worst drought in 60 years. In early August at least 14 people died in Kenya’s northwest, the first hungerrelated deaths in the current drought. actionaid.org.uk
PHOTO: PIERS BENATAR/PANOS/ACTIONAID
Where the water flows
A fight for survival
After the endless desert-like landscape, it is something of a shock to walk into a garden full to the brim with healthy looking crops. But in stark contrast to Bulla Juu, in Kieni there is plenty of food and water to go round.
If only that were the case everywhere. In Bulla Juu, we are delivering emergency food supplies and have been running a school feeding programme for the last three months. But it is a community we don’t have a long-term presence in, so the help we can give is limited. We are pushing the government to invest in the infrastructure that would allow for progress, but there are few roads, no electricity and the nearest large town is four hours’ drive away.
Kieni is a child sponsorship area, and ActionAid has been working with this community for the past nine years. It’s no coincidence that people here have enough food and water, because the area has been subject to a long-term project to mitigate the effects of water scarcity and drought.
FAST FACTS
Sadia hugs her two-year-old brother Adan.
“This all used to be barren, dry earth,” says Geoffrey Kareko, chairman of Ngonde Gatei water project. “We used to suffer from drought the way others are suffering now. But there is no hunger here now.” This is something of an understatement. Cabbages, maize, avocado and spinach are all growing abundantly on several plots in Kieni. The secret is so simple I can’t quite believe it – effective irrigation. “The community decided seven years ago that the way to stop our crops failing was to bring water down from the side of Mount Kenya, 16km away,” says Geoffrey. “So we asked ActionAid to support us. They agreed to fund the project, if we provided the labour.” And so work began on digging 25km of trenches to bring pipelines to the village. The results are dramatic. “We used to spend all day in search of water. I would have to walk about six to ten kilometres,” says Rose Waryiku, 40. “My mind is relaxed now, we don’t need to have the government feed us if the rains fail. We have plenty of food and milk for our own use, and some left over to sell for an income. We can furnish our house and pay for the education of our girls.”
“Apart from the food given out by ActionAid we have nothing else to depend on,” says 28-year-old Hawo Bashir. “If that were to go, then we would be hopeless. We have nothing for the future.” As we talk, Hawo’s daughter Sadia poses patiently for our photographer. She seems very serious and grown up for a six-year-old girl. When I ask her if she likes to play, she tells me shyly that her favourite game is skipping. As we make to leave, Maurice, our colleague from ActionAid Kenya, presents Sadia with a skipping rope he has somehow managed to procure. Her face lights up with pleasure, as she and her friends enjoy this unexpected new toy. It is lovely to have helped provide a moment like this, even if it is just for a few hours. But as we get back in the car and drive slowly away from this devastated place, we all know that it is not enough.
Action: We desperately need new sponsors to help us support more than 4,500 children like Sadia across Africa. Please help us by asking one of your friends, family or colleagues if they could sponsor a child. All you need to do is pass on the leaflet enclosed with this copy of Action magazine. Thank you.
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ACTION MAGAZINE
Someone like you ActionAid is facing a sponsorship crisis. We urgently need more child sponsors, so this a direct call to action: can you ask someone you know to become a child sponsor?
Ten-year-old Abello at in Kawaza, Malawi, his school wi year-old Caitlin, wh th sevenose family sponsors him. PHOTO: ANASTASIA TAYL OR
We value the amazing contribution you already make through your support to ActionAid, especially in these difficult financial times. However you have given us your time or money, it has never been more appreciated. But we would like to ask just one thing of you. Please can you ask someone you know to sponsor a child? We currently have over 5,000 children awaiting sponsorship. We have already had to cut back on work in countries such as Afghanistan because fewer people are sponsoring a child than before. If every reader of Action were to help sign up just one more child sponsor, the effect would be extraordinary! And it doesn’t have to be difficult, just think about the people you talk to all the time. Here are some ideas to help get you started.
