To mark this landmark occasion, Lynsey Marsh, principal clarinettist with the Hallé, will give a short performance with pianist Darius Battiwalla at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

The FSC-certified Hanson clarinet is made from African blackwood, a species which is rapidly disappearing due to over-exploitation, primarily for the woodwind industry. The woodwind industry is one of the primary drivers of illegal logging with as much as 96% of wood exported from countries such as Tanzania being harvested illegally. FSC-certification ensures that wood is harvested responsibly, legally and guarantees that forest-dependent people are fully rewarded for the use of the resources that are the basis of their livelihoods.

Alastair Hanson, Hanson co-founder said: “We are proud to become the world’s first FSC-certified maker of woodwind instruments. We buy our wood responsibly to help safeguard the hugely valuable natural resources of the tropical forests that provide the material needed to make clarinets.”

Mike Chandler, Chairman of Environment Africa Trust, which has funded the Sound & Fair campaign to develop the market for FSC-certified African blackwood, said: “The launch of this world-first FSC-certified Hanson clarinet marks the culmination of over 15 years of vision and hard work involving the forest-dependent people of Tanzania, who are amongst the world’s poorest communities. The wood in the clarinet has made a pioneering journey and it is immensely satisfying seeing the finished instrument the hands of celebrated musicians such as Lynsey Marsh.”

Both Alastair Hanson and Mike Chandler will be speaking ahead of Lynsey Marsh’s performance and there will be opportunities for questions and photos with all parties and the instrument. Afterwards the event will be opened up to Royal Northern College of Music woodwind students giving them the opportunity to try the instrument for themselves.

Read more about African blackwood and illegal logging at Sound & Fair

Lynsey Marsh – Biography

Lynsey was appointed Principal Clarinet with the Hallé in 2001. Before moving to Manchester, she was a member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the orchestra of English National Opera. Lynsey studied at Chetham’s School of Music with Barry Gregson and Graham Turner, both former members of the Hallé, and went on the read music at Cambridge University.

Whilst at Cambridge, she was awarded the Gold Medal in the Shell/London Symphony Orchestra Scholarship, and was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra.  As a postgraduate at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, she studied with Joy Farrall and Thea King, and spent a second postgraduate year studying in Paris with Pascal Moragues.

Lynsey plays guest principal with many British orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist and chamber musician, she has given recitals for BBC Radio 3, and appeared at festivals throughout Britain, including Aldeburgh and Cheltenham.  A member of the Marais Ensemble, Lynsey helped found the annual Potton Music Festival, which is now in its seventh year. Lynsey has performed at the Wigmore Hall as a guest with the Nash Ensemble, and the Purcell Room with the Marais Ensemble.  Abroad, she has performed with the Wind Soloists of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, including concerts at the Tanglewood International Festival and the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York.

Two new Village Land Forest Reserves were successfully audited under FSC conditions during 2010 and are now able to supply timber branded with the FSC stamp.

Liwiti (6,229 hectares) and Nainokwe (8,502 hectares) have been registered under the FSC Group Certificate Scheme of the Mpingo Conservation and Development Initiative, the Tanzanian partner of the Sound & Fair campaign.

The inclusion of Liwiti and Nainokwe increases the total area of community-managed and FSC-certified forest in Tanzania from 2,420 to 17,151 hectares.

Liwiti and Nainokwe ready for timber harvesting

FSC regulations require detailed surveys of the number and types of tree that are present within each Village Land Forest Reserve, the data being the basis for sustainable harvesting quotas.

Both Liwiti and Nainokwe have completed their surveys and are now ready for their first harvests, which are expected to take place during in early 2011.

Increased revenue opportunities from new FSC timber species

Nainokwe’s forest in particular holds good stocks of African blackwood, significantly more than Kikole, where the first FSC African blackwood harvest took place in December 2009, and both villages will earn good revenue from this species.

Liwiti and Nainokwe also stand to gain significant additional revenue from other timber species, especially Julbernardia and Pterocarpus (sometimes known as Bloodwood for its red colour).

Neither of these species are of use in the woodwind instrument industry, nor are they as valuable as African blackwood, but their presence in high volumes, offers increased revenue earning opportunities and subsequently better prospects for community development projects.

It is through the responsible harvesting and sale of such species, in addition to African blackwood, that forest-dependent people in Tanzania will be able to generate the revenue needed to safeguard the forest in the long-run.

Read more about African blackwood and illegal logging at Sound & Fair

It was soon after her and her younger brother ran away from home that a social worker found them walking in a rubbish tip.

The social worker who found Elizabeth and her brother on the tip took them to a government transit home, where abandoned children are taken into temporary care. From there, Elizabeth and her brother were settled into the SOS Children’s Village Lusaka, Zambia – housed in one of 15 brick-built homes with facilities, where in each house 12 children are loved and cared for by an SOS Mother.

The facilities there were a long way from the surrounding that she had run away. She had been living with her Grandmother and other extended family members in a traditional Zambian home, a small circular hut made of mud blocks dried white by the sun, roofed with dried grass, and an outside set-apart area used as a latrine. No plumbing; no sewage pipes and no electricity.

When Elizabeth decided she wanted to see her Grandma again, it meant a trip back to that same hut where the family was still living.

Potentially, it was a hugely emotional experience for her. But Elizabeth was determined to face up to it. With her camera in hand, she was out to prove, even at such a young age, that she could be stoical and could live out her dream of one day becoming a journalist. She would find her grandmother; she would interview her grandmother about her own younger years; and she would do so without crying.

Patiently, she waited outside the hut as her grandmother appeared from working in the fields. And then, suddenly, there she was, bounding forward, smiling broadly, welcoming Elizabeth and remarking how much she’d grown. Her grandmother is aged 52, a quite remarkable age in a country where life expectancy for women is in the early 40s.

She said she couldn’t afford to eat more than one meal a day; and that she hadn’t eaten bread for two months. The chickens running around were beginning to reduce in number as they were slaughtered for a special meal. But it wasn’t just herself she was struggling to feed; it was also the 10 grandchildren who lived with her in the clean and tidied hut where grandmother slept on a mattress and all the grandchildren slept huddled together on the dirt floor.

Grandmother had had five children herself, but only one had survived HIV-AIDSs. Every time she went to a family funeral she brought home another grandchild or two. She had so many, and there was now so little room, that grandmother was building a second hut nearby her own – block of mud by block of mud. She didn’t know when it would be finished. Her plan was to house the grandchildren there.

Elizabeth said she was shocked to see how desolate her grandmother’s living conditions were compared to her own at the SOS Children Village. But she was pleased that her grandmother appeared happy – like so many Africans living in desolation, grandmother smiled big, beaming, white teeth smiles, sang out loud ‘I’m so happy today’ in her local language, and danced for joy outside her home, celebrating Elizabeth’s visit.

