No. 73 Autumn 2011 ISSN 1472-048X

ONE WORLD LINKING Newsletter

Committed to supporting mutually beneficial partnership links between

communities in the UK and other parts of the world

„ZAMBIA: THE REAL AFRICA‟ LINKING

CONFERENCE

In May of this year UKOWLA co-hosted „Zambia: the Real Africa‟, a very successful linking conference, in

partnership with the Zambia Group of the Diocese of Bath and Wells in the marvellous setting of the Old

Deanery and Bishop‟s Palace at Wells in Somerset. The conference was over-subscribed, with 122

delegates attending from across England, Wales and Zambia, including the Zambian High Commissioner

and the Anglican Archbishop of Central Africa together with UK and Zambian exchange pupils,

administrators, Church and partnership representatives and many more. Throughout the conference,

there was a real buzz of excitement and delegates took every opportunity for networking and viewing the

range of interesting displays and stands. There was a most enjoyable dinner on the Saturday night, with

authentic African food and live African music from the renowned Chartwell Dutiro. The following articles by

Sue Bloomfield and Lynn Cutler describe the event from different angles.

„A little Bit of Zambia‟

Sue Bloomfield (Reproduced from the Diocese of Bath and Wells “Connect” with permission)

How do you transform the Bishop‟s Palace

Conference Room into a little bit of Zambia?

Take a variety of African musical instruments, a

mixture of Zambian friends with their glorious

natural a capella voices, some uninhibited local

Anglicans with a sense of rhythm (yes, they do

exist) and a lively African hymn. Result? A

wonderful song of praise and thanksgiving as a

fitting finale to our Zambia: The Real Africa

conference.

CONTENTS

Zambia Conference reports 1

Diocese of Salisbury – Sudan links 4

Know your Trustees 6

Message from the Chair 9

Culturally-based art work 9

“We grow it for the British” 12

Tackling poverty in India 14

The Future of BUILD 15

Feedback 16

Notice Board 19

CHURCH LINKING

2

At the end of a full weekend of workshops and

activities, the enthusiasm, energy and hope of

that hymn

declared

our sense

of

community

with our

partner

dioceses

and our

shared

commitment to achieving the MDGs by 2015.

Hearing about successful projects in Zambia from

people involved is exciting. There is a real sense

of the Church in action, making a difference.

Revd Jackson Katete described the work of the

Lusaka Anglican Children‟s Project with some of

the 1.6 million Zambian children, orphaned and

homeless as a result of the HIV/Aids epidemic.

Trained volunteers identify vulnerable children

and involve the local community in helping these

traumatised youngsters regain their confidence

and understand that there are people who care.

It takes a village to raise a child,” he said. Some

children are helped into formal education at

community schools supported by the Church;

informal skills training is provided for others.

the project supports the community by providing

training in income generating ventures and hopes

in future to provide seed funding for such

ventures. Jackson‟s vision is inspiring and his

enthusiasm infectious and effective.

(Follow the link for the story of Frida who lives at

the project

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/zambia_frid

a_story.html )

Grace Mazala Phiri is Health and Development

Co-ordinator for the Zambian Anglican Council.

Those who heard her speak about how

communities have been empowered were

humbled by the breadth and scale of the projects

she is responsible for. Through its health

projects, ZAC touches over 2 million lives.

Working with other churches, one of its major

programmes is the quest for a malaria-free

Zambia by 2025 through the distribution of nets

and community malaria education programmes.

No mean feat in a country over twice the size of

the UK.

HIV/Aids prevention and control is another

major task. Education and ARV drugs are key of

course but the Church has also trained

community-based volunteer care-givers to

provide psycho-social care and support to

chronically ill patients in their homes. In its

fight against the stigma and discrimination

experienced by HIV/Aids sufferers, it has also

started Circles of Hope groups in churches

across the country. These groups care for and

encourage each other by working together on

income-generating activities to better their lives,

receiving training from the Church in livelihood

skills. When Monica Mvula joined Circles of

Hope she was very sick: “I was a skeleton. My

face was grey. I had a CD4 count of 4.” (Normal

range is 500 – 1600). But she met someone

there whose count was 8.

“I thought that if he could survive, then so could

I. He gave me hope.

I might die from HIV but I am not a victim of

HIV. I am a messenger,” she says.

And the message is clear: change can happen.

The UKOWLA Zambia

Conference Report

Lynn Cutler

The Zambia Conference, with its focus on

Millennium Development Goals, was hosted by

the Diocese of Bath and Wells (selected due to its

longstanding link with Zambia and the reputation

this diocese holds for its links with Zambia) and

UKOWLA.

The link between the Diocese of Bath and Wells

and the five Anglican Dioceses of Zambia was

established in the late 1970s. Through this link,

exchange visits, parish links and personal

contacts have initiated and strengthened both

faith and secular links across Somerset and

further afield. These links have a wide network

of contacts, including with Zambian Diaspora in

the UK and in Zambia, that were drawn on

ensuring a wide range of delegates were made

aware of, were invited to and attended the

conference.

Overall responsibility for conference spending

was with UKOWLA, but planning, organization

CHURCH LINKING

3

and aspects of administration were shared as

appropriate between the co-hosts.

The welcome by the Zambian High

Commissioner, His Excellency Royson

Mukwena and The Bishop of Taunton, the

Right Reverend Peter Maurice

The support given by His Excellency raised the

profile of the conference by demonstrating the

kind of audience

which links with

Zambia can

encourage. The

conference

obviously

delivered to

expectations, as

the High

Commission

remained a

presence for the

duration of the

conference.

Keynote address by the Anglican Archbishop

of Central Africa, the Most Reverend Albert

Chama

“The successful attainment of any goal involves

the joining or coming together of people who

share a common objective and desire to do good

for the benefit of humanity. I believe that the use

of linkages and partnerships by any definition

cannot be underestimated in the successful

implementation of MDGs. And this can refer to

the provision of resources, the exchange of skills,

knowledge and even simply the support and

encouragement that comes from visiting a

project and encouraging the participants…”

“I use the term „linkages‟ loosely and liberally

here to refer to different terms that are often

used in reference to united efforts. We tend to

use words like partnerships, networks, joint

ventures, collaborations and coalitions and while

each can have its own definition, all have one

crucial characteristic in common – they point

towards the fulfilment of a common objective.”

Workshops

Millennium Development Goals

The conference started with this workshop to

ensure all delegates had thought about issues

around global poverty and had baseline

knowledge of the MDGs, enabling better

understanding and participation in subsequent

workshops.

The workshop was set in the context of

values and perceptions (developing a critical evaluation of representations of global issues and an appreciation these have on people‟s attitudes and values)

interdependence (understanding how people, places, economies and

environments are all inextricably linked

and that choices and events have repercussions on a global scale)

His Excellency Royson Mkwena, Zambian High

Commissioner

The Most Reverend Albert Chama

stressed the importance of partnership;

‘We are our brothers’ keepers, but we do

not work alone.’

