![]() Isak home accessories are made with the simple aim of making your world a little happier and a little more beautiful, but what we’ve learnt since working with them for the last 2 years, is that this aim goes beyond their customers. Isak are not only passionate about creating a brand of responsibly manufactured products for the home (using sustainable and recycled materials) but they have also made a fantastic contribution to our work with forgotten children around the world. Isak was brought to life by Swedish designer Sandra Isaksson who creates vibrant artwork with a retro infused twist. Last year Sandra provided all the illustrations for our 2013 calendar free of charge so that we could use them to raise funds for our work. You can still buy these at reduced prices to keep your year organised and your wall beautiful! Isak also donated a very generous percentage of profits from the sale of their fantastic ‘5 a day’ print designs to Children on the Edge. These prints displayed a colourful array of vegetable characters to help children learn about healthy eating. Through the sale of these pieces, Isak raised £1,330 for our projects! This is enough to fund our kitchen gardens in Thailand for 4 months. These gardens provide a sustainable food source not only for the 72 refugee children from Burma who are staying at our Crisis Centre, but for other children’s projects in the area. In true Isak style these gardens keep the planet beautiful by using natural fertilizers and crop rotation techniques instead of pesticides and chemicals. The children absolutely love being part of the project, not only enjoying the creativity of it, but learning agricultural skills for the future. We’d like to say a huge thank you to Isak for their support. Do find out more about their ‘beautiful happy things’, keep buying calendars, and watch this space for future Isak and Children on the Edge ventures! ![]() Kachin State is the northernmost state of Burma and is bordered by China to the north and east. Historical tensions between the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and the Burmese Government have recently intensified, placing civilians at huge risk. A 17-year ceasefire was broken by Burmese troops in June 2011 and since then conflicts have taken thousands of lives and forced over 100,000 Kachin people from their homes. Much of the fighting has happened in areas rich in natural resources, and stretches of land where large infrastructure projects are taking place. President Thein Sein’s administration insists that it wants a ceasefire and political discussion, yet over Christmas the government troops started to use heavy artillery, jets and helicopter gunships. Heavy shelling attacks near civilians are now a daily occurrence. Displaced people in the crowded camps are not only terrified, but cut off from aid. Since the atrocities stepped up in June, Children on the Edge have been researching the situation in Kachin State and talking with local groups to find a way of getting aid to displaced children on the borders near China. With attacks escalating over Christmas, John Littleton, our Asia Regional Manager has brought forward his trip to Kachin State in order to talk with local communities before the situation worsens further. This last week based from the town of Laiza, he has witnessed intensifying conflict including Government jet fighters and helicopters firing on civilian populations. Laiza has become a ghost town with people fleeing for their lives and mortars landing 2km outside of town. The UN conservatively estimates that more than 10,000 internally displaced people are not receiving sufficient, regular humanitarian assistance. Aid is being restricted to all KIO controlled areas by the Burmese government, so this fact finding mission aims to find a way for Children on the Edge to work under the radar to get aid to displaced communities through our connection with grassroots local partners. For a recent report on the increased attacks see BBC footage from the conflict zone in Kachin State. For further information about our current work with refugee children from Burma, visit our project pages. ![]() A charity football tournament organised as part of Atkins graduate corporate responsibility initiative raised over £670 for our projects supporting refugee children from Burma in Bangladesh, Thailand and on the borders of Burma itself. The Charity Super Cup football tournament took place at the Jebel Ali Shooting Club, Centre of Excellence in Dubai. With a great atmosphere and more than 80 players playing 21 matches, a good time was had by all and all the players took a real interest in the cause. Seven of the participating teams were from Atkins, with others coming from Buro Happold, IBM and Petrofac. The Super Cup and gold medal winner was the ‘Chamakh My Pitch Up’ team, with the silver medal being picked up by ‘Atkins Regulars’ and the bronze medal going to ‘Waylanders’ from IBM. “We tried to get as many teams as we could to participate in order to raise as much money as possible for the cause,” says organiser Elie Choufani. “With the risk of an entire generation of children in refugee camps growing up unable to read or write, providing education becomes as essential as providing nutrition. As an engineer, I felt that our efforts to provide sustainable design through our work could also extend to providing social sustainability through charity work, by helping the less fortunate to learn and develop.” On receiving the funds, John Littleton, our Asia Regional Manager said: “This money raised can cover the cost of a full class of 25 pupils for a year's education in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. Every dirham counts.” We’d like to say a huge thank you to Atkins and especially Elie for organising this brilliant event. We’d also like to thank all the volunteers and