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Ask your group... knitting tennis
baking WI
walking church poetry
writing
badminton scouts hiking
sewing
gardening
LIND/VII/ACTIONAID
Group together Do you or your family attend any groups? Book club, knit ‘n’ natter, salsa, a place of worship or amateur dramatics maybe? Whatever your interests, how about asking your group to sponsor a child? It’s a lovely way to create a link between your community and a community in a developing country. We have all the resources you need to get going, including a toolkit with everything you need to know.
Ask the boss Why not mention child sponsorship to colleagues at work? Or why not choose to sponsor a child as a company? If your employer is keen, workmates could even sponsor a child through the payroll. This way, a regular gift of £15 a month is taken before tax is deducted from their pay, so for every £1 donated, it costs them just 80p. Added to that, some companies will match the donations that their staff give, so it’s a great place to start. We have a handy toolkit aimed at companies to help you out!
Children at Kawaza school in Malawi show off their messages. PHOTO: ANASTASIA TAYLOR LIND/VII/ACTIONAID.
Do you know a school that has room for one more child? Did you know over 700 schools already sponsor a child with ActionAid? It’s a great way for pupils to engage with the world around them and learn about the reality of life in a developing country. It also provides a great opportunity to have fun while fundraising, and while making pictures and letters to send to the kids’ sponsored community. Do you think your child’s school might be interested? Or do you work in a school yourself? If so we have lots of ways of helping you spread the word – we can provide you with top tips, a PowerPoint presentation and fundraising ideas to catch the imagination of children and teachers. We have plenty of resources for schools to use and we might even be able to send along a speaker!
actionaid.org.uk
Middle Park school, Eltham, south London
Children at Middle Park school. PHOTO: ACTIONAID
Teacher Lowri Millar says: “We made the decision to sponsor four children through ActionAid, and after hearing about the drought in east Africa decided that Kenya should be one of the countries we focus on. Each half term every class in the school will spend an afternoon focusing on their sponsored child, learning about their lives and country. We believe learning about other cultures is instrumental in enriching their school experience. We also hope that introducing this scheme will instil in them the belief that they can make a difference to the world. Thanks to ActionAid for all the great resources and support – as you can tell we are very excited to be working with you.”
Action: Please consider asking a friend, family member or colleague to sponsor a child. We’ve included a leaflet with your magazine that you can pass on, but if you want any more copies or if you have any questions, please call us on 01460 23 8000 or email action@actionaid.org. Thank you.
Merry Christmas! I got you a chicken. (see back cover)
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ACTION MAGAZINE
THE HOUSE OR THE GRAVE A combination of poverty and politics makes life for women in Afghanistan notoriously difficult. As US and UK troops withdraw, and the government enters into talks with the Taliban, what does this mean for the future of women? By Anjali Kwatra.
PHOTO: ACTIONAID
This October marks 10 years since British and US forces entered Afghanistan and helped bring down the repressive Taliban regime. A vast mountainous country of remote villages, minimal infrastructure and deep-rooted poverty, Afghanistan has struggled to find peace and security ever since. As UK and US forces now start to withdraw, the international community and the Afghan government have revealed they are holding talks with the Taliban and other insurgent groups in an attempt to forge a power-sharing government. What does this mean for the country’s citizens – especially its women?
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A new ActionAid survey of 1,000 Afghan women reveals that a massive 86% are worried about a return to Taliban-style government. And with good reason – they remember all too well what life was like under this repressive regime. Belquis, a primary school teacher from Mazar-eSharif, could not work or even leave the house without a male relative accompanying her the last time the Taliban were in power. “They made announcements by loudspeaker that girls’ schools should shut down,” she says. “They announced that the best place for a woman is in the house or the grave. My school closed and we had to stop going to work. All the girls stayed at home. It was a dark time.” Life for women under the Taliban has been well documented. Going out to work or school was forbidden and access to healthcare was difficult. They could not leave the house without a male relative and, even with this escort, had to wear a burkha outside the home. “We were so relieved when the international forces came to Afghanistan,” says Belquis. “That was the day our lives changed. Now we are fearful that things will get worse when they leave.”
