![]() Last week one of our wonderful supporters Andrew Moir, took on the incredible Mont Blanc Challenge. After months and months of training hard, Andrew set off for a week of intense climbing, battling against very steep snow, ice and winds of up to 80kph. At a huge 4808 metres high, Mont Blanc is the highest peak in Western Europe by a margin of over 500 feet. It is known as the undisputed heavyweight of the alps and is surrounded on all sides by glaciers, alpine faces and some stunning scenery. Mont Blanc suffered from one of the worst summers on record with 20 people loosing their lives on the mountain this year. Luckily the week of Andrew’s climb had some brilliant climbing weather only hitting some strong winds as they neared the summit. After 7 days of the best and most challenging climbing of his life, Andrew unfortunately didn’t quite make it to the summit. He describes the situation as ‘So near yet so far. Having battled in total for ten hours to reach the top of the glacier and face the final summit climb I was hit by 65kph winds that made the final knife edge climb in my view too dangerous to take on. We had a second day option but the winds increased to 80kph the next day.’ Around 80 climbers set off for the summit and of those only 3 made it across the extreme knife edge to the top. Andrew was lucky enough to be supported by a brilliant team, his climbing partner Louise (first met at the beginning of the climb!) and the New Zealand guide Tim Robertson. Andrew assured us here in the office that it wasn’t all such hard work - He had the opportunity to stay in the extraordinary Gautier Hut overnight at 3600m with the other 80 members of the team which was a very luxurious experience and stood them in good stead for the climb ahead. A huge congratulations to Andrew for an absolutely fantastic personal achievement and for raising a huge amount of funds which will go towards our projects working with those children around the world who are overlooked, ignored and forgotten, living in barren and dangerous places. You can still donate to support Andrew’s incredible achievement, by visiting his Just Giving page. ![]() Underpinning all of our work and practice at Children on the Edge is a commitment to fulfilling the rights of every child.These rights are enshrined in the UN Convention for the Rights of the Child and guide our approach to improving the lives of forgotten children. Our director Rachel Bentley does occasional consultancy work for UN agencies in the area of children's rights. She has an MSc in Development Management, a Masters of Advanced Studies (MCR) in Children's Rights and has recently contributed to a new UNICEF research paper by Nigel Cantwell entitled ‘The Best Interests of the Child in Intercountry Adoption’. Many of the foundations of this study were built up through an expert consultation, research carried out and texts compiled during the period 2008–2012. Along with Dr Dawn Watkins who is currently based at Leicester University, Rachel played a key role in teasing out some of the main issues from a vast array of detailed material. The combined results of all these efforts are reflected at various points of the present publication, particularly in many parts of Chapter 4. As a team we are continually looking to stretch and evolve our involvement in upholding children’s rights. This is reflected through our projects ‘on the ground’, through academic research and where appropriate, through targeted advocacy. Watch this space as we explore further what this means for the children we work with and their communities. ![]() As part of the upcoming Montezuma’s Charity Challenge Week, children between 4 and 12 years are being invited to ‘Design a pumpkin’ and win a chocolate pumpkin with their design on it! Entry forms are being delivered to local schools next week, but if your child doesn’t receive one, you can download it here. Completed A4 entries should be handed in to any Montezuma's store or their school and marked: 'Children on the Edge Pumpkin’. All entries must be handed in by Sunday 5th October 2014. Please include a name and telephone number with each entry. Entries will judged by a Montezuma’s panel, whose decision is final. The two winning entries will be presented their pumpkins at the Chichester store in October. You can be as creative and colourful as you like, but Montezuma’s do not use colourings and therefore the designs will be interpreted in chocolate as accurately as possible! Enjoy getting creative and good luck to you all! ![]() This morning, a whole group of intrepid walkers from Shiplake College in Henley-on-Thames will undertake its biennial 20 mile charity walk in aid of five charities, one of which is Children on the Edge. These charities were put forward by the College Charities Committee. We would like to say a huge thank you to Mr Will Tompkins (aged 13), for putting us forward to be one of their 5 charities. With well over 400 students and staff being sponsored for the walk from Moulsford to Shiplake along the River Thames, they are confident in reaching their fundraising target. The last walk raised close to £20,000 which they are hoping to meet or beat this year! The money they raise will go towards our projects helping those children around the world who are living ‘on the edge’ of their