The Right Reverend Peter

Maurice

CHURCH LINKING

4

www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDo

wnload/1409-2005PDF-EN-01.pdf

Activities in this Workshop drew on Development

Education methodology, providing participants

with opportunities to examine their own

attitudes, knowledge and preconceptions of

global poverty, with time during the activities for

critical reflection on their understanding and

learning gained through linking with Zambia.

Other Workshops

The remaining 14 conference workshops drew on

a range of facilitators from Zambia and the UK.

Between them, the facilitators provided a range

of perspectives on MDGs and linking from across

different community sectors, including;

education, youth, church, women‟s groups,

business, local government, NGOs (non-

governmental organisations).

EXAMPLES OF DELEGATES‟ KEY LEARNING

POINTS FROM THE CONFERENCE

To have focused, specific objectives Awareness & sensitivity of cultural

differences Frequent & informed contact to maintain

links Appreciation that other people‟s opinions

are as justifiable as my own An understanding & feeling for what is

involved (in linking) Greater understanding of the 2 way

benefits of linking

Importance of dialogue (in linking) Not all linking groups are based around

schools and religion Opportunities for developing linking

activities

The needs of Zambians (within our link)

UNPLANNED FOR‟ OUTCOMES

In addition to the formalized impacts detailed

above, the conference resulted in twosignificant

concrete outcomes:

1. Petition to Glencore; The conference coincided with the flotation of Glencore

(one of the Mining Corporates with operations in Zambia) on the London Stock Exchange and negative coverage in the Times newspaper of the impact of

Glencore‟s mining operations on local communities in Zambia. Several of the delegates have first hand knowledge and

experience of conditions in Mufulira and

were able to make valuable contributions to the workshop on corporate responsibility and the environmental

impact of mining operations in Zambia. An immediate outcome from this workshop, was a decision to petition Glencore about the impact of copper mining in Mufulira. All conference delegates were given the opportunity to sign the petition and UKOWLA requested

to send this to Glencore with an accompanying letter on behalf of the conference delegates.

2. BBC and press coverage; The BBC

responded to our press release and used the opportunity to interview both Archbishop Albert Chama and Charles Mwandila about some of the issues raised in the conference, as well as covering the conference as an event in itself. Interviews were broadcast on BBC Radio Somerset and Bristol on both Sunday morning and afternoon, raising awareness amongst the wider public about the MDGs and the existence and value of partnership links with Zambia. The local press also covered the event, ensuring local coverage within central

Somerset. (The full report will be available on the UKOWLA website at www.ukowla.org.uk )

The Salisbury Diocese/Sudan Link

(Material taken with permission from Sudan Link material, some by Dave

Lewis) For nearly forty years the Diocese of

Salisbury has had a link of fellowship and mutual learning with the Episcopal Church of

Sudan (ECS). The link operates in a spirit of genuine friendship, benefiting both partners. Inspiration in many demanding times has been found in this partnership. The focus of the work currently undertaken by

the Salisbury/Sudan Link falls mainly into four areas. Medical Support This is a longstanding part of the Link, providing essential aid for basic medical needs. It is supported by many of the parishes in the

Salisbury Diocese. Under the careful and well informed stewardship of Mike Maclachlan the Link can quite often provide helpful training in the

changing situation of modern Sudan.

CHURCH LINKING

5

Education

The committee led by John Foster looks at both theological training and schooling needs. The educational needs are huge but there are some

ways in which help can be provided. John has built up relationships between theological colleges in the UK and in Sudan, attended Education Commission meetings in Sudan and encouraged charitable efforts to support schooling needs.

Advocacy Great strides in advocacy are being made. Archbishop Daniel Deng is very active. Rev Ian Woodward promotes the Episcopal Church of

Sudan within the British Government and ensures that the ECS is heard by the BBC and other main outlets. Communication It is the communication team's job to stitch

people together, keep people informed and promote fellowship in the Sudan Link.

Internally prayer is

promoted throughout the diocese (and

with other partners) with a brief prayer list being sent out monthly. Prayers for Salisbury

diocese are shared with Sudan once a month keeping

the fellowship mutual. On Twitter a prayer is

posted daily and shared globally based on a need

received from someone in Sudan. News is posted on the diocesan website and also circulated

through the Sudan Link Facebook group.

Partnerships at Deanery level and through diocesan organisations are encouraged and supported by the Links Officer Bridget Trump and

through three Archdeaconry representatives. Secession The people of Sudan voted to form independent countries - the Republic of Southern Sudan and the Government of Sudan. The task now is to make independence work. There is risk of

instability in the south not least because nine opposition parties have withdrawn. In the north it will be difficult to decide whether or not they should move to Sharia Law. It will be a difficult

time for those Christians who have chosen to remain.

News from the Sudan Bishop Gwynne College in the Sudan finds finance difficult, in that obtaining the due income from rents is a problem. Bishop Allison Theological College moved to Uganda in times of difficulty, and at the moment

does not have the funds to return. There are quite a number of invidual links within the Diocese of Salisbury. For example Clayesmore School in Dorset has a link with Hope School which has proved very useful.

www.salisbury;anglican.org/sudan

www.twitter.com/sudanlink Sudan.prayer@salisbury.anglican.org

Bishop David Stancliffe at Bishop Gwynne College in

Juba with other Sudan Link Members

New Director of BUILD

Andrew Deuchar has been appointed

Director of BUILD in succession to Nick

Maurice. He will take up his post on

October 1st.

After an early career in the Diplomatic

Service, including a period in Khartoum,

Andrew, following ordination, worked at

parish, national and international levels

within the Anglican Church and beyond. He

has had a strong international interest

throughout as well as much experience in

community linking. He says” I am

absolutely delighted to be joining the work

of BUILD, which I believe to be of great

significance on the vast canvas which is the

International Development world today”

K

KNOW YOUR TRUSTEES

6

Jane Knight POTTED BIOGRAPHY

I started to be aware of the injustices and

disparities in the world at rather a late stage

in life when I had 4 of

my 5 babies to take

care of. However once I

started to imagine the

plight of so many

mothers in the world

who could not provide

enough for their babies

I could not settle.

So over the next few

years (the 1970s), I

became involved with the World

Development Movement and then worked

for Oxfam. In 1977 Oxfam sent me on a

visit to Ghana with 20 teachers and I

started to see the world differently again.

Where were all the starving people? What

was our role in the daily lives of the

Ghanaians I met?

After much discussion and picking the brains

of newly made African friends at local

universities, I realised that intervention in

the lives of others on the one hand, and on

the other hand to try and open the eyes of

people in this country to the real Africa,

needed quite a different approach ..not a

paternalistic colonialist charitable response.

By 1979 the World Development Group in

Leamington and Warwick agreed we should

try and “twin” or more aptly “link” with a

community in the South. Nick Maurice in

Marlborough and others in those years at

the turn of the decade, started to think

along similar lines.

