The slum area of Cite Soleil, where living conditions are worse than anywhere else in the country, remains abandoned by the vast majority of aid agencies. I felt relieved that, thanks to its local partnerships, WER has been able to access this area and reach out to those who are the most vulnerable.

During my visit, I attended the groundbreaking reopening ceremony of the WER sponsored Good Samaritan School in Cite Soleil. This joyous, emotional occasion showed clearly the extent to which the local population appreciate the work that is being done towards rebuilding their city.

I also met with the directors of four other WER sponsored schools in Cite Soleil. All four schools were severely damaged by the earthquake and are undergoing reconstruction work. In the meantime, classes are being held under temporary shelter with teachers’ salaries and daily meals for the pupils being funded by WER.

When I spoke to the pupils and asked them what they like about school, the children overwhelming responded, “we get fed and we get taught”, in that order. Children are not only able to continue their education in these schools but for many, the meal they receive is their only meal of the day.

One afternoon I had the honour of speaking at a conference attended by over 600 pastors and community leaders wishing to bring relief to their city. During this conference, we shared experience and advice regarding development and relief tactics in order to help these leaders help their communities.  

I also spent time with our project partners reviewing both the direct delivery of their work; feeding, medical care and the like; but also reviewing strategy, accountability, governance and reporting. By assisting local project managers on developing these skills, WER is able to strengthen their work and help their organisations to become independent and self-sustainable. It is our intention to empower local organisations so that they can transform their communities over the years ahead.

The month of July serves as a transition period between the rainy season and the hurricane season in Haiti, exacerbating the devastating effects of the January 2010 earthquake that remain a prevalent part of daily life. One needs only to step outside in Port-au-Prince and see decimated infrastructure and thousands of Haitians living in flimsy tents on the streets to be reminded of the horrors that occurred just over 6 months ago.

Even with the mounds of international support Haiti has been receiving over the past few months, there is still an unfathomable amount of work left to be done. WER is doing everything in its power to help alleviate some of the pain and to give communities hope for the future.

Click here to support WER and our work to provide relief and hope for those who are still suffering in Haiti.
 

The two Chris' put in a strong performance coming in 28th (Barker) and 33rd (Hobbs).  Ben and Lisa were just happy to finish!

The run involved 8 gruelling miles of cross-country over steep Dorset hills, through streams and bogs and culminated in an assault course.

Sound fun?

Why not register to run in an event with WER? 

Take a look at our running pages by clicking here.

Every day, across the world, children like Lydia struggle for survival.

But Lydia lives in hope.  She believes that somewhere  out there, somebody special will change her life for the better. 

You can be that person right now by donating to WER.

Whatever you can give will be used to help us get food, medical help, clothing and other supplies to starving children in Africa and other places across the world.

We can deliver a large case of baby food to a desperate mother in the hardest hit famine areas of Africa for as little as £5.

And for only £10 we can feed a child at our orphanage in central Burundi for two weeks, in an area once ravaged by conflict.

We cannot afford to wait – please help us to help them today and DONATE NOW.

The cost of hosting the tournament has been estimated at around £6.2 billion.  In a country that spends just £8 billion a year on health this is no small investment.

But what about ordinary South Africans?  The ordinary working South African earns around £70 a month.  This will take Wayne Rooney about 90 seconds to earn - not including his various sponsorship deals.

Rooney, along with his teammates, does perhaps deserve some sympathy.  After all he has returned home empty handed to face the disappointment and ire of fans.  But this is surely nothing as compared to the disappointment faced by a hard working South African when he or she must return home without food for their family.

55% of South Africans reported that in the last 12 months there were occasions when they were unable to provide enough food for their family.

South African school children have been given time off school for the entire duration of the tournament.  Surely even those who are not football fans will celebrate this holiday?  But hunger is common amongst schoolchildren and programmes that provide a meal each day to disadvantaged children are often the main source of food.

In the Western Cape, for example, as many as 12% of school aged children are underdeveloped as a result of malnourishment.  For these kids the time out of school is in many cases a health risk.  Local charities are doing what they can to help out.  Paarl based Monte Christo Ministries (MCM), a long standing partner of World Emergency Relief UK, is doing what it can to meet this need.

