Actionaid was present and was once again unhappy to observe that the ordinary voices of Afghanistan were severely underrepresented . Of the 70 panelists only one was representative of wider Afghans and women were barely represented, this is the same shocking inequality that Actionaid reported last year at this same conference.

Afghanistan is a country characterized by internal conflict and warfare, women do not enjoy a high level of autonomy and human rights violations are far too common. Actionaid works closely with Afghani children through their sponsor a child programs along with other initiatives. A high premium is placed upon encouraging equal opportunities between young men and young women. It was therefore upsetting to see the country not taking steps toward enacting these changes on a larger scale.

Richard Miller, Executive Director of ActionAid UK said: “There have been numerous conferences on Afghanistan in the past ten years, all of which have delivered little in real terms for the Afghan people who have suffered from years of violence and a lack of good development. It is essential that the voices of ordinary Afghans, including women, are heard at this conference as what is decided here will affect them more than anyone else.”

“Aid in Afghanistan, in the view of the Afghan people, seems always to ‘follow the boots’- it is concentrated in areas where there is a military presence, meaning that vast parts of the country are neglected. Such a strategy has invariably fuelled resentment and violence in the provinces that have received less money, creating an endless cycle of conflict which continually feeds on itself.”

Actionaid has also been vocal in the international community, warning that an increase in aid will be ineffectual in creating greater security unless there is a large – scale reconsideration of how aid is spent. Larger equality and more inclusion is the key to great security and a more stable economy within this country.

Actionaid obtained data from an internal ASDA survey and used this information to compile its report which showed that the chain is lagging behind its competitors Marks and Spencer and Primark with regard to overall working conditions, wages and hours. The most alarming instance of underpaying is happening in Bangladesh where employees earn only one quarter of the money they need to feed and clothe their families.

Dominic Eagleton, ActionAid policy advisor, said:

“Asda claims to be a family friendly supermarket but there’s a dark side to its operations. Families are being kept in poverty because Asda’s wages are so low. Women who make Asda’s clothes in factories in India, Bangladesh and other Asian countries struggle to feed their families despite working long hours in deplorable conditions.

“The scandal is that it doesn’t have to be like this. Our new calculations show that if the supermarket paid just 2p extra on every £4 t-shirt it buys from India, it would double workers’ wages and take them out of poverty.”

The report explains that an increase to a living wage would not have to cost consumers. ASDA nets millions of pounds everyday and can well afford  to bring wages up to a fair and reasonable level. They would also then be on par with their competitors who provide their employees with a reasonable wage, which is the right thing to do.

“Asda claims it is improving workers pay but its efforts are limited, or are simply gimmicks, such as installing webcams so customers can monitor factory conditions. But the truth is Asda is falling behind its competitors such as Marks and Spencer and Next. Even Primark’s plans to improve workers’ pay are better than Asda’s.

Actionaid is demanding several changes take place to improve working conditions, they are:

-That Asda publicly commit to pay a living wage, as defined by the Asia Floor Wage coalition, and publish a timetable for implementation.

-That Asda ensures that prices paid to factory suppliers cover the cost of a living wage.

-That Asda ensures that workers and their representatives are central to the implementation of a living wage, and promotes trade union rights in factories.

Actionaid is part of a collective that strives to provide a living wage for workers across Asia and this is only one of their many initiatives that help people in the developing world to have a better quality of life. You can help support their activities today and make a difference.

WHERE IS AID BEING SPENT?

Instead of funding programmes that will work to reduce poverty in developing nations the report shows instances of funds supporting such initiatives as Naval boats for coastal patrol in Nicaragua, odour control for food plants in Germany and biofuel production in South Africa.

The brief is entitled ‘The $20 billion question: has the G8 delivered on its hunger promises’ and outlines that in tough economic conditions, the poorest factions of society are always the first, and the hardest hit. While the G8 members pledged $20 billion in aid, there is no indication of how much money has actually been delivered to date, or any indication of how it will be distributed.

BROKEN PLEDGES

Meredith Alexander, Head of G8 policy at ActionAid said: “Last year we applauded the G8 for pledging over $20 billion for agriculture to fight hunger in Africa. A promise  is a promise – now the bill is due.

“Rich countries cannot honestly expect the world to believe that giving boats to the Nicaraguan navy or investing in biofuels in Africa will put food into the mouths of hungry people or help save the lives of the 4.4 million children who die because of hunger-related illnesses every year.”