Elizabeth did her interview; asking grandmother about what life was like in Zambia when she was Elizabeth’s age; how her grandmother lived now; and what her grandmother’s hopes were for the future. And, if there had been in Elizabeth’s mind before she went any follow-up questions about how she came to suffer so terribly as a younger child; or how she could have ended up on a rubbish tip with her brother; that was all swept away by her emotions: the shock and the joy.

Back home in her SOS Children village, Elizabeth said she hoped to go to see her grandmother again.

It is only with the help of generous donors that SOS Children’s Villages is able to provide such opportunities for children like Elizabeth. You can do your own small part to help by sponsoring a child with SOS. You will receive regular updates on your chosen child and see exactly how much of a difference you are making in their life. Just click the button below to find out more.

With the extent of the damage now being uncovered, and the first tentative steps towards recovery being taken, the President of SOS Children’s’ Villages Pakistan has given an interview to the charity’s website.

How would you describe the current situation in the affected regions?

That depends on the region. This calamity has taken in its thrall an estimated area covering one-fifth of the entire land mass of the country – equivalent to over 150 thousand square kilometres – so we are talking about an area bigger than the size of England!

It is estimated that this disaster is bigger than the combined havoc of the Kashmir earthquake, the Indian Ocean tsunami and the Haiti earthquake. Considering the ferocity of the floodwaters, thankfully, the loss of life has not been too high – 1,754 reported so far – but the loss of homes, belongings, crops, animals, livelihood are without parallel. Over 20 million people have been affected, which is about the entire population of Australia and more than that of the Netherlands. It is difficult to put this into a proper perspective, but looking at it in the context of the Afghan refugee crisis, which was considered gigantic; we were then dealing with, perhaps, three million people.

Disaster struck in the last week of July, in the province of Balochistan when flash floods hit several villages. The province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which includes Swat, Dir, Kohistan and Shangla (you will recognise names from our delivery areas for relief goods) was the next to be affected, as the River Indus went into high flood, washing away entire villages, roads and bridges. This was a result of the normal melting of glaciers in the Karakorum mountains and the unprecedented heavy rainfall. I read a report that, on one day in July, the rainfall was more than the previous record for the whole month! This is, province-wise, the worst affected area. It is much more densely populated than Balochistan and millions have been displaced with their homes, either damaged, or washed away. The worst is over for them and some are gradually returning to their areas and trying to pick up the pieces of their lives. We continue to send them food packages, as this need will continue for some months. The government authorities and NGOs, are now looking at providing assistance for rebuilding of homes.

The province of Punjab, with 60% of the total population of the country has been, for the most part, spared by the flood havoc, although the river Indus passes down its length, from north to south. The area which has been totally devastated is that of southern Punjab and this is still badly affected. Countless numbers of marooned villagers were rescued from their rooftops and are accommodated in the numerous camps which have been set up. They are slowly returning home as the waters recede.

The flooding has now moved south into the province of Sindh and the same scenes are being repeated – embankments giving way, entire villages inundated, homes disappearing, roads being breached and the unfortunate inhabitants stranded on whatever high ground they can find. It is a terrible scenario and will continue until the flood reaches the sea, leaving desolation behind, so the worst is not over yet.

What are the most urgent needs right now?

The top priority is to save lives so the urgent need is for food and drugs. This need has not been entirely met, and I suppose cannot be. The response of the people of Pakistan has been phenomenal but, the problem is so gigantic, that it is extremely difficult to reach all those affected. The army is doing a magnificent job, rescuing people and providing for them. We have distributed tents through our programme, but are concentrating now on food packages and drugs. Requests are now beginning to come in for assistance in rehabilitation, and will be followed by demands for blankets and quilts, as the cold weather sets in.

What are the main concerns regarding children?

There are some reports of children being separated from their families but normally, a family will ensure the safety of their children. A serious concern is the health hazards, as gastro-enteritis, malaria and other diseases take their toll. There are reports of children having died from starvation, and malnutrition – which in any case is a problem – has been exacerbated by the inability to prepare suitable meals for infants, or even provide milk.

How is the general perception of the catastrophe in Pakistan? Do the people in Pakistan stay together and try their best to help the flood victims?

Our people are proud and very resilient. They have faced many disasters in the past and the life of the common man is an on-going struggle for survival. They accept such calamities as God’s will and will get on with their lives as best they can, once they can return to their homes. The generosity of the nation is legendary and there has been an outpouring of support for those affected. The amount of goods that are being collected and distributed is astonishing, with many stories of people who have put their lives on hold and dedicated themselves to the relief effort.

Are there still many International NGOs and local NGOs active in the field?

As always there are numerous International NGOs working in the field. These organizations are the best positioned to provide emergency relief with their resources, professional management and vast experience in handling crisis situations. There are also countless local NGOs active in relief work. It is especially heart warming to witness the concern, enthusiasm and effectiveness of student groups at this time.

Do you think the aid is sufficient?

No, it is not nearly sufficient. The cost of rehabilitating 20 million people and restoring the infrastructure will be astronomical. If we can keep ahead of the game and manage to save lives, that in itself is a big achievement.

What are the plans of SOS Children’s Villages Pakistan in the near future and in the mid-term?

For the present, SOS Children’s Villages Pakistan is focusing on getting help to the most needy. We are striving to reach areas where sufficient aid is not being delivered and ensuring that all donations received are properly accounted for. This emergency programme will continue as long as funding is available. It will be carried on in the mid-term if any amounts are specifically allocated for rehabilitation. After the present critical needs are met we will explore the possibility of procuring funding from the various donor agencies pledging assistance for rehabilitation efforts. An achievement of this programme is that there is no deduction, whatsoever, being made for administrative costs or overheads of any nature, and that includes transport of supplies. A lot of volunteer support has been harnessed.

If you address an appeal to potential donors what will you tell them?

Pakistan has faced many disasters in its short history. Its very existence started with a catastrophe of epic proportions and this current disaster follows on the heels of the tragic loss of lives at the time of the earthquake, less than five years ago. This, however, is not the greatest threat with which we are faced. We are confronted with a demon which has the potential to destroy us all – terrorism. We have seen how terrorism thrives on poverty and finds disciples amongst simple and poor people, by buying their support. At this difficult time we must ensure that more people are not led astray by showing them that we care, we share their grief and will stand by them in their hour of need. The dimensions of this tragedy are so vast that we need all the help we can get to tackle it – not only in the name of humanity but for our very survival.

Your hopes and fears for Pakistan?

I have great hope in our young people. I am exhilarated by their confidence, their idealism, their enthusiasm and their love for their country. If any group can bring about change, this is it. They have decided that they will not accept the status quo and seek to bring about change, incrementally to begin with, but their voices will be heard. I also have great fears for Pakistan. Our people are peace-loving and tolerant but are depicted in the eyes of the world as barbaric extremists. This is understandable when one takes into account the frequent violent episodes perpetrated by a radical minority. They threaten our way of life and have made the entire country a soft target. It is extremely difficult to confront such a threat and, with imminent changes in a neighbouring country, it is possible that the situation further deteriorates. However, we cannot abandon.