players involved. Find out more about our work with refugee children from Burma and if you think your workplace would be interested in raising money for our projects, please do get in touch. ![]() With the imposing back drop of the Caldera of Cabo Blanco in Tenerife and a perfect blue sky behind them, Wingate School students started their sponsored run for Children on the Edge. With marked laps of 250 metres, the fastest runners completed 30 or more laps in 45 minutes; but in total, the students ran an amazing 581 kilometres, with sponsorship pledges per lap run. This is the second year that Wingate have supported our work, linking fundraising to their assemblies and classwork regarding Universal Children´s Day. Funds this year were raised to support our ‘Sport in the Slums’ work in Haiti, while last year they raised over €800 for children on our project in Burma. This years efforts raised just over €1000 which is enough to pay for an entire football team living in the slums of Port au Prince to attend the programme for a year, including coaching, matches, mentoring, weekly food parcels and day trips out of the city. Headteacher Graham Hurrell commented “We are very proud of the way that our students are fundraising for several charities at the moment. It is an important lesson to understand that many in society are less privileged than ourselves, and that there are practical and fun ways to help make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate”. As well as supporting Children on the Edge, Wingate School raise money for a number of organisations and community Service is an important part of the curriculum. Students are encouraged to be part of both the planning and participation stages. Pictured above are Danny MacKenzie, Zöe Watkins , Ryan Walters and Anthony Glock who all ran over 30 laps in the allotted time. Special mention must also go to 6th former Linda Mekele who raised €177 for her completed laps and Physics teacher Miss Kerbey who ran with a smile and completed 11 laps, raising over €50. We’d like to say a huge thank to all the runners, fund-raisers and staff supporters. May your fantastic community spirit be ongoing! Read more about our work in Haiti, and If your school or organisation is interested in raising valuable funds for our work then please don’t hesitate to get in touch. ![]() For the Karen refugee community in Thailand, the future is uncertain. With the Thai government threatening to send back one million migrants next year to an area that is not yet fully secure, concern amongst the Karen people is growing. Within Karen State there has been a formal ceasefire with the Burmese government for a month, but human rights violations continue outside the conflict area. Landmines still need to be removed and a safe and secure place established for the return of refugees and internally displaced people. Return at this point is too dangerous. The Children’s Crisis Centre we support in Thailand exists for unaccompanied refugee children fleeing Burma, it provides temporary shelter, education, nutrition and trauma counseling until a time when children can be reunited with their families. If conditions in Burma do radically improve, then some of the children at our Crisis Centre must be fully resourced and well prepared for the possibility of returning to their homeland, whilst those who cannot, need support in building a future within Thailand. At the Centre we have started a Thai language training program for 8 teenage residents to prepare them for the possibility of entering Thai secondary schools or universities. In addition to their usual studies, these students are also participating in a General Education Degree (GED) programme not only to qualify for University but to get a grounding in other subjects including Non profit management, Accounting, and Community Development. Many are volunteering or working part time locally to build experience. Seven younger children at the Centre have been orphaned and have no family in Burma to return to. To enable them to build a secure future in Thailand, these children are also receiving Thai language classes with the hope of enrolling them in local schools next year. Staff at the Centre are talking with local agencies and the Ministry of Education to prepare for the possibility that some students, who have remaining family in Burma may later be able to return to Burmese schools across the border. We are ensuring they have a corresponding grade level for attending Burmese school. Whether they have the option of returning to Burma in the future or not, most of the children here have experienced some serious level of trauma before, during or after their escape from the conflicts across the border. This term we will be focussing more on spending time with the children, especially those who have shown signs of stress or trauma. Activities will include play therapy, discussion groups, talks on nutrition, and one-on-one mentorship time. One of the children described the play sessions “Other children might think that we are bored so we are playing games. But actually we are doing these activities to develop our life in a good way. Because these activities included unity, brother-sister hood, and trust.” Find out more about our ongoing work with Karen refugee children in Thailand, and please consider donating to the project. ![]() On Saturday 17th November shoppers in Chichester were entertained with some animal magic, in the form of the Chichester Festival Youth Theatre’s latest street dance for Children on the Edge. Specially formed to create an animal themed street dance in Chichester High Street, these young people gave a fantastic show for local shoppers to raise money for our work. Passers by the cross were greeted by a rooster, giraffe, zebra, horse, camel, frog, eagle, anteater and a cheetah as they went about their