Action Magazine Spring 2015

Spring 2015 Change lives. For good. 1

Super supporters Going the extra mile

NEW

Ebola Give hope to children affected

ActionAidUK@ActionAidUK

@ActionAidUK

actionaid.org.uk

BABY MIRACLE

Hope in the time of Ebola

Hugh Dennis The difference we are making in Myanmar

FEATURE

Issue 6 Spring 2015

APPEAL

actionaid.org.ukChange lives. For good.2 Tommy Trenchard/ActionAid


OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S FAREWELL

It has been an incredible privilege to lead the

organisation. I’d like to thank you for the huge

part you’ve played in helping achieve positive

change for some of the world’s poorest people.

I am very proud of the deep roots ActionAid

has maintained – listening to local communities

and responding to their needs in over 45

countries. We have also tackled some of the big

causes of poverty – just trade, more and better

aid and fair tax – so poor countries can stand on

their own feet.

2015 is a big year with two critical UN

summits to agree new sustainable development

goals and a legally binding deal on climate

change. We will bring the voices of the people

we work with to these debates – communities

living on the margins of survival, where climate

change is not about the future but about now.

Finally I’m delighted to announce my new

role with ActionAid International, leading our

global response to emergencies. Thank you for

your tremendous support – I know I can count

on this in the future.

Richard

@richardmillerukFollow me on Twitter

Richard Miller ActionAid UK Executive Director

This will be my last article as Executive Director of ActionAid UK as I’m stepping down after 11 years

Rebuilding children's livesSeven-year-old Iye lives in Bo District, Sierra Leone. She knows how to protect herself from Ebola, thanks to a demonstration run by an ActionAid volunteer in her village.

We know from experience that one of the best ways to help people rebuild their lives after a devastating crisis such as Ebola is through child sponsorship.

Right now there are 566 children in Liberia and 228 in Sierra Leone hoping to be sponsored. Turn to page eight for an eyewitness account of life on the ‘Ebola frontline’ and how your support could help children like Iye to start again.

appeal give hope to children

affected by ebola

SEE PAGE 12

Seven-year-old Iye attends an Ebola awareness session run by ActionAid volunteers with her mother Mamie in Mbundorbu village, Bo District, Sierra Leone

33–39 Bowling Green Lane, London

EC1R 0BJ. 01460 238 000

[email protected].

Registered charity (number 274467). Cover Miracle was born in an

ambulance outside a hospital in Monrovia, Liberia on the day her father

died from Ebola. Her mother, Princess Paye, tells us; ‘The nurse who

helped me give birth said, “It’s a girl, you should name her Miracle”.

So I did – she is my miracle.’ Photo: ActionAid

actionaid.org.ukChange lives. For good.4

Ghana: Witch camps closed

Education campaigner wins Nobel Peace Prize

A ctionAid has helped 254

women being held in

‘witch camps’ in Ghana

to return home and become part

of their community again, after

getting the Bonyasi Camp in the

north of the country closed down.

Belief in witchcraft is common in

Ghana, and hundreds of women,

often elderly and living in poverty,

have been accused and banished

from their homes. There are fi ve

camps left in northern Ghana,

where nearly 700 women live with

little access to food and water.

ActionAid’s campaign to improve

conditions in the camps and

reintegrate the women into their

communities continues.

●

AROUND THE WORLDT h e l a t e s t n e w s o n o u r g l o b a l w o r k

W e were delighted that

Kailash Satyarthi and

Malala Yousafzai were

announced joint winners of

the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014

for their struggle for the right

of all children to go to school.

As a founding member of the

Global Campaign for Education

(GCE) with Kailash Satyarthi,

ActionAid has played a key role

in getting 50 million children

into school over the past 15

years. Kailash, said: ‘There is

no greater violence than to deny

the dreams of our children.’