Click on the button below to find out how you can help the relief effort in Pakistan and how adopting a child in Pakistan can help to provide them with a future they might otherwise be denied.

His Majesty praised the great work done by SOS Children’s Villages in helping out the vulnerable and disadvantaged children in the country. He further pointed out that it was very important that everyone works together as a nation to support such work.

“SOS Children’s Villages is an organisation that is pivotal in the protection and grooming of the Swazi child. Therefore, companies, and Swazi people that are able, need to reach out and give support to SOS Children’s Villages.” The King also thanked for the great performance done by the children who touched on the history and great work done by the organisation.

Leutloa Moteetee, SOS Children’s Villages International representative, also conveyed his sentiments on the support given to SOS Children’s Villages Swaziland. He pointed out that this showed that, indeed, the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child” is true

He thanked the support of the King and the Swaziland government but went on to requested that this support should not stop today but only be the beginning.

After all the speeches and events, the King was shown the facility by the national director, Dudu Dlamini, with the board of governors’ chairperson. This was then followed by the planting of a tree and official opening of the facility by His Majesty King Mswati III who has taken the patronage for SOS Children’s Villages Swaziland in 1998.

Siteki is the third SOS Children’s Village in Swaziland (the other two are located in Mbabane and Nhlangano) and has been operational since December 2009. Siteki is located in the east of the country, in the Lubombo region between Manzini and the border with Mozambique.

SOS Children’s Village Siteki consists of twelve family houses for up to 120 orphaned, vulnerable or neglected children. An SOS Kindergarten, an SOS Medical Centre, an SOS Social Centre and offices for the family strengthening programme are situated on another plot of land just across the street, forming a “community service centre” for the neighbourhood. An already existing nearby primary school was extended and supported with the aim of increasing its performance capabilities and its capacity to admit children both from the SOS Children’s Village and the surrounding community.

The SOS Medical Centre provides basic health care to the community including a mother-and-child clinic offering ante-natal and post-natal services to women in the neighbourhood. In order to improve the general health conditions, health education and information are also on offer. Up to 2,000 patients a year benefit from the services of the SOS Medical Centre in Siteki.

The efforts of the SOS Social Centre and the family strengthening programme mainly focus on children and families affected by HIV/AIDS. The family strengthening programme is projected to be able to reach out to about 800 children living with terminally ill parents or in a child-headed or granny-headed household within four years after its inception.

Development within this particular region is progressing at a slow rate and it is difficult for the locals to access necessary services. Overall, the HIV/AIDS pandemic combined with widespread poverty has left nearly one-third of all children in Swaziland living under extremely poor and difficult circumstances.

In total, the social programmes of SOS Children’s Villages in Swaziland benefit more than 12,000 children and adults.

It was in the beginning of August that the floods came, catching the family (father, mother and eight children) completely by surprise.

With water levels rising fast, the family had no other choice than to run.

As the ran to escape the flood waters, one daughter, just eight years old, fell down amid the rising water and drowned.

When the family finally reached the relative safety of some higher ground, they discovered another child was missing. The mother still does not know what happened to her child.

Their small family home was washed away by the flood water, along with their six cows and four adult goats.

All what was left were the clothes they were wearing, some identification cards and four young goats.

For two days the family found refuge under a tree along a main road near their village along with others from their village. Then they were eventually picked up by army personnel that brought them to a small camp outside Larkana.

The population of this camp rapidly grew until the facilities could no longer handle the number of people seeking help there.

So Pakistan army set up a new camp in the neighbourhood.

With SOS Children’s Villages Pakistan one of the key organisations involved in providing 77 brand new tents for the displaced people. The camp was named Camp SOS.

The camp now provides shelter to 2,630 people.

All around Pakistan, SOS have now distributed 12,650 food packages for families affected by the flooding, which represents over 2 million meals.

The target is still to provide 100,000 food packages.

Each of the packages contain wheat flour, lentils, rice, cooking oil, sugar, tea, milk powder, salt, chilli powder, washing soap, toilet soap, candles and matches. They cost just £13 each and will feed one family of 6-8 persons for ten days.

Other than food packages, SOS continue to distribute tents and medical items where they can.

But even though progress is being made, the stark reality remains that these peoples’ lives have been changed forever.

The mother of the family that barely escaped the floods, Nazira, is not very positive about her future. “We’ve lost everything, how do we survive when nothing is left?”

One of Nazira’s sons, Shouked says that he is very afraid of water since the floods had reached their village. He wants to go back to school and meet with his friends. He has no idea what became of them, he hopes they are ok.

You can help to ensure that resources are in place to help children like Shouked recover from the disaster and live a long and happy life. The best way to do this is by sponsoring a child with SOS Children’s Villages.

If you click on the button below, then you can find out how SOS child sponsorship programmes work and just how much of a difference you can make in a child’s life.

While the floods in Pakistan are drawing plenty of attention and receiving significant donations, the devastation in Central America in the aftermath of tropical storm Agatha remains largely out of the public’s attention.

In June, 80,000 people were left homeless as Tropical Storm Agatha tore through the tiny Central American country. And at the weekend, at least 45 people were killed in landslides across the country following torrential rains.

“Agatha began one of the most intense rainy seasons in the last 50 years in Guatemala,” says Plan’s country director Debora Cobar. “Heavy rains from the latest tropical depression have pelted the country for days, unleashing mudslides in several areas. Highways have been cut off, prompting officials to evacuate thousands of people – rescuers were trying to save people buried under a wall of mud”.

Fresh downpours suspended a rescue bid with at least 15 people still missing after a mudslide wiped out a highway north-west of the capital, Guatemala City. More than 40,000 people have been affected and thousands more remain at risk from further flooding and landslides. The worst affected areas are on the Pacific Coast, in Retalhuleu, Suchitepequez and Escuintla, currently at ‘red alert’.

More than 30 separate landslides hit the Inter-American Highway, one of Guatemala’s main roads and more rain is forecast. “Water levels behind some dams in the region have risen so high that floodgates have been opened,” says Ms Cobar.

Plan staff are on stand-by to provide help for those caught-up in the crisis as part of the Humanitarian Network of emergency response bodies and is in talks with local governments to provide water, food and child protection teams. Plan is also distributing blankets, mattresses, and clothes for patients after the Santa Catalina La Tinta hospital was flooded.

Click the button below to visit the Plan website to find out how they are helping Guatemala and other countries recover from the effects of tropical storm Agatha. If you want to get involved in helping, you can even sponsor a child with Plan. By donating a small amount each month, you can make a huge difference in the life of a child and help Plan to change children’s lives around the world.