With concerns about funding on everyone’s mind, the report points out that the G8 is in real danger of not attaining their goal of reducing the escalating maternal and child mortality rates in poorer nations. Malnutrition is a contributing factor in most instances and the G8 funds have not managed to increase food supplies as pledged.

“Preventing deaths amongst children and mothers needs more than just increasing the number of doctors and nurses.  Malnurioushed children are twelve times more likely to die from easily preventable diseases. If G8 leaders truly want to make a difference they should focus on delivering on past promises.”

Actionaid is committed to transparency where aid is concerned and they work directly with communities to ensure all donations are invested into poverty reduction initiatives and benefit the children and parents directly.

One of the key areas to tackle in breaking the cycle of poverty is education, for children as well as for adults.  In several countries ActionAid has worked with local population to devise individual programmes and approaches to education that will work with people’s existing workloads and lifestyles.

Below are a few examples of ActionAids work in Africa.

In Ghana, ActionAid has designed a series of informal education centres which take a flexible approach and operate around children’s other duties.  They offer less formal structure with the same curriculum as other comparable institutions.  They also work with local adults to repair and improve primary school buildings and assist with training teachers from the local communities thereby providing employment opportunities.  ActionAid is also enjoying higher than average success rates with their adult literacy programme “reflect” designed to meet the needs of people learning while balancing working and supporting a family.

Ethiopia has a population of almost 70 million people, 69% of which are unable to read or write and lack any kind of education.   ActionAid works with 700,000 of the country’s poorest inhabitants to teach basic literacy skills and economics to allow for greater autonomy.

In Liberia ActionAid is enjoying good results with their youth social and economic reintegration programme which helps former child soldiers to learn skills that will allow them to become economically independent.  Skills such as; carpentry, masonry, agriculture and animal husbandry, all useful skills in the local industries.

In Malawi, ActionAid is paying particular attention to the problems that bar females from continuing with their education. Local, cultural expectations dictate that women be the first to give up their education and marry to support their families, leaving them with no manner of supporting themselves later in life.  ActionAid is working with local partners to provide mentors, safe housing for female teachers in rural areas and workshops for those women that wish to return to education. There is also a programme in place to education women about their rights within marriage in Malawi.

These are just a few examples of how ActionAid’s tailored approach to education is making  a positive difference in the lives of others, why not help this success to continue?

HELP ACTIONAID

As Vietnam is a primarily agrarian population, any change in climate or environmental make-up could seriously effect people’s livelihoods.  This is exactly what has taken place in many small communities across the country.  Those who live of of their land are finding it overused, overworked and are barely able to grow enough food to sustain themselves.

Amenities that were formally subsidised by the state-such as seeds and tools, have now been cut back and are only accessible on the market where most cannot afford to purchase them.

ActionAid began working in Vietnam in 1989 and since then has managed to partner with several government ministries and community groups in an effort to contribute to more egalitarian policies and procedures.  By influencing decisions at the governmental level and working through established channels such as funding allocation and public policy, ActionAid is contributing to larger, more effective changes for the good.

ActionAid has also worked in conjunction with the Water Users’ Association to upgrade the canal system that supplies fresh water to more remote areas.  This ensures the water is safe and drinkable and removes the need for inhabitants to fight over water as it is delivered directly to every plot.  An occurance, one inhabitant tells us, that was all too common before this improvement took place.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH ACTIONAID

ActionAid has divided its efforts into Food distribution, supplying immediate shelter, hygiene essentials and health and psychological support.  

They are focusing on the Mariani area of Port-au-Prince, as well as providing support in Philippeau (south-west) and Jacmel (south-east) through their partner organisation CROSE. 

ActionAid has reported that they have managed to supply 14, 400 people with foodstuffs, the supplies are delivered in 15 day cycles to families or groups.  Each package contains high protein food that will keep for longer periods, flour, rice, sugar and various other supplies designed to deliver key vitamins and nutrients.  

1,000 hygiene kits have been given out and supply people with things such as soap, toothpaste and even plastic bowls.  While tarpaulins have served as a short-term solution to the larger problem of shelter for hundreds of people in an attempt to keep as many as possible out of the elements while longer-term solutions are devised. 

ActionAid has linked up with a group of 10 Haitian doctors who have been working in five out of the six camps in Mariani.  Over a thousand people have received help from these professionals, both physiological and psychological.  ActionAid has delivered a group of volunteers who are assisting with victims of trauma, helping people form committees and rebuild their community connections.  