Oliver Dixon/Imagewise

Jane Hahn/ActionAid

2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi with Send My Friend to School

youth ambassadors Rebecca (left) and Maisie

Through Ghana’s ‘Go Home’ project, women like Ayishetu (centre) can return to their villages and lead normal lives

Spring 2015 Change lives. For good. 5Spring 2015

Bank with TriodosW e are working with the

ethical bank Triodos to help

change lives, for good.

When you open a savings account

and deposit £100, Triodos Bank

will donate £40 to ActionAid

(terms apply).

Triodos only lends its savers’

money to organisations who are

working to make the world a better

place. It publishes details of every

single organisation it lends to,

which means you can see exactly

how your savings are being used

to change the world for the better.

Find out more at www.triodos.co.uk/actionaid

ActionAidUK @ActionAidUK @ActionAidUKactionaid.org.uk

Marion Lise Normand/ActionAid L ast August,

we appealed

to you to help

children and families

suffering during the

Gaza crisis. Thanks

to your generosity,

we raised £1.2

million to help those

in urgent need.

Vouchers were

given to 500 families

to buy essentials

like blankets, warm

clothing, heaters,

and plastic sheets

to make damaged

homes waterproof.

So far, 3,000 people

including elderly and

disabled people

have benefi ted.

Gaza appeal: thank you!

Ten-year-old Mahmoud Al Nassar plays his broken guitar in rubble that was once his home in Gaza, Palestine


Extraordinary suppDedicated to you – our super supporters – and the incredible things you do to help us change lives for good. Thank you

Glyn, awarded an OBE for being a super supporter Research scientist Glyn Allen is a leading member of the Guernsey Supporter Group which has raised an astonishing £650,000 for our work. He was awarded an OBE in 2014 for his services to ActionAid.

‘When my son was seven, he saw a small ActionAid advert in the Guardian about child sponsorship. He waved it in our faces and said, “This is what you should be doing!”’

Glyn has supported us ever since – fi rst by sponsoring children in

Burundi and then by joining the local Guernsey Supporter group in 1992, which he chaired for 12 years.

Run by committed volunteers, the group raises between £30,000 and £40,000 a year through regular quiz nights, plant and food sales, coffee mornings, and an annual ‘World Aid Walk’ around the island.

Glyn is a strong supporter of international aid and was on the board of the Overseas Aid Committee for eight years.

But he feels ActionAid stands out from other aid agencies. ‘We know where our donations are going. It helps when we’re out on the street to tell people exactly where their money will be spent, for example on tackling Ebola in Sierra Leone and Liberia.’ Today, Glyn co-runs a bric-a-brac shop raising funds for ActionAid and two other charities. He was delighted to be awarded an OBE. ‘My wife, my son and I went to the palace to receive it from Prince Charles…a patron of ActionAid!’ ■

Peter Frankland/Guernsey Press

Glyn with ActionAid UK Fundraising

Manager, Liz Grant


pporter stories Feeling inspired? To fi nd out more about joining a supporter group, we would love to hear from you! Contact us on [email protected]

Pupils at Linlithgow Primary raise over £2,500 for Ebola response

Former Kent teacher Margaret Doak raised over £6,000 doing a half-marathon on a rowing machine in her local gym…aged 79.

Having only rowed for 10-20 minutes before, this was a momentous challenge for Margaret. Undaunted by the task, she trained for eight months and completed the full 13 miles in just two hours.

‘I had a few qualms on the way – can I do it? But I have to admit I never felt so fi t!’

Do you know a Super Supporter? From donating pocket money, to volunteering or running your fi rst ever marathon, we’d be delighted to hear your stories or nominations. Get in touch at [email protected] or 01460 238 000

For more ideas on how you can fundraise, turn to page 18!

Margaret, 79, raised £6,000 on gym rowing machine

Margaret was impressed by the way ActionAid helps communities to improve their own lives. ‘I particularly liked that you empower women and get girls into education.’