The Sinar Mas Group was one of the biggest casualties of the campaign lead by environmental group Greenepeace, which highlighted the environmental damage being caused in Indonesia by the Palm Oil Industry. Sinar Mas were singled out as one of the main offenders, with evidence showing that huge and irreparable damage had been done to the once-extensive rainforests of Indonesia. One of the most shocking facts that emerged was that the level of deforestation had caused the mostly undeveloped nation of Indonesia to become one of the highest net producers of carbon dioxide in the world.

Sinar Mas Group is now facing the prospect of limited future expansion under Indonesia’s proposed moratorium on peatland and natural forest conversion. The moratorium is part of the government’s partnership with Norway to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and degradation. The moratorium is set to take effect in 2011.

As for Golden Agri-Resources, it too faces mounting criticism from green groups over its environmental performance in Indonesia. Last week Burger King announced it would sever ties with PT Smart, a subsidiary of Golden Agri-Resources, after an audit showed the firm had cleared tropical rainforest and peatlands in Borneo and Sumatra in violation of Indonesian law and the company’s own standards.

Unfortunately, as is so often the case with multinational corporations, when legislation closes a door in one place, another door is opened almost instantly.

The country of Liberia is one of the quickest-developing countries in Africa. Since the brutal civil war that had raged since 1989 came to an end in 2003, its economy surged 21.8% in 2005 and steadily grown 7.8% and 9.4% in 2007 and 2008 respectively.

Last year Sime Darby, a Malaysian palm oil producer, said it would invest $640 million in Liberia’s palm oil sector, which is currently limited to domestic consumption. Golden Agri-Resources is betting its improved genetic stock and efficient cultivation techniques can substantially boost the productivity of Liberian plantations.

Liberia has almost half of the last rainforest in west Africa, which once reached from Guinea to Togo and is home to most of the surviving wildlife too. But pressure on the forest is growing. Driven by rising population, villagers are extending their clearings to grow more crops and collect firewood. If there is an influx of palm-oil producers, then the remaining rainforest could come under increased pressure.

With climate change swiftly becoming a more immediate concern, developed countries’ governments are facing increased lobbying to provide subsidies for developing countries such as Liberia.

The situation emerging in Liberia could help to push through such arrangements, with the potentially lucrative investments of palm-oil producers likely to sway the Liberian government away from any altruistic desire to protect its remaining rainforests.

If you want to do something to help protect the world’s rainforests, then one of the best options is to become a member of the WWF. For just a small monthly donation, you can help to ensure that WWF has the resources to lobby governments, push for change in environmental law and put in place projects that give crucial protection to endangered species and ecosystems. Just click the button below to find out how much of a difference you could make.

The flooding has killed more than 1,700 people and affected more than 18 million across a third of the country. Plan has been heavily involved in helping find people temporary shelter and providing basic cooked and dried food supplies, but with the arrival of the most important annual holiday in the calendar for Pakistani Muslims, they have begun distributing 20,000 special Eid food packages.

Eid-ul-Fitr is usually a time when families come together, special Eid meals are prepared to mark the end of fasting and it is a special time for children. Girls receive new clothes, buy and wear new glass bangles and put mehndi (henna) on their hands and the boys get new shalwar kameez (traditional clothing). Children get ‘Eidee’ from grown-ups – usually a small sum of money.

Ten-year-old Zaafira is with her two younger brothers, father and grandmother in a Plan-supported camp in Makli, Thatta district, Sindh. She says she does not expect to receive any gifts this year. “I do not know what we will do this year – I hope we can go home for it, but I don’t know”. Her mother Jannat says, “We have nothing for Eid celebrations. How could we? Look where we are living. Usually the children get new clothes and bangles – but how can I give them any of that this year, when we are struggling just to eat?”

Plan hope to provide some kind of relief for children and families in the flood-hit areas, and while their special food packages might not be a replacement for families’ traditional Eid celebrations, they could just provide some hope and cheer at this terrible time.

People across Pakistan are forgoing their traditional Eid gifts this year and donating to needy flood victims instead.

Those not affected have been giving what they can to others, says Director of Plan in Pakistan, Haider Yaqub. “The flooding has had a devastating impact on many areas – but there are others which have not been affected. Many Pakistani people feel great solidarity and concern for the flood survivors and are saying they will not spend much money on Eid this year, but will donate that money”.

Haider explains, “There are many text and email campaigns going around right now for people to donate their Eid money. So, even if many people celebrate, as it is a religious festival and a religious duty, they will donate much of what they would usually spend to flood relief”.

If you have been affected by what you have seen and heard from Pakistan, you can help Plan to continue their excellent work in helping Pakistan’s children by adopting a child in Pakistan today. Just click the button below and read all about the difference you could be making in a child’s life.

The Borneo Orang-utan Survival(BOS) Foundation has already released 300 orang-utans from its different rehabilitation centres in Kalimantan, but says it is running out of suitable habitat.

There are currently 611 orang-utans being housed in cages measuring 2-by-2 meters at the Nyaru Menteng Centre. Of these 141 have now gone through the various stages that prepare them for release back into the wild.

To qualify for release, orang-utans must first enter a quarantine phase, in which they are given a health check and tested for a variety of human diseases that the species is vulnerable to, including hepatitis, tuberculosis and HIV.

Next, the animals enter a reorientation stage, where they are taught how to survive in the forest, build nests, find their own food and recognize predators and other threats.

Orang-utans younger than three years old spend their days in the forest under the supervision of baby sitters.

The final stage is meant to be the release, in which the orang-utans are introduced into habitats where there is no wild population of the animal.

Jhon Leo, head caretaker at Nyaru Menteng, says the 141 orang-utans were unable to complete the final phase because there was nowhere to release them.

“The orang-utans are already wild, but we have to keep them in cages because we don’t have anywhere suitable in which to release them,” he said.

The Forestry Ministry has issued permits for orang-utan release areas to Restorasi Habitat Orang-utan Indonesia, a company set up by BOS to manage 86,450 hectares of forest previously logged by the Mugitriman logging company in East Kutai.

It allocated another 20,000 hectares in the same district previously logged by another company, Narkata Rimba.

BOS chairman Togu Manurung says the foundation will start releasing the orang-utans into these new areas later this year.

“We have around 800 orang-utans in two rehabilitation centres,” he said. “We have around 200 at our Samboja Lestari centre, about an hour’s drive from Balikpapan [East Kalimantan], and around 600 at Nyaru Menteng.”

The first animals to be released will be a batch of 24 from Nyaru Menteng, Togu said.

“In East Kalimantan, we plan to release five orang-utans in April 2011, and continue releasing more up until 2015,” he said.

The 2015 deadline to release all orang-utans at rehabilitation centres back into the wild is stipulated in the Orang-utan National Action of Plan, drafted in 2007.

Togu said this would be the BOS Foundation’s first string of releases since 2002.

Efforts to meet this target would be boosted if 162,000 hectares of forest in Central Kalimantan were to become allocated as permitted release areas. Of that figure, 94,000 hectares are managed by Akhates Plywood and the rest are managed by Tunggul Pemenang, both logging companies. But in a visit to the rehabilitation centre this week, Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan marked this land out as suitable for become a release area for the Orangutans.