This is all part of ActionAid’s 3 year earthquake rehabilitation programme.  It is important to maintain commitment to helping communities who have suffered such a disaster long after the media spotlight has left to shine elsewhere.  It is this continued support that ActionAid supplies, favouring long-term solutions that recreate autonomy in a community rather than a quick imposition of structure that may well clash with community ideals and populations.

HELP THROUGH ACTIONAID

Country Director of ActionAid Ghana, Ms. Adwoa Kwateng-Kluvitse spoke to the assembled journalists of the charity’s concern that many impoverished areas could be pushed further into destitution by the actions of the bio-fuel industry.

But her speech also contained words of hope for the country, as she praised the government’s decision to not sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), a trade partnership agreement between EU and African/Caribbean countries.

Ms. Kwateng-Kluvitse said the issue of production of bio-fuel in the country was of immense concern to the organisation. She explained the range of problems that were wrapped up in the industry’s activities, including huge implications for food security, land usage, environmental and human rights as a result of the unregulated upsurge of bio-fuel companies into the country.

She said Ghana needed to have a holistic energy policy including bio-fuel companies which protected its citizenry from unscrupulous bio-fuel companies.

“We need to ensure that there is accessible and fertile land for the next generation of farmers. We need to ensure that the economic trees that many women depend on are not destroyed and also the bio-diversity of the environment is not compromised by this mono cropping of huge acres of Jatropha,”

The proposed EPA was seen as an extension of this transferring of control from local people to international companies, and Ms Kwaten-Kluvitse explained how after careful analysis of the agreement, ActionAid Ghana did not see any benefit accruing to Ghanaians and other small scale farmers.

“Rather the benefit of opening our markets would accrue to Europe. We would therefore commend government and encourage it to scrutinise the agreement and not be coerced or inveigled to sign it.”

Ms. Kwateng-Kluvitse noted the tremendous achievements of the NGO over the last 20 years, including the building of 91 schools, four childhood development centres, 16 nurses’ and teachers’ quarters, a clinic, 17 dams and tube wells, 13 grinding mills, 23 farmers’ centres, numerous seed and grain banks.

But for Ms Kwateng-Kluvitse, their successes of the past are no more than a promise of what they can achieve in the future:

“Over the next 20 years Actionaid Ghana is committed to doing what we have been doing even better, we want to build people’s power to work with each other and build their confidence and power within to act on the courage of their convictions, holding duty bearers to account. That is the only way we can truly End poverty. Together.”

SPONSOR A CHILD WITH ACTIONAID TODAY

The situation is Haiti is gradually moving out of the emergency relief phase and towards establishing measures for long-term recovery.

Immediately after the earthquake, ActionAid distributed emergency food rations to 2,700 children. Since then, a rolling programme of food distribution has reached 14,400 of the most vulnerable.

Food kits are now distributed in cycles, with each family receiving enough food to last a family of six for 15 days.

SOS Children’s Villages are now approaching full capacity of 500 children living in their safe haven and SOS family houses.

Basic facilities including toilets, washing, cooking and sleeping accommodation is in place. Each family house which typically until a month ago had a mother and ten children in four bedrooms now has twenty children and several additional adults.

The additional children put into the houses are all the youngest ones. The situation is abnormal but quality of care is being assured – starting from proper clothing and shoes to a place to sleep, nutrition and health.

The focus now for SOS Children’s Villages is looking and planning toward some sort of education and “normal” structured activities for children.

Tents are placed on the village site to organise the care of children during the day with focus on learning and healing through play.

This movement towards rebuilding communities will be centred around the distribution points. Area leaders will be assigned to take responsibility for food distribution in each zone as well as supervise community leaders running food distribution points, which are set to become key areas for providing more advanced, sustainable forms of aid.

At the moment the “distribution points“ mainly function as basic aid spots (such as providing food for the children) but they are being developed to provide other services including day-time safe havens for children.

Another area that both ActionAid and SOS Children’s Villages are focussing their efforts on is helping families to cope with the psychological damage caused by the earthquake.

Dolyin Lymarie is part of a team of five SOS psychologists currently engaged in working with traumatised children in Haiti.

She works with a group of children from age 6 to 10 and has organised what she labels “emotional recuperation activities”.