Since then, her work hasn’t stopped. She now sponsors a child and raised £1,200 on her 80th birthday by throwing two parties and asking for donations rather than presents. ■

Kent Messenger Group

Margaret completes her sponsored row at Maidstone Leisure Centre in Kent

All 400 pupils at Linlithgow Primary School in central Scotland sang their hearts out for ActionAid in December in a sponsored Christmas sing-along. Head Teacher Charlette Robertson said: ‘Our children were very concerned about the Ebola outbreak. They researched the good work ActionAid was doing to support

people and communities affected by this terrible disease.’

With a donation of £350 from an enterprise event run by Primary 7, the children raised more than £2,500. ‘Our chosen Christmas charity is ActionAid. We hope this money makes a difference to people in need.’ ■


Londoner Christal Da Thong, 31, fl ew to her home country of Liberia in August to join the fi ght against Ebola. As ActionAid’s Communications Offi cer, she is the eyes and ears of our work on the ground

Life on the Ebola frontline

Interview by our resident journalist, Natalie Curtis

appeal: give hope to children

affected by ebola

SEE PAGE 12

Morgana Wingard/ActionAid

Spring 2015 9

When I made the

decision to return,

many, including

me, questioned

my sanity. Liberia

was descending

into chaos as Ebola spread like

a spider’s web, destroying lives

across the country. I wanted to

help in any way I could.

On my fi rst trip with ActionAid’s

Emergency Response Team, we

delivered much-needed supplies

like chlorine, bleach and soap to

an overstretched health centre in

the then quarantined Dolo Town,

Monrovia. It was a holding centre

for suspected Ebola patients, but

what I found there shocked and

saddened me.

I watched as a father

brought his 20-year-old son in a

wheelbarrow, desperate to fi nd

help for him, only to be turned

back. There were no spaces for

his son in the treatment centre.

The father, wearing no protective

clothing but a thin pair of gloves,

was in tears. With no specialist

protective gear to tend to Ebola

cases and no medicine to treat the

symptoms, there was nothing the

holding centre could do except

wait for a space to open up. This

was a heart-breaking moment that

I will never forget.

There is no doubt in my mind

that this experience has changed

me. I’ve worked for some amazing

causes in the past but right now

this is really personal. Seeing

ActionAid

Residents of ELWA junction learning how to prepare Clorox water to clean their hands

Christal Da Thong delivers sanitation supplies to survivors at the JFK Ebola Treatment Unit

‘

9Change lives. For good.


More than 17,000

cases across the region

the impact of ActionAid’s work

and being able to communicate

that to other people, so we can

help as many as we can, has made

a huge difference to me.

It makes me proud when I think

of how my team has helped over

200,000 people affected by Ebola

in Liberia. We have been providing

emergency food to quarantined

communities, giving education

packs to kids unable to go to

school and running public health

campaigns to help people protect

themselves from Ebola.

I don’t know how long I will

stay in Liberia. It depends on how

long the country needs my help.

There are days when I would give

anything to have a cold drink

beside the River Thames with my

friends. And then there is of course

my husband. I miss him so much.

But we talk every day and he is the

one person who fully supports my

decision to be here.

The international community

is fi nally responding to the Ebola

crisis. One thing is clear though.

This needs to be a global effort.

I hope it will be enough to both

protect my country of birth and

enable me to go home to

the UK.’ ■

In numbers: Ebola in West Africa

Your support

8,000 people have lost their

lives

ActionAid raised

£700,000

The DEC Ebola Crisis Appeal raised over

£30 million

412,930 people

supported by ActionAid

348 volunteers

trained in raising awareness

224,090 people directly

educated in Ebola prevention

I NEVER IN MY WORST NIGHTMARES THOUGHT A KILLER VIRUS LIKE EBOLA WOULD TAKE ME BACK TO THE COUNTRY OF MY BIRTH

Residents of Mbundorbu village attend a hand-washing and Ebola awareness

session provided by ActionAid

ActionAid community volunteer Dora George puts up posters raising awareness of Ebola in Fengehun village, near Bo, Sierra Leone


How has ActionAid

helped stop the spread

Ebola?