With both logging and palm oil companies coming under pressure from governments and NGOs to halt the rampant destruction of the rainforests of Indonesia, there is hope that the worrying decline of Orang-utan populations can be halted.

Among those most vociferous in petitioning governments, and providing resources for recover projects is WWF. In order for them to continue their excellent work though, they require your help. One of the best ways that you can help them save the orang-utans is by adopting one of them today. For more information on how to get involved, click on the button below.

The village, the second largest worldwide with 34 family houses (the largest one is in Dharamsala), is 7 km from the town of Leh in the Ladakh region of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Tsewang Yeshi, the President of SOS Children’s Villages for Tibetans, explains how the village managed to avoid any major damage in the floods and as a result has provided an extremely useful source of both shelter and aid for those affected by the floods:

“Despite the wide scale of catastrophe, fortunately, we are very happy to inform you that no major damage or loss is reported from our children’s village. Except for some minor damages to some of the buildings, all children and co-workers are safe. Although the cloud burst was widespread over the region and the consequent flash flood left a trail of devastation on a massive scale, with the Leh area hardest hit, the children’s village was very lucky to remain largely unaffected. We must thank the providence for this miracle ….to escape unscathed!

The small children’s village hospital is filled with over 50 affected people for emergency medical treatment. Similarly, our school hall is packed with other victims of the flash flood for relief and temporary shelter. In the vicinity of the SOS Children’s Village, around 70 houses have been destroyed or damaged badly in two Tibetan camps. Our co-workers and senior students are fully involved and doing the best they can in the relief operations.

Communication with Ladakh is still very difficult. We only hope the weather will hold well, and not go worse, as reports of uncertainty still hang heavy in the air. Reports indicate urgent relief measures for immediate medical treatment, food and blanket, and temporary shelter, not to mention the long drawn rehabilitation task ahead for the affected families. For the proper organisation and coordination of relief efforts, from the Tibetan side, the Home Department of our exile Government is overseeing it with a local committee formed. Our children’s village director is a member of this committee.”

As was the case following the earthquake in Haiti earlier this year, SOS Children’s Villages has been active in providing both immediate resources for disaster relief and putting in plans to help communities recover and look to the future.

If you want to help them continue their excellent work by sponsoring a child, or you want to find out more information about their flood appeal, click on the button below.

Operation Javan Rhino started on June 21 and is an initiative of the International Rhino Foundation and Indonesian Rhino Foundation (YABI).

Its goal is to create 4,000 hectares of expanded habitat to encourage population growth in the national park, a rare patch of wilderness on the western tip of one of the world’s most densely populated island.

The fact that all of the remaining rhinos can be found in one area of National Park brings both benefits and complications to the conservation effort.

Having a small area to monitor means that keeping track of numbers and providing protection against poaching is an easier task. However it also means that if a natural disaster struck the area, or a disease was introduced to the animals, the entire population could easily be wiped out.

“Having all the eggs in one basket isn’t a good thing for any species,” Susie Ellis, executive director of the International Rhino Foundation, told the Jakarta Globe.

“With the help of the Rhino Foundation of Indonesia, the Worldwide Fund for Nature, Save the Rhino and the Indonesian government, we have committed to improving the available habitat for Javan rhinos to increase and spread out the population.”

Widodo Ramono, executive director of YABI, told the Globe that $650,000 was needed for the two-year project, with $350,000 so far having been secured from the NGOs’ own resources.

“This funding is all purely coming from the NGOs; there is no special allocation from the government,” he said. “But they have already provided the land and the human resources, so everybody is doing their bit.”

Widodo said it would take two years to physically prepare the rhinos’ habitat near Mount Honje. The money for the project will be used to improve water and food sources, build guard posts and electric fencing, construct patrol routes and hire rangers to patrol the area.

Additionally, 60 camera traps donated by the Aspinall Foundation in January will be used to gather data about how many rhinos remain in Ujung Kulon.

Adhi Rachmat Hariyadi, site manager for WWF Indonesia’s project in the park, said the cameras were crucial to keeping track of the rhino population.

“So far, from the videos we have analysed, we’ve identified 27 individual rhinos and extrapolated a maximum of 47 animals in the park, which still needs to be confirmed by surveys on the ground,” he said.

This project is just one of many that WWF are currently working on to prevent species from fading away into extinction. One way that you can help them to continue this excellent work is by sponsoring an animal.

A close relative of the Javan rhino, the black rhino is in a similarly perilous position, but they too are now receiving the benefits of numerous rescue projects. You can help to ensure that these continue by clicking the button below and sponsoring one today.

Trucks containing food packages have by now distributed a total of 4650 food packages (some 744,000 meals) to over a dozen different towns in the affected provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan and South Punjab.

Some areas have been completely cut off, but SOS Children’s Villages has enlisted the help of the Pakistan Air Force to airlift supplies into one such area – Skardu in the province of Gilgit Baltistan.

While SOS Children’s Villages have been successful in providing many flood victims with the crucial bare necessities for survival, the real hard work begins now with the fight to prevent the spread of disease and help communities to begin the rebuilding process.

A large consignment of medical supplies was delivered to the Combined Military Hospital in Lahore for further transport to the army hospital in Panu Aquil in the province of Sindh, a severely affected region.

Additional supplies were made to two camps, one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the other in South Punjab, through the Fatima Memorial Hospital in Lahore.

With so many people left homeless, providing shelter is another priority for SOS.

A total of 1,500 tents was delivered to Sindh, Balochistan and Swat, five hundred to each province. Further deliveries will take place as soon as further tents can be procured.

SOS Children’s Villages have been working in Pakistan since 1977 and helped in the aftermath of many disasters, providing crucial relief and long-term support for Children across the country.

If you want to read more about the SOS Children’s Villages flood appeal, or you want to help them to continue their excellent work by sponsoring a child in Pakistan, just click the button below.

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.

ON HOLD

The storm is already creating rough waters and dangerous conditions for relief workers and is expected to create near fatal conditions in the coming days. Vessels and rigs are set to move away from the work zone, among these vehicles is the ship currently drilling a relief well that is set to permanently stop the leak mid-August. The delay is expected to last between 10-14 days.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency as the storm is forecast to hit the state’s coast on Sunday with winds up to an estimated 40 mph.

Last week, BP was finally able to cap the leak but it is only a temporary measure. It was the first time since the initial April 20th leak that the steady flow of crude oil devastating surrounding water and wildlife has been stemmed. The cap will remain in place and be monitored during the 2 week halt in other activities. This is a worry to many however, as they are concerned about the amount of pressure being placed upon the temporary blockage.

“It is a concern. The cap is only a temporary measure. the fact they’ve had to draw back to the coast is quite a worry,” said Doug Youngson, oil analyst at brokerage Arbuthnot

“The pressure is building up. There is a risk it blows off,” he added.

