In an amazing feat of bravery, Alan Lau, set off on the 7th of December to row solo and unsupported across the Atlantic Ocean to raise money for our work He set off from Gran Canaria and is aiming to arrive approximately 90 days later in Barbados, covering a distance of 3,000 miles using only the power from his oars.
As a motorcycle racer, triathlete, long distance cyclist and a gravity enduro mountain biker, Alan is not unfamiliar with challenges. He has dreamed about crossing oceans in a boat since his childhood and the dream started to become reality in winter 2008 when he was inspired by reading the story of another ocean rower coming to the end of her challenge. In addition to raising funds for our work, Alan is also hoping that his adventure will inspire others to step outside of their comfort zones. The boat “CurryFishball” that will be used for the crossing has been specially built by Rossiter Yachts, a family run business spanning 3 generations of boat builders who Alan has really enjoyed working with; “I feel safe knowing that my boat has been built by Cris Rossiter and his team.” His expedition is fully self funded, with a very lean team that helped with preparations. During the expedition itself, only the safety co-ordinator is involved from land, to provide weather information and co-ordinate communications. To engage with the community and to help raise awareness as well as funds, Alan has been running several competitions and raffle draws for school children to get involved in. Competitions have ranged from creating the best theme for the boat to be painted with to designing the T-shirt graphics for the team. He has also given short trips in the boat. You can help support his cause by going to his Justgiving page and follow the adventure by reading his blog which will actually track the boats progress across the ocean! Just go to the ‘Where is Alan’ tab on his website. We’re hugely grateful to Alan for choosing to support us through this incredible personal challenge and wish him every success in his adventure. Watch this space for updates as and when they come through. We often go on about our brilliant local fundraisers and there are always lots of brilliant people out there putting their heads together and raising lots of money for us.
Every so often someone comes along who knows about Children on the Edge and what we do and they want to go that extra mile to do what they can to help. We have had people walk, run and cycle long distances and we have seen people complete seriously strenuous mental and physical challenges, all to help the vulnerable children around the world that we work with. The very lovely James Chinnock has chosen 2015 to be an entire year of challenges which all began when he ran the Children on the Edge Chichester Half Marathon back in October. It was then he thought that 'just running a half marathon' wasn’t quite hard enough!! After taking part in the Paras P Company 10 miler, James decided to spice things up by deciding to tab* five separate events throughout 2015, including two half marathons, two paras selection events and one special forces battle fitness test route, finishing up with the October 11th Chichester Half. *For those of us not in the know, we have been reliably informed that ‘tabbing’ is the army term for running a long way wearing boots, combat trousers and a big green rucksack weighing 35lbs, plus water! Yes, we think he’s barmy. After being ‘advised not to’ join the Para Reserves (4 Para) due to his age (just a spring chicken at 40!), James has set about proving everyone wrong. After signing up and then completing the Paras 10 event in Colchester, followed by two more and not completely passing out, he started to think about setting himself a huge personal challenge to raise money for Children on the Edge. The events he will be taking part in are - Hastings Half Marathon - 22nd March Special Forces 10 Miler - 3rd May Paras 10 - 4th July Paras 10 - 6th September Chichester Half Marathon - 11th October If you would like to support James to reach his target and to give him some inspiration on those long winter training runs, please donate via his Just Giving page or text TABB95 and the amount you would like to donate to 70070. Over the past few years the media and international community have painted an overly optimistic picture about the promised transition to peace and democracy in Burma (Myanmar). Human rights groups working on the ground have seen little genuine evidence of this reform and describe a country still plagued with human rights abuses, many of which violate international law.
In a recent report Burma Campaign UK stated that ‘Aung San Suu Kyi, President Obama and the United Nations have all said that Burma’s reform process is stalled, backsliding, or backtracking. The British government has still not publicly and unambiguously accepted this’. As the reform process has ground to a halt, we are seeing serious consequences for those we work with:
How to take action:
This week, our Director Rachel Bentley and Head of UK Ben Wilkes have been visiting the project we support for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The project is two tent schools inside two Syrian refugee camps in Bekaa Valley, which are designed to bring child friendly education to the children who live here.
