Snapshots from the Field - Self Help Africa

Snapshots from the Field Your support in action

Pictured: Ethel Khundi and her daughter Memory, Whunachu Village, Malawi, 2017.

In Focus: West Africa Water Project Contaminated drinking water kills more than 1.5 million people every year. Many of those who die are children.

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etter water management and improved sanitation can help prevent tens of thousands of deaths in West Africa, every year.

Self Help Africa is currently implementing a major new rural water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) project in Togo which is doing just that.

In the far north of the country, where extreme poverty is widespread, education standards poor, and most households rely on smallscale farming for their survival, only 15% of households have their own latrines to manage waste.

It means that water sources are easily contaminated, and diseases associated with drinking dirty water are widespread. The new scheme is aiming to tackle this problem by supporting the construction of new boreholes and 1,760 latrines that will reduce the risks for close to 20,000 people.

Improving agricultural production and access to enough food for rural poor people is at the core of our work.

However, we recognise too that associated challenges – such as household sickness – are a major obstacle for families battling to end hunger and poverty in their lives.

Children’s health Nearly 900 children die a day from diseases caused by unsafe water*.

Building latrines, and providing access to clean water, greatly reduces the instance of typhoid, dysentery and other water-borne diseases.

supporting women Women are responsible for 72% of the water collected in sub-Saharan Africa.

When a community has access to clean water, women and girls no longer have to face long & perilous journeys to collect dirty water. They have more time to focus on education, spending time with their families, and starting small businesses

Boosting economies Africa loses 40 billion hours per year collecting water!

Access to clean water gives communities more time to grow food, develop businesses and earn incomes – Self Help Africa’s key poverty reducing activities.

EDUCATION Clean water and safe toilets keep children in school, especially girls.

Children can remain in school instead of collecting dirty water for much of the day, or being sick from waterborne diseases*. * Sources: UN, WHO & Unicef

Support for HIV Households F

arming with only hand-tools is hard work at the best of times. Trying to farm when you’re feeling sick, weak or feverish can be a challenge that is beyond many African householders living with HIV.

A project that Self Help Africa is implementing in Kenya supports vulnerable householders like Julia Gitari (47) to overcome some of these obstacles.

Julia has been assisted with the creation of a backyard garden, where she can grow fruit and vegetables, providing good quality food and nutrition for her family. She has also received training to breed and rear a small number of livestock, including sheep, cows and chickens.

These efficient and less labour intensive farming activities allow Julia, and others like her, to farm in a productive way that conserves their limited energy.

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For exclusive videos and further insight into where your money goes, visit www.selfhelpafrica.org or email info@selfhelpafrica.org.uk

Get Involved Shropshire’s Firecracker Ball We’re hosting our first Firecracker Ball on Saturday, 11th November 2017 at The International Centre in Shropshire. Guests will enjoy a cocktail reception, top entertainment, a three-course meal and charity auction.

For further information regarding tickets and sponsorship opportunities please contact Monica on 01743 277170 or monica.morison@selfhelpafrica.org.

Dine Al-Desko Self Help Africa’s ‘Dine Al-Desko’ will return for its second year, to celebrate World Food Day on Monday 16th October. If you’d like to take part, and organise a shared dining experience in your workplace, contact Samantha at samantha.howlett@selfhelpafrica.org and she’ll be happy to help.

Give as you live Did you know you can raise funds by shopping online using Give as you Live? Shop at over 4,100 leading online stores including Amazon, eBay, John Lewis, Sainsbury’s and Booking.com, to name but a few!

1. Sign up: giveasyoulive.com/join/selfhelpafrica 2. Go shopping: find the store you want via Give as you Live, then click ‘shop now’ to go to their website.

3. Raise FREE donations: you’ll receive an email to let you know how much you’ve raised.

Get Involved!

If you’re interested in organising your own fundraising event to support our work we’d love to hear from you. Whether it’s a walk, run, coffee morning or concert, please do get in touch.

Call us on 01743 277170 or e-mail info@selfhelpafrica.org.uk.

Our inspiring supporters SunnyCroft Eggs Thank you to Rob and Mary Hubbleday, whose contributions to Self Help Africa from the sale of eggs produced at the National Trust’s ‘Sunnycroft’ property in Shropshire have exceeded £1,000. Rob and Mary are continuing a long-standing tradition of poultry rearing in the orchards, and for close to a decade have been donating the proceeds to support our work.

Secret Super Success Self Help Africa’s annual Shrewsbury Secret Supper event was a whopping success, raising nearly £5,500 to support our work.

The event allows diners to visit three ‘secret’ restaurants in just one evening, on a mystery culinary tour. A huge thanks to the great host venues and all who came out to support the event.

In Loving Memory A lifelong interest in agriculture, and an enduring love for the time he spent working in sub-Saharan Africa, has prompted friends and family of the late Richard Knight to raise more than £1,000 to honour his memory. Funds raised will support our work in the Mbala and Luwingu districts of Nothern Zambia.

“It would have meant a great deal to him to know that in a very small way the donations people have given in his memory will be used to help farming communities in Zambia” his son Andrew told us.

Filimoni Malekano, Matembera Village, Malawi, 2015.

Thank You Our charitable expenditure in 2016:

87%

programmes

12%

raising funds

1%

GOVERnance

Almost 90 pence from every pound you donate is spent on our programmes in Africa.

farming for Africa's future /selfhelpafrica

/selfhelpafrica

/selfhelpafricatv

Westgate House Dickens Court Shrewsbury SY1 1QU Tel +44 (0)1743 277170 info@selfhelpafrica.org.uk Charity No. 298830

leave a lasting legacy IFF Like you, Self Help Africa wants a world M A K E A D E RE NC E free from hunger and poverty – and leaving a legacy gift in your will is a real way you can support this effort and make an impact for generations to come.

A legacy gift costs you nothing in this lifetime, but it can change the lives of future generations in rural Africa - to escape poverty, have enough food to eat and to provide for their families.

We know that making a will is a personal matter. But after you have remembered your loved ones, please think about leaving a gift that will have the ability to transform so many lives in the future.

When we receive a legacy from someone who has passed away, we recognise its importance and work to ensure the legacy is spent wisely and achieves as much as possible.

If you are writing a will and would consider leaving a gift to Self Help Africa – please contact Monica on 01743 277170.

Our impact: 2012 – 2016 in numbers Total number of people reached:

1,174,518 Ethiopia

901,338 UGANDA

286,524

480,468

664,940

224,850

Kenya

west africa

MALAWI

Zambia

248% increase in income*

25% increase in crop production**

*based on those surveyed, this a weighted average for our poorest beneficiaries. **316,974 households (1,958,212 people) have increased their crop production by at least 25%.

This equates to 78% of households with whom we are focussing on increasing production.