ActionAid uses FBB support to fight poverty

Fourth-quarter 2011 poverty beneficiary ActionAid USA gave us this report about how they are using the funds contributed by members of Foundation Beyond Belief. Members donated $3,905 to ActionAid last quarter.

ActionAid USA is grateful to Foundation Beyond Belief and its donors for their continued support.  Using funds received from FBB, ActionAid will take a rights-based approach to fighting poverty in developing countries on a variety of fronts, from gender-based violence to climate change.  In the United States, ActionAid conducts research, advocacy campaigns, and targeted outreach, both to inform the U.S. public and to build solidarity with the poor internationally.

In all our work, ActionAid takes sides with poor people to help them understand their rights and confront the injustices that hold them back. We campaign with governments to ensure that their decisions on aid, lending, and trade agreements respect the rights of poor people. Below is a sample of our programs:

• ActionAid works with women’s organizations in Liberia and Uganda to build public awareness campaigns to end violence against women and the spread of HIV/AIDS.
• ActionAid educates U.S. policymakers about the impacts of climate change on poor people in developing countries. We build support for major new investments in strategies for adaptation to extreme weather, decreased food production, and new public health threats generated by global warming.
• ActionAid’s already-established presence in Haiti enabled us to support over 200,000 people in and around Port-au-Prince with food packages, hygiene kits, and emergency shelter in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake. Longer term, ActionAid is leading a campaign on land rights advocacy, working with local people and partner organizations to secure access to land, so those who lost their homes in the earthquake can build permanent housing.
• ActionAid has already reached more than 220,000 people suffering from terrible drought across East Africa with emergency food supplies, water, and income generating programs. We aim to reach an additional 120,000 people.

Thank you for your support of these and other ongoing programs.

Caroline Hamric
Contracts and Grants Manager
ActionAid USA