societies. One example of our work is our Community Schools for working children in Bangladesh. UNICEF estimates that over 5 million children between 5 and 14 years old are sent out to work, often in dangerous conditions, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. In Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh we support nine Community Schools where 900 young workers attend for two to three hours a day. Here they receive a nutritious meal, attend lessons, freshen up with a wash and have the chance to play and rest with their friends. To find out more about us and our projects please take a look around our website. If you would like to support them in this enormous challenge please sponsor them via their Virgin Money Giving page. ![]() Join in with our favourite chocolate makers as they raise money for Children on the Edge! For many years Children on the Edge have worked with Montezuma’s, our wonderful corporate supporters. They have supplied chocolate for our Easter trails and Chichester Half Marathon as well as the amazing bags of cash scheme where store customers are asked to donate a coin for a carrier bag. On top of this, the staff at Montezuma’s have been incredible in coming up with new and innovative ways to raise funds for us - one of these being when the co-founders chose to ride across the entire length of the Pyrenees in 5 days alongside other supporters, raising a huge amount of money for our projects. Over the last few years Montezuma’s have been running a charity week and putting their heads together to come up with new ways to raise money. This years charity week will be held on the 29th September until the 3rd October and it will be stuffed full of challenges across the stores and at Chocolate Towers. The week will include, Monty’s Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Wicked Wednesday, Thrilling Thursday, Fab Friday, Spice it up Saturday and Splendid Sunday as well as fancy dress and a swap shop at HQ. To find out more and to get involved pop into any of the Montezuma’s stores or visit their website. Montezuma’s will also be running a design competition working in conjunction with local schools. Children between the ages of 4 and 12 will be asked to design their own Chocolate Pumpkin with the chance to win a delicious chocolate pumpkin with your design on it. All the money that Montezuma’s raise will go a long way towards supporting children around the world who are living on the edge. Children on the Edge have set up a Child and Community Centre in the dangerous and impoverished slum community in Jinja, Uganda. This project works with the local community to provide a safe place where children can escape the abusive environments of alcohol distilleries and where they can instead access education allowing them to enjoy their childhood and develop into healthy children. Addressing the root causes of the problem, the project provides some of the poorest households with comprehensive agricultural training and land to enable them to became efficient and productive small scale farmers who are able to meet their own needs. We will also provide vocational training and work placements to street children originating from the slums. So go on.. stick the week of September 29th in your diary and head down to your local Montezuma’s store to start making a chocolate coated difference to Children on the Edge. ![]() As part of our support to Syrian refugee camp schools in Lebanon, we recently funded a much needed medical trip to provide basic check-ups and treatment for the children and their parents in the camps in the Bekaa Valley. The two doctors who went were Colin Tourle and Alison Beadsworth from our medical partner Iasis. They have worked with us for over 20 years, with children in many different situations across the globe. Despite having helped on 51 of these trips, Colin described this week helping Syrian refugees as one of the most dramatic. He explained that although he has worked in places such as post earthquake Haiti and famine areas of Ethiopia, he has never encountered people so afraid and traumatised, having gone through the horrors of war, losing their homes, friends and family members. Some of the effects of war are unexpected. Colin told the story of a boy they treated with terrible burns over his legs and lower torso. The injuries were originally from spilled boiling water in a simple accident at home in Syria, but when his father took him to be treated in the hospital it was bombed and they were pushed on to the street. They walked for three days to get out of the country, all the time with this boy enduring terrible pain from untreated burns. Colin describes how the lack of treatment at the time has meant the burn has not healed properly, “it is mostly scar tissue and the build up of this tissue behind his knees makes movement difficult. We have given him ointment to soften this skin, and some exercises to start to stretch it again to enable better movement”. Alison treated a lady who had been chopping up vegetables for dinner when her house was bombed and a knife flew into her eye. Both these instances really bring home how these are ordinary people living out their everyday lives that are being devastated by war. The main bulk of the work done by Iasis whilst they were there