From this beginning the Warwick Bo link

started and has lasted 30 years so far. In

1983 some of our Bo friends joined with Og

Thomas who was starting links in

Oxfordshire and the new Hull, Bristol and

Boston linking groups with the idea of an

umbrella organisation to support each other.

It took until the 1984 linking conference in

Hull before Ukowla was born with the

support of Oxfam, Christian Aid and Action

Aid. I was a founder member and stayed

with UKOWLA until the turn of the century.

At one point we managed to get together an

African wing for the organisation when there

were quite a lot of African students living in

UK. I always thought we should have a

strong Southern input into UKOWLA and still

think more needs to be done on this. Our

Southern friends get little opportunity to

talk to each other about good practice.

In 1990 Oxfam allowed me to work with

Oxfam in Zimbabwe to mount the first

Southern conference on “Linking for

Development”. It took place in Bulawayo

and was very significant for the strong

Southern messages of asking us to respect

their ideas and to stop pushing our ideas on

them. In 1992 I left Oxfam and worked

directly for UKOWLA for a few months to

organise the Berlin conference which had

representatives from North South East and

Western countries to work out how good

practice in linking could be further

developed.

Another strong message which I have taken

up was that the best form of development

comes from cooperation and partnership

between local government and local

communities rather than intervention from

outsiders. I became a consultant to promote

these two themes and travelled to many

African countries, India, Japan and Chile as

well as European countries speaking to

many interesting groups and councils and

gathering examples of what could be done..

Retiring in the early 2000‟s I then thought i

would try local government on the ground,

and was elected in 2003 as a district

councillor. That has given me a very

satisfying involvement in community

development in this country but it has also

opened the door to some very effective

partnerships between my council and Bo city

council.

KNOW YOUR TRUSTEES

7

Apart from my council and linking work and

more important, is the fact I have 5

beautiful sons and 15 amazing

grandchildren!

JANE KNIGHT (Written on holiday in Sierra

Leone!)

Mike Smith

Around the

Mango Tree

Ever curious

about other

places and

peoples and with

a strong leaning

to Geography, I

began to take an

interest in

international

affairs proper at a time when a whole

continent was in a state of disaster. Millions

had been killed: infrastructure, housing,

commerce, industry and agriculture had

been destroyed or severely downgraded and

health care was frequently non-existent or

rudimentary.

Diseases such as typhus were rife, water

was in many places unsafe and many people

were starving, especially amongst the

millions who were on the move, through

ethnic persecution, displacement due to

war, renewed civil wars and boundary

changes. Much of the land was under

occupation by foreign forces which

controlled the administration. Things were

so bad that other continents and countries

sent food parcels, clothing and medical

items alongside massive financial aid.

The massive aid was the American Marshall

Plan, the time was 1945 – 50 and the

continent was Europe. The occupying

troops at this time were from Britain,

France, the Soviet Union and the USA.

The Marshal Plan aid offered relief

immediately and on a long term basis to

help Western Europe rebuild industry and

infrastructure, to mobilise the population

and build confidence. Alongside this, major

efforts were being made in the late 40‟s and

early 50‟s to rebuild contacts and trust

between the former warring powers,

between the invaded and the invaders and

to develop economic cooperation. The first

alliance of the Benelux trade group led to

the European Economic Community and

ultimately the European Union as it is now.

Smaller scale initiatives aimed at

reconciliation and mutual understanding

were happening at the same time. Many of

these, such as the Sonnenberg movement,

were aimed at youth, but this was also the

time when town twinning grew and

flourished, bringing municipalities together

at all levels for joint activities in culture,

education, sport and exchange of ideas.

The long term aim was mutual

understanding and reduction of the risk of

future conflict. Many of these links have

lasted a very long time and, though a little

out of fashion, still go on – often through

smaller groups such as sports teams, choirs,

youth groups, churches, schools –

cementing and building relationships and

making the foreigner a little less foreign and

more comprehensible.

This is where I come from: I was the

Secretary of the Sheffield International

Linking Committee for about 10 years and

this was initially based on two long standing

town twinnings between Bochum (Germany)

and Donetsk (Soviet Union and now the

Ukraine). There were other formal

KNOW YOUR TRUSTEES

8

twinnings over the years, principally with

Anshan (China), Esteli (Nicaragua) and

Kitwe (Zambia) as well as some less formal

„friendship‟ arrangements with cities such as

Kawasaki (Japan). Sadly, formal twinnings

have gone somewhat out of favour and

umbrella bodies such as SILC have less of a

place than they did, though some are still

vigorous and many smaller groups are still

active. It was from this background and

with the influence of my distinguished

mentor Peter Horton, that I became

engaged with UKOWLA. This was around the

time that the very successful North South

Conference was held in Leamington Spa and

when Nick Maurice became Director.

Not long after, I was elected Chair and had

the privilege of working with Nick and Pepi

O‟Neil for the next 5 or 6 years. This was a

very exciting and what might be called a

revivalist period for UKOWLA, when the

benefits for members were enhanced and

(partly through the development of BUILD)

we began to play a more prominent

strategic part at national level. The splitting

off of BUILD meant a re-emphasis on

UKOWLA as a membership organisation and

required a change of Director and Head

Office and I believe we were very percipient

in our choice of Lynn Cutler as Director and

GLADE as our HQ partner.

It‟s important to acknowledge the work that

went on successfully before 2000 when

UKOWLA was entirely a voluntary

organisation – some of this was covered in

OWL No 70 – and to reflect that we have yet

to replicate some of the work that was

undertaken then, including some of their

international engagement. The present

UKOWLA is also facing some of the

problems that faced UKOWLA at that time,

notably financial pressures. We are hopeful

though that by engaging our Trustees and

our experienced and knowledgeable

membership more in the running of our

activities and by engaging in income

generation, we shall overcome them and go

on being influential and improving our

visibility and services to the membership.

Why the history lesson? Well, there are, as

you will have observed, close parallels (even

if not exact) between Europe in 1945 - 50

and places where our members have links

now. People still need help to overcome

vast problems, but that help needs to be

longer term and go beyond immediate relief

(though that is important) and people need

to be engaged in and enabled to manage

their own resurgence. Much can only be

done by Governments and large NGO‟s, but

that is not to deny the value of smaller scale

support and interventions. Longer term

contacts are important for understanding,

the growth of trust and, in the end, proper

friendships – and, as we have tried to

emphasise through UKOWLA, mutuality and

the reduction of the donor – recipient

relationship.

(Mike is a former teacher, teacher trainer,

local authority schools’ adviser and

education adviser in a Government Regional

Office. His primary qualification is in

Biology, but also had interests alongside

linking, in education – business links,

careers education and science education in

general. He is currently Vice Chair of

UKOWLA and editor of OWL, a Trustee of the

Development Education Centre South

Yorkshire, Chair of Languages Sheffield and

a member of the Management Committee of

the Duke of York’s Community Initiative.)