MCM runs a food centre that, working with Peninsula School Feeding, serves thousands of meals every  day, directly through schools.  But with the kids on holiday MCM is working hard to get food to the children during the tournament as well.

MCM has linked up with 12 community centres and soup kitchens in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Paarl, Mbekweni and Wellington.  Through this network MCM is able to serve 6,500 meals to children from as young as 2 years old.

"I love football," says Sidwell Magqazana, the manager of  Lukhanyo youth centre in the township of Mbekweni.  "But when I heard about the extra holidays for the children I was worried, because I know how important the school meals are.  MCM's feeding programme has really made a difference.  I can sleep better at night knowing that local children have had a decent meal."

It costs just 6 pence to feed a child.  All 6,500 children can be fed for £390 a day.

"It's been really busy preparing and delivering all these meals," says MCM food centre manager Aletia Grundling.  "I've missed nearly all the matches but it really has been worth it.    I was all in favour of the World Cup coming to South Africa and I am proud of the way the tournament has been run, but I just wish that some of the money that has been spent on football was available to us.  There are so many children that go hungry in South Africa, and even a small sum would go a long way to helping them."

If you would like to be one of the World Cup heroes please donate now so that more children can be fed.

Local young people from Paarl, are making films about the world cup and growing up in South Africa.  Check out their videos here.

Burundi is one of the world’s poorest countries.  Intermittent conflict between Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups peaked from the early 1990s until just 3 years ago.  The long conflict crippled the country’s infrastructure and has left most Burundians facing the hardship of extreme poverty.  52% of children are stunted through malnutrition.

Peace and security are vital to improving the situation – even in the short time since the peace agreement there has been major progress on child mortality, food security and more.  World Emergency Relief UK (WER) together with our local partner ARM Burundi have seen positive results in the areas of healthcare and nutrition.

But this is all threatened if the elections are not peaceful and accepted as fair.

In the local elections on 24th May the incumbent’s party, CNDD-FDD, appeared victorious with 64% of the vote.  President Pierre Nkurunziza has claimed to take great pride from the fact that that for the first time in 48 years of Burundi independence, democratically elected institutions have ended their term rather than being overthrown and for him the results of the local elections are an endorsement of his government.

The European Union election observer mission noted a number of irregularities, including the postponement of the election but overall they accepted the results and said the vote met international standards.

But not so for 5 opposition candidates, including the NFL, who have withdrawn their candidates from the Presidential elections and called on supporters to boycott the process.  They accuse the government of rigging the election and say that the same will occur in the presidential elections.  The withdrawal of the opposition candidates leave Nkurunziza unopposed.

A series of grenade attacks have heightened tensions.  The most recent took place in Kayanza in the north, on Friday and Saturday, injuring 21.  Altercations between FNL activists and the police also resulted in injuries on Thursday last week in capital city Bujumbura.

“Whatever the outcome of the elections the ordinary people of Burundi need peace in order to have any hope of a better future,” said WER Chief Executive Alex Haxton.  “I hope that the various parties will work together so that we do not lose the gains we have made since 2006.”

WER CEO Alex Haxton dropped in yesterday to say thank you and presented the school with copies of Sister Lucy's great big family'.  This recently published book tells the story of a WER funded orphanage in Kenya. The books will be placed in the junior school library for all to enjoy - a further inspiration to think about those who are so much less fortunate than we are.

The money raised by the children of Holmewood House School will provide text books for four schools in Haiti which are being refurbished after the devastating earthquake of last January. These schools are due to reopen in the next few weeks.

Thank you, boys and girls of Holmewood House School.

The channel shows videos filmed and produced by young people from our community football programme in Paarl East, South Africa.  Throughout the tournament Outside the Stadium will feature videos about life in Paarl, the local football scene and the world cup.  There will even be a full parallel tournament! 

So if you want to know about real life and real football in South Africa visit Outside the Stadium now.

Well we all know the answer to that.  It comes from cows of course. But what if milk didn’t come from cows?  What would be the point in raising cows then?

This might seem like a stupid question but it is precisely the one that Evariste Ndayirukiye in Ryarusera in Burundi is answering.