The plight of Syrian refugees has been widely covered in the national and international news media. Since the original brutal suppression of political protests in March 2011, almost 200,000 Syrians have lost their lives in escalating conflict between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and those opposed to his rule. The violent internal conflict has demolished entire neighbourhoods and forced more than nine million people from their homes. 3.2 million have fled to neighbouring countries, with over a million of these ending up in Lebanon. With a population of just 4 million themselves, the Lebanese have been struggling to accommodate the flood of new arrivals. Large camps are not permitted by the Lebanese government and as a result, throughout Bekaa Valley, small camps of 50-100 families have sprung up, many of which are still without basic services for children. Walking around these camps this Monday, Rachel described the onset of colder weather and its potential impact: “Winter is on its way so conditions are worsening, the camps are a bit of a mud bath already as it was raining hard today. In a few weeks it will be snow so I can't imagine what surviving day to day will be like then. Many of the children were still wearing flip flops on their feet so they will need warm shoes for winter. Fortunately the school tents have stoves in so will remain warm, bright places whatever the conditions”. In terms of education, the official UN policy has been to integrate Syrian children into Lebanese schools, but these are now at capacity, so there is a need for education within the camps. Although they are working to provide some informal education in the area, as a consequence of the ever increasing influx of refugees, this cannot extend to all of the Syrian camps in Bekaa Valley. Children on the Edge are supporting our Lebanese partner, Al Rahma Al Mountassira, who provide health clinics and supplies to two camps. After setting up and running a successful tent school in one of these camps, we supported the establishment and running of a school in the second camp. This second tent school provides education to 74 children aged between 6-12 years. Spending time in the schools Rachel said “The schools are very impressive. The classrooms are bright, warm, creative places for the children. The teachers are really creative in their approach and really engage well with the children, making learning fun. The schools are truly child friendly spaces; welcoming, safe and fun. The curriculum is even more developed than on my previous visit and the investment in teacher training is really noticeable. The classrooms have beautiful art work displayed and there is real evidence of each of them being stimulating learning environments”. Where other projects of this kind bring in teachers from the outside, this model focusses on raising up refugee teachers from within the Syrian community, using Syrian materials. Whilst visiting, Ben talked to Kristen who has been instrumental in implementing this approach: “Kirsten, who spent 7 years inside Syria before the troubles has been pivotal in changing the curriculum here in the camps. She has sourced Lebanese workbooks that are the most similar to those in Syria and then added her own spin. She uses Montessori techniques and lots of games and activities to help the children learn phonetics, language, maths, and science. The feather in her cap, was that she has been able to get a few Syrian maths text books across the border to enable the children to learn like they do at home. It doesn't sound much, but the war in Syria has meant the local schools now struggle for equipment let alone getting materials. For a while the text books were banned from leaving the country, but these few that Kirsten obtained have now been photocopied and the Syrian teachers treat the copies like gold! Kirsten’s love, care, attention and diligence has meant these children have something other children taking refuge in Lebanon don't have. It's just a small example, but because she has this approach across the board, it means that the school, the learning and therefore the experience of the children is first class. It's a brilliant refugee school.” As the fun of Christmas approaches here in the UK, please spare a thought and make a donation to these refugee schools in Lebanon. The cold weather is encroaching more each day and Rachel explains how “There are many more camps in the area with no schools so we would love to help to see more open. It is not just about an education but creating places where children can be safe, warm and have fun to take their minds off the terrible conditions they are living in and the terrible conditions they have escaped from in Syria”. Please consider donating to this project as part of your Christmas giving. At the start of November, we sent Esther our Communications Officer, out to visit two projects that we support in Bangladesh. The aim of the trip was not box ticking or head counting, but to spend some time with the people we work with, listening to their views, gaining understanding about their daily lives, hearing their stories and learning from them, so we can continue to ensure that our projects are owned by the children and their communities in a meaningful way.
In Cox’s Bazar, despite the rise of local tourism, poverty is widespread. The plight of poor families in Bangladesh is desperate and many children are sent out to work, and cannot afford any form of education. Here, together with our partners MUKTI and the Rohingya Children's Education Programme (RCEP), we support nine Community Schools specifically set up to help children who work the beach area here. 900 young workers attend the schools for two to three hours a day. They receive a nutritious meal, attend lessons, freshen up with a wash and have the chance to play and rest with their friends. This is a life line for children like Maisa who we spoke with during the visit. She works as a tour guide every morning on the beach. She’s 12 years old, her father has passed away and her mother is sick with a heart problem. Because of this, in a practical sense she is the head of the household. She works in the morning, she tends their small vegetable patch and cooks for her siblings in the evening, but in the afternoon she can come and learn, play and rest. Her dream is to keep learning, and one day be a doctor. All our work is guided by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (which during 2014 has marked 25 years since its adoption). Within the past few years we have been further developing our focus on the principle that the children we work with are stakeholders in their own future, not passive recipients of aid, services and provisions. A significant part of realising this, is to ensure meaningful participation in our projects, at every level, for the children we are working with. In Cox’s Bazar this is taking shape in a number of ways. The children have started to produce their own newsletter to express their views, artwork and stories. For the first issue they had at least 100 entries to sift through, and it was the child council who decided which pieces would be featured. The child council has recently been formed as part of the participatory work of the project. A representative from each class comes together to voice the views of the children they live and learn with. During the trip, we worked with this group to analyse the results of some previous research. Showing them some data about teachers perspectives, we asked them for their reaction to this, and their opinions on how to go forward. This was done in a child friendly manner with scribbling on huge sheets of paper and using colourful stickers for the ‘voting’. It emerged that where the teachers priority was to make the classrooms more ‘beautiful’, the children themselves thought the important thing was to have more benches. This is currently being addressed by the team, especially for the older children who do more involved schoolwork. In the meantime read about our Community Schools and consider donating to the work. The Fundraising Officer is the first point of contact for many supporters. Regular donors, individuals running a race or the many local groups and organisations that raise vital funds for our work. They will do everything from generating this income to processing, acknowledging and preparing the necessary paperwork for collection by our accountant.