A new constitution After the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan put in place a new constitution that enshrined equal rights for men and women. Women are free to be educated and to work. They serve as government ministers and MPs and work as doctors, teachers, professors, entrepreneurs and lawyers.
A woman passes posters for presidential elections in Kabul, Afghanistan PHOTO: NICHOLE SOBECKI/CORBIS
AFGHANISTAN
FAST FACTS ActionAid works in four provinces – Kabul, Balkh, Jawzjan and Bamiyan – on six main themes: women’s rights, democratic governance, human security, child protection, HIV/AIDS and the right to food. The US will withdraw 10,000 troops by the end of 2011 and a total of 33,000 by the summer of 2012. David Cameron has said combat operations in Afghanistan will cease by 2015 but that the UK will retain a major presence training and supporting Afghan forces.
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ACTION MAGAZINE These are significant achievements. However, there are still huge challenges. Many women are still denied basic rights and only 13% are literate. Forced and child marriages are common while, according to a UN survey, 87% of all women suffer domestic abuse. Life expectancy for women is around 44 years – more than 20 years lower than the world average. On top of this, any improvements that have been seen are far more pronounced in cities than in rural areas, where most people live.
Battle for security ActionAid has been working in Afghanistan since 2002, with a particular focus on helping women and girls stand up for their rights and take charge of their lives through education and training – covering everything from legal and civil rights to reading, writing and numeracy, and specialist skills such as carpet making.
But working in a country such as this is extremely difficult. Religious and tribal pressures, the continual threat of insurgent violence and extreme poverty all take their toll. Despite all our security measures and safety procedures, three female members of ActionAid staff were killed in 2006. In July 2010 a female community facilitator was murdered. “For me the big issue is security. When I leave home in the morning I don’t know that I will make it back in the evening. Something might happen,” says Dr Tahera Alemi, ActionAid’s women’s rights officer. “When we go out to the communities to talk about women’s rights we face such a strong reaction. Men think that we are empowering women against them. It is really an uphill struggle.”
THE SURVEY RESULTS ActionAid surveyed 1,000 Afghan women to discover their views on peace and security. Here are the results:
86% are worried about a return to Taliban-style government, with one in five citing their daughter’s education as their main concern. This figure rises to 92% in urban areas.
72% of Afghan women believe their lives are better now than they were 10 years ago.
Six-year-old Naweeda outside her home in Kabul. PHOTO: JENNY MATTHEWS/ACTIONAID
37% think Afghanistan will become a worse place if international troops leave, while 28% think it will become better. Women under 30 are keener to see the troops stay than those over 30.
41% think Afghanistan will be less safe when international troops leave, with 33% saying they think it will be safer. The biggest fear for women under 30 is sexual assault (40% of respondents). Indeed all women are more fearful of sexual assault (30% of respondents) than abduction, kidnapping or being caught in an explosion combined (24%).
Teacher Belquis' school was shut down the last time the Taliban were in power PHOTO: JENNY MATTHEWS/ACTIONAID
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39% of the women surveyed never leave their village or neighbourhood.