Volunteers started seven

months ago to go from

door to door, helping

people understand what

actions they can take

to stop the spread of

the disease, to protect

themselves and their

children. We’ve also

supplied health centres

with equipment such as

gloves, aprons, protective

masks, soap and bleach

so that they can control

the spread.

What support have

we given to those

affected?

We’ve provided people in

quarantine or care units

with food and essential

items. We’ve given food

and clothing to families

whose belongings have

been destroyed for fear of

contamination, so they can

start rebuilding their lives.

Virtually all schools have

been closed, so we’ve

provided children with

education packs to help

them stay in touch with

school work.

Why has ActionAid

been able to make such

a difference?

We work in communities

that know us well.

Especially at the beginning

when people were anxious

about the disease, the

trust we had built up

from having worked in

communities for a long

period of time made a big

difference in getting the

message across.

What will ActionAid

do now to help

communities recover?

Even if the outbreak was

over now, it wouldn’t be as

simple as ‘life is back to

normal’. Ebola has slowed

down life considerably

– traders are not getting

to market, kids are not

getting to school. Our

next steps are very much

helping people rebuild

their lives, supporting

them to get over the

devastation this disease

has caused.

58 isolation and medical centres given detergents and disinfectants

500 quarantined

families in Liberia given

food packages

Ebola virus Q&AThanks to your generous support, ActionAid has played a major role in slowing the spread of Ebola in Liberia and Sierra LeoneOur Head of Humanitarian Response, Mike Noyes, explains

Tomm

y Trenchard/A

ctionAid

Moinya. whose mother Aminatta is an ActionAid volunteer raising Ebola awareness


URGENT APPEAL: Give hope to children affected by Ebola

Help us reach 566 children in

Liberia and 228 in Sierra Leone

who are now urgently waiting

for sponsors. At fi rst, your

support will go directly to

our Ebola response:

> giving emergency food and

sanitation supplies to your

child’s community

> providing education packs

to stop children falling

behind in school

> supporting public health

campaigns, teaching children

and their families how to protect

themselves from Ebola.

Our frontline staff will send

you news and photos of the

communities you’re supporting,

showing the impact of your action .

Once the crisis is over there will

still be a desperate need for

your support to help rebuild

communities who have lost

everything. As soon as your child

goes back to school you’ll get

messages and pictures directly

from your sponsored child.

Sponsor a child today. Visit: www.actionaid.org.uk/childsponsor

appeal give hope to children

affected by ebola

One of the best ways to help people rebuild their lives after the devastating Ebola outbreak is through child sponsorship

Tommy Trenchard/ActionAid

Fatmata attends an Ebola awareness session run by ActionAid volunteers in Mbundorbu village, Bo District, Sierra Leone


Although visiting

the remote villages

where ActionAid

works felt like

stepping back in

time, Hugh found a

community very much leading its

Transforming lives in MyanmarBritish comedian Hugh Dennis travelled to Myanmar last year to visit the fi ve-year-old girl he sponsors

own development.

‘I recently realised I’ve

sponsored an ActionAid child

for nearly 30 years – fi rst in

Kenya and now in Myanmar.

So landing at Yangon Airport,

I was very excited.

Greg Funnell/ActionAid

Hugh with Lae Yi Soe, the fi ve-year-old child he sponsors in Myanmar through ActionAid

actionaid.org.ukChange lives. For good.14 actionaid.org.uk

Five-year-old Lae Yi Soe, the

child I sponsor, lives with her

parents and two brothers in a

small village in the dry zone in

central Myanmar.

In these agricultural

communities the heavy moving

is still done by bullock cart. The

water is collected from a pond, a

resource entirely dependent on

rainfall. Healthcare facilities are

poor – a clinic can be up to two

hours’ drive away. Children are

under pressure to leave education

because they are needed for work.

Now, a blue, plastic water pipe

from the rainwater pond to each

household has freed up those

who had to collect it numerous

times a day (mostly women), giving

them more time to earn money.

The village has a school which is

part-funded by ActionAid, making

it easier for Lae Yi Soe and her

friends to learn.

