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BETTER WORLD BRIEFINGS
BETTER WORLD BRIEFINGS 69%
OF CLOTHING COMPANIES are actively tracing their raw material suppliers compared to 17% in 2013—an important step in addressing modern slavery risks.**
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BANGLADESH
REPAIRER OF BROKEN ROADS
After the death of his mother, Pathan’s grandparents became the most important people in his life. Now he hopes to become a lawyer and care for them as they age.
Poverty, child marriage, and violence could have stood between Pathan and his dreams. But taking part in our Partner’s Child Club in Bangladesh for the last nine years has helped clear a path for him to reach his potential. Pathan and his friends, with the help of Partner staff, repaired a broken road in the village. They’ve also worked together to protect young girls from sexual harassment, mapping out safe routes for girls to walk and making sure no one walks alone. Thanks to their Child Club, children in this community know who to call if they’re in trouble, where to go if someone is violent or threatening, and they know what acceptable behaviour is and is not. items to more than 24,000 people in 32 locations around Ukraine. Our Partners are also helping Ukrainian Baptist churches provide shelter to those journeying towards safety, and essentials to those who remain in Ukraine.
Understanding child rights helped Pathan stop his friend’s family from giving her away in child marriage— going with her to speak to her parents until the marriage was stopped. At just fifteen years old, Pathan is making his community a better place.
One of our Partners greets his friend, a volunteer from a church in Bucha, after the city was liberated in March 2022. (Image: Maia Mikhaluk)
UKRAINE PLACES OF REFUGE
As of August 2022, the UN says nearly one third of Ukrainians have been forced from their homes since the war started. By the end of May, our local Partner delivered essential
INDIA AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE
During India’s second COVID wave, many low-income workers lost their jobs and couldn’t provide for their families. Our Partners gave 1,499 households a subsidy for basic needs, COVID tests, and medication. ‘We were able to charge much less, even write off many bills thanks to the generous help from Baptist World Aid Australia,’ a hospital worker said.
NEPAL SAFE BIRTHS
Nepal lowered its maternal mortality rate over the last 20 years,* but the number of deaths rose during the pandemic as disrupted health services and transport put pregnancies at risk. When Rajmati needed a caesarean, she couldn’t afford an ambulance to take her to hospital, 56km away. Our Partner’s emergency support fund helped, and her baby was delivered safely.
SOLOMON ISLANDS COVID CARE FOR ALL
When the Solomon Islands faced its first COVID outbreak, the country’s under-resourced health facilities struggled to cope. But our Partners were trained to respond. They met needs amongst churches, and distributed PPE to rural communities. They installed eight water tanks in rural regions, making hand-washing facilities available for everyone.
With agricultural training, one farmer in Kenya saw her crop yields grow by 700%. Today she produces 720KG
OF MAIZE AND 225KG OF MUNG BEANS!
$1.3 BILLION in temporary pandemic aid measures was secured by the End COVID For All campaign, shared by Australia with the world.
KENYA FIGHTING HUNGER
A five-season drought in Kenya has left five million people in need of food. Our Partners are helping farmers feed their families by training them in sustainable agriculture that yields more produce. And they are helping women find alternative income sources like honey production. ‘A bee can travel distances to look for water, so you don’t need a lot of rain,’ one Partner said. ‘Some of the disability and women’s groups are picking it up . . . it can be a source of income to the community.’
AUSTRALIA CHRISTIAN ADVOCACY
Baptist World Aid is part of A Safer World for All, a Christian campaign to return to a refugee intake of least 20,000 people per year, and respond to the growing global food crisis. The campaign, organised by Christian advocacy organisation Micah (micahaustralia. org), also calls for the government to rebuild Australian aid, currently at its least generous level.
MALAWI DISABILITY INCLUSION
In Malawi, children living with disabilities often face stigma and isolation. Our Partners are promoting community inclusion, working with 40 parents and 77 children with disability, engaging Members of Parliament, and organising assistance for children unable to walk. Parents are now more willing to include their children in activities rather than keeping them at home.
KENYA CHAMPIONING WOMEN
Vulnerable women in Kenya, like widows and single mothers, often can’t access credit facilities because they lack collateral. Our Partners help them overcome this barrier through groups that help women build their assets, access low interest loans, and receive income generation training and business development support.
TONGA DISASTER RESILIENCE
People didn’t just lose their homes when Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai erupted in Tonga; they lost their ability to grow and sell food. Our Partners are helping families construct greenhouses on community lands to grow food. They are providing seeds, gardening tools, and livestock fencing so families can eat and rebuild sustainable agriculture.
FASHION JUSTICE FOR GARMENT WORKERS
Amongst the 50 million workers in the global fashion industry, many are subject to low wages, modern slavery, and unjust working conditions. Baptist World Aid is working to raise standards through the Ethical Fashion Guide, which empowers consumers to advocate for better conditions and fairer pay. In 2021, 43 companies committed to working towards a living wage compared to 24 companies in 2019. Stay tuned for this year’s Ethical Fashion Report and Guide, launching in October.
Each day, Baptist churches in Ukraine shelter 45,000 PEOPLE FLEEING HOME.