Rimas Morris of

Development

Education Centre

South Yorkshire’s

Cultural Mentor team

explains the Maasai

carbon footprint as

part of the Global

Justice (Carbon

Partners) programme .

www.carbonpartners.org.uk or

e-mail clive@decsy.org.uk

Linking

9

Message from the Chair

We’re half way through our

celebrations of UKOWLA’s

celebrations of twenty five

years supporting

communities of people who

want to make this world a

more just and egalitarian

place. It is difficult to feel as

though we are celebrating when we have to

reduce conferences that used to be two days,

down to one, and to save funds by emailing rather

than printing and posting this newsletter, The

OWL. But perhaps this is just a reminder to us

that the purpose for which UKOWLA was first set

up was about more than money – it’s about

building friendships, improving our understanding

of the politics and historical legacies that our

partners have to live through and overcome and

together working out ways of making a difference

in the real world of war, famine and poverty.

The most important thing but probably the most

difficult is to get right the way we communicate

with each other – Director and staff, Trustees and

Members, so that we are using our funds as

effectively as we possibly can and in the coming

months we want to find ways of hearing from you

about the effectiveness of our communications –

website, events and this newsletter. You can

begin to help us do this by coming to our AGM on

November 19th, at Dale Street Methodist Church

in Leamington Spa, or just email me

(averiln80@gmail.com) or our Director, Lynn

Cutler, with any thoughts.

What I’d like to do here, first of all, is to thank

Mike Smith, former Chair and current editor of

The OWL for the way he has risen to all the

challenges we have set him in the last couple of

years, in the face of our tightening purse and

heightened technological security needs – data

protection etc. This will be the last OWL that

Mike will ‘mastermind’ since for the next issue he

will hand over to Sharon Leftwich Lloyd (whose

pen picture we featured in the Spring issue of

OWL), though he is kindly giving his time to share

knowledge and information during the handover

period.

So please join us on November 19th if you can –

members’ invitations will be in the post shortly.

We are also hoping to find new Trustees to

replace some of those standing down this year, so

if you would like to bring your experience to help

run UKOWLA and can attend four meetings a year,

we’d love to hear from you.

In solidarity,

Averil Newsam

Ian Gibson inspires

collaborative, culturally based

Artwork

Sharon Leftwich-Lloyd

(nternationalism and Development Education Co-

ordinator The Polesworth School )

Ian Gibson, Head of Art at The Polesworth

School thought long and hard about a

project that he could

introduce during his

visit to Pampawie Local

Authority Junior

Secondary School,

Ghana. Obviously,

carrying endless

supplies was not an

option and he wanted

the project to be

collaborative, group

based work rather than

individual. Further, he

wanted Polesworth

students to be able to work with Pampawie

students side-by-side in order for them to

learn about the choices the other made and

to create something of beauty together.

Linking

10

Inspiration struck when he thought of the

work of artist, Andy Goldsworthy.

Goldsworthy creates site specific stunning

images made of natural materials – for

example, leaves, water, holes in the ground.

The exciting element as a link project is that

there are two dimensions of culture – the

artist and the materials.

The stunning compound of Pampawie School

is on the edge of the rainforest, each

classroom is surrounded by open space on

one side and looming greenery on the other.

Art is not taught as part of the formal

curriculum – lessons focus of traditional

academic subjects including three languages

– Twi, English and French.

Ian described his lessons with great

enthusiasm. He said, “I went into the

classroom initially to talk to the students

about Andy Goldsworthy with visual

references.” (He had printed A3 copies of

key examples of Goldsworthy‟s work and

laminated these in the UK prior to

departure). Ian realised the challenges that

were facing him so decided to focus on a

specific area of Goldsworthy‟s work – the

creation of a meandering line with natural

materials and weaving. Ian explained the

pattern to students and the concept of

„taking a line for a walk.‟ Ian emphasised

that Goldsworthy uses only natural objects,

further that there‟s no purpose to them

apart from the beauty; no function other

than to „look good‟ which was a new concept

to Pampawie students.

Students were put into teams of five and

given fifteen minutes and a list of things to

collect from the rainforest - stones, leaves,

flowers,

grasses.

Ian

laughs as

he

recalls, “I

had to

continually send them back to get more.

Initially the students returned with one leaf,

I sent them back with the words, “no, more,

more.””

Outside of the classroom was a platform

raised above the ground yet still a step

away from the classroom and it was this

area that students were given as their

„canvases. Students stood on the grass and

worked on the platform. Ian gathered them

around and showed them how to split a leaf

down the stem, then made a line walk from

the split leaves with the concrete creating

the line between the leaves. Students were

then encouraged to learn through practical

implementation and experimentation with

teacher guidance and suggestions,

modelling and demonstration pushing their

work on.

Exactly as in the UK there were a wide

range of abilities reflected in the work, some

students made patterns, some students

really „got it.‟ When students were nearing

completion they were each given a piece of

drawing paper and watercolour pencils and

brushes then asked to draw what they had

built.

On completion students returned to the

classroom; Ian explained that Andy

Goldsworthy knows that because he makes

his art in nature, he knows that it won‟t last

– he photographs his work. Ian told

students, “even though your work now has

been given back to the forest, you have

your own record which is your drawing.”

Reflecting on the experience, Ian said, “I

thought it was fantastic, it went really well.

It was interesting to see that there was a

commonality in mistakes – that students in

Pampawie made similar mistakes to those

Linking

11

which I have seen our students make in

England. To see the joy and the fun that

the Ghanaian students were finding in being

able to get out of the classrooms to do

something practical, to have fun while they

were learning was amazing.”

In the farewell ceremony, Ian was delighted

beyond expectations when the Headteacher

of Pampawie School took centre stage. The

Headteacher stated that he felt that Art was

a life enrichment and that this was

important alongside traditional academic

subjects; he finished his speech with these

words, “I promise you the students at

Pampawie that every one of you will have at

least one lesson of Art per week” and thus

introduced the subject to the school

curriculum.

The obvious next step is for students to

create comparable work in Polesworth and

year 8 students will do just this in the

autumn term.

“We grow it for the British” Garstang, UK and New Koforidua, Ghana Link

Bruce Crowther

(Chair of the Garstang And New Koforidua

Linking Association

Director of the FIG Tree)

The Garstang and New Koforidua link was

born out of the Fairtrade / slave trade

Millennium „On the Line‟ project that took

place in 2001. Central to the project was a

visit by a group of High School children to

the historical slave fort at Cape Coast Castle

and the Kuapa Kokoo Fairtrade cocoa

farming cooperative (Kuapa Kokoo means

„good cocoa farmer‟ in the local language

Twi) in Ghana.

I had just seen a documentary on TV about

a cocoa farmer who had stored his three

bags of cocoa until he could be guaranteed

a better price, while his family went hungry.