however, was treating complaints that arise from the conditions of the refugee camps. Basic tents and supplies for the camps are well provided by the UN but there are still open sewers and food and employment is scarce. Alison and Colin arrived well stocked with the medicines they needed for common skin and stomach conditions that tend to result from poor hygiene and living conditions. Most medical conditions that are occurring are easily treatable, but access to the right drugs is difficult here. Nurses from our partner organisation go in each week, but finding volunteer doctors in Lebanon is difficult, making trips like this invaluable. Families share makeshift tents with just a thin tarpaulin between them so there is little privacy or space. It was in these ‘homes’ that Colin and Alison were welcomed to set up little clinics each day. “The hospitality of the Syrian refugee community was incredible’ described Alison, “they had so little, yet they were warm, loving and generous with what they had”. Colin went on to tell how one lady broke off sprigs from a basil plant she kept outside her tent for each of them, just to say thank you. It was all she had to give. Our local partners are doing a fantastic job living and working alongside this heartbroken community, and the two camp schools are going from strength to strength. There is much more to be done though, and when winter comes our real concern is keeping people warm. If you can donate to this work it would really help. You can find out more details about the project here. ![]() The Brighton Marathon 2015 registration is now open and we're looking for a sterling team of supporters to run it and raise money for our work! this race is one of the UK's favourite 26.2-milers. With a stunning backdrop of the sea in one of the country's most vibrant cities, the race gets bigger and better every year. Renowned for its buzzing atmosphere and roaring crowd support, the course winds through the city streets, finishing up on the spectacular Brighton seafront. With pubic places closed, take this opportunity to not only run for personal achievement but also to raise funds for Children on the Edge.The 2015 event will take place on Sunday 12th April at 9.15am. "Perhaps the greatest satisfaction for us as Organisers of the Brighton Marathon, is knowing that literally hundreds of charities can benefit, meaning millions are raised for good causes,” said Brighton Marathon Founder, Tim Hutchings, "Running for a charity gives you additional motivation. It increases your focus on those long winter nights and when the training gets tough it makes completing your Marathon even more rewarding". John Miles (Children on the Edge runner), who completed last year's Brighton Marathon in an astonishing 3 hours 52 minutes 05 seconds had this to say about the race “There were thousands of people along the route cheering and waving as well as various bands - particularly drummers - to jolly you along. I quite enjoyed the event and I am absolutely overjoyed by my time and results. But will I do another marathon - NO! ...well maybe…”. (Having recently spoken to John, we know that he has already signed to run the Brighton Marathon again in 2015!) We ask for a £50 sign up deposit and for you to raise £500, all of which will go towards our projects around the world. To apply for a place or for more information, please email Sarah. The 1st Sandstone Scout Group in Cheshire organised and took part in the 5th annual Beeston hike at the end of June to raise funds for Children on the Edge.
The Beavers, aged 6 and 7 from Sandstone Scout Group were joined by Beavers from Cestrian, 42nd Chester and 1st Tarporley Scout Groups - a total of 103 young people on a 6 mile hike along the Sandstone Trail from Bikerton Hill to Beeston Castle. The young people, their leaders, families and friends all stopped for a picnic lunch in Bulkeley Woods before continuing to Beeston Castle. On arrival the young people had free admission to Beeston Castle where they continued their good deeds by rescuing and guarding a Peregrine Falcone until a keeper arrived to help. “The children deserved a prize for just turning up” said Beaver Leader Marcus Morris. “We assembled in a torrential downpour which was enough to deter even hardy adults, but the children weren’t daunted, and as soon as we set off the rain stopped and we even saw some sun later in the day.” We are really pleased to hear that by taking part in the hike, the young people not only raised valuable funds for Children on the Edge but they also earned the International Partnership Award and an Explore Badge. Their adventure also gained them points towards the Friendship Challenge Badge and the Community Challenge. The funds they have raised will go a long way towards helping those vulnerable children around the world who we work closely with. An example of one of our projects is in Kachin State, Burma. Here we provide vital aid, warm blankets and clothes, daily nutritious snacks, early childhood development and trauma support for 1440 displaced children. Our centres are open 5 days a week which enables caregivers to spend a few hours of each day working in the fields to provide shelter and food for their families while their children are in a safe environment. We would like to say an enormous thank you to the Beaver Scouts for completing the hike and raising the huge sum of £1650. We’d also like to thank the leaders for giving up their time to organise and take part in the event and all the friends and families who so willingly donated. A few weeks back our director Rachel joined the Child Friendly Space team from ADSN in Soweto to talk through the various successes and challenges that the project is facing at the moment. It was a great chance for the team to get away together and give some focus to many questions that have arisen over the term and come up with some effective ways forward.
