Christian Aid Global

Antoine Sanon, Christian Aid’s Regional Emergency Manager for West Africa updates us on the food crisis in Niger which is currently being exacerbated by flooding. He speaks of his recent trip to Niger to visit flood-affected communities and tells how Christian Aid is responding. To donate to Christian Aid’s West Africa Appeal, visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk/emergencies/

Sakhi Kendra, a Christian Aid partner since 2003, is an organisation in Uttar Pradesh, India, that campaigns and advocates for women’s rights. Part of this work involves providing a 24-hour phone line, counselling service and an emergency shelter for women who are victims of violence such as rape of dowry death threats. Laura Mead – Christian Aid’s Legacy and Regional Coordinator for London and the South East – visited this project in January 2012. Here she tells of the remarkable courage, bravery and strength of the three social workers who run the emergency helpline.

In the Sahel region of west Africa, more than 19 million people are in the midst of a severe food crisis. Andrew Hogg, Christian Aid's head of media, has recently returned from Mali - one of the worst affected countries. He describes the situation he found and explains why help is desperately needed. You can donate here: bit.ly/P8WpZ8

In late 2011, communications officer Sarah Filbey travelled to India to report on the work of Christian Aid partners in the country. In a set of three audio diaries, recorded in situ, Sarah shares her experiences along the way. These include reflections on India’s high levels of poverty and inequality, the nature of its democracy, and what thought leaders and passionate civil society activists she meets along the way believe is the answer to these and related burning issues. Follow the series to hear stories of success and struggle from communities struggling for rights to land and resources on which they depend, and for insight from the road as Sarah joins land rights partner Ekta Parishad on their incredible year-long journey across India mobilising and preparing some 100,000 people to march for their rights in October 2012. http://www.christianaid.org.uk/whatwedo/in-focus/india-march-for-justice/index.aspx http://www.christianaid.org.uk/getinvolved/harvest/index.aspx #SlumsDelhiLandRightsLand

Once again the people of the Philippines are bearing the brunt of extreme weather as monsoon rains have battered most of the country. In this podcast, Christian Aid's Adrian Ouvry updates us on the latest. To find out more and donate go to http://www.christianaid.org.uk/emergencies/areas-of-concern/philippines-floods.aspx

In 2011, drought and displacement combined with rising food prices left more than 13 million people in the east and horn of Africa in urgent need of humanitarian support. Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan were particularly badly affected. In this interview produced by the BBC World Service for the World Today, Cristina Ruiz, who leads Christian Aid’s emergency response in Africa, talks about how partners responded to this emergency and why there is still a need to keep it in the public consciousness. http://www.christianaid.org.uk/emergencies/current/east-africa-food-crisis-appeal/index.aspx #ChristianAid #EastAfrica #FoodCrisis #SouthSudan #WorldService #WorldToday #southsudan #worldservice #christianaid #eastafrica #foodcrisis #worldtoday

In July 2010, monsoon rains in Pakistan turned into devastating floods – the worst in living memory. 2,000 people died and 20 million lives were disrupted. Over the last two years, Christian Aid partners (including Church World Service-Pakistan/Afghanistan and Muslim Hands) have carried out a variety of work helping flood-affected communities to rebuild their lives. Neill Garvie, Christian Aid’s Emergency Programme Manager for Pakistan, explains about some of the life-changing emergency response work that we have supported. For more information on Christian Aid’s response, visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk/emergencies/past/pakistan-floods-2010 #PakistanFloods2010EmergenciesDisasterFloodingPovertyInternationalNgoCowsHousesTruck

Refugees travelling through the Sinai Desert on their way to seek asylum in Israel are being subjected to torture and abuse. A volunteer nun working with Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) has been awarded the Trafficking in Persons Heroes Award of the US State Department for her work bringing this abuse to light. Hear more about this extraordinary woman, her work with PHRI, and how Christian Aid has helped in this podcast.