The right person will be able to see and develop our fundraising from these areas. They will have an eye for detail when handling data but will be confident and outgoing and at ease with public speaking. Hours: Part time (3 days per week, hours negotiable) Contract: Initial 9 months to cover maternity leave with a view to permanent if possible. For more information and how to apply, download the job pack. A little more than a month to go before Alan Lau sets off to row solo without support across the Atlantic Ocean to raise money for Children on the Edge!
He has been planning and training for this expedition since 2010, and after a couple of delayed schedules, it is now about to become reality. He will be rowing between Gran Canaria and Barbados and has a goal of completing the row within 85 days. The expedition is completely self funded by Alan and every penny raised will be going to our work with vulnerable children across the world. As well as the row, last week Alan was joined by the local Christchurch Girl Guides to spend a day painting his boat. They did an excellent job, and really enjoyed the rare opportunity. Some of the girls were really intrigued, asking lots of questions and even had a taste of expedition food. Alan said “A couple of the girls were asking a fair amount of questions on the expedition. They wanted to know what I would be eating, so I got some food out and they chose a Sweet And Sour Chicken to try. It was quite funny watching their reactions. Some of them thought it tasted good, but majority of them thought it was not that enjoyable. At least, that’s what their expressions said”. Alan will also be doing a few assembly presentations at schools before the row to motivate and inspire children about going for their own challenges and making a difference. You can help support his cause by going to his Justgiving page and follow the adventure by reading his blog which will actually track the boats progress across the ocean. You can follow the challenge and all the preparation on Facebook and watch this interview with Alan on Youtube! We’re hugely grateful to Alan for choosing to support us through this incredible personal challenge and wish him every success in his adventure. Watch this space for updates as and when they come through. With the backing of local sponsors, volunteers and residents, this year’s race was not only thoroughly enjoyed by hundreds of runners, but raised a fantastic sum of money for the our work, including our current response to the Syrian refugee crisis. Just by paying an entry fee, runners have contributed to this work, but many went the extra mile, not just on the Trundle, but in getting sponsored so they could raise as much money as they could for our projects. South Today’s Sally Taylor opened the race with a stirring speech to those on the start line, praising the work of Children on the Edge and encouraging runners that when they hit the wall, they can keep going by remembering what they are running for. We are currently supporting a project in Lebanon which is providing education for Syrian refugee children who have fled the violence in their country. The project also ensures regular medical clinics, warm blankets and focusses on training Syrian teachers so the project can be owned by the refugee community. Many of the runners’ athletic triumphs (including the James Baker ‘hat trick’!) were detailed in last Thursday’s Observer. Whether trying a half marathon for the first time, or going for a personal best, runners were enthusiastic about the challenge, even the infamous Trundle. James Chinnock, a former student at Chichester said “Brilliant, brilliant event and very well organised from beginning to end. My first half marathon and thoroughly enjoyed every moment, even the Trundle – or Grumble in some cases! Will be back next year for sure – have been inspired by the gentleman with the army Bergen (amazing effort sir!), I will do that for Children on the Edge next year! Highly recommended as a first half marathon as the course is interesting and varied and really good atmosphere”. Councillor Eileen Lintill, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Wellbeing, and Community Services at Chichester District Council, says: “We are very pleased a wide spectrum of the community have taken part, not just elite runners but people taking part in their first half marathon too. Events like the half marathon are most important to our Sport and Wellbeing Teams at the District Council because it is a major strand of our strategy to work with organisations across the community to help as many people of all ages to be healthy and active.” Also representing the community for 2014 were nine local ‘Works Trophy’ teams who pit themselves against other to achieve the fastest group times. The winning team was ‘Wiggle’, with Thesis coming second and race sponsor Montezuma’s taking third place. Other contenders were Covers (who also sponsored the goody bags and raised over £600 as a team), Store Property (also main sponsors), Chichester District Council (co-organisers of the race), The Park Tavern, The Body Shop (who also donated some products for the goody bags) and EDF. Said Henry Green, Covers Managing Director, “Well, what a tough and gruelling run but definitely worth the few aches and pains for the money and support we have given Children on the Edge, who focus on forgotten and fragmented communities