War Child Blog and Media

Iraq Appeal launch

admin — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:15:31 +0100

The humanitarian crisis in Iraq is escalating and it's hitting children hardest. Their childhoods are being stripped away from them. Many children have lost a parent or have to flee the communities that have supported them and so are forced to survive and help their families by working on the streets, undertaking hazardous work.

As the last remaining international child protection agency in southern Iraq War Child is determined to continue its work helping children and their families. To do this we urgently need your help to raise £1.5 million

War Child works with children living and working on the streets. Children who have been forced into prostitution and drugs or who make a living by collecting and selling rubbish or unexploded mines. Children who feel that there is no escape and no future.

We provide practical training and grants to children and their families so they can set up businesses and find employment. With the money they make they can afford access to food, healthcare and education. With your help we can expand our programme and reach even more children.

Find out more

Video - Andrew Mitchell in Congo

admin — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 15:54:26 +0100

This summer we took Shadow Secretary of State Andrew Mitchell to Democratic Republic of Congo to see our work with children living on the streets. Check out his video report below.

Learn more about our work in DRC

Iraqi police execute Ahmed, aged 14

admin — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 17:58:57 +0100

Human rights activist Peter Tatchell reports on the death squads that are murdering children suspected of being "gay" and on the criminal gangs that are blackmailing teenagers into the sex industry

Ahmed Khalil was a likeable, playful 14 year old boy. He was born in the southern Iraqi town of al-Ammara. The eldest child, he came from an uneducated family who lived in great poverty.

After the 2003 US-led invasion, the Iraqi economy collapsed, causing widespread unemployment and the disintegration of social services. With no income or welfare support in al-Ammara, Ahmed's family moved to Baghdad.

His father wanted to find a job to support his wife, two sons and daughter. The family settled in al-Dura, a very poor district of Baghdad.

Ahmed's father got a job as a night watchman on a building site for the pitiful wage of 10 dollars a month, plus permission for him and his family to live on the site until the construction of the new houses was completed. They lived in the shell of the unfinished buildings. It was a life of desolation and destitution.

His family was desperate. To help them financially, Ahmed occasionally had sex with men, in exchange for small amounts of money or food - some times for just a few potatoes or a small loaf of bread.

Eventually, in the close-knit community of al-Dura, rumours of Ahmed's sexual relations with men began to spread, causing great scandal. His behaviour was reported to the police by religious zealots.

Soon afterwards, Ahmed's father was arrested, detained and interrogated by the police. They demanded to know what he knew about Ahmed's sexual activities and blamed Ahmed for corrupting the community. Officers eventually released Ahmed's father.

Two days later, in early April 2006, Ahmed was found dead, aged 14, on the doorstep of his house. He had been shot, with two bullets to the head and several bullets in the rest of his body.

A neighbour witnessed Ahmed's execution from his bedroom window. Four uniformed Iraqi police officers arrived at Ahmed's house in a four-wheel-drive police pick-up truck. The neighbour saw the police drag Ahmed out of the house and shoot him at point-blank range.

Several other neighbours broadly confirm this account, although they did not see the actual shooting. They say they heard gunshots and ran out to see the police leaving the scene. They found Ahmed's body lying on the ground outside his house. It is believed by these neighbours that Ahmed was executed by the police.

Both Ahmed's mother and father were traumatised by their sons' brutal killing. Even though they acknowledge that homosexuality is taboo, they do not agree that he deserved to die. His family see him as a victim of poverty and police murder.

Because they are so poor, the parents could not afford a funeral for their son.

The day after Ahmed was murdered, his family moved out of the area, fearing further police violence and denunciation within the local community. The family's whereabouts and fate is unknown.

Ahmed is one of many hundreds, possibly thousands, of teenage boys and girls in Iraq who feel forced to sell their bodies to survive and to support their impoverished families.