Aware that cocoa can be easily ground to

make a highly nourishing drink I asked a

cocoa farmer on our first visit to New

Koforidua why in extreme circumstances

you never consider eating your own cocoa.

His response was quite simple; “We grow it

for the British”. I have never forgotten those

words and ten years later they are the

impetus behind our Fair Trade chocolate

workshops for schools.

Coincidentally 2001 was also the year that

Garstang was awarded its certificate from

the Fairtrade Foundation as the world‟s first

Fairtrade Town. There are now over 1,000

Fair Trade Towns in 22 countries across all

six major continents and they include such

cities as London, Paris, Rome, Madrid,

Brussels, Copenhagen, Oslo, Chicago, San

Francisco, Boston, Vancouver and

Wellington in New Zealand. They have all

followed in Garstang‟s footsteps.

Despite a very successful exchange visit in

2004 in which Churches Together in

Garstang funded the building of children‟s

play area in New Koforidua, our link

remained relatively inactive until 2006 when

we used the UKOWLA Toolkit for Linking to

develop our Partnership Agreement between

the two communities. We managed to

gather a group of about 20 people from

across the Garstang community to ask them

two very important questions:

1. We have a link with New Koforidua;

do you want it to continue?

2. If yes then what are we going to do

about it?

We repeated the process in New Koforidua

where instead of 20 people in the back room

of a pub they gathered 500 residents out of

a population of 3,500 in the local church.

Their committee represented everybody

from the local artisan to the chief of the

village. I realised that we could learn a lot

from our Ghanaian friends when it came to

democracy in action.

Rather appropriately the Partnership

Agreement was signed and sealed in 2007;

the same year Ghana celebrated 50 years of

independence from British rule and we

celebrated the bicentenary anniversary for

the abolition of the British Atlantic slave

trade. The partnership between the New

Koforidua and Garstang Linking Association

(NKGALA) and the Garstang And New

Koforidua Linking Association (GANKLA) was

now firmly bonded and although we still do

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12

not have endorsement from our local

Council we do have all four schools in

Garstang and several schools, colleges and

universities outside Garstang as members of

GANKLA. We may not have the same cross

community support as our friends in Ghana,

but like a good Fairtrade Town campaign we

have many aspects of the community

represented and having so many of our

youth involved in my view makes our link

sustainable.

We are very proud of our link and the words

of our Partnership Agreement which

recognises that “the inequality and

injustices of our present trading system are

a legacy of colonialism and the transatlantic

slave trade of the past, which did nothing

for the self-confidence of the West African

people”. Our link is one “based on mutual

trust, respect and understanding that will be

anchored in the willingness to share and

learn from each other”.

With this firm foundation in place we were

able to develop a number of projects many

of which focused on the promotion of

Fairtrade and increasing awareness around

the causes of poverty. We conduct a

biennial survey in Garstang to measure

awareness of Fairtrade and the impact of

our link. In 2010 recognition of the

FAIRTRADE Mark by local people in

Garstang rose from an already high of

92.5% in 2008 to 96.5%, compared to a

national average of 74% at that time.

Almost a third of those asked could name

New Koforidua as the town Garstang was

linked with, but this could not match

awareness of our link in New Koforidua

where out of a class of 54 children as many

as 36 could name Garstang as their link

town.

We regularly take part in joint campaigning

activities against poverty where again our

Ghanaian friends put us to shame; when we

gathered 20 – 30 people to „Stand up

against poverty‟ they would have over 500,

but it was always a strength to our

campaign to know we were standing side by

side with our friends in Ghana.

In 2006 Media P.A. in the USA became the

first Fair Trade Town on the American

continents. Although again never officially

recognised by the local authority Media

joined our link to make up the „Fair Trade

Triangle‟ that lies on the same three points

as the slave trade triangle of the past. We

felt our modern day trading triangle could

play some part in combating the legacy of

the historic trading triangle now over 200

years old. For Fairtrade Fortnight in 2009

children from all three communities ate

Fairtrade bananas together to help break

the world record for eating bananas and

raise awareness of Fairtrade. The bananas

eaten in New Koforidua were kindly donated

by Volta Rivers Estates Limited, the only

Fairtrade banana plantation in the whole of

Africa.

The residents and farmers of New Koforidua

recently self-declared as Africa‟s first Fair

Trade Town. They met the five goals

through their link and the work they have

done to raise awareness and promote

Fairtrade in both Ghana and the UK.

In April 2011 I took part in my fifth visit to

New Koforidua and along with my GANKLA

colleague and Secretary Richard Watts we

saw the completion of the cooperative

community house in New Koforidua.

The house will enable people from anywhere

in the world to spend some time in a cocoa

farming community and bring in extra

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13

income for the village. We hope in time we

will be able to fully equip the presently

sparse library and develop a visitor and IT

centre in the house.

Over the years we have received much

financial support from The Co-operative

Group who paid for the now famous

Garstang Fairtrade Town road sign and

brass plaque unveiled by comedy actor Tony

Robinson in 2001. Together with the

Manchester clothing company Tarameen the

Co-op co funded the Fairtrade cotton

football kits for New Koforidua FC and they

were also major funders for the co-operative

community house in New Koforidua. More

recently they sponsored the Fair Trade Way

long distance walk that links Fairtrade

Towns between Garstang and Keswick and

was launched in Fairtrade Fortnight earlier

this year.

There are now plans to open the world‟s

first International Fair Trade Visitor Centre

in Garstang, the world‟s first Fair Trade

Town. It will be called the FIG Tree (FIG is

an acronym for Fairtrade In Garstang) with

the strapline „Branching Out Around The

World‟ to reflect how Garstang gave Fair

Trade Towns to the world. If all goes well

the FIG Tree will be located on the site

where Garstang was awarded its Fairtrade

Town certificate in 2001.

Like the Fair Trade Way, The FIG Tree will

be based on the four themes of fair trade,

the Atlantic slave trade, Quakers in 1652

country and chocolate. As well as a café

selling fair trade and local produce The FIG

Tree will include a small display, which we

hope to expand and in time our vision is to

become an accredited museum.

So what became of the chocolate

workshops? Supported by Divine Chocolate,

Trading visions and Salford poet Robin

Graham we recently ran our first chocolate

workshops in all five GANKLA member

Primary schools in and around Garstang.

During the full day session children learnt

about chocolate, Ghanaian history and

culture and Fairtrade, but the main event

was the chocolate making using

cocoa grown by our friend and proud Kuapa

Kokoo farmer Kwasi Opoku. The end result

may need some perfecting, but there is

something special about making your own

chocolate! The workshops finished with a

mobile phone call to New Koforidua where

they also made chocolate from their own

cocoa and the children could ask questions

to each other on what they had learnt and

any other issues they chose.