In their interaction with the professional SOS psychologist the children sing together, play games and are asked to make a drawing of a teddy bear – all as part of an effort to provide them with a space to express themselves and learn about their own body parts, so that they have the language to explain where it might hurt. Also, it is important to give the children a sense of self-value and that they are part of the SOS community.

ActionAid meanwhile have been training volunteers from partner organisation COZPAM on how to provide psychosocial care and support to people.

These volunteers are now working in Mariani to reach 2,000 families alongside other volunteers who have been trained to help people get back to work and mobilize communities to form committees. It is hoped that these committees will play a crucial role in helping to decide how their communities should be rebuilt.

The most immediate concern that both charities have is providing shelter for families to protect them from the imminent rainy season

Daniel Gedeon, ActionAid’s Emergency Response Manager in Haiti, said: “The rains have started in Port-au-Prince and people will find it very difficult to cope without tents or tarpaulin sheets. It is extremely important that the people get plastic sheeting or tarpaulins to waterproof what little shelter they have, otherwise they will find it very hard to cope through the next few months.”

Both charities are working to ensure that the hope that they have provided through their efforts since the earthquake struck is not washed away by the rainy season.

SPONSOR AN ORPHAN IN HAITI WITH SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGES

SPONSOR A CHILD WITIH ACTIONAID

ActionAid is urging UK government to take action and end these appalling abuses through foreign policy initiatives immediately.  

The report entitled “Destined to fail? How violence against women is undoing development” exposes such shocking statistics as the fact that one in three women worldwide will experience abuse at some point in their lives.  

The report offers solutions in the form of suggesting the UK look to the U.S. and appoint a Minister on violence against women, ensuring that this issue would be foremost in aid, development and foreign policy projects.  

The report goes on to point out the economic as well as social and psychological costs in an effort to speak to the multi-dimensional damage these abuses incur. Policing costs, hospital expenses as well as missed work or education are all detrimental effects caused by the abuse of women all over the globe.

Zohra Moosa, the report’s author, said: “Violence against women is an appalling but depressingly common abuse of women’s rights. We can’t afford to ignore its impact on individuals and upon whole societies.

“Violence against women is a fundamental barrier to eradicating poverty. It drains public resources, undermines human capital and lowers economic productivity. Half the world is unable to fully meet the challenges of the day because they are fighting for their safety.

“That’s why the government must follow America’s lead and create a Minister whose job is to put ending violence against women at the heart of the UK’s foreign policy. Women’s right to live free of violence is falling through the cracks because no one is directly responsible for monitoring it.”

The international community has been remiss in its attention to this issue and the hope is this ministerial position will help to prioritise this pressing and serious problem.

SPONSOR A CHILD WITH ACTIONAID

Although the London-based mining company denies the allegations, the accusation from the international NGO come as another British investor removed its stake citing serious concerns about Vedanta’s approach to human rights and the environment.

The Joseph Rowntree Trust announced its withdrawal just after the Church of England announced its removal from the project citing similar concerns. The company, along with two other investors, has sold its shares of the project totaling GBP two million.

Vedanta has been widely criticised by activist groups who claim the company’s projects will have a damaging impact on the environment and the wellbeing of local people. The allegations are generally centered around the company’s activity in the Niyamgiri Hills in Orissa that is said to threaten the environmental diversity and the livelihood of the Dongria Kondh that live in the region.

All decisions to withdraw have been welcomed by Action Aid who praises the companies for forming a “principled stand against a company under fire for its ethics,” according to Meredith Alexander, head of trade and corporates for the NGO.

“Companies from across the world are withdrawing their stakes from Vedanta. But the Indian government is not listening to the voices of 8,000 Kondh tribals in Orissa,” said Action Aid officer Parvinder Singh.

Action Aid claims there has been “widespread human rights violations” by the Vedanta project in the Niyamgiri ranges in the Kalahandi district of Orissa and called on the government to take action against the mining giant.

But Vedanta isn’t taking the accusations lightly and has since lashed out against Action Aid and other organizations opposing the project.

“Vedanta is coming up with enormous investments in Kalahandi with highly focused socioeconomic programmes for the uplift of the the underpriviledged people of the region, including the Dongria Kondh tribals,” said Vedanta Aluminium chief operating officer Mukesh Kumar.

“It is very surprising how these NGOs are challenging the highest judiciary, the country’s robust regulatory system, and sovereignty and the integrity of the Government of India,” he added.