It’s also clear that this is

THANKS TO ACTIONAID, THE WORLD IN WHICH LAE YI SOE IS GROWING UP SHOULD BE A VERY POSITIVE ONE

Greg Funnell/ActionAid

Hugh talks to fi ve-year-old Lae Yi Soe and her brothers

Hugh with Lae Yi Soe, the fi ve-year-old child he sponsors in

Myanmar through ActionAid


development at the request of the

people it benefi ts. The village itself

has worked out which changes

would be most helpful and what

the priorities should be. It is a

highly effective system.

What is striking when you

visit them though, is how,

thanks to their own efforts and

ActionAid child sponsorship,

these communities are being

transformed. And how simple the

changes have been.

Thanks to ActionAid, the world

in which Lae Yi Soe is growing up

should be a very positive one.’ ■

Myanmar is one of the least

developed countries in the world.

One in four live below

the poverty line, and only

50% of children fi nish primary

school. To fi nd out how you could sponsor a child and transform lives today, visit www.actionaid.org.uk/child

Lae Yi Soe at school

Hugh visits Lae Yi Soe during class time in her village school

Hugh with Lae Yi Soe at school

actionaid.org.ukChange lives. For good.16 Change lives. For good. actionaid.org.uk

A lmost two thirds of Zambia’s people live below the poverty line.

At the same time, mining companies are making huge profi ts while not paying their fair share in tax. This is leaving the country short of funds to spend on vital services and – as this story shows – children are losing out.

Ivor Mwena stands in an empty classroom. As head teacher of Isoko Primary School in Zambia, he is frustrated that the government does not provide basic equipment for the children in his school.

‘Although we have new classrooms, they do not have any desks yet,’ he explains, ‘meaning the students have to sit on the concrete fl oor during classes.’

In recent years, the number of

Why tackling tax is a priority for a Zambian head teacher

children attending the school has grown. They applied for a grant from the government to extend the school, but heard nothing back. So with ActionAid’s help, they started to source their own building materials and collect funds for construction, but money for equipment soon ran out.

In Zambia, the average class size is 49 children and only £15 is available to educate each child per year.

Ivor believes that tackling tax dodging could make a huge improvement to the situation in his school.

‘If the government had more tax revenue they could fund the construction of more blocks to house more pupils in more schools. They could pay for the desks in the new building.’ ■

schooldesks

The

with no


How big an issue is tax

dodging in Zambia?

We’ve lost massive amounts to

tax dodging – our fi nance minister

estimates US $2 billion per year.

The tax that the country gets from

big companies – like Associated

British Foods and Zambia Sugar

– is nearly zero. As a country

we should be able to raise more

revenue given our huge natural

resource base. It is as a result of

tax dodging that we remain poor.

What impact would that money

have on people in Zambia?

Around 45% of children are

stunted because they don’t have

basic nutritious foods. Ideally, in

the fi rst fi ve years of a child’s life

government health programmes

would provide supplements like

vitamins for less well-off families.

In Zambia we have identifi ed that

we can do better, that we have

the potential to raise taxation and

that is the only way we’re going to

eradicate poverty.

Would it help Zambia if the

UK had better policies on

tax dodging?

Many multinational companies are

based in the UK, so the tax policies

in countries like the UK have an

effect in other countries where

those companies operate. So

ultimately, if the UK implemented

better policies on tax dodging

it would have a big impact on

countries like Zambia.

Kryticous Nshindano Q&A

Our Zambia Economic Justice Project Offi cer

Tax dodging allows some of the world’s biggest businesses to avoid paying their fair share, depriving governments of funds for vital public services like education.

Things don’t have to be this way. Changing the UK’s tax rules could ensure UK companies pay their fair share of tax wherever they operate.

ActionAid is part of a coalition calling on all political parties to introduce a Tax Dodging Bill. This could curb tax dodging by UK companies that costs poorer countries an estimated £3 billion every year, enough to put half the children in the world who currently don’t go to primary school into the classroom.

We can win this – but we need your help.

