Action Aid Gibraltar . Jon Lewes discovers how Gibraltarians, through ActionAid, are supporting and sponsoring communities round the world Natural disasters and the resulting devastation appear often in the news, with their impact seeming greater every time. The slow recovery and the task of rebuilding afterwards does not always get the same media coverage as the disaster itself but depends on the determination and dedication by outside agencies working in cooperation with the national government and the people themselves. The preferred method of helping communities to re-establish themselves is by providing the resources and skills-training that lets them become self-reliant, to “stand on their own two feet” — that concept of learning to become dependent and responsible for oneself runs through all the thinking at ActionAid, both in the way funds are raised and in the way they are distributed. The aid agency works internationally in partnership with local organisations helping to build local capacities while at the same time increasing the effectiveness of the work — local organisations already possess a detailed understanding of people’s needs and have an established rapport with their communities. This working method enables ActionAid to be operating within hours of a disaster alongside affected people to provide them with food, water, clothing, medical supplies and essential household items. On tsunami projects alone, ActionAid currently works with 33 local organisations in Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Somalia — after the immediate aid comes the long-term rebuilding aid. Global Democracy Endangered, Say Reports The reports, by the global antipoverty agency, ActionAid International, are based on a comprehensive analysis of existing research and in-depth frontline fact-finding in thirteen developing nations. They find that the democratic process has been severely impaired by World Bank and IMF policies, which effectively take decisions about public resources and services out of the hands of governments — and away from the people who elect them. Instead, poor countries wishing to obtain international aid are often required to override the demands of their citizens, limiting public spending on education and health, and privatizing their most important assets, such as such as utilities and water. Countries that fail to meet their donor’s demands are at serious risk of losing their standing before the international community. As a result, many nations are left with little ability to make decisions regarding their own economic policies. Says ActionAid International Senior Policy Analyst, Rick Rowden: “What the IMF and World Bank are doing is effectively tearing the heart out of democracy. Holding periodic elections doesn’t mean much when a nation’s economic direction is hammered out between the IMF, the central banks, and the finance ministries Global Democracy Endangered, Say Reports behind doors that are closed to voters.” Two democracies struggling to provide healthcare and education to their poorest voters, in keeping with the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals, are the African nations of Tanzania and Kenya. According to ActionAid International’s Head of Education, David Archer: “What this all comes down to, is that the IMF acts like a school bully, taking power away from publiclyelected officials, particularly in the poorest and weakest countries. This is not a recipe for working democracy, instead it could spell democracy’s death knell. The funds raised to financeActionAid’s operations come from activities round the world. Some of the best known of these are the Flag Days but there is also a significant contribution from activities which reflect the thinking and concept of ActionAid: self-reliance. Gibraltar participates in fund-raising through ActionAid Group Gibraltar, a registered charity formed in 1978. It came into existence because of the desire of the founders to find an organisation for which they could collect funds to help distressed communities without those funds being swallowed up by administrative overheads — their investigations showed them that ActionAid felt and acted the same way. ActionAid Group Gibraltar ensures that every penny and pound collected goes directly to the areas in need, avoiding costs by relying on dedicated and committed volunteers to tackle all the administrative activities. Eugene Howse, coordinator for the Group , is pleased to point out when talking about this year’s Flag Day fund-raising that in line with ActionAid Group’s founding charter, “every penny of the 3500 raised by Flag Day will go off to ActionAid UK for distributiondirect to communities.” Further fund-raising activity by the Group, in line with ActionAid’s thinking that self reliance is one of the keys to a successful future, includes involving local businesses in a Corporate Initiative to support trekking teams. The Trekking concept is one of the main fund-raising activities undertaken internationally by volunteers supporting ActionAid but trekking opportunities are now available locally. Trekking shows up those personal qualities of self-reliance which ActionAid knows to be so important — the Gibraltar business community is being offered the opportunity to back teams of trekkers undertaking treks some 57 kms through the Spanish countryside, with Chief trekkers pledging to raise 6000 from each trekking team. To date four local firms, accountants Baker Tilley, lawyers Hassan’s, bankers SG Hambros, and accountants BDO Fidecs are putting together support for a team each, and more firms are expected to be getting underway. The exclusive “previous trekker challenge” is open to those trekkers who have previously taken part in an overseas challenge in aid of ActionAid. The organisation keeps “previous trekkers”together so that the regulars have a chance to enjoy the experience again with those with whom they have previously trekked. ActionAid focuses its aid programmes on not only meeting basic needs like food and water and monitoring aid so that it goes to the poorest and most marginalised people but also on covering all aspects of community support. The ActionAid update on the tsunami explains that “in Sri Lanka, where the tsunami had a devastating effect on hundreds of thousands of people that will take years to put right, one particular action is an example of a seemingly small addition to relief efforts but which had a huge impact on filling a need - ActionAid discovered that vital eye care had been forgotten in the rush to deliver emergency relief, and arranged for the supply of 3,000 pairs of spectacles to people in camps in the Andaman Islands” Parents in aid areas are helped by ActionAid to raise their children to be self-reliant by channelling sponsors’ funds to help them. A sponsor providing just fifteen pounds a month will receive full history and details of the sponsored child’s welfare, and progress in acquiring reading and writing and other locally necessary skills like sowing and planting is updated by sending and receiving letters and by visiting the child. ActionAid reaches the parts that governments do not seem to reach — since its foundation in 1978 ActionAid Group Gibraltar has, through sponsorship by Gibraltarians, sponsored five hundred children across the world in countries which include Kenya, Nepal, Malawi and Peru. Eugene Howse looks to the future and looks forward to “the Gibraltar community taking the figure for numbers of children sponsored to one thousand”.

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