Additionally, Kumar claims the company will invest more than Rs 6 billion in the socioeconomic development of the region once its mining projects are commissioned.

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By Taylor Turner

The impoverished but mineral-rich state has long been at the centre of controversy since the London-based Vedanta Resources began extracting bauxite from what the Dongria Kondh tribe refers to as their sacred mountain, called Niyamgiri

Vedanta has been accused of depriving members of the tribe of basic human rights, although the company has adamantly denied the allegations and says its mining activity does not violate any rights of the indigenous tribespeople and all their projects are conducted within the boundaries of international law.

But ActionAid says approximately 8000 people will be affected by the mining plans, which have been on hold since 2005 because of the aforementioned social and environmental concerns.

Although the company denies any wrongdoing, four major international investors, including the Church of England, have already sold their stocks in the company citing ethical concerns about the project.

Although the company is still awaiting full clearance, Vedanta has already built an alumina refinery at the base of the Niyamgiri Mountain in anticipation of the planned project.

In the same location, hundreds of skeptical members of the Dongria Kondh tribe gather to worship the mountain god, Niyam Rajah, whom they believe provides life necessities such as food, water, shelter and medicine.

Activists say the mining plan would wipe out hundreds of species of plants with medicinal usages, centuries-old trees and many perennial streams that flow down the mountain.

With nearly 40 per cent of the Orissa population sitting below the poverty line, the federal government and various companies argue that exploiting lucrative minerals such as iron and bauxite is the only answer.

Although activists like ActionAid and Vedanta both claim to have the support of the tribespeople, the locals themselves actually seem to be divided on the issue.

“Some of the villages want the mine, but many do not,” said local resident Tudu Majhi. “We want development but does it have to be at the expense of our mountain?”

By Taylor Turner

The organization released a statement saying that women’s access and control of resources plays a crucial role in fighting hunger worldwide, as the majority of the billion hungry people around the world are in fact women.

ActionAid says women are responsible for approximately 60 to 80 per cent of food production in developing countries.

However due to a lack of access to credit and equipment, women actually own less than 2 per cent of land in the world and rural women in Africa receive less than 10 per cent of the continent’s available credit.

Everjoice Win, head of women’s rights for ActionAid, says women’s status as farmers worldwide needs better recognition, and that women themselves should have access to more rights.

“Women toil in most of the world’s fields, from planting potatoes in South America to harvesting maize in Africa or sowing rice in the waterlogged farms of Asia,” she said. “Yet many do not own the land they work and cannot access extension services, subsidised credit or join co-operatives and farmers unions.”

Despite some progress after the United Nations 4th Conference on Women in 1995, ActionAid says women in many countries are still denied basic rights, such as the right to own, control or inherit land, largely due to the lack of political representation.

Win says women farmers are forced to fight governments and companies for access to land which is rapidly being slated for the production of biofuels and other corporate crops.

Additionally, she says eliminating discrimination is “essential” to ending the impoverishment of millions of women worldwide and contributing to sustainable development.

“As the world’s largest donor of development aid, the EU also has a duty to ensure that its money is available to those who need it most,” she said. “Women small holder farmers hold the key to ending hunger. They need our support.”

By Taylor Turner

ActionAid estimates that 100 million people could be hunger stricken if the UK and the

According to the ActionAid report ‘Meals per gallon: the impact of industrial biofuels on people and global hunger’, the EU’s commitment to obtain 10% transport fuel from renewable resources by 2020 is likely to be fulfilled by industrial biofuels.

Achieving the 2020 target will be assisted by an estimated subsidy of €13.7 billion per annum.

Biofuels made on an industrial scale from agricultural crops are partly blamed for a 30% global food price hike since 2008.

The report states that the industrial demand will especially harm the poor in developing countries by leading to a sharp rise in world’s hunger and starvation index.

Tim Rice, the report author, said: “Biofuels are driving a global human tragedy. Local food prices have already risen massively. As biofuel production gains pace, this can only accelerate.”

ActionAid estimates a worldwide increase of up to 600 million going hungry in order to feed EU’s biofuel consumption with 16 million people going hungry for every 1% rise in the price of food.

And the charity says that it’s not just hunger, the biofuel drive is effecting the environment as well by leading to a global increase of land grabbing, especially in developing countries, driving people out of work and leading to massive deforestation.