So far, estimates as to the cost of this disaster are somewhere between $15 and $60 billion, with years of environmental recovery ahead. There are on-going efforts to help the thousands of animals that have been endangered by this, the largest oil spill in history.

You can help to support on-going environmental relief with the work of organizations such as the WWF, who provide both emergency short-term relief wherever needed and longer term solutions to the challenges facing our planet.

WIDESPREAD DESTRUCTION

At last count, thirty-nine people had died and more than a thousand are missing. Over 400,000 people are homeless after the worst damage was done in June. In some cases, this damage has destroyed newer buildings that were erected after similar damage was inflicted in the summer of 2009. There were few warnings this type of rainfall would be repeated this year as it is not an annual pattern and villagers were ill-prepared.

SOS Children’s Villages has managed to relocate their Village families and staff and are grateful that no one is hurt. However, there was extensive damage to the sites and families are no longer able to gather together to learn or take part in SOS programs.

Thousands of others have had to be evacuated from their cities and SOS is struggling to meet the immediate need for support.

SOS is currently working with local authorities to provide support, they have offered temporary shelter at their João Pessoa and Igarassu locations, but this is not enough and the rebuilding process is being slowed by continued inclement weather.

CHILDREN WORKING TO LIVE

Too often, news reaches our ears of children in developing and third world nations laboring in harsh conditions simply to earn enough to eat and live, with no way out of this life. Without alternate skills to offer employers and with school fees excluding many poor children from education, there are few choices for those who are fighting for survival. Their families are often forced to send them off to work as they are unable to keep them themselves in their low – income positions.

Large factories producing everything from clothing and candies to phones and toys operate in these impoverished places where there are few rules that limit hours, regulate fair wages or enforce age minimums. The large amount of people competing for work means that wages are often below subsistence and exploitive, as goallover recently reported in this story about ASDA.

LARGE TRAINING PROJECTS

In response to the high instance of young people being forced into a life of low-paying factory work, Plan has coordinated with a group of Community Development Associations in Cairo to begin a large-scale vocational training movement. Every weekend, mothers are offered daycare services and, along with youth and children, are invited to learn and improve such skills as reading and writing. The more practical side teaches handicrafts that steer children toward less harmful labour markets. Examples include lace and tablecloth making which children can then sell in local markets.

SUCCESS

One of the girls enrolled in the classes, 11-year-old Astra, said:

“I used to work in a stainless steel factory making teapots. I used to work from 8 in the morning to 11 at night and not get home before midnight. The owner of the factory also used to treat us very bad. I used to earn about £30 a week. I would take what I needed for my expenses and then give the rest of the money to my family. Nowadays I take part in the project and I sell handicrafts to get an income. I am much happier now.”

Neyama, 14 years old, said: “This is a good project – I have learnt a lot of good things. I know the importance of education now. I dropped out of school to work, but I made sure that I carried on working at home and sat my exams.”

When asked what she wished for, Neyama said: “I wish to stop working and return to school. And I want to be an engineer.”

You can help children like Neyama now by Sponsoring a child today.

Fly-by Shooting

They came in a small helicopter, low over the Tugela Private Game Reserve in KwaZulu/Natal, and they were armed with a dart gun and a dangerous, potent tranquilizer.  They zoomed in on the previously identified white rhino cow, with a month-old calf at her side and fired the powerful drug into the animal’s thick hide.

She would have sunk unconscious to the ground within minutes, by which time the helicopter had landed. One of the poachers got out with a portable electric chainsaw and proceeded to remove both her horns in one action.

Discovered

The rhino cow should have died, but did not.  On June 25, between three and seven days after the incident, she was discovered together with several other rhino by a patrol.  Reserve owner Johan Geldenhuys was summoned.

Horrific Sight

“I immediately went across and had a look at the animal, and what a horrific sight,” he recalled. “We got there and basically from her eyes, just above the eyes was hacked down, right down to just above the lip taken out, and part of her skull, the whole nasal cavity has been cut with the skull and you know she was bleeding through the top end, between her eyes, the holes in the nasal cavity.”

Geldenhuys says after consultations and treatment by a vet, they decided not to euthanize the animal because she appeared strong, and calm, and because they hoped the calf was still alive in the vicinity.

But he says their hopes for the youngster were shattered a few days later when she was found dead near the spot where she had been born, having succumbed to starvation and dehydration.

The severely mutilated mother remains alive, under close surveillance by Geldenhuys, and continues to improve.  He says however, even if she does survive, she will have limitations.

“I reckon she has got a very good chance of surviving, of healing, although she will never be able to breathe, or to smell, to use the function of smell with her nose cavity being gashed out like that on the skull, and I think she will probably breathe through the top end of the nasal cavity below the eyes,” he said.

One of Many

Though this story is particularly disturbing, what is even sadder is that this is just one event among the 400 or so that have occurred just in South Africa since 2008. As quickly as authorities believe they are getting the upper hand on poaching and smuggling operations, the situation worsens. Experts say most rhino horn is now going to Vietnamese syndicates, whereas before the end-users were predominantly Chinese. Such changeability and the constant flow of resources to poachers mean that authorities are fighting an extremely tough battle.

How You Can Help

If stories such as this make you feel like you cannot sit by and let such activity carry on, then there is something you can do about it. There are two main options available to you.

The first is to join the WWF. By becoming a member, you will be providing a crucial source of funding for their operations and you’ll get regular updates on just how you are helping them to forward to course of conservation around the world.

The other option is to adopt a rhino with the WWF. This is a more targeted means of helping conservation, as you know that your donations will be going directly to helping projects to save the rhinos from a fate such as that described above. Just a small amount a month means that the WWF can help to protect more rhinos from poachers and ensure that we do not lose this magnificent species forever.

Results

It may have taken a few months, but conservation groups are finally beginning to see some results from the high-profile revelations made over the palm oil industry’s abuses of the environment.

For the first few months of this year, conservation regularly grabbed the headlines as high-profile demonstrations and revelations over the palm oil industry generated great anger among conservation groups and the general public alike.

While the initial protests and shocking stories of damage to wildlife did the job of bringing the abuses to the attention of a wider audience, too often public attention is too fleeting to bring about any real changes.

RSPO

The RSPO was set up in 2004 by organizations carrying out activities in and around the entire supply chain for palm oil with the intention of promoting the growth and use of sustainable palm oil through cooperation within the supply chain and open dialogue with its stakeholders.

However, earlier this year, a series of investigations revealed that actually practices in the industry were far from sustainable and severe damage was being done to rainforests, local wildlife and local people.

These were brought to the public attention with a number of protests by Greenpeace, including an advert campaign that parodied Nestle’s Kitkat adverts, replacing the kitkat fingers with that of an Orangutan alongside the slogan of ‘Give the Orangutans a break’.