not reached by larger aid agencies – something many people don’t think about. The team and I are incredibly proud to have taken on the challenge and help to raise much-needed funds for this fantastic charity.” As well as the runners, the main sponsors (Montezuma’s and Store Property) and Children on the Edge, the event was made possible by the a huge amount of man hours from Chichester District Council and an dedicated group of local volunteers including Chichester Rotary Club, gathering together behind the scenes. Children on the Edge and Chichester District Council would like to say a huge thank you to all the runners, sponsors and volunteers mentioned above and also to any motorists or households who may have been inconvenienced by road closures. They would also like to thank the wider community who turned out to cheer on the runners, especially those who put banners outside their homes. It’s been a fantastic encouragement to everyone. Next year’s date is already set for Sunday October 11th 2015 and the team are looking to expand the event further. Whether you are an individual or a local company, if you are interested in volunteering, sponsoring or supporting the event then we would love to hear from you. Just e-mail [email protected] or call 01243 538530. For any of our runners that have got the fundraising bug, we have places to run for us in the Brighton Marathon. Just e-mail Sarah to find out more. Thanks to Liz Thornwill for the lovely photo of our medal and goody bag volunteers Our wonderful and inspirational ambassadors have been at it again… This time they have organised a Children on the Edge tennis tournament for the third year running. A huge thank you needs to go to Charlotte for hosting and organising the event alongside Anna, Tracey and Alex who continue to work tirelessly to raise awareness of our work (see photo of organisers below). Thank you to all four ladies for working hard to ensure that it all went ahead smoothly and also to Euan, our Children on the Edge Ambassador who went along to tell all the competitors everything there is to know about us and all of our projects around the world. A special thank you also to Nikki and her sister Jane for the donation of £500 from the Albert Van den Bergh Charitable Trust. We are regularly bowled over by the generous acts of kindness by our supporters and the innovative and inventive ways they find of raising money, some more unusual than others! The tennis tournament is a great way of bringing together a group of friends who all had a lot of competitive fun and spent an enjoyable day in the sunshine, whilst at the same time raising an enormous £1625 for Children on the Edge. At Children on theEdge HQ, we are all about play and having fun, not just for the children we work with but here in the office too. It’s fantastic to hear that our supporters are having fun whilst raising awareness and some much needed funds for the children, families and communities with which we work. If anyone can come up with some more fun, exciting and different ways of raising money for us please do get in touch! Here at Children on the Edge we love to shout about our supporters, not only our dedicated wonderful corporate supporters but also every single passionate individual who chooses to raise money for us.
The Body Shop At Home™ is an eclectic mix of both of these. They are a long term corporate supporter full of inspiring and inventive individual fundraisers and we wanted to take this opportunity to tell everyone what they have already achieved this year. We had the pleasure of being invited to attend their Christmas Conference in September and we were overwhelmed by the passion, enthusiasm and generosity that filled the room. Ben got up on stage to a roaring reception and updated everyone on the progress of our project in Uganda and shared the huge amount of money that has been raised so far (see photo above). This of course included a huge spinning glitter ball, a (customary?!) Coldplay song, a beautiful and moving speech by Rose Schofield (see photo bottom left) and a few tears. We don’t like to do things by halves here at Children on the Edge! We were absolutely astounded by the huge amount that has been raised with Bev Ashton and Lou Daly’s regions already smashing their targets for the year with the busiest Christmas period in front of us. So far the Body Shop at Home team has together raised £31,000 from the recruitment and £50 challenge, £2000 on the day from selling raffle tickets and £500 raised through text donations. There are also huge amount of individuals within The Body Shop At Home™ who put a lot of passion and enthusiasm into raising money for COTE, here are a few of their fundraising escapades to amaze and inspire you. A huge thank you needs to go to:
We’d also like to express our ongoing gratitude to every single one of you who faithfully mention Children on the Edge at your parties and continue to shout and scream about us to anyone who will listen. The grand total so far this year is £60,780, the target for this year was £70,000. With Christmas coming up is anyone up for trying to smash the £100,000 target?!? Thanks to Ani Evans photography for donating the photos for this article. Ani is a TBSAH consultant and long time supporter of our work. Her support has included going out to Moldova to help on one of our play schemes! |
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