As the EU nations get close to finalising 10 year national action plans for renewable strategies, ActionAid is calling on UK and other nations to ensure capping of industrial biofuel consumption and promotion of sustainable biofuels.

by Pallavi Malhotra

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The discussion will largely be seeking to reach agreement not only on the future of the Kyoto protocol but also how to stop developing countries weather the negative impact of climate change. Third world countries have contributed the least to carbon emissions but are already appearing to be the first to pay – such as the significant flooding and droughts we’ve seen this year in Africa.

The Copenhagen Summit might see the world leaders that can bring change come together, but has the Kyoto protocol even changed anything so far?

The answer, quite simply is ‘no’. Since the Kyoto protocol was implicated in 2005 we have seen a lot of talk, but little change.

The largest emitters, China and US are still arguing over who will cease their massive output of emissions first and failing to agree to a climate change pact. Whilst Japan, the world’s 5th largest emitter, are far from cutting their carbon emissions to meet their Kyoto protocol obligations despite seeing a decline of 6% since March 2009.

However, this slight drop, rather than in any effort to react to climate change effects, seems more attributed to the current climate:
“I don’t think (CO2 emissions) are peaking out because if and when the economy picks up, it is highly likely we will see CO2 emissions rising,” director of the ministry’s energy policy planning office, Takashi Ishizaki, noted in a news conference.

We are still a huge way away from achieving the 60% to 80% global emissions cut by 2020 needed to avert the worst implications of climate change.

On top of that the sheer fact that on the top of the topic board for the Copenhagen summit is aiding the devastation on developing countries shows we’re already starting to react to the impact of global warming, rather than acting to stop it.

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We might be wrapped up in our own worries of economic downturn and rising unemployment in the UK but as the recession deepens and job losses increase, millions in the likes of Cambodia, are struggling for survival.

It is often difficult to measure or even comprehend how our instability spreads overseas, but this ActionAid announcement and appeal is an urgent reminder that we are not the only ones affected, and often to a much larger degree.

In such troubling times charity is the first to suffer and despite the amazing public support ActionAid continually recieve, income is reportedly down. Consequently there are an estimated 5,000 children left unsponsered this year. ActionAid need another 558,000 or community work will be forced to be compromised.

Whilst the fall in the British economy has been expected to have slowed, the knock-on effects are still largely evident across the world, especially in developing countries.

Cambodia, for example, are being destroyed by the recession. Rising food prices have caused families to struggle to eat whilst lack of charity donations have caused Action Aid work programmes to suffer.

Though in poverty, since 1993 the country has been stabilising and ActionAid later started work in 1999 in Cambodia. A full country progamme was launched by 2004 to help educate, feed and further strengthen the country.

This however could be a big step back in what has otherwise been a successful operation in one of the developing countries that has never had a real chance to rejuvanate.

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It was by no means a deluge, but hope springs eternal in Africa and it’s brought new optimism about the forthcoming short rain season, traditionally October to December, and the prospects of relief from four years of inadequate precipitation.

However, there are no guarantees and ActionAid, the emergency relief and development charity, has warned that 10 million people, a quarter of the Kenyan population, are suffering food shortages.

It’s certainly not a 1980′s Ethiopian-scale crisis yet, although people are starting to die. But if the rains remain elusive for a fifth year, the current food shortages will quickly develop into starvation without a large-scale relief effort.

Yusuf Artan of ActionAid said: “The rains have been inadequate for the last four years and a quarter of Kenya’s population. 10 million people, are now in dire need of food aid. The livestock still hasn’t recovered from the 2005 drought and already we have to confront a new drought. The drought cycle is getting shorter and shorter – every three years instead of every 10.”

As Artan suggested, drought is not a new thing in Kenya. Much of the country is arid rangeland suitable only for nomadic pastoralism and over generations people have developed coping strategies to help survive the regular periods when the rains failed.

Based on past experience, pastoralists could often anticipate drought and reduce herds sizes, send cattle to relatives in other less drought-afflicated areas and neighbours often agreed to share limited water and grazing resources.

The problem is the increased frequency of the droughts which is rendering such strategies obsolete.

Leina Mpoke of Concern Worldwide said “In the past we used to have regular 10-year climatic cycles which were always followed by a major drought. In the 1970s we started having droughts every seven years. In the 1980s they came about every five years and in the 1990s we were getting droughts and dry spells almost every two or three years. Since 2000 we have had three major droughts and several dry spells. Now they are coming almost every year, right across the country.”