The first workshops can be considered a

great success, but there is room for

improvement and they will get better. Once

the FIG Tree is firmly established we will run

the chocolate workshops on the premises

and invite schools locally, nationally and

even internationally (there is already

interest from schools in Norway, Holland

and Germany) as well as holding evening

fair trade events for adults. The FIG Tree

will provide a central focus for the many

visitors that come to Garstang because of

its unique status and we feel sure it will also

serve to attract many more. We would love

to see you there!

For further information on:

The Garstang Fairtrade campaign and the link with New Koforidua visit: www.garstangfairtrade.org.uk The Fair Trade Way visit: www.fairtradeway.org.uk The FIG Tree Centre visit: www.fairtradecentre.org (holding page only, watch this space!) The chocolate workshops for schools contact Bruce Crowther, Tel: 01995 602637 Email: brucecrowther300@gmail.com

Chocolate Workshop in action

Photograph by Tom Bamber

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14

The Importance of Linking with Organisations which Tackle

Poverty and Hardship in India

Jothi Ramalingam

I am the co-ordinator of projects and links

with Tamwed, a charity that is based in

South West England. I am also the

Secretary of the Centre for Rural Systems

and Development, an NGO that supports

thousands of poor people in rural Tamil

Nadu through Women‟s Self Help Groups.

Tamwed supports the training and work of

12 of our Community Health Workers and

has funded a programme to reintroduce

traditional herbal medicines that offers

affordable and appropriate health care.

We have hosted many visits from Tamwed

Supporters and I have given presentations

on our projects in the UK.

I was asked to write an article to show how

continued links and support for the poorest

of the poor in India is still vital.

The impressive growth and the creation of

wealth with economic liberalisation in India

has not resulted in corresponding social and

economic development across the country,

particularly among the disadvantaged.

There has been uneven expansion of

opportunities with growing disparities across

regions, caste and gender. While India‟s

Gross Domestic Product argues for its

middle income nation status, it also hides

massive poverty and many inequalities.

For example: while enrolment rates in

primary schools have improved, the

question of retention of girls in primary

education is yet to be established. And while

the figures for hunger reduction look better,

those for malnutrition in children suggests

otherwise.

Another factor is that Tribals and Dalits who

form a sizable section of the population

continue to be at the bottom in most

indicators of wellbeing. These groups are

further disadvantaged as they either do not

own land or what they have suffers from low

productivity.

It is estimated that India lost 1.8 million

children under five in 2008. India‟s record

on child malnutrition is appalling - worse

than that of sub-Saharan Africa. This

despite the overblown rhetoric about India

being an emerging economy and the

growing number of billionaire Indians. My

country heads the list of those with the

highest number of malnourished children

under the age of five, accounting for 48%.

About 7.4 million babies in India have low

birth weight (less than 2.5 kg), the highest

in the developing world says UNICEF.

Dr. Robert Yates, Senior Health adviser to

the UK‟s DFID comments that in terms of

Universal Health coverage, the system is

inequitable and unfair with a high burden on

poor families to pay for their health care,

leading to further poverty. He says that

there is a high reliance on private health

care in India, with 78% of people buying

services from their own pocket. Bill Gates

who visited India recently said that the most

common TB test here is more than 125

years old and TB drugs are more than 40

years old.

Lisa Murray, a Tamwed supporter, volunteered to spend several weeks with two of Tamwed’s NGO partners researching the effect of climate change. Her report is valuable as a reference for practical action and increasing understanding in India and the UK.

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In view of the dismal health conditions of

the poor in India and huge inequalities

of income, it is essential to continue

identifying and supporting those in India

who are not among the comparative few

who have benefited from the increase in

wealth until at least the Millennium

Development Goals are achieved.

Links such as those between Tamwed‟s

supporters in the UK and communities in

Tamil Nadu has many benefits, not least the

capacity for us to share the reality of life in

rural India in the 21st century. Our

relationship also includes practical steps to

lift people out of severe poverty and help

them to lead the healthy, self-sufficient lives

that were unknown to previous generations.

The Future

of BUILD

John

Whitaker

I was very

pleased to

become the new

Chair of BUILD

earlier this year at what is an exciting if

challenging time. I was somewhat daunted at

the prospect of following Sir Nigel Thompson.

Nigel‟s contribution as BUILD‟s first Chair was

immense; without his wise leadership and ability

to guide us in establishing BUILD‟s voice, we

would not have been successful. It was not only

Nigel who decided it was time to move on. Nick

Maurice decided that he wanted to step down as

Director, and we are in the process of appointing

a successor to him.

Many of you will know Nick from his time as

Director of UKOWLA as well as through his

direction of BUILD, UKOWLA and other BUILD

members have helped to develop a positive

environment for community partnerships and

Nick‟s successor will be able to build on a great

track record.

The DFES 2004 plan that every school should

have a partnership – not yet achieved, but there

are 3,800 links

o The DFES Global Gateway website.

o The DFID Global Awareness Fund and its

2006 statement that “the UK will....set

up a scheme to.... build partnerships”.

o DFID‟s Global School Partnerships

programme involving some 3,000 schools

in the UK, contributing to the Millennium

Development Goals.

o Lord Crisp‟s 2007 report led to DFID‟s

Health Links Schemes.

o DFID‟s Global Community Links

programme, launched in 2010.

o We worked with the Welsh Assembly

Government to develop the Gold Star

Scheme.

o We have promoted good practice, such

as the “Toolkit”, launched by Archbishop

Desmond Tutu in 2007.

o We have worked to demonstrate impact,

publishing research on the impact of

schools‟ partnerships.

o We are running programmes with the

diaspora and with Church schools.

But much remains to be done as BUILD aims to

bring these global programmes into the

mainstream of life. And we face major

challenges. In the current climate, both BUILD‟s

funding and some of the schemes we have

helped to create are threatened. As I write, the

review of the Schools and Community schemes

nears completion.

o The political context is different. The

current government is committed to aid

targets, but questions development

education as an end. Many partnerships

would agree; they see themselves as

making a difference to poverty. It is

clear that we need to make this case

loudly if we are to be viewed with

Women training to identify medicinal herbs as part of a

project initiated by a Tamwed committee member working

with experts in Tamil Nadu.

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16

sympathy within the government‟s

outcome focused approach. BUILD can

claim some success in influencing the

maintenance of DFID support for linking

partnerships, but more needs to be done

to prove their impact.

o Partnerships are not immune to the

consequences of economic turmoil.

Reduced central government, local

authority and private sector budgets

have adverse effects. BUILD recognises

that successful partnerships are rooted in

volunteerism, but not for free.

o Social patterns are mixed. Cuts in

resources put a strain on volunteer

activities, but if the Big Society is a force

for good it could benefit those who work

in links. Migration creates challenges

and opportunities. BUILD is working with

diaspora organizations to seek their

involvement in community partnerships

which can help to build social cohesion in

Britain.

o There is a potential from technological

development. Electronic media create

opportunities to build relationships, joint

work and lobbying at low cost and with

less travel Some BUILD members lead in

this field and BUILD is committed to

doing more to help its members.

o Environmental influences provide both

challenges (reducing environmental

damage) and opportunities (programmes

of work to improve the environment).

o An ongoing legal difficulty, arising from

security policies, is the avoidance of

summary application of immigration

controls, which disaffect partners‟

exchanges. BUILD has established

relations with the UK Borders Agency and

will continue to work with them to make

life easier for partners seeking visas.