For the past ten years Evariste has been encouraging his neighbours to assess the true value of their herds.  The traditional breed in the region is the Ankole cow.  This noble beast sports giant horns, up to 6 feet long.  It has been raised in the region for over 2,000 years and has its origins in ancient Egypt. 

But there is a problem with the Ankole – the lack of milk.  Ankole herds graze and range extensively and must be followed all day long to prevent them eating crops or wandering into danger.  At night they are returned to the cowshed.  The calves take milk and so do their owners but each cow during lactation will yield only 2-3 litres of milk a day and this is only after they have been fed a lot, this is a quarter of the amount that a Friesian cow can produce, a scant reward for all the effort.  Ankole are not even much use for meat – their weak diet from foraging means that they are typically very skinny.

You might question why it is even worth bothering to raise Ankole at all!

And it is precisely this question that Evariste is putting to the villagers of Ryarusera. 

The answer, according to Evariste, is not simple.  Traditionally Ankole are kept because they are sacred and were believed to be owned by demi-gods. Many Burundians continue to measure wealth in cattle, and the Ankole are especially prized.

“But I do not hold these cows sacred,” says Evariste. “I think they are parasites- they bring so little to the families that raise them, it is such a waste.” 

Evariste wants to change the face of dairy farming in Ryarusera. He grew up in the village but was lucky enough to win a scholarship and study agriculture in Germany for 2 years. There he gained valuable experience working on a farm in Bavaria. On returning to his village he was struck by the poverty.

“It was as if I was seeing Ryarusera for the first time,” says Evariste. “I could see that many of our traditional farming techniques are actually working against us. And chief amongst these is the Ankole. It is not a godly creature. It is useless!”

Since returning, Evariste has introduced a new approach to dairy farming, encouraging his neighbours to ditch their Ankole and instead raise Friesians.

The dairy farming project is simple, but it is one that has so many benefits. When a family is willing to give up its Ankole (which they can sell) Evariste will give them a Friesian cow in its place. The family then feed and milks the cow. The evening milk is kept by the family to supplement their diet and the morning milk is sold to Evariste with part of the income contributing towards paying off the cost of the cow.

Presently 40 Burundi families take part in the scheme. Every day the milk is transported by local boys who cycle from the family home into town with the gallons of milk, where the milk is pasteurised. The boys are employed to transport the milk and are paid a wage to take it to town.

Evariste makes a small profit from selling the milk. He sells it to the local sellers for 850 francs  per litre (45p) and they sell the milk for 1,000 francs per litre (53p).

Evariste is an expert in his field and he believes strongly that good farming methods in Burundi will help people out of poverty and farm self sufficiently.  Evariste thinks that poverty in Burundi is a result of people’s lack of training to farm successfully and not having the knowledge and the tools necessary to reap the benefits of a well-run farm. He blames the misuse of chemical pesticides on farmland as one example of unproductive and destructive farming.  He says that these issues combined with climate change and population growth have contributed greatly to poverty.

The system ensures that families are getting nutritious milk but are also able to earn an income. Evariste is subsidising the cost of purchasing cows to each family by taking the morning milk and selling it, eventually the cow will belong to the family. The sellers who trade milk in the town are also directly benefitting from the income and so to are people who buy the milk, previously a luxury commodity.

Evariste’s project is so successful that he needs a bigger pasteurisation system. When the unpasteurised milk arrives in the town it is pasteurised over hot charcoal in giant pans. Evariste has to pasteurise up to 240 litres of milk a day and with the project expanding, he cannot keep up. More families want cows and there is only so much milk you can pasteurise using this method.  

World Emergency Relief has provided Evariste with an automatic, multi-function, mini-batch dairy- (Model 1A200L), which can pasteurise 500 litres of milk at one time. This machine is customised to suit the needs of the user and is very efficient and easy to use. This means that all the pasteurising can be done at once with minimal loss of milk.

Evariste is “paying” for the machine by donating the amount of milk which was previously lost each day through boiling over and spillage. He will deliver 30 litres of milk a day to WER orphanages in Burundi. Over 200 children are benefitting from the donated milk.

