In this edition:

A decade of partnership What this means to our Cameroonian partner CDVTA

Voices from Uganda

Climate change testimoniesP4 P8

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Autumn 2014

2014 marks ten years of partnership between All We Can and Community Development Volunteers for Technical Assistance (CDVTA) in Cameroon. CDVTA supports elderly people in North West Cameroon who are often marginalised or isolated from the community. It encourages elderly people to form clubs to advocate for their rights, improve their livelihoods and encourage interaction between generations. With All We Can’s support CDVTA has gone from strength to strength and now has over 13,000 people enrolled in 168 elderly clubs across 26 rural communities.

We interviewed Francis Njuakom Nchii, the visionary founder and leader of CDVTA.

? Francis, what inspired you to begin advocating for the rights of elderly people in Cameroon? When my father died, I was faced with the reality of what tradition meant – that women did not have the right to inherit any of their husband’s property. The worst thing was that women were looked upon as property of the men, and men could do to them as they wished, they had no voice.

2 Esther Yaya working at her club farm.

Partnershipin practice

more and more men became involved in the campaigns we decided to campaign for the rights of elderly people – men and women – with the understanding that 60% of the people we work with would be women, which is still true today.

? What has the partnership between CDTVA and All We Can meant to you? This partnership has been one of the most life-changing aspects of CDVTA. It has brought energy, innovation, extensive efforts, encouragement and a new way of looking at development. All We Can looks at every way we can improve our work. I don’t think any other partner will be like All We Can, standing abreast with partners. When I look at All We Can, from trustees to staff, I see that the preaching of John Wesley, of going to those who need you most, is actually practised with humility.

People were afraid to do anything about this because they could be punished for violating customary law and traditional authority. I decided to campaign for the improvement of these laws in favour of women, to give women the opportunity to speak out and to have access to their rights. I founded CDVTA in 1998 with a number of women in a small community in North West Cameroon, primarily to advocate for the rights of older women, especially widows.

? Did you find it difficult to encourage men from the community to join your campaign? At first we found that traditional rulers and men were not in favour of our campaigns, since we challenged their authority. However, at this time the price of coffee had fallen in the world market, making life really difficult for men whose main occupation and income came from coffee, while prices of food crops typically grown by women were increasing. With men in a financially weak situation, women were paying for children’s school fees, hospital bills and clothing. This helped men to understand that women were equally important. As

PrayHeavenly Father, who hears the cry of

the marginalised and oppressed. We ask

that you will respond to the cries of the

elderly in Cameroon who are calling out

for justice. Strengthen CDVTA to enable it

to continue to make a difference. Provide

the resources they need and inspire their

good work. AmenFront: Finji Christopher Chimse, president of Totombel club. Top right: Club members at a training session on making ointment.

? What are your hopes for the future of CDTVA? I see CDVTA as Cameroon’s real voice for elderly people and issues affecting them. We hope to persuade the Cameroon Senate to adopt a policy recognising elderly people’s rights in Cameroon. Beyond Cameroon, I see CDTVA advising organisations in Central and West Africa on ways they can successfully mobilise and support of the elderly as we have.

This partnership has been one of the most life-changing aspects

of CDVTA. It has brought energy, innovation, extensive efforts,

encouragement and a new way of looking at development.

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Members of one of the farmers’ groups supported by RUHEPAI.

In a remote district in West Uganda, All We Can’s partner RUHEPAI is supporting farmers to improve their livelihoods. It provides training on improved farming techniques and ways to add value to their produce, by, for

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example, making and selling banana cakes. It also supports farmers’ groups to set up a revolving fund which can provide low cost loans to members so they can invest in their enterprises.

Voices from Uganda

Nashaba Immaculate runs a retail shop and banana plantation. She is married and has four children.

“After attending RUHEPAI training, I gained skills and knowledge that helped me to improve my banana plantation. Today it is both a source of income and of food for my family. A loan from the group revolving fund supported my business to grow from a canteen to a modern retail shop in Kaberebere town. With the income from my shop and banana plantation, I have been able to buy two pieces of land, a sideboard and a fridge. I also use the money for school fees and medical care”.

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GiveSupport RUHEPAI’s work this Christmas by

buying an Extraordinary gift. £55 provides

a bicycle to a group of Ugandan farmers

– enabling them to take their produce to

market centres more quickly. Turn to page

10 for details.

Esteri Babiguruka is a fruit and cattle farmer. She is widowed and cares for eight children, including three orphans.

“I joined RUHEPAI in 2006. Before, I used to sell farm produce from market to market and had no permanent family source of income. But after attending RUHEPAI training on fruit growing, savings and credit and banana management, I was able to plant orange and passion fruit trees. I now earn money from selling fruit. I bought an improved cross breed cow for milk using money I borrowed from the group. The cow now produces 4 litres of milk daily and I sell 2 litres. I also installed a solar system on my house to provide electricity so my children can read books at night, and I can also earn some money from charging my neighbours’ phones. I use the income to pay for my children’s school fees and medical care”.

Fulgence Rwabukuba is a banana and livestock farmer. He is married and has three children.