Nick and the Trustees have developed a new

Strategic Plan to be shared at our next General

Meeting in September and our new Director is

committed to realizing it. In doing that I‟m sure

that he will benefit from the support of UKOWLA

and all our other members; and Nick Maurice is

committed to continue his support in whatever

ways that the Director and Trustees feel to be

appropriate.

We will rise to the challenges

FEEDBACK

Student Perceptions of

Exchange

Mick Callaghan, Huddersfield New

College

After years of assuring prospective exchange

students that taking part would alter their whole

perspective on life it occurred to us that it would

be interesting to contact former participants and

ask them to what extent this had proved true.

Here is a selection of the comments received:

Amanda (1991) I am the only member of my

family who doesn‟t live in Skelmanthorpe or the

surrounding area and I have been in Beijing for

the past 4 years, running a company with 200

employees! I think that says a lot about the

influence Tanzania had on my life. Before the

exchange I hadn't been away from home for

longer than 2/3 days. The exchange opened my

eyes to new experience, different living

conditions and a sense that no matter how little

you have and how difficult things are, people

want the same the world over, they care for

family and friends and want a good life for

themselves.

Having been to Tanzania and handled the very

different way of life there, it made me realise

that I could deal with hardship, nothing was

forever and if you made one choice it wasn't

permanent. As a result of this I became a more

confident and outgoing person which has got me

where I am today. I doubt I'd have done many of

the things I've done had it not been for the

Tanzania exchange.

I am now sponsoring the education of a young

woman who was born while I was teaching at

Moshi Tech.

Ed (2003) Going to Tanzania affected my life

significantly. After that first experience when I

was sixteen I realised how lucky I was and how I

wanted to give something back to people who

had less opportunities in life than me, as clichéd

as that sounds. I also realised that Tanzanians

could teach me so much about life just from

being around them.

I decided to go back to the same school to stay

for the entire year, teaching English. This

reaffirmed my desire to help others.

This experience has coloured my entire life since

Linking

17

then. At University I tried my best to continue

helping others, volunteering with the British Red

Cross and also I became Vice-Chair of Liverpool

Student Community Action (LSCA). I also took on

representing student rights in my students‟

union, trying to encourage participation in

volunteering.

I am now Union Vice President. I ran for this

position for many reasons - one of which was to

advance myself in my chosen career path of

International Development. It is clear now that

this is where my heart lies, and I would like

nothing more than to make a career out of

helping others.

To conclude, I would not be here now, doing

what I am doing, believing in what I believe in,

acting for the benefit of others, thinking about

my future career, without the Tanzanian

Exchange. I am extremely grateful to the

Exchange - without it, I would be without much

of what I am today.

Sarah (1998) Until the Tanzania Exchange I'd

never been on a plane, but I spent the following

10 years travelling as much as possible. At times

it has made my life more complicated (marrying

a Sri Lankan, struggling with visas and cultural

differences etc etc). But I wouldn't change it for

the world. Going to Tanzania changed my life. It

opened my eyes, my heart, broadened my

horizons, changed my values. Perhaps it's naive

to think that I can change anything, but I would

feel my life was wasted if I didn't try. I'm now

studying a masters in Education for Sustainable

Development and am going in Sept to study to

be a primary school teacher with the intention of

setting something up in Sri Lanka with my

husband.

Going to Tanzania affected every part of my life -

my values, perspectives, friends, career choices,

husband, ambitions and the way I see myself in

the world and the role I play in it. Almost

everything I've done since then is a result of my

travels and work around the world which are a

result of the amazing experience I had in

Tanzania during those 3 weeks. They gave me a

real thirst not for travel but for meeting people

from other cultures and learning from them and

sharing my knowledge with them; teaching in

Tanzania, working on a Microfinance project in

India, helping in Sri Lanka after the tsunami.

When, like now, I'm unable to travel due to

money/career, I seek out other cultures and

projects to do here that will maintain that

connection.

I'm not sure I‟m in a more authoritative position

to talk about what's right/wrong in the world but

I do feel that I have experienced more and have

a better understanding of the world than many

other people. I feel that all teachers should be

encouraged to spend time in a developing

country.

I'm still in regular contact with lots of friends

from Tanzania.

Thank you for all of this.

Vicky (1998) When you grow up in a small

village you can be somewhat ignorant of other

cultures in the world. The Tanzanian exchange

gave me the opportunity to experience a very

different culture, which made me want to see

more. I'm sure without the exchange opportunity

my thirst to travel to such corners of the world

would not have come about in the same way, to

meet new people and to appreciate their values

and the way in which they live.

Ultimately I made life-long friends. I have seen

some of them since, others I maintain email

contact with. I also find I have an interest in

what is happening in the developing world and

get frustrated that many forget or choose to

ignore it. I don't think I have more right to bang

on about such subjects but feel happy to have a

heated conversation and enjoy expressing my

opinion on the subject!!

Robert (2001) Teaching in Tanzania inspired

me to become a teacher. I still have close links

with Tanzania. E Mail and text make it much

easier to keep in contact now than it was in my

day! A couple of years ago I returned to Moshi

and it was wonderful to see old friends again.

There is one friend in particular whom I text

regularly, and I even phoned him during a class

to illustrate to my students the reality of

globalization.

Greg (1993) Spending a year in Tanzania has

left me with a much more positive perspective in

serious situations. Do I feel in a more

authoritative position to bang on about what‟s

right and what‟s wrong in the world than people

who haven‟t experienced first hand what life is

like in the developing world? Sadly, yes.

Do I maintain any contacts with people in

Tanzania? Facebook is my last refuge of

communication with people who don't live with

me. Happily I‟m still in touch with the sons of the

Tanzanian family who lived next door.

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18

Tom (1997) I'm currently in the last few

months of my PhD, on Wachagga and

Kilimanjaro. If it wasn't for the exchange, I

wouldn't be doing a PhD in African Studies.

Pretty much everything I've done since is

because of that. Some of my longest and best

friends are Tanzanian people I met on the

exchange.

A trip to a developing country is bound to affect a

16 year-old, but it is also the form and nature of

that visit that is key. The "Exchange Doctrine" of

communication between Yorkshire and Tanzanian

people creates a strong impression. The

exchange is not about 'development' of Africa per

se, it is about equal communication between

members of different cultures. This is what

differentiates it from a lot of school trips to

Africa. The exchange helps with generating an

understanding of Africa that is not portraying

Africa as a helpless victim that needs to be

developed. Obviously, we see many of the issues

that Tanzania and Kilimanjaro face, but far more

important is the people that we talk to and

communicate with.