Evariste’s goal is simple; he wants the communities in Burundi to break free from the cycle of poverty. He envisages a future where farming families are self-sufficient and can farm correctly and productively by having the right knowledge and tools. In the process, he has successfully implemented a dairy farming system where people are getting milk, people are being employed, families have an income and WER projects are benefitting from donated milk. 

This work has been possible thanks to a generous grant from Wereld Nood Hulp.

When children's author Susie Poole visited the Hope Community Centre, an orphanage high up in the mountains near Naivasha in Kenya’ she was inspired to write a book about what she saw.

Sister Lucy’s Great, Big, Family is the story of one African woman who is using the power of prayer and her ‘good-at-thinking’ head to change the lives of hundreds of orphaned Kenyan children. Lucy’s orphanage, the Hope Community Centre, is full of love and wise enterprise. This is a vivid and inspiring true story written to encourage the youngest of children to hope against the odds and to look with eyes wide open at the world beyond our own. A donation is being made for every book sold to help support the children at the Hope Community Centre and other World Emergency Relief (WER) projects across the world.

WER is delighted to have taken part in Sister Lucy’s Great, Big, Family and to celebrate the launch of the book is offering free copies to our supporters. All you need to do to claim your copy is to donate £5 or more to the Be a Good Egg Campaign.  Additional copies can be bought at the special price of £6 You can donate online by clicking here or on the phone by calling 0844 2492129. Even more exciting, the first 100 donors will receive a copy signed by the author, Susie Poole!

By donating to World Emergency Relief you will be helping to support some of the poorest children in the world.  If you would like to learn more about our work please explore this website or you can sign up for regular updates by completing the form below. E-Mail Address: First Name: Last Name:

Everyone who took part did extremely well all completing the race in good times.  Hopefully all the participants are not aching too much and are recovering well.

Not only did all the participants complete the gruelling 26 mile course, they all did really well raising money which will be put towards our WER projects.  Thanks to their hard work and effort these vital funds will help underprivileged and disadvantaged children all over the world.

Our runners times are below:
Kevin Sage – 4:17:30
Ben Walton – 2:59:24!!!!
Joanna Sennitt – 5:15:20
Sam Anstead – 4:47:45
Roger Hulbert – 5:17:49
Sally Macauley – 4:26:01
Alex Alder – 3:53:22

Thanks again to all our runners, the WER team really appreciate the effort thay have put in, hopefully we will see you all next year.

If you would like to be kept up to date on the latest running events please complete the form below.

The fire is reported to have devastated the stalls, destroying produce of all kinds.  There have not yet been reports of any injuries as yet although WER is awaiting the latest news. 

The fire will come as a bitter blow to both the traders and the many people that rely upon them for food and basic goods.    The re-opening of the market was a major step towards stability for the beleaguered country in the wake of the earthquake.   

Haitians are struggling to rebuild their lives after the earthquake in January which killed and estimated 230,000 people and left 1.3million more homeless.
 

Whilst there, I witnessed first-hand both the devastating effect of the crisis but also countless examples of hope, of strength of spirit in the face of adversity, of the simple acts of kindness that define what it is to be human.

The impact of the quake was centred on the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince and the surrounding slums of Cite Soleil.  Very few buildings survived and one of the most immediate signs of the disaster is the makeshift camps that occupy every available piece of open land, even the central reservation of roads.

There are over a million people living in camps - most of these without the 'luxury' of a proper tent.  These camps are for the most part uncoordinated and unsupported.  There is little provision for safe water and food and while I was there heavy rains were falling making conditions very unsanitary.  Those in the camps are frustrated but some have found employment with a USAID sponsored programme.  For $5 a day they are demolishing unsafe buildings and clearing rubble using sledge hammers, hacksaws and hand tools.

WER is supporting a camp, in the former grounds of the Good Samaritan School in Cite Soleil.  Most of the school was destroyed in the quake but the grounds are currently home to just under 1,000 people.  At one time there were over 2,000 people on the site but many have now either returned home or moved on.

Our local partners are working hard to ensure good conditions within the camp, including the provision of fresh water and medical attention where necessary.  A shipment of tents is on its way now and these will provide better shelter from the rain.