Eighteen-year-old Angiza ran away after suffering beatings and threats from her uncle. PHOTO: JENNY MATTHEWS/ACTIONAID
Legal rights for women One of our most important projects has been to train hundreds of women in paralegal skills, so that they can help female survivors of violence gain access to justice – something that is rarely easy in Afghanistan. Mobina, 30, received paralegal training from ActionAid. “It has been very important and useful for me,” she says. “I use what I have learnt to help women who come to me with their problems. We were given training in psychological behaviour, which has been very helpful to me in counselling and supporting women who have been raped.” Once trained, the paralegals establish community groups and educate other women about their rights. In the first six months of 2011 alone the paralegals handled 240 cases, and successfully resolved 127 of them. In the long term, a network of committed women like Mobina will continue to provide support for survivors of violence in their communities. ActionAid also helps women who are escaping domestic violence in other ways, for example by supporting our partner, Humanitarian Assistance for the Women and Children of Afghanistan (HAWCA), which has set up a women’s centre in Kabul. Angiza (not her real name), 18, lives in the shelter after suffering beatings and threats from her uncle. “I am here because my life
actionaid.org.uk
is in danger,” she says. “After my father died, my mother got married for a second time. Now my uncle is in charge of me and he beats me. He got me engaged to someone who I don’t know and I don’t want to marry him. My mother said she could not keep me safe if I did not marry. So I ran away and came here. I feel safe here.” Hundreds of women under threat of violence like Angiza have found a safe space at the centre, where they receive meals, clothes, medical assistance, and education and vocational training. “A woman who has run away from home and goes to a stranger’s house has committed a crime according to our supreme court,” says Selay Ghaffar, director of HAWCA. “Most of those in the shelters are young girls who are running away from abuse, forced marriage or child marriage.”
Don’t forget us If things really are to improve for women in Afghanistan, it is vital that their voices are represented in any process to establish a new government. Last year the Afghan government set up the ‘high peace council’ – a 79-member body tasked with talking to the Taliban. There are just nine women on the council, and many women’s rights activists say these are purely symbolic positions, excluded from the real negotiations. ActionAid has already started lobbying the UK and Afghan governments to make sure that women make up at least 30% of participants in all peace and reconciliation processes.
“Irrespective of who runs the government, who holds the power or who controls the affairs of the country, the primacy of human rights – and in particular women’s rights – should be respected at all levels of the society and government,” says ActionAid country director PV Krishnan. No one knows for certain if the Taliban will come back to power or what exactly this would mean for women’s rights, but some women are already making plans to leave Afghanistan if they are able. “It is difficult to imagine what the future will be like for women’s rights groups and activists now the Taliban know the key women,” said one activist, who preferred to remain anonymous. “These women will be the key targets for them. They will have no choice but to leave.” Teacher Belquis is among the majority of women who won’t be able to leave. “My message is this: don’t forget the women of Afghanistan,” she says. “We are the most vulnerable here. Please don’t forget us after you leave.”
ACTION We have children available for sponsorship in Afghanistan, please visit www.actionaid.org.uk or call 01460 23 8000. Watch video interviews and read more of the survey results at www.actionaid.org.uk/action
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Christmas greetings with ActionAid Our fabulous range of Christmas cards is now in stock. There are six new designs to choose from as well as a lovely selection pack featuring cards hand-drawn by four children supported by ActionAid. Visit our website too, as we’re offering additional Christmas cards and notelets which aren’t shown here. All profits from the cards come to ActionAid to help fund our crucial work. Happy shopping!
Hand-drawn cards A Christmas selection pack featuring four designs by ActionAid-supported children. Peace: Drawn by Yealimatu Kanu, 12, from Freetown in Sierra Leone. Yealimatu’s mother pays her school fees with the money she earns through a women’s business group. Message: Blank for your own message. Pigeons: Drawn by Tity Koroma, 15, who lives in Sierra Leone, where pigeons symbolise love, care and affection. Message: Season’s Greetings. Snowman: Drawn by Jia Yongjiao, 9, who lives in Huai’an, China. She enjoys making snowmen and having snowball fights at school playtime in the winter. Message: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. A snowy scene: Drawn by Juan Elvis Cruzado Flores, 15, who lives in Paijan, Peru. His favourite place is the local arts centre, supported by ActionAid. Message: With Best Wishes for Christmas and the New Year.
Card prices Single-design packs: £3.99 (plus p&p) for a pack of 10. Hand-drawn selection pack: £3.50 (plus p&p) for a pack of 12 (3 of each design).