A major escalation in fighting in eastern DRC has driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. Christian Aid emergency manager Salome Ntububa describes the current situation and the difficulties faced by the relief effort. #AidAgency #charity #ChristianAid #church #conflict #donate #drc #events #fundraise #give #InternationalDevelopment #ngo #poverty #PovertyOver #rebellion #smartaid #support

As a region, Latin America and the Caribbean has increased its social spending on education. However, in Jamaica, social spending has not been increasing and the net enrolment ratio in primary school is declining. Rhian Holder, Christian Aid’s Country Manager for Jamaica, talks about education on the island and the inequality that exists between rich and poor and boys and girls. www.christianaid.org.uk/images/scandal-of-inequality-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean.pdf #Caribbean #ChristianAid #development #education #gender #inequality #Jamaica #poverty #PrimarySchool #school #schooling #boys #girls

For five years, Christian Aid supporters have been calling for UK-listed businesses to be required to publish how much carbon they release. This demand was finally answered at the Rio+20 summit, when Nick Clegg announced that from April next year, mandatory carbon reporting for UK-listed companies would be introduced. In this podcast, members of the Christian Aid campaigns, climate change and media teams celebrate this victory for people power and examine its importance in the fight against climate change.

In the second of two podcasts on Christian Aid's involvement at Rio+20, we discuss why the green economy will be such a contentious topic and what we can realistically hope to get out of the conference.

Zambia is rich in natural resources, and is the 7th largest producer of copper globally. However, despite having this potential source of wealth, ordinary Zambians are not benefitting. This is largely due to the shockingly low amount of tax that Zambia is able to collect from the extractives industry. Mineral loyalty rates are set at just 3%, despite the price of copper rising steadily in the world economy. Adding to the problem is the issue of tax dodging by some unscrupulous companies, which the Zambian government estimates has cost them around $1 billion in lost revenue. The failure to raise revenue through taxation has restricted the ability of the Zambian government to invest in public services that could help lift people out of poverty. Many people lack access to basic services like education, healthcare and sanitation facilities. As the world's most powerful leaders meet in Mexico at the G20 summit in June, we're calling on them to make sure that tackling tax dodging is on their agenda. You can

Christian Aid recently launched a report called “The Scandal of Inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean” which seeks to identify both the progress that has been made in the region, but also to expose the areas that remain and, in some cases, are becoming even more unequal. Christian Aid’s Gaby Drinkwater who helped to write the report summarises the report findings, and Rhian Holder, Christian Aid’s Country Manager for Jamaica, gives her opinion on the inequality which she sees in Jamaica. To see the full report visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk/images/scandal-of-inequality-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean.pdf

In April, eastern DRC was plunged into fresh chaos when factions of the Congolese army mutinied, reigniting fighting in the area. The conflict has displaced thousands of ordinary Congolese people and many civilians have lost their lives. Salome Ntububa, Christian Aid's regional emergency manager for central Africa, describes the situation.

In July 2011, South Sudan separated from Sudan to become the world’s newest state. This was the culmination of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement which ended decades of civil war. But the months since separation have not been peaceful and more than 120,000 people have been displaced by violence. Many of those displaced are living in desperate conditions in camps. Christian Aid's Communications Officer Antoinette Powell caught up with Regional Emergency Manager Maurice Onyango and Support Officer Rosie Crowther who recently visited camps in Jonglei and Warrap states.

50,000 people will converge on Rio in mid June for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development. But what will Rio+20 involve and how is it connected to Christian Aid's work? Listen to this podcast to find out.

In this podcast, Nadjiba Shirinbekova of Christian Aid partner Rights and Prosperity, explains how the organisation is helping to tackle corruption in Tajikistan and empower people to know their rights and demand them. For more information go to; http://www.christianaid.org.uk/whatwedo/asia/tajikistan.aspx

Many people believe that if people in the developing world had fewer children, they would be less likely to live in poverty. It sounds like common sense but masks a far more complex relationship between poverty and population growth. In this podcast, Felicia Price, advisor on community health and HIV, discusses Christian Aid's stance on the poverty and population debate and explains why our assumptions about family planning in the West don't always apply elsewhere in the world. For more information on Christian Aid's work tackling poverty around the world, visit our website www.christianaid.org.uk

West Africa is in the grip of a severe food crisis with more than 15 million people facing hunger. Niger is among the worst affected countries. Christian Aid programme officer Philippe Bassinga describes the situation in northern Niger following a recent visit to stricken communities. For more information on Christian Aid's work tackling poverty around the world, visit our website www.christianaid.org.uk