3 minute read
BETTER WORLD BRIEFINGS
13,476
PEOPLE IN KENYA so far have received food packages from our Partner to survive the hunger crisis.
Advertisement
Bangladesh To Market We Go
Community farmers in Bangladesh have struggled since COVID lockdowns, with limited opportunities to earn enough income and feed their families. Our Partner has provided 2,175 farmers with training in vegetable and goat farming techniques, and connected them to markets where they can sell their produce. This helped increase productivity in 95 per cent of households, which enables families to emerge from poverty.
A Leader Is Born
As a 45-year-old mother of six living in Malawi, Chiwa* knows firsthand the benefits that financial autonomy can bring.
But this wasn’t always the case. Living in Malawi Chiwa left school at an early age, and now runs a farm with her husband while caring for her children. Until recently, Chiwa’s family and community were struggling. Child abuse and child labour were commonplace in her town, and children often didn’t attend school. Chiwa had no financial independence, and this caused stress and conflict in her household.
Chiwa’s life improved when her children joined our local Christian Partner’s Child Club, and she became involved with our Partner’s work. Today, she is vice chairperson of her Village Development Committee and participates in many initiatives, including a community chicken program that provides families with poultry so they can improve their nutrition and earn a livelihood. This has helped diversify her family’s income, ensuring her children are well fed and able to learn at school.
Chiwa now understands her rights, and the rights of her children. She has increased financial autonomy, and there is peace in her family. ‘More children should access education [so they can] become future leaders,’ she said.
*name changed UGANDA
Not Your Average Soap
High inflation and years of COVID restrictions have left many people in Uganda vulnerable to poverty. In one district, our Partner helped young people build their financial independence by teaching 50 Youth Group members how to produce liquid soap. The groups ran their businesses without any support— one group increased its production from 40 litres of soap to 200 litres!
Cambodia Safety From Human Trafficking
When our Partner in Cambodia identified 9,835 people at risk of trafficking, unsafe migration, and sexual abuse in two provinces, they provided training to help them decrease their risk, and taught 278 family leaders how to protect their families. Now, 98 per cent of targeted caregivers in one of these provinces don’t leave their child alone at home, compared to 44 per cent when the project started.
In one Ugandan community, the number of mothers giving birth with a skilled attendant rose from 67% TO 80% OVER THREE YEARS.
Lebanon Education Is A Right
Many marginalised children in Lebanon can’t go to school, but our Partner’s education centre means they don’t have to miss out on learning. Of the 315 students who completed the school year in 2022, 94 per cent have now moved on to the next level. And 65 children with special needs are receiving interventions such as speech therapy. ‘I can understand my daughter better, thanks to the communication signs we learned,’ one mother said.
T Rkiye And Syria Earthquake Relief
When deadly earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria on 6 February, our Partner in the region was quick to provide emergency aid to those who lost their homes. Our Partner provided around 7,000 families with emergency food baskets, blankets, winter clothing, and hygiene kits, so people could survive this critical time.
5,914
HOUSEHOLDS in Lebanon so far have received essentials from our Partner to stay warm in the harsh winter.
ETHICAL FASHION SOME WINS, BUT MORE TO GO
the current state of play, visit bwaa.co/ethicalfashion-10yrs ▶
—OUR PARTNER IN
ON
Ukraine
Fuel To Survive
As war rages on in Ukraine, our Partners and Baptist churches in the region have not stopped assisting those impacted by conflict. One Partner provided 320,131 people with food parcels filled with pasta, tinned meat, energy bars, and other non-perishable items. And the Baptist Union of Ukraine recently distributed 229 generators to Ukrainian churches with no electricity due to damaged power grids.
Fashion companies that took part in Baptist World Aid’s Ethical Fashion Report in 2013 and 2022 have lifted their game, outperforming the full cohort of companies assessed last year (including brands that are new to the report) by more than 11 points. This shows the value of ongoing public accountability, advocacy, and efforts from companies to produce clothes more ethically. Much more progress is needed to ensure workers have safe working conditions, living wages, and human rights. To read more on
LOVE THESE STORIES?
Nepal Raising Her Voice
Hundreds of women in Nepal are gathering each month in SelfHelp Groups to raise their voices and advocate for their rights. In these groups, women have learnt how to write their names, and discovered the importance of personal hygiene and sanitation. They are also strategising how to eradicate gender-based violence and caste-based discrimination in their communities.
◀ Create more good news for communities around the world by giving your family and friends a Better World Gift. bwaa.co/gift-hope.