“Before joining RUHEPAI, my income was very low and my resources were not well utilised, but after attending training with RUHEPAI, I learnt how to improve my banana farm management, and it is now my major source of income and food for my family. I have planted in the woodlot [an area of forest for the small-scale production of wood products] that I hope will provide me with further income in the future. I started keeping cattle, which I had never done before, and now I have milk for my family to drink and can sell the surplus. I bought new land where I am grazing my cows, goats and sheep. I can now pay the school fees for my children”.

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Give regularlyBy becoming a regular donor to All We

Can, you can help us respond quickly

in times of crisis and make long-term

commitments to people living in

poverty. To set up your gift, visit

www.allwecan.org.uk/give or call us.

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All We Can has a particular concern for forgotten emergencies – humanitarian crises which receive little media coverage or which are no longer in the public eye despite ongoing difficulties. Although independence in July 2011 ended the long civil war in South Sudan, in December 2013 serious conflict erupted again, killing thousands and displacing 1.2 million people from their homes. Recent progress in improving health has been severely set back, with many injured, clinics looted and destroyed, and refugees at risk of disease and hunger.

In South Sudan, 2,054 women die in childbirth per 100,000 live births, the highest maternal mortality rate in the world. All We Can is responding by supporting IMA World Health to provide

emergency care for pregnant women and newborn children in areas ravaged by conflict. Jonglei is one of the worst affected states and IMA World Health has been working there since 2008. It has a number of mobile clinics to provide medical support to refugees. It is also providing training and technical advice for local healthcare workers in how to tackle advanced complications during pregnancy and delivery. However, torrential rains in recent months have made transporting patients to clinics challenging, and providing clinics in temporary tents is no longer a viable option.

Through support from All We Can, IMA have been able to build a temporary clinic in Bor County in Jonglei. The new clinic is equipping healthcare workers to

Forgotten emergencies: Tackling maternal mortality in South Sudan

© IMA World Health

treat mothers and children who require more intensive care, enabling life-saving work to continue despite the rains. The project aims to provide care for 210,000 internally displaced refugees in the region. All We Can has also funded a 4x4 vehicle that acts as an ambulance and also delivers vaccines, medicine and other essential supplies to IMA’s mobile clinics operating across the area.

The contents of a Safe Motherhood Kit, including gloves, a sterile umbilical tie, a sterile scapel, sterile gauze pads, a blanket, hat, gown, an absorbant underpad, soap, a washcloth and some plastic sheeting

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ActionOrganise your own A Taste of India:

download the pack from

www.allwecan.org.uk/taste or call

020 7467 5132

PODCAST

7Eating lunch from leaf plates in a village supported by All We Can’s partner READ in India.

A Taste of India is a fundraising resource pack which provides ideas, stories and recipes to put on a family-friendly and inspiring fundraising event focused on India. Penrith Methodist Church discovered just what a fun and rewarding experience this could be when they organised an event in March.

The evening attracted 50 people for whom an extensive and flavoursome meal was provided. Event organiser Judith Joyce explains, “I made the chicken curry and the fruit curry and we had rice and dhal along with raita and mango chutney. Audrey made chapattis which she put on traditional leaf plates. We had ‘Three Tastes of India on a

plate’ for dessert and chai to drink. Everyone enjoyed the evening and I would definitely recommend the pack to other churches.”

But people went away with more than just full stomachs, with activities including a short quiz about India, leaf plate making and a traditional Indian game called carom. Among the laughter and the fun, there was also an important message conveyed about All We Can’s work in India. Our partners in India are working with poor and marginalised communities, providing training so that women can speak out for their rights and supporting women to form Self-Help Groups so that they can set up small businesses together and access low cost loans at times of particular need. The money raised by Penrith Methodist Church is making a lasting difference to people in poor communities throughout the world.

Hundreds of World AIMS students at Methodist Schools have been cross stitching mini protest banners over the last few months as part of our campaign calling for the rights of garment workers to be protected. A selection of banners were displayed at the Methodist Conference and the campaign culminated on 12 September at an event at Methodist Central Hall. 580 campaign action cards were handed in to David Kennedy, Director General for Economic Development at the Department for International Development following the event.

A huge thank you to all the Methodist Schools, and Methodist Women in Britain groups who have taken part in the campaign. World AIMS is All We Can’s global citizenship schools programme, run in partnership with Methodist Education. Find out more at www.allwecan.org.uk/fashion or #sewinspeakout.

A Taste of India in Penrith SewinSpeakout

A banner made by Alex Conway, a student at Ashville College.

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Climate change is personal

A Togolese family supported by GADIB walking home.

Speak out

Use the points above to write to your MP, or take action online at www.allwecan.org.uk/climate

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The latest reports show that climate change is real and threatens food security and world economies as well as the things we love most: our families, favourite foods and hobbies.

Testimonies from the margins Climate change is already affecting the lives of millions around the world, jeopardising livelihoods and displacing entire communities. People living in poverty are often the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

In Burundi, one of the poorest countries in the world, increasingly unpredictable weather and flooding is damaging precious crops and destroying homes and livelihoods. “The climate change here is a reality,” says Innocent Mahwikizi, programme co-ordinator of All We Can’s partner UCEDD.