I believe that this has had a long-standing

impact on me.

Plus, the exchange has been a continual source

of great stories, particularly the time when the

policeman asked if I was your wife....

Global School Partnerships has

positive impact on UK pupils‟

global learning

Research carried out by the National

Foundation for Educational Research (NFER)

shows that the Global School Partnerships (GSP)

programme successfully supports schools in

developing UK pupils‟ understanding of the big

global issues.

“The evidence from this research

indicates that the GSP programme

has made a significant positive

impact on the learning and

attitudes of girls and boys in

primary and secondary schools

throughout the UK.”

In its eighth year the programme has supported

more than 3,800 learning partnerships to

motivate young people‟s commitment to a fairer,

more sustainable world. UK schools with their

partners in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean or Latin

America can access support, guidance and grants

to make the most of their partnership as an

educational tool.

The report highlights that the nature of the

relationship with the partner school as „a two-

way exchange, working and learning together

rather than simply providing charitable support‟

is, perhaps, the most important difference

between GSP schools and those with no

involvement in the programme.

Positive impact was evident across the range of

GSP schools, and the most significant differences

were seen in well-established school partnerships

where the principles and values of the

programme had become embedded in whole-

school policy over time.

“Pupils in GSP schools had a clearer

understanding of interdependence,

and were able to give specific

examples of how our actions impact

on poorer countries… They were

also more informed about the

factors that contribute towards

inequality amongst different

countries.”

Teachers in GSP schools said that the

programme had not only benefitted their schools

and pupils, but also their own personal and

professional development. Many have taken part

in global learning courses and are actively

teaching themes of global citizenship, sustainable

development, interdependence and conflict

resolution. They report that global education has

brought „vibrancy and relevance to the learning

in their classrooms‟ and they believe that their

partnerships will continue to develop.

For further details of this research go to

www.nfer.ac.uk/GSP1

Olympic Games and BBC World Class “Twin for 2012”

A new project has sprung up relating to the World Service in which the BBC are making short films aimed at schools. This is a free

resource. Details are at http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/oly

mpic_games/world_olympic_dreams/9512071.stm

19

Notice Board

As part of the Global School Partnerships

programme, opportunities are available for

school staff and governors involved in global

citizenship.

Expanding Communities Partnerships

Seminars

Schools and their local communities are invited

to attend the seminars, which will facilitate the

formation of new global school partnerships. The

schools are supported by the community links

and the Global School Partnerships team at the

point of registration- and beyond. Places are free

to school staff, governors and community link

leaders. Previous seminars have attracted plenty

of interest, and booking is essential.

“The seminar gave me many ideas to help make

our partnership sustainable and an integral part

of our curriculum.”

“Very motivating- sharing ideas and making

links.”

“A well organised seminar involving a range of

people.”

Partner Finding Conferences

Previous conferences have demonstrated the

great value of involving Southern country Global

School Partnerships‟ personnel at the

conferences to inform delegates through first

hand experience about the country and the

schools there. New school partnerships arising

from the conferences are progressing well.

“Excellent meeting of expectation.”

“A most valuable and inspiring conference.”

“Excellent delivery- clear presentations, relaxed

but informative.”

Further conferences are planned for the autumn

term.

Please contact Sarah Hamlet at

sarah@ukowla.org.uk for information about any of

the above events.

Global School Partnerships is funded by UKaid from

the Department for International Development and

managed by the British Council, Cambridge Education

Foundation, UKOWLA and VSO.

Health Partnership Scheme announced by THET

Funded by the UK government‟s Department for

International Development, the Health

Partnership Scheme will harness the expertise

of UK health professionals to improve health

outcomes by transferring skills and supporting

skills development in low income countries, as

well as through promoting UK involvement in

volunteering. Activities will be wide-ranging and

include training and capacity-building for staff,

providing practical skills, continuing professional

development, and curriculum development.

Further information is on the THET website –

www.thet.org/health-partnership-scheme

The Queen‟s Diamond Jubilee Beacons Next year is the 60th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne. There are plans for beacons to be lit around the UK on 4th June 2012 and for these to be seen as a celebration of the ''Commonwealth in our midst" by

a) encouraging people from Commonwealth countries living in the UK to be present at the lighting of the beacons,

b) for them to display the flags of their countries and

c) to serve up the food of their countries at the beacons. More information at www.diamondjubileebeacons.co.uk

Visas (A note from Mike Carrick)

The applications (in the Gambia) were for a

teacher and two students. Initially the

teacher's application was granted without

problem. The problem for the students

20

Notice Board

arose because initially the letters of

approval from the parents of the two

students were not completely correct and

they were included in the pack containing

the teacher's application instead of being in

the packs of the students' applications.

So it was necessary to: 1. Obtain for each student an original letter

addressed not to the school but to the UK

Border Agency, and signed by each parent

or guardian, not just one (difficult since they

were in different parts of the country). 2. Include the letter in the application pack

of the student concerned. Probably because there was a letter of

commendation from our MP and from

UKOWLA, in effect three attempts were

allowed without a formal appeal or any

extra cost. So I suppose it just shows how meticulous

the application must be, and to get things

perfect is not easy in a developing country.

DFID Development Awareness Review - Outcome

The review, which can be found on the DFID

web site (www.dfid.gov.uk), concluded that

there is insufficient evidence that

development awareness projects contribute

to reducing poverty. As a result, the

Secretary of State has taken the following decisions:

DFID remains committed to

development education through the

school system. With the support of

Michael Gove, the Secretary of State

for Education, our current education

work will continue and we will

complete the on-going procurement

exercise for the Global Learning

Project. DFID will also continue to support school linking programmes.

DFID will provide no new funding for

development awareness

programmes. However, existing

funding commitments for

development awareness will be

allowed to continue to completion. As

always, it is critical that the projects

DFID funds demonstrate results and

impact. The use of aid funds for

development awareness will be

scrutinised very closely. Projects

which are failing to meet their

objectives, or which are not

demonstrating that their activities

are achieving higher levels of public

awareness/support for development, will be closed.

Our work with Community Linking

will be refocused to place greater

emphasis on the transfer of skills and development impact.

DFID will make further announcements in this area shortly.

Deadline for the next edition of OWL is December 31st

.

Articles, letters and photographs all

welcome. Please ensure that appropriate

permissions have been obtained for

photographs.

Contact:

Lynn Cutler – Director

UKOWLA

The Glade Centre

Frog Lane

Ilminster

Somerset TA19 0AP

Why not join UKOWLA? Subscriptions run for a year

Local Authorities £115

Community Groups £35

Schools £35

Individuals £20

Annual Newsletter £10

Registered Charity Number 1105005 Registered in England and Wales Number 4153210

AGM Notice

The AGM will be held on Saturday

November 19th at Dale Street Methodist

Church, Leamington Spa. As usual there

will be a supporting programme and

details will be circulated to members

shortly.