Backlash

These protests were successful in bringing the Palm Oil industry under huge public scrutiny, and multinational companies such as Nestle and Unilever faced an angry backlash. Both were slow to react, but gradually they dropped one Palm Oil supplier after another as their unsustainable practices emerged.

The RSPO then faced the wrath of conservation groups and the public, as it was perceived as having failed its mandate to promote sustainable use of the land in the industry. An overhaul of policies and increased levels of regulation followed, and the results are now being reaped.

Moving Towards Sustainability

Cargill’s oil palm plantation, PT. Hindoli in Sumatra, Indonesia has received the RSPO certification and smallholders at this plantation are scheduled in the next few months to be the first to be RSPO certified. It also is working towards getting RSPO certification for its other palm plantation, Harapan Sawit Lestari. Cargill’s European and Malaysian refineries also have received approval to offer RSPO products.

The company has its own policies in place for responsible palm production on its own plantations including commitments to not plant on high conservation value forests (HCVF); to not develop new plantations on deep peat land or land that would threaten biodiversity; and a strict no-burn policy for land preparation.

Cargill has set a goal of buying 60 percent of its total crude palm oil from RSPO members by the end of 2010. It is encouraging its suppliers to join RSPO and to attain certification for all of their oil palm plantations.

Encouraging

The announcement that they will be working with WWF on an assessment of these practices is hugely encouraging, as it should ensure that the promises the company makes are actually followed through with action, rather than merely being smokescreens of good PR but no good practices.

The assessment will begin in August 2010 and the first phase will prioritise estates from Cargill’s key suppliers with the highest biodiversity concerns. WWF will supervise the overall process including the design and the selection of local environmental experts to do the field work and in-person visits to plantations. The assessment will identify progress on key areas such as land permitting, and environmental and social practices.

Committed

“We are committed to helping lead efforts to move the palm oil industry towards more sustainable palm oil production,” said Paul Conway, senior vice president at Cargill. “We already have responsible palm production policies on our own plantations and we want to play our part by working with the industry and the Indonesian government to encourage the adoption of sustainable production practices. WWF’s extensive experience will help us assess progress amongst our suppliers and will enable us to work with each supplier to implement the standards set out by the RSPO.”

Positive Change

“This project is very important to WWF because it will help move the palm oil industry to higher levels of performance,” said Jason Clay, senior vice president of markets at World Wildlife Fund. “Through engagement with businesses like Cargill, we can drive market transformation by creating linkages between performance and markets. This agreement allows us to affect positive change on the ground, so together we can create a process to drive continuous improvement of responsible sourcing practices.”

You can help to ensure that the WWF is able to continue to lead the fight for justice for wildlife and accountability for industry around the world. They are only able to carry out their excellent work thanks to generous help from the public. If you want to do your bit to help projects such as bringing the Palm Oil Industry to account, then you can become a member of WWF today.

Even though much good work is now being done to prevent any further damage, the Palm Oil industry has already caused devastation in the population of Orangutans in Indonesia. It will take a huge effort to help these amazing animals recover, and it will only be possible with the help of people like you. You can adopt an Orangutan with WWF today and provide key funding for projects to help save the Orangutans in Indonesia.

SOS Children’s Villages has opened its second village in Armenia. On July 4th SOS was proud to open the village in Idjevan, the capital of the province Tavush.

Armenia is already home to one SOS village in Kotayk but with widespread poverty and annual inflation increases taxing people, the need is great in this part of the world.

This location has 14 family homes where 90 orphaned or abandoned children will live with other children of all ages and an SOS ‘Mother’. This woman acts as the head of the household, providing emotional support as well as meals and everyday care for the children. The children attend local schools and grow up in a secure environment.

There are already Family Strengthening Programmes and Education Initiatives in place in Idjevan. There are also several other projects within the country, such as an SOS Children’s Village in the Kotayk province, an SOS Nursery  in Kotayk, one SOS Youth Facility in Yerevan, two family strengthening programmes in Yerevan and Gyumri and three school quality development programmes in Kotayk and Yerevan.

CELEBRATION

The ceremony was attended by many Armenian officials and high-level representatives of SOS Children’s Villages International including Mr Helmut Kutin, and the speaker of the Armenian national assembly, Mr Hovik Abrahamyan who officially opened the village. The audience was populated by many well-known Armenian celebrities and loyal supporters.

The ceremony culminated with Mr Armen Ghularyan, the governor of the Tavush province, heartily thanking SOS Children’s Villages for setting up programmes in the province and handed over ownership for the plot of the village to SOS Children’s Villages Armenia. Mr Hans-Johann Schmidt, the Ambassador of Germany to Armenia wished everyone great success and express thanks for those involved in the construction.

Mr Helmut Kutin was proclaimed honorary citizen of Idjevan and was awarded the Medal of Honour of the Armenian national assembly. “…I dare to invite His Excellency the Speaker and all the members of the parliament to hold one session on children’s rights here in the village in Idjevan,” said Mr Kutin in his speech.

The little villagers had their own part as well through a performance in which they built a house of children’s rights. ”Each stone presents one right. This, for example, is the right to a home. This one the right to education. The roof presents our responsibilities for each right, like responsibility to study, to wash our hands, to go to the dentist, to do homework,” explained 13-year-old Nora, one of the first children who found a loving home in the SOS Children’s Village Idjevan.

PROTECTION

The WWF reports that after many years of campaigning for better protection of the world’s forests through a strict law on illegal timber trade ,they are very pleased with the decision. The EU’s Satu Hassi, a Finnish member who steered the law through the EU assembly in Strasbourg proclaimed;

“It is a breakthrough…Tackling illegal logging is very important for climate protection.”

Under the law, companies which first sell timber in the EU are obliged to prove that it is sourced legally. It also requires European businesses elsewhere in the supply chain to keep records that, as a whole, would allow timber to be traced back to the importing company or to the forest owner

The law is set to come into effect in two years. While this is an excellent step toward protecting the world’s vulnerable timber supplies, there are a few disappointments, like the fact that  printed products  are currently exempt from the list and the fact that the EU has not set any minimum penalties or sanctions for offenders. Hopefully, proportionate consequences will be forthcoming and those who are offending will be caught out or deterred from continuing.

There are various members of the EU parliament who have been looking forward to finalizing this decision. Sellers and distributers are now going to be accountable for the products they sell and the onus is on them to prove that the wood products are responsibly sourced. If you would like to help the WWF continue to pursue fair legislation that helps to protect the planet, why not join up with the WWF today?

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.

Far too often in developing countries such as Ethiopia, Somalia and even Egypt, famines are a way of life. The harsh climate and unpredictable rain patterns mean food supplies are often inconsistent and children miss out on adequate nutrition.

Reaction to Food Crisies is much more complicated than simply delivering food supplies to countries with shortages.  Often, infrastructure has been damaged and growing patterns are hard to reestablish.