All We Can’s partner GADIB in Togo is working to find sustainable farming solutions to chronic food insecurity in the villages of the Savanes region, the poorest in the country. They recently reported that, “the weak and poor distribution of rainfall during the last

few years has had negative effect on agricultural production.” One failed harvest can push families into crisis.

All We Can and our partner organisations around the world are supporting communities personally affected by climate change, helping them to adapt and become more resilient. But more needs to be done by decision makers to help prevent and tackle climate change.

Speak out Ahead of the 2015 UK General Election, All We Can and over 100 other organisations in The Climate Coalition are calling on political leaders to take climate change more seriously than ever.

Above: Innocent Mahwikizi

What are we calling for? We are calling on MPs to write to their party leaders, urging them to do all they can to take action on climate change by including the following commitments in their party’s manifesto for the 2015 UK General Election:

• Fully implement the Climate Change Act based on the advice of the Committee on Climate Change

• Increase support to poor countries to adapt to climate change and access clean energy

• Make action on climate change a central element of the UN’s post-2015 development goals

• Include ambitious plans for achieving a fair, transparent and legally binding global climate deal in 2015.

Unless politicians know this is something we all care about, they won’t have the mandate to act.

Christmas gifts that make an extraordinary difference

Our new range of alternative gifts is now available. We have a great range of gifts to choose from and for each gift, you will receive a card featuring a picture of the gift and explaining how it will make a difference. Whichever gift you choose, you will be supporting people in the world’s poorest communities become all that they can. To order, return the order form in the catalogue or visit www.allwecan.org.uk/gifts. To request a catalogue please call 020 7467 5132 or email info@allwecan.org.uk

Do all you can

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Dates for your diary

1 December World Aids Day Around the world our partners are helping people who are living with HIV/AIDS to overcome poverty and improve their health. Look out for prayer reflections and articles on our website.

4-6 December The Big Give Christmas Challenge All We Can is participating in the Big Give again this Christmas. Donate online via the Big Give website at 10am on 4, 5 and 6 December and your gift can be matched. Match funding is only available for a limited time so log on shortly before 10am to ensure your donation is matched. All donations raised through the Challenge will go to our local partners in Burundi who are providing seeds, goats, tools and training, equipping families to feed themselves, keep animals again and work their land. Find out more at www.allwecan.org.uk/biggive or call 020 7467 5132

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Pray

God of forgiveness, cover the sky with clouds, regulate the rain and the climate, to make the crops grow, and reduce poverty and famine. Amen.

Martine Kakinda, Programme Coordinatorof All We Can’s partner SOEDC in Burundi

Share our story

Does your church have an All We Can Coordinator? If not, could that be you? Volunteers at a local level (church/circuit/district) promote the work of All We Can and are vital to our work. You will be provided with up-to-date information on All We Can news and resources. You just need to pass it on and inspire others. To sign up – return the form on the back page or visit www.allwecan.org.uk/volunteer

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🎁

Practical presents that help people

in some of the world’s poorest

communities to become all

that they can.

Extraordinary

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Christmas 2014

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I would like to make a donation of My details

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Meet Bina Silwal, Director of All We Can’s long-term partner Kopila Nepal.

? Could you tell us a little about yourself and what led you to found Kopila? I started my career as a community worker on reproductive health and family planning. I have a small family: my husband, two grown up daughters and my mother in-law. I had grown up in a big Brahmin family. I saw much discrimination between boys and girls, between sons and daughters and I questioned why we were treated in a different way. I founded Kopila in 2003 with my husband, Prakash Raj Wagle, and other like-minded social workers. We wanted to work in places and reach people that other organisations had not reached. Our philosophy is be where others are not.

? What do you do in a typical week? My main role is to identify community issues - what can we change in communities and society. I also make proposals, plan our activities, train and supervise staff, organise the board

and make sure that our finances are transparent. I get very little free time, but when I do I love to work in the garden. I also love to write articles on issues related to our work.

? What challenges do you face? There are so many interlinked problems and it is difficult to meet peoples’ expectations for support. Working in remote villages is a challenge. Our team members work very hard – they climb up and down hills to reach those most in need. Talking about women’s issues in our country is hard. It takes time and patience to change deep rooted social practices and develop positive attitudes and behaviour towards women and people in difficulties.

? What are you most proud of? The big satisfaction for me is that so many people have a second chance in their life because of our work. Women are protected

from domestic abuse and can speak out; children can enjoy their right to education; people suffering from mental health problems get treatment and counselling. We really feel proud of our close partnership with All We Can and how with your support we have made the lives of many women and girls successful and happy.

Find out more in our new film about partnership in Nepal: www.allwecan.org.uk/nepalfilm

Q & A

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All We Can helps people in some of the world’s poorest communities to become all that they can. Find out more: www.allwecan.org.uk 020 7467 5132 info@allwecan.org.uk

All We Can is the operating name of the Methodist Relief and Development Fund, a charity registered in England and Wales, number 291691

All images ©All We Can unless otherwise credited

“We really feel proud of our close partnership with All We Can and how with your support we have made the lives of many women and girls successful and happy.