Card
Message
Around the Tree
Season’s Greetings
Merry Christmas Bauble
With Best Wishes for Christmas and the New Year
Twinkly Christmas Trees
Merry Christmas
We Three Kings
With Best Wishes for Christmas and the New Year
Robin and Berries
Blank for your own message
Festive Reindeer
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
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How to order Simply complete and return the order form attached to your covering letter in the Freepost envelope provided. Alternatively, you can order by phone on 01460 23 8000 or visit our online shop at www.actionaid.org.uk/cards
FACTFILE ON...
LESOTHO Population: 2 million Average life expectancy: 51 ActionAid began work: 2004 Anything else? Last year protestors presented a petition with 30,000 signatures to parliament demanding their country be integrated into South Africa. Lesotho, one of the highest countries in the world, is entirely landlocked by South Africa. The land, owned by the nation and held in trust by the king, has no fences. Sixty per cent of people live below the poverty line and there are 400,000 AIDS orphans. The textile industry and income from mining have collapsed in the global recession. Valleys have been flooded to provide South Africa with fresh water, but a third of Lesotho’s wells are dry. ActionAid has 502 children awaiting sponsorship in Lesotho. If you would like to help please call 01460 23 8000 or visit www.actionaid.org.uk today. Motselisi, aged 8, spends his days picking through dumped and burned denim off-cuts from garment firms such as Gap and Levi’s in Maseru, Lesotho, searching for anything worth recycling. PHOTO: ROBIN HAMMOND/PANOS/ACTIONAID
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PHOTOS: KARI COLLINS/ACTIONAID, CHYSSA PANOUSSIADOU/ACTIONAID, KRISTIAN BUUS/ACTIONAID, DAN CLELAND/MISSION MALAWI, ZONECREATIVE
ACTION MAGAZINE
READY FOR A CHALLENGE? Do you get fired up when you hear about people’s rights being trampled on? Why not become an ActionAid community campaigner? We’ll give you expert leadership and campaign training (in late October), one-to-one support and all the materials you need. You’ll learn how to link up with other ActionAiders in your area and put on events, get articles in your local newspaper and lobby your MPs – and you’ll have a great time and meet new people in the process! actionaid.org.uk/communitycampaigner or 01460 23 8000 for more info.
GOOD IN A CRISIS? ActionAid is putting together a team of emergency co-ordinators across the UK, people able to mobilise friends and colleagues at short notice. We need you to help organise emergency fundraisers in your homes and companies when disaster such as the drought in east Africa strikes. If you’re ready to help save lives when an emergency hits then contact us at actionaid@actionaid.org or 01460 23 8000.
n hero, Be an actio g in do someth ay... d o t amazing
ICING ON THE CAKE Congrats to 11-year-old Heather Hodgson who set up her own ‘decorate a cake’ stall in the Cornbow shopping centre, Halesowen, in support of ActionAid. Heather raised a fantastic £131.50 and we’ll bet loads of people were pleased with the delicious cakes!
NEPAL FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MARY AND ERNIE
25 November-3 December 2012 Work with local Kamaiya people, recently freed from a lifetime of slavery but still living in temporary shelter, to build permanent and sustainable homes for their whole community. No experience necessary, just enthusiasm, motivation and the desire to make a difference.
When Mary and Ernie Taylor celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, instead of asking for gifts they asked their guests to donate to ActionAid, raising over £500. Congratulations! If you’re planning a do of your own, order one of our new celebration packs so you can ‘do’ the same as Mary and Ernie.
01460 23 8047 or action@actionaid.org
GET FESTIVE WITH ACTIONAID
(See back cover)
26 AUTUMN 11
01460 23 8000 or events@actionaid.org
WH AT’S COMING UP IN YOUR AREA? ActionAid supporters are doing all sorts of amazing things all year round. Here are some great local events you can support – and meet other ActionAiders at the same time. EAST YORKSHIRE
WALES
30th anniversary do, 11 November, Mayfair Hotel, Beverley Road, Hull
Fashion show with retailer Solo, 15 September, Norton House Hotel, Swansea
GUERNSEY
SINGING IN THE TRAIN Bob Holies, 70, has been channelling the king himself, Mr Elvis Presley, in support of ActionAid. Bob puts on Elvis gigs at Preston Park station and in Brighton, and collects donations for a CD of covers he has made. Good on you Bob, we hope the commuters appreciate you getting them all shook up in the morning!