Take action now: www.actionaid.org.uk/tax-dodging-bill

Time to make tax fair.Time for a Tax Dodging Bill

Jaso

n La

rkin

/

Act

ionA

id

ActionAid

Ivor Mwena, head teacher of Isoka Primary School


Starting in London,

this 100-mile road-race

covers the famous

Olympic course through

Surrey countryside and

fi nishes on The Mall.

Join our team and

cycle like an Olympian!

2 August – Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100.

One of the UK’s

most popular half

marathons, this fast

and fl at course has an

amazing atmosphere.

It takes a scenic route

past London’s famous

landmarks and through

four of the Royal Parks.

11 October – Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon.

Join us and work

alongside local people

to build a centre for

survivors of violence,

helping to improve

women’s rights and

end violence in the

community. You don’t

need any experience

– just enthusiasm,

motivation and the

desire to muck in!

24 October–1 November.

Get involved…

On your bike!

Run the Royal Parks

Volunteer in Mozambique

Visit www.actionaid.org.uk/ridelondon

Visit www.actionaid.org.uk/royalparks

Visit www.actionaid.org.uk/experiences

Four wa ys to be an Action Hero in 2015

Act

ionA

id

Act

ionA

id

Act

ionA

id

Sophie Westmoreland takes part in the ‘Cambodia

First Hand Experience’

Cindy Smith runs the ‘Virgin London Marathon’ in support of ActionAid

A triumphant Lee Walker after completing the ‘Ride London-Surrey’ bike ride


From 27 April to 1 May, we challenge you to

take on the UK’s largest experiential charity

challenge and get sponsored to live on just £1 a

day for all of your food and drink.

Do it on your own, as a couple, with your

colleagues, fl atmates or family. We’ll provide

you with meal plans, recipe ideas, top tips and

a forum to share your highs and lows. Got the

appetite to make change happen?

Sign up now at www.livebelowtheline.com/uk/partner/actionaid

Open any savings account with Triodos

Bank online at

triodos.co.uk/actionaid,

deposit £100+ and

it will donate £40

to ActionAid (terms

apply). The donations

we receive from

Triodos will help us to

continue to change

lives, for good. The

money you put

aside for the future

will only be lent to

organisations working

to make the future a

better place.

For more inspiring ideas visit www.

actionaid.org.uk/

fundraise. If you’ve

got your own ideas

for fundraising then

we’d love to hear

from you. Email us at

supportercontact@

actionaid.org.

Go on, be an Action

Hero in 2015!

Contact us to join our team

Join ActionAid and create a recipe to change the lives of women and girls around the world, for good

Do you have what it takes to Live Below the Line?

Cou

rtesy

of o

ur s

uppo

rters


It is helping to pay for

them and two other

children to stay at a

hostel attached to their

local school. This means

the children get three

good meals a day, a

safe place to sleep,

and a chance to get an

education which will

change their lives

for good.

The very poorest

children living at home

in this region often have

to look after siblings or

Change lives for good with a gift in your will

work to help support

their families. But living

in the hostel during the

week ensures they have

time to focus on their

studies.

This gift was left by

a long-term supporter

of ActionAid who gave

£5,000. It’s a gift that

will support Sanju, Kala,

Rajmani and Karuna

throughout all of their

schooling, and will help

ensure their lives are

transformed forever.

To fi nd out more about

the difference this gift is

making, watch the short

fi lm: www.actionaid.org.uk/jyoti

Please get in touch if you have any questions about leaving a gift in your will, or to let us know if you have already. Contact our Gifts in Wills Manager Peter on 0203 122 0512 or email [email protected]

A gift in a will meant everything to Rajmani and Karuna who live in one of the poorest areas in a remote part of Nepal

Kis

hor K

. Sha

rma/

Act

ionA

idA gift in a will has enabled 14-year-old Rajmai Rai (left) and 6-year-old Karuna Rai (right) to

study at Jyoti Lower Secondary School in Nepal

27031_MAG

Documents

Action Magazine Spring 2015