Child Protection All feedback has shown that the Community Child Protection Committee is doing incredibly well. Initially households in the community did not always welcome the group’s intervention, but through the building of relationship they are now highly regarded and trusted. The community now work hand in hand with the committee identifying child abuse and domestic violence cases, and the Committee’s confidence has grown in the referral of cases as they have become familiar with the appropriate channels. Staff have started to notice a difference in the young people that come to the resource centre from Soweto. They are supported and counselled by the CCPC and it has made a huge difference to their behaviour and conduct. The next step will be a refresher for staff on counselling training and play therapy. Agriculture Vegetables grown through the agriculture scheme have been bountiful, significantly increasing the amount of nutrition in the meals for the children. The actual budget for food at the centre has not been greatly impacted by this production though. This is because although the team no longer have to buy greens for the children, the saving in real terms is minimal as vegetables are not that expensive. The real cost of the food budget is the posho (a dish of maize flour cooked with water to a porridge). For this reason they have received more land from the Parish so they can grow staples such as maize, beans, sweet potato and cassava. With the extra land different vegetables will also be grown such as egg plants and beetroot, french beans and chinese cabbage. These crops will not only be more nutritious for the children but will also fetch a better price when sold, having an effect on the second quarter of this year’s budget. Grandparent headed households Again, some of the problem solving here is related to the value of vegetables. Many grandmothers in the area have been supported by the project's income generating schemes, whereby they are given green leaves from the land to sell on their doorsteps. These have not been that successful so far, as people don’t tend to buy from houses. Roving hawkers sell the leaves and the grandmothers can’t compete as they are not mobile. An idea was suggested for something that grandmothers could sell from their doorsteps that is not perishable like charcoal. This is something the team will be researching over the coming months. In addition to this they will ensure that children of grandparent headed households are given priority at the Child Friendly Space, and that young people from these households are referred to vocational training in order to bring revenue to the households. Sadly many of these Grandparents are looked down on in the community. In response to this, the team will be focussing on empowering these Grandmothers and helping to give them a voice by involving them in decision making. Another big focus of the workshops was extending services to nearby areas, an exciting turn of events which we will keep you updated on! Just watch this space. Find out more about the project in Uganda and consider donating. ![]() Recently our hero Charlie Meyrick has run an astounding 100 miles in a day, raising an equally astounding £4440 so far for our work. Charlie completed the SDW100 which is a one hundred mile race taking in the entire South Downs Way national trail, starting in Winchester and ending in Eastbourne with a total elevation of 12,700 feet. He did an amazing job and achieved the ‘One Day Running Buckle’ awarded to those who finish the race in under 24 hours! Here Charlie writes about the day: “One hundred miles is a long way to drive and its one hell of a long way to run! As I sat in the car at 4.00am on Saturday 14th of June with the rain hammering down around me I wondered for the thousandth time what had ever made me believe that I was capable of running 4 marathons in one day. The truth is my ego had put me in this spot. 6 years previously I had given up smoking and taken up running. After a few months with a 5km fun run in the bank a new challenge was required, naturally it had to be bigger and better than the last, a 10km followed, then came the first 10 miler followed by the half marathons, the full marathons, the first 50 mile ultra, 100km, the 120km alpine ultras and then here we were toeing the starting line of one of the UK’s toughest and most iconic races, SDW100. 