Fruit, flower, plant and vegetable sale, plus books, bric-a-brac and raffle, 8 October, 9am-12.30pm, St Martin's Community Centre, Guernsey. Free admission and car parking. To donate items call Glyn on 01481 716837 Supper evening, 20 October, with speaker Brian Pill, a pilot with Mission Aviation Fellowship in Chad, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Tanzania. 7pm. £10. Call 01481 263831 KENT
ActionAid stall selling jewellery and other gifts at the Green Fair, 26 November, Waterfront Museum, Swansea WEST YORKSHIRE
Christmas collection, 26 November, Airedale shopping centre, Keighley YORKSHIRE
Street collection, 6 October, York city centre
Wine and wisdom quiz, 4 November, St George’s hall, Deal,
Town hall stall, 12 November, Deal town hall
Musical evening with choir and food, 12 October, Acomb Church Hall, York. Tickets £7.50. Includes a jacket potato supper, silent auction and stall selling ActionAid Christmas cards
Festive town hall stall with hand bells, 17 December, Deal town hall
Carol concert, 14 December, Westmorland Shopping Centre, Kendal
SOUTH LAKES
Find out what’s coming up near you at actionaid.org.uk/whereyoulive.
www.stgeorgesdeal.org.uk
December Christmas tree festival, 9-11 December, Warton
MISSION MALAWI CYCLE RIDE 12-23 MAY 2012
A look at what you can do in 2012
Coffee morning with various stalls, 24 November, 10am-12pm, Mansion House, Swansea
Do you have an ActionAid event or fundraiser planned for February to June? Email us the details (doesn’t matter what area) and we’ll advertise it in this column: action@actionaid.org
Join us for Mission Malawi, an exciting 400km cycle ride through Malawi. Explore stunning landscapes, visit ActionAid's projects, see our work in action and meet some of the people who most need your help. Money raised goes towards care, treatment and support for HIV-positive people in Malawi.
WALKING IN THE RAIN The lovely Keighley ActionAid group has been out and about doing good stuff. At Sutton fun day they raised over £500 through a bookstall and vintage jewellery sale. And well done to the hardy souls who braved this awful weather to go on the Cowling walk, which raised £155.
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Give g Give gifts ifts that that chan tha ch change ange an ge Christmas! lives liv es this Christm as!
No matter who is on your list this Christmas, ther there’s e’s a gift they’ll love in ActionAid’ ActionAid’ss Gifts in Action. Why not try one of our four brand new gifts this year – a river ambulance (perfect for boat enthusiasts) tree tr ee planting (a natural match for gardeners), gardeners), toys for an early years centre centre (great (great for grandchildren), grandchildren), or a water pump (everyone needs fresh fresh water). All gifts come complete with personalised pop-out car ds to give to friends and family cards that show how their gift could be used. So whether it’ it’ss an education for a child like Dhina, a br ood of chicks, water purification, or some warm winter coats – you’ll be making brood a rreal eal differ dif ference to people’ est countries. difference people’ss lives in some of the world’ world’ss poor poorest
HAT T S T GIF LIVE E G N CHA UST J M FRO
£10
“I am learning now and I don’t fall sic as often.” Dhina, India PHOTO: LIBA TAYLOR/ACTIONAID
Educate a child – £3
Start shopping now – call 0800 085 8550 to place your order order or visit: visit:
www.giftsinaction.org.uk www.g www .g iftsinaction.or action.org.uk g.uk 38 per personalised sonalised gifts, gifts, with 16 also available availa av ailab ble as e-cards We will make the best possible use of your gift, and that means putting it We towards projects projects where where the need is greatest. greatest. All of the programmes programmes you towards