Disaster and Emergencies Booklet
A joint Welsh Assembly Government, DFID, DEC booklet has been produced to advise the public on how they can help at times of disasters and emergencies overseas. The booklet has been distributed to schools, doctor’s surgeries and libraries across Wales in response to the devastating cyclone in Burma and the major earthquake in China in May 2008. Download a copy of the booklet (pdf 503Kb).
Fair TradeFair Trade Wales has been funded to increase the awareness and use of Fair Trade produce by communities, schools, organisations, individuals, Fair Trade groups, local government and the public in Wales.
Funding also supported their Fair Trade Nation campaign. The criteria for becoming a Fair Trade Nation were agreed between the First Ministers of Wales and Scotland in 2006 and Wales became the world’s first Fair Trade Nation on 6 June 2008.The Wales Co-operative Centre has been funded to support and advise Welsh businesses on switching to Fair Trade and growing Fair Trade businesses. On 8 October 2008 Arriva trains announced they had switched their hot drinks (tea, coffee and hot chocolate) to Fairtrade on all of their on board services in Wales. Arriva has a fleet of 120 trains and transports 23 million passengers a year.
Gold Star Communities ProjectThis very well-received project is about building links between communities in Wales and communities in sub-Saharan Africa for mutual development. It was developed in partnership between the Wales Civil Society MDG Task Force and BUILD UK (Building Understanding through International Links for Development), and it is managed by the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA). It is recognised by the UN Development Programme as a pilot for working out the best attributes of community – community linking between Northern and Southern countries.There are around 100 community links actively engaged in this project and the hope is to eventually link every community/area in Wales with a community in Africa. The partnerships aim help deliver Millennium Development Goals and promote mutual community development and learning. They focus on 5 main topics (or ‘gold stars’) which are: health; livelihoods; the environment; children; and social harmony.
Two links were the first to receive ‘Gold Star Communities Partnership Awards’ at the Welsh National Eistedfodd festival in Cardiff on 4 August 2008, presented by the First Minister.
Hospital / Health Linking Work
Funding to increase the number and impact of hospital / health linking work in Africa is available from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Welsh NHS Health Links fund (with a total budget of £50,000 per year). Guidance has been issued to NHS Trusts advising them to treat participation in such schemes as a valuable contribution to their staff’s continuing professional development. There are now annual conferences for Wales – Africa Health work and an active support group for links. Wales now has a fifth of all of the hospital links with Africa in the UK.
International Learning Opportunities
This initiative is delivered under contract by VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas), and it is being managed by Public Service Management Wales – a Welsh Assembly Government body supporting the development of managers and leaders.
Around 25 public sector managers per year are sent on 8 week placements with VSO’s partners in sub-Saharan Africa. They share skills and knowledge, and develop their own skills in leadership, understanding of different cultures, and new ways of working.
Lesotho Teacher Placement Programme
The Welsh Assembly Government’s Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills funds a teacher placement programme in Lesotho, managed by the organisation Dolen Cymru (who have a 20 year old link with Lesotho). 6-12 teachers from Wales go to Lesotho annually for 6 months, to teach and also contribute to teacher training. The Wales for Africa budget has contributed to this programme to support the training work.
The Wales for Africa programme manages the Dolen Cymru core grant.
Small and Medium International Development Organisations (SMIDOS)
SMIDOS provides one-to-one consultancy, advice and support in order to help these organisations increase their skills; capacity; networking and income generation skills. The project ensures that all groups are linked with other international development initiatives in Wales in order to promote more (and more effective) Welsh contributions towards delivering the MDGs.
Supporting development work by African Diaspora Communities
Wales has the oldest Somali community in the UK (approx 12,000 people). Wales for Africa has supported the Somali Progressive Association in Cardiff to build links between the Somali community in Wales and communities in Somaliland. The aim is to link the Somali community in Wales with programmes such as the Gold Star Communities Project, health/hospital links and the DFID global school linking scheme. Welsh Assembly Government small grants (under £20k) have been provided for projects/activities such as:
- British International Search and Rescue Dogs (BIRD) Training BIRD members in emergency rescue skills (e.g. chainsaw use and rope rescue) to enable them to meet the requirements of the UK Urban Search and Rescue Group (recognised by the UN), and comply with UK Health and Safety law. BIRD are the only voluntary sector team used by DFID for international emergency response.
- Cynnal Cymru – WfA Stories of Success
Cynnal Cymru have been funded to produce 12 case studies of inspirational projects which link Wales and Africa which they will use in their newsletter, one per month. The stories are about 800-900 words with pictures. Approx 8 of the 12 have been funded by WfA - Hope for Grace Kodindo – Making Birth Safer
WAG has funded an inspirational midwife from south Wales who has provided training and a regular supply of basic drugs to the National Reference Hospital in N'djamena Chad. She got involved after watching a BBC Panorama programme. The hospital delivers 12,000 women a year. Neonatal mortality dropped from 33% in 2005 to 7.3% in 2006 and the maternal mortality rate dropped from 14% in 2005 to 2.3% in 2006. WAG funding has helped establish her organisation and ensure that she can now do this work on a full time basis. - St John (Wales and Zambia)
Welsh First Aid Trainers travelled from St John Cymru to Zambia to run a training programme in the most up-to-date First Aid techniques for St John trainers in Zambia. - RedR/IHE and Engineers Without Borders Humanitarian assistance training courses for Welsh members of the Register of Engineers for Disaster Relief / International Health Exchange (RedR/IHE) and Engineers Without Borders (EWB).
- Bees for Development
BfD are an international NGO based in Monmouth who provide advice and support to bee keepers around the world. Bee keeping is an excellent and inexpensive means of ensuring sustainable livelihoods for many poor communities. BfD have had funding to develop their website to provide online advice to bee keepers both in Wales and those working with bee keepers especially in Africa. - Engineers For Overseas Development and the Saltpeter Trust
Engineers from the Cardiff based charity Engineers for Overseas Development (EFOD) - many of them students, have been supported to help build medical facilities in Soroti, Uganda – learning new skills whilst coming up with innovative solutions – a real win/win. - Grassroots Theatre Company
Bringing the Grassroots Theatre Company from Bulawayo in Zimbabwe to South Wales to use their theatre project to assist community development with children from disadvantaged communities in Wales, and raise funds to support HIV/AIDS outreach work in rural areas at home. - Mencap Cymru / Dolen Cymru
Sending volunteers with learning disabilities from Mencap Cymru to support the development of the Lesotho Society for Mentally Handicapped Persons as part of Dolen Cymru’s twinning links between Wales and Lesotho. - Welsh Network of Development Researchers (WNDR)
WNDR run seminars on development topics for academics, NGOs and interested groups to further the debate around key Wales for Africa issues and to bring some academic rigour to NGO activity. - Hope for Zimbabwe
The Batanai Women’s Network, a Zimbabwean women’s group in South Wales, aims to support the people of the rural Gutu district in southern Zimbabwe.