Cite Soleil, the poorest part of Port-au-Prince, has received far less attention from the major NGOs and USAID than the main part of the city.  Conditions in Cite Soleil were terrible even before the quake but are far worse now.  For three days and nights following the earthquake, I was told, there was the constant sound of people calling out, screaming and crying, either from physical pain or from grief.  All of those I met had family and friends who had died.

WER has centred its operation in Cite Soleil and our local partners are making a real difference to the survivors.  In addition to the camp WER is supporting two clinics that, between them, treat around 150-200 people each day.  Initially the clinics treated injuries resulting from the quake but increasingly they are dealing with cases of malaria, typhoid, fever and diarrhoea.  To treat diarrhoea costs only a few pence but with the current living conditions this simple medicine has already saved hundreds of lives.

I met the doctor at one of the clinics, Dr. Johnson.  He is committed to the work but is deeply traumatised, having lost his wife, mother, children and home in the quake.

In the initial days after the quake struck WER funded large scale shipments of aid, such as a pharmaceuticals worth £1.6million and even now shipments of blankets, assessment beds, hygiene kits, soap, nutritional food supplements, cereal bars and more are on the way. These goods are saving lives and I cannot thank our donors enough for helping WER to deliver them to our partners.
 
This kind of aid addresses the immediate needs of the victims but, alongside ongoing supplies, there is a need for a structured response that will enable people to move on from reliance on agencies.

WER is funding the set-up of a feeding programme that will provide healthy meals daily for children and the local community.  This is a cross-agency programme with some provisions being provided by other NGO's.  It will operate for at least one year.

Of special importance to the success of this scheme is that it is being coordinated by a local action group made up of Pastors from within Cite Soleil.  Many of the international agencies have shied away from establishing programmes within the slum area (it has a reputation as a dangerous place to operate).  By supporting projects co-ordinated by local people, known to WER and trusted, we can ensure that aid is getting through to those that need it most and we are helping to foster networks that will continue to work for the good of Cite Soleil long after the worst of the crisis is over.

Ensuring a continued supply of safe drinking water is a top priority.  Within the city area there is very little clean water available and so WER has been supplying tankers of water, driven in to storage units within Cite Soleil.  But this is only be a short term solution.  During my visit we identified locations across the city for water filtration units.  Each of these units will filter enough water for 5,000 people to drink and cook with each day.
 
In the longer term a great deal of reconstruction work is required across the whole of Port-au-prince but lessons must be learned in the approach to building works.  A great many of the people living in the camps do in fact have homes that are still standing.  But the trauma of the quake, the collapse of so many seemingly solid buildings, the bodies that even now are being brought out from the ruins, keep people from sleeping inside.  They prefer to stay in the open, with nothing heavier than a tarpaulin or canvas overhead.

Given the great losses, this response is completely understandable but at the same time people cannot live like this for ever.  WER is going to concentrate on rebuilding local schools, which provide not only a safe place and education for children, they are a community resource often providing food, water, guidance and more to the whole area they serve.

The Good Samaritan School (of which you will have heard much during this crisis) will be rebuilt with 10 classrooms by January 2011 and four further schools have been identified for works in the year ahead.  Importantly the new buildings will be earthquake resistant so that they can be a sanctuary where the pupils will feel safe and protected.

WER will also fund a daily meal for the pupils and cover teachers' stipends.  Before the quake the students paid a small sum for schooling but many families cannot afford this now.  By enabling the schools to provide food and education for free WER will be speeding up the children's return to normality.  A WER funded food kitchen will also supply many other children and schools throughout Cite Soleil.
 
It is just over three months since the earthquake hit Haiti.  We've all heard the statistics by now, of one of the gravest disasters of our times. But sometimes statistics and reports make it hard to remember that each number is a real person; a child without a mother, a family with no home.

And yet remember we must, because it is ordinary people like us who are making a difference in Haiti.  Long after the cameramen have moved on, to elections or volcanoes, it will be your response, combined with the strength and spirit of the survivors that will heal Haiti and for this I thank our supporters with all my heart.

You can donate online at www.wer-uk.org/donate or by calling WER on 0844 249 2129.