The most effective solutions occur with changes at the structural  level. One example is Ethiopia, where drought has forced farmers to diversity their crops and include species more resistant to drought and amend their farming techniques to compensate for changing climates and trading patterns.

War and internal conflict is another culprit, it destroys farms and plantations and pollutes soils and water supplies. The conflict also cuts off import and export activity and food supplies suffer. Within this context, large groups of people are displaced and overpopulate an area, not allowing for farm plots or resulting in slums in un-growable conditions.

Internally displaced persons are the largest group in crisis with families separated and children often abandoned in the exodous from war-torn cities.  FREEDOM FROM HUNGER

CAUSE AND EFFECT

The result? At present in Somalia one in every five children is malnourished and one in every twenty-two is severely malnourished. Malnutrition is the insufficient, excessive or imbalanced consumption of nutrients that can result in severe health complications, but it is also easily preventable. You can help a child eat their way away from poor health and give them a great starting point.

Education

Against this background some schools have reopened. Plan has run campaigns to encourage parents and teachers to prioritise education, set up temporary schools and trained teachers to provide additional support for children who have been traumatized by the earthquake.

Plan’s design for transitional schools was recently endorsed and approved by the Haitian Ministry of Education. We are continuing to set up temporary school tents as the materials for transitional schools are being readied. Over the past month, this work has meant almost 6,000 students could go to school.

Plan is working with other organisations to ensure early years education will be provided in the new camps to which people are being relocated in advance of the rainy season.

Protection and health

An increasing number of ‘child-friendly spaces’ are being established to give children a place to play and engage in social activities with their peers. Plan is working in partnership with other organizations to raise awareness in camp sites and communities about the threat of child trafficking.

Plan is also involved in projects focusing on violence against women and environmental hygiene, particularly in the camps.

Plan has improved families’ livelihoods through Cash for Work programmes. Work activities have included clearing of waste disposal and irrigation canals; preparation of sites for temporary school classrooms; road repair and building latrines.

Plan has set up around 100 mobile clinics which have provided consultations and immunisations where required for over 6,000 adults and over 25,000 children.

Psycho-social support

Plan has provided training in the provision of psycho-social support for school directors, teachers, Plan Haiti staff, staff of Plan Haiti partner organisations, and youth volunteers working in our child friendly spaces.

Our successful partnership with Clowns Without Borders reached more than 6,000 children through over 20 performances at camp sites, schools, and community centres. A second phase of performances is planned for June.

Future resilience

Plan is working with other organisations to ensure emphasis is given to improving Haiti’s ability to prevent and survive disasters – by building disaster-resilient school structures; encouraging school contingency planning; raising awareness at the community/camp level; supporting capacity-building of relevant government departments; and lobbying the Government to make disaster risk reduction a part of the school curriculum.

Hurricane Season

Adequate shelter remains an urgent need ahead of the rainy and hurricane seasons. People in vulnerable camps may return home if their house or building has been declared safe by United Nations experts or stay with host families, where possible. Otherwise they will need to be moved to a camp in a safer location.

Hopeful

Although there still remains a lot of work to be done, with Plan’s help, life for many people in Haiti is beginning to return to normal. While many lives have been irrevocably damaged by the disaster, there is a renewed sense of hope in Haiti that the country can be rebuilt in a way that will provide a brighter future for its people. The children of Haiti will be key to this future, and their voices must be heard in the rebuilding process if the country is going to be united in its efforts to forge a promising future.

We have recently seen the damage that mismanagement of oil resources can do to the government. Lessons have been learnt from the Gulf of Mexico disaster, with possibly the most important being that the oil industry cannot go on putting profit above all else.

While public scrutiny is focussed upon the shores of the US at the moment, Uganda could be the next flashpoint for clashes between the oil industry and its critics.

The majority of oil and gas discoveries made so far are in the Albertine Rift, which is Africa’s most ecologically diverse and protected area, with two of the promising wells within the country’s largest conservation area, Murchison National Park.

Murchison National Park is home to the elephants, lions, giraffes, buffaloes and varieties of antelopes. The Rubongo forest within the park is home to chimpanzees and other rainforest creatures. The park is bisected by the Nile River that is host to hippos, crocodiles and a host of water birds including the rare shoebill.

Generally, the Albertine Rift is the home of 52 per cent of all African birds; Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, for instance, has hundreds of endemic bird species. Africa’s 39 per cent share of all mammals are to be found in the area, including chimpanzees and gorillas. It is also home of 14 per cent of all African reptiles, 35 per cent of all butterflies and 19 per cent of all amphibians.

The biodiversity in the Albertine Rift is the backbone of the tourism industry that contributes about $600 million a year, but with a potential to grow. Though the figure is much smaller compared with what is projected from oil, preserving the biodiversity presents a lifetime benefit to the people and the environment.

At every stage of oil and gas development, however, there is an environmental risk.

The drilling involves a liquid phase which is modified with various chemical additives, both liquid and solid, to align the performance for drilling conditions underneath the earth.

The drill cuttings, which are pieces of rock particles displaced from the earth crust to create the hole and waste fluid, are sometimes contaminated with crude oil, salt toxicity, corrosive elements, high electro-conductivity and other chemicals spilt from the drill sites.

“If handled wrongly the cuttings can cause serious impact on the environment, wildlife, human beings and plants,” said Robert Ddamulira, Oil and Gas Project Manager at WWF Uganda. WWF Uganda is part of the global network of WWF International, a leading independent conservation organisation.

“It is probable that impurities can be found in some drilling chemicals such as Barite, a key drilling chemical, which is known to exist with impurities of mercury in the natural; such impurities can be the likely sources of heavy metal contamination,” he added.

For example, when the chemical mixture is very salty owing to the various chemical salts used in drilling, since animals, birds and plants are not used to these kinds of conditions, the chemical can kill animals, birds and plants when they come into contact with them.

Given the revenue projections accruing from oil, the government is likely to exploit all the wells.

“I suspect the government will insist on getting all the oil available. Can you imagine the day the donors will stop telling us do this and that?” said Senior Presidential Advisor on Media and Public Relations John Nagenda.

Tullow Oil, the company that is doing exploration of oil in the Albertine Rift, projects that the country can produce 2 billion barrels of oil a year, which in turn will raise $2 billion each year for the next 25 years.

So the country of Uganda stands at a crossroads. With such riches promised, it will be all too easy for the government to ignore the riches the country already possesses in its huge amount of biodiversity.

Conservationists will hope that a balance can be struck and either concessions can be made to designate some areas as off-limits, or legislation be brought in that guarantees a certain proportion of money generated is pushed back into furthering the conservation effort. The former is obviously the preferable option, as whatever projects extra resources could bring in, they would be doubtless be unable to redress the damage caused by industrial development.

Unfortunately, the most likely outcome will be that some promises will be made when lucrative contracts are signed, but they will quickly be forgotten or ignored and irreversible damage will be done to the country’s wildlife.