It takes time for pastoralists to recover from a drought. Herds build up in strength and vitality given a run of good rain years. But back-to-back droughts do not allow for this.

There can be little doubt that Kenya is experiencing devastating climate change, here, now in 2009, not in some modelled, scientifically predicted future. Whether it’s man-made is subject to debate but that’s irrelevant to those faced with, at best, the abandonment of livelihoods that have served their families for generations.

Mpoke refers to other environment impacts: “The frequency of heatwaves is increasing. Temperatures are generally more extreme, water is evaporating faster, and the wells are drying. Larger areas are being affected by droughts, and flooding is now more serious. We are seeing that the seasons have changed. The cold months used to be only in June and July but now they start earlier and last longer. We have more unpredictable, extreme weather. It is hotter than it used to be and it stays hotter for longer. The rain has become more sporadic. It comes at different times of the year now and farmers cannot tell when to plant. There are more epidemics for people and animals.”

It’s no longer a case of coping, more one of survival, and many pastoralists are abandoning their nomadic lifestyles in the face of impossible conditions.

Hawa Hassan has recently settled in Makutano, not far from the border with Somalia: “We have no water and no food. We have left the pastures because we have lost so many goats. We had to come here to seek assistance. For the past two months we have talked and talked about making this decision. We waited because we thought there might be some rain. I’m not sad that I came. I can get water here. I don’t want to leave my life. If I could get some goats then I would return to herding. I can’t feel good about being in a settlement. It has been forced on me. I don’t wish it for my life.”

An estimated 170,000 head of cattle have died as a result of the drought so far and people are now dying from starvation related illnesses and conflict over the few resources that remain.

The United Nations Humanitarian Office reports at least 38 Kenyans have been killed in recent conflicts over food and water. And yesterday at least 31 people were reportedly killed in Laikipia District in a cattle rustling incident blamed on the drought.

The World Bank’s, World Development Report 2010: Development and Climate Change,  launched simultaneously in Nairobi and Washington yesterday, did little to engender a sense of optimism: the report identified Kenya as one of the countries likely to be hardest hit by climate change.

Climate change is already hitting many Kenyans hard and there’s little they can do but cross their fingers for rain next month and again in April / May 2010, traditionally the time of the long rains.

ActionAid however is not waiting and has recently distributed US$25,000 worth of food supplies to the hardest hit communities. Much more maybe needed in coming months.

Quotes taken from the following articles:

John Vidal, ‘Climate change is here, it is a reality’, The Guardian

Peter Beaumont, The last nomads: drought drives Kenya’s herders to the brink, The Guardian

SPONSOR AN AFRICAN CHILD WITH ACTIONAID

Here we review four CHILD SPONSORSHIP charities:

SPONSOR A CHILD with SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGES
SPONSOR A CHILD with PLAN
SPONSOR A CHILD with ACTIONAID
SPONSOR A CHILD with WORLDVISION

SPONSOR A CHILD with SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGES
Minimum Monthly Child Sponsorship – £20
Child Sponsor Choice – 100+ countries

SOS differ from other programmes as the work is focused primarily on orphan or abandoned children. In addition, donors can choose to sponsor a child in over 100 different countries worldwide and select specific projects within each country. Sponsorship is used to provide families for orphan or abandoned children.

SPONSOR A CHILD with PLAN
Minimum Monthly Child Sponsorship - £12
Child Sponsor Choice – 5 regions

In contrast to SOS, Plan child sponsorship programmes focus on developing a community in which a child lives with their family. Plan work in around 50 countries worldwide and donors can select from 5 regions – Africa, Asia, South-east Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Sponsorship is used for education, healthcare and clean water systems.

SPONSOR A CHILD with ACTIONAID
Minimum Monthly Child Sponsorship - £15
Child Sponsor Choice – 30 countries

Actionaid’s work is similar to Plan with the child-focused community development programmes. ActionAid works in 40 countries in Africa, Asia, Central / South America. Donors can choose specific countries in which to sponsor a child and there is currently a choice of 30 countries.

SPONSOR A CHILD with WORLDVISION
Minimum Monthly Child Sponsorship - £18
Child Sponsor Choice – 100 countries

World Vision is an evangelical christian charity working in around 100 countries worldwide. Like Plan and ActionAid, their work is community focused.