At present, ARM Congo is the only NGO on the ground providing support for the many displaced people in that region of the High Plateau.  It was recently able to distribute food to over 700 people from two villages, Kafune and Kinyarama, which were evacuated in December due to the fighting.   The distribution of flour, beans and potatoes was enough to feed these people for 20-30 days.

However, since the village of Rubuga was destroyed, ARM Congo has been faced with the challenge of providing food and shelter for over 100 additional families.  According to Pastor Ruben, the local director of ARM Congo, it has only been possible to help 8 of these families so far and 96 others are in desperate need of support. 

 “Their chief, knowing that we have been caring for the families of these other two villages, has asked for some assistance. Rebuilding their homes will not begin for some time, but at present they are hungry and needing food and shelter.

We are already committed to helping the families of Kafune and Kinyarama, but these other families are now in a desperate situation. They will greatly appreciate any help that people can give them.

Those who we have been able to assist already are so appreciative that people from the west are praying for them and helping them.” 
 
Over the past few years ARM Congo has helped to rebuild a village called Rubibi which had also been destroyed at the hands of rebel fighters. Pastor Ruben has faith that this achievement can one day be realised for the village of Rubuga.

 “I had the privilege of travelling to Rubibi last October and officially opening the village. We pray that we will be able to do the same for Rubuga so that, one day, it too can welcome back the families it has lost.”

Gitega, a deprived, rural area has previously lacked any major health services. The nearest health centre was a government hospital miles away that charges for its services. With a high rate of HIV/AIDS and severe malnutrition, the community were in desperate need.
 

As part of the opening ceremony, 200 children from local families were fed.  Of these, 100 children were identified as suffering from severe malnutrition and were signed up to a treatment programme.  They will be fed twice a week and a local health carer will visit their homes to advise on nutrition. This nutrition programme will drastically improve the physical and mental capabilities of the children, some of whom currently experience stunted growth as a result of malnutrition.
 

The clinic was built thanks to a grant from St. Mary’s Church in Reigate who gave an amazing £40,000 to expand an existing HIV/AIDS clinic into a fully-fledged health centre.  The opening of the clinic heralds a change in the prospects for a healthier and safer lifestyle for the people of Gitega.
 

As expected, the opening of the clinic was a momentous local event attended by huge crowds including the health centre staff, the head of the local police, the medical officer for Gitega, a regional administrator and the local pastor. Jeremy Horner and Reverend Phil Andrews hosted the opening of the clinic and were delighted by the local response and enthusiasm.
 

As the ribbon was cut, great excitement mounted as the community inspected the new 8 bed ward, maternity unit, consultation rooms, laboratories, and a pharmacy. The local community are also anticipating courses that will help parents learn about healthy diets for their children and to deal with other health related matters.

So far over 700 people have died with the death toll expecting to rise because of the number of missing people.  Aftershocks of 7.5 magnitude continued to hit the country as rescue workers arrived to find entire fishing villages had been washed away.

It is reported that in the town of Constitución, 350 people have died when the earthquake first hit causing a Tsunami.  Surging waves destroyed and swept away anything in its path.  An estimated 500,000 homes were severely damaged by the quake leaving 1 in 8 people homeless.

As fuel, water, and food ran survivors have been forced to scavenge.  The Chilean Military has now taken control of towns and cities that have been affected, imposing curfews and maintaining control.

With many bridges destroyed and much of Route 5, the main North-South highway, a mangled mess, delivery of aid has been difficult, with some areas entirely cut off.

The Chilean president, Michelle Bachelet told reporters: ‘We are facing a catastrophe of such unthinkable magnitude that it will require a giant effort.’

Chile did not initially ask for foreign assistance but Ms Bachelet later said she would accept some offers of aid.  She said that Chile needed field hospitals, temporary bridges, water purification plants, damage assessment experts and rescuers to relieve those already looking for survivors.

Despite the magnitude of this quake, the devastation has been far less than that of Haiti.  Chile’s history of earthquakes and solid construction has been instrumental in preventing further destruction and deaths.

Due to our ongoing commitments to emergency relief and long-term developments in Haiti, WER is currently monitoring the situation in Chile, however, it is unlikely that WER will be able to offer any assistance due to limited emergency funding and lack of local partners.
 

Picture courtsey of Alertnet.