Christmas shopping. These nine young people achieved the desired effect by sporting a colourful array of animal head dresses and smart white boiler suites. They came from a variety of schools in West Sussex and raised the fantastic amount of £480 for our projects with children living on the very margins of society. The money they raised will pay for 28 children in the slums of Uganda to receive a nutritious meal every day for an entire year at our Child and Community Centre. Dale Rooks, Director of Chichester Festival Youth Theatre said how proud she was of the dancers for their contribution to this wonderful fundraising event and passers by commented on how great it was to see young people putting themselves out in this creative way for a good cause. If you would like involved in fundraising for our work, please don’t hesitate to get in touch! ![]() Following on from their lunch party success in August, and building on a Summer of tennis triumphs for the nation, Children on the Edge Ambassadors held a tennis tournament in September 2013 at four separate venues in the Pulborough countryside. A wonderful catered lunch was provided, enjoyed by all competitors except the finalists, who had to eschew the delicious wine and food. Children on the Edge Ambassador, Euan Clarke, presented the trophy and flowers to the winners. He said “I am so pleased I was able to witness that the competitive edge is alive and well in West Sussex and I am so grateful to everyone for their magnificent contribution, especially organisers Charlotte, Alex, Tracy and Anna”. The event has raised over £800 for the work of Children on the Edge around the world. This will pay for 11 street children in Uganda to have a year of vocational training, breaking a cycle of poverty and resourcing them for the future. It is hoped that the tournament will be an annual event and we are very grateful to all those who took part. If you have ideas for fundraising then don’t hesitate to get in touch! Are you the best 'Fundraising Administrative Assistant' since sliced bread? This is a key role in a small team with the main responsibility for keeping the office running smoothly as well as helping to promote our work in the local area. The ability to multi-task is paramount, as is a passion and enthusiasm for getting our message out. We run an efficient and organised office and now want to take it up a gear to further resource our work. We need someone who is proactive, a self starter who can hit the ground running. As well as bringing their skills to the table, we also need someone who is teachable and can learn the intricacies of a small fast moving organisation. If you think you have the skills we need and the desire to be part of a small yet strong UK team, we would be delighted to hear from you. All the information you need is in the attached job pack, we look forward to hearing from you. ![]()
![]() Children from the slums of Soweto, a community of displaced people on the outskirts of Jinja, Uganda now have their own safe place to go to, somewhere they can play, learn and eat. This is no small thing in a community where abuse is rife, brewing alcohol is the main industry and where child sacrifice is prevalent. Due to AIDS claiming their parents many children live in cramped households cared for by elderly grandparents or older siblings. 139 children attend pre-school at the centre. These children are from the most vulnerable households in the community. Malnutrition is a serious problem and many children are lucky if they get a meal a day. Young children are often fed the dregs of the alcohol brewing. As part of the early childhood development programme these children now receive morning porridge and for lunch posho (maize stodge) and beans or greens.The staff cook this in a small wooden hut with two pots over open fires. Education and play sessions run throughout the day with a creative pre-school programme in the morning and afternoon sessions of play and education for the older children. The community are taking ownership in the planning of the children’s activities, coming up with creative ideas of working within a limited budget. They are sourcing materials locally such as building blocks from local wood, beans for counting lessons, coconut fibre balls and percussive shakers from plastic bottles filled with millet. For the outside they will be building a sandpit from tyres and filling it with sand from the River Nile. The project’s Child Protection Committee formed from within the local community has already prevented repeat cases of abuse through effective intervention. This committee is running awareness sessions on different topics for the adults of the community ranging from child development and child protection to domestic violence and alcohol awareness. An important component of the programme is a livelihood scheme to provide alternatives to brewing alcohol enabling carers to earn income to feed their children and send them to school. One of these alternatives is developing kitchen gardens which has been made possible by a generous donation of land to the project from the local diocese. This land will also be used to grow food for the pre-school programme. James aged 5 is one of the lucky children who attends the Centre. He is being looked after by his aunty as his mother died of AIDS. His aunty distills alcohol to earn a living and finds it very difficult to put food on the table every day. She is HIV+. James has not been tested but 2 of his siblings died with signs of AIDS. As part of the projects health screening programme James will soon be tested and will receive any necessary medical support. His aunt says he loves attending the centre and comes home every day singing songs. Please donate and help more children like James or find out more about our work in Uganda. |
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