100 miles to cover, 12,800 feet to climb and 96 gates and stiles to negotiate inside the 30 hour cut off. The fear of failure had haunted me for weeks, was I fit enough? My last 50 miler in April had gone according to plan but on my last big training run 3 weeks before the wheels had fallen off after 30 miles and my long suffering wife had been scrambled to scoop me up off the downs. Had I eaten enough and drunk enough? Ultimately I would drink over 20 litres of water during the race, burn 18,000 calories and eat my own bodyweight in my youngest sons’ delicious homemade brownies. Many, many people had been very generous with their time, their sponsorship and their support; it was time for me to deliver. By 6.00am the rain had stopped and the sun was putting in an appearance as 300 runners set off from Chilcomb Sports Ground Winchester, destination Eastbourne. I had three lucky breaks on the day, the first was the fine weather, the second was the most refreshing downpour and the third was a running mate in the shape of local ultra-marathon runner Gareth Fish. The first five miles passed in a flash as we climbed up onto the South Downs and across the top of Cheesefoot Head, the giant natural amphitheatre where Eisenhower had addressed his troops. By 7.45am we were through the first 10 mile checkpoint and running through some of the most stunning scenery that England has to offer. Soon we were heading towards Queen Elizabeth Country Park at mile 22 and the first opportunity to meet up with my support crew in the shape of my little brother Hugo and his sidekick Larry with a boot load of spare kit, food, water and hydration supplements. Both had kindly crewed for me in the Alps last year so were well versed in the fine art of crewing. We climbed out of the valley the other side of the park listening to Hugo’s telephoned excuses as to why it was in fact the sat nav’s fault that we would have to run a little further before my stocks could be replenished! By midday we had covered well over 30 miles and the temperature was beginning to get a little uncomfortable, remembering to take the electrolyte replacement tabs was going to be the name of the game. The stretch between Harting and Bignor Hill is surely the most beautiful part of the South Downs Way with seemingly endless views beyond Midhurst on the left and over the Channel to the Isle of Wight on the right. It is also my home territory being close to home and part of the trail that I have run hundreds of times. By mid-morning Hugo and Larry has caught up with the race and their presence at the checkpoints was a huge lift to the spirits. I had given Hugo the keys to the family Land Rover and during the course of the day and night they made it their mission to cut the trail at places that certainly didn’t appear on any maps. As we crested Bury Hill at mile 45 we were met by the sight of the darkest cloud rumbling towards us from the direction of Amberley, a few minutes later the heavens opened and delivered the most welcome shower of all time. 10 minutes later the rain stopped and we pressed on towards Washington and the half way mark, our clothing and packs were soaked. They would soon dry out but critically the rain had lowered our core body temperatures making the afternoon session considerably more comfortable. Physiologically the halfway marker is a huge milestone, the point where you can start counting down the miles, we passed through Washington at mile 54 in good spirits and picked up our mandatory night gear including head torches and spare batteries. I was still running with Gareth, a man I had never met before but had found myself chatting to at the start 10 hours earlier, we would still be chatting away when we reached Eastbourne later that night. The next few hours passed without event and we got to Clayton Windmills at mile 70 for what we thought was our last rendezvous with my crew and family before the night leg. As it turned out the ‘terrible twins’ decided to see it through to the end if I bought them a curry – seemed like a fair deal! The last 15 miles of the course includes some of the toughest climbs on the whole trail. We left the checkpoint at Southease at mile 84 beginning to feel the effects of our ordeal, blisters on blisters and legs that were beginning to push back. We reached the village of Alfriston at just after 1 o’clock on Sunday morning and at that point with 8 miles to go we knew we were going to finish, pure adrenaline carried us the last few miles, all the aches and pains disappeared as we felt stronger and stronger the nearer we got to our goal. The trail ends 2 miles above Eastbourne, its then a long downhill into the town and into the athletics stadium and a victory lap around the 400 metre track before crossing the line to the finish. Even at 3 o’clock in the morning there was a decent crowd gathered around the finish including of course the terrible twins! I had run 100 miles in 21 hours and 27 minutes to finish in 48th place. The following Saturday I returned to the downs and ran in the South Downs Marathon. I’m delighted to have been able to use the event to raise money for Children On The Edge, a charity that continues to do incredible work, giving hope and help to some of the most disadvantaged children in often forgotten corners of the earth. I hope I can help again in the future as they are a cause well worth going the extra mile for.” We’d like to express the hugest amount of thanks possible to Charlie for taking on this Herculean challenge for us, as well as our congratulations for such an incredible achievement! |
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