Some young people are being blackmailed into the sex industry. Criminal gangs have taken advantage of the chaos and lawlessness of post-invasion Iraq. Sex ring operators bribe or drug teenage boys and girls into having sex. They secretly photograph them in compromising sexual acts and then threaten to publish the photos unless the youths agree to work as prostitutes. Since sex outside of marriage is a huge social taboo and is punishable by death under Sharia law, if these photos were revealed it would be an effective death sentence. The young people ensnared would be executed by the Taliban-style Islamist militias and death squads that now rule much of Baghdad and other Iraqi cities. These teenagers are trapped.

Ali Hili, is an exiled gay Iraqi who is Middle East Affairs spokesperson for the London-based gay human rights group OutRage! He is also coordinator of Iraqi LGBT, the clandestine network of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activists in eight Iraqi cities.

Iraqi LGBT members in Baghdad have been documenting information about the sexual exploitation and abuse of Iraqi children, and had helped rescue some of them from the sex industry.

In June last year, lslamist militias burst into the home of two lesbians in the city of Najaf. Both in their mid-30s, the women were members of Iraqi LGBT. They were providing a safe house for gay men and children on the run from death squads. By sheer luck, none of the men were at home when the assassins struck. The lesbian couple were not so lucky. The Islamists shot both of them dead and slashed their throats. They also murdered a young child the women had saved from the sex trade.

"We want action by the Iraqi government against these death squads and against the criminal networks that are behind the sex trade in young children", said Mr Hili.

"Iraqi LGBT calls on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Red Cross and Red Crescent and international aid agencies to do more to support poor Iraqi families, so that children no longer feel obliged to resort to sex-for-money in order to survive," he said.

Referring to the execution of Ahmed Khalil, Mr Hili continued:

"Young Ahmed was a victim of poverty. He was summarily executed, apparently by fundamentalist elements in the Iraqi police.

"According to our contacts in Baghdad, the Iraqi police have been heavily infiltrated by the Shia paramilitary Badr Corps. They are seeking to impose a fundamentalist morality on the people of Iraq. The murder of Ahmed follows a pattern of Badr executions of suspected gays and lesbians. Badr are using their members in the police to enforce the violent homophobia of Sharia law, but without any judicial process. They are carrying out summary executions, sometimes based on little more than rumour and gossip. Badr's policy is one of "moral cleansing". They want to impose a theocratic dictatorship based on their particular hardline interpretation of Islam. In the name of religion, they are murdering gay people, prostitutes, unveiled women, people wearing jeans or shorts, sellers and consumers of alcohol, people with Sunni names, and other religious and ethnic minorities.

"Much of this killing is inspired by the Shia spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. He has issued a death fatwa against lesbians and gays, instructing that they should be killed in the 'worst, most severe way possible.' Using such theological pretexts, Badr is kidnapping and executing anyone who is suspected of homosexuality, even young kids." said Mr Hili.

Donations to Iraqi LGBT

The UK-based gay human rights group OutRage! is working with Iraqi LGBT to support its work. Iraqi LGBT is coordinated by Ali Hili from the safety of London UK. The group does not yet have a bank account. Operating an Iraqi LGBT bank account in Baghdad would be suicide. For this reason, it has to operate its finances from London. All the group's members in London are Iraqi refugees seeking asylum. Their lack of proper legal status makes it difficult for them to open a bank account in the UK. This is why Iraqi LGBT is asking that cheques be made payable to "OutRage!", with a cover note marked "For Iraqi LGBT", and sent to OutRage!, PO Box 17816, London SW14 8WT, England, UK. OutRage! then forwards the donations received to Ali Hili and Iraqi LGBT for wire transfer to activists in Baghdad.

Further information on Iraqi LGBT

Ali Hili 079819 59453
Blog: http://iraqilgbtuk.blogspot.com/

Photos of some of the LGBT victims are available here and here.

For further information about Peter Tatchell's human rights campaigns, see www.petertatchell.net

Website re-launch

admin — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 11:29:48 +0000

We're really excited to announce the launch of the new War Child website. If you've come to warchild.org.uk before you'll probably have noticed a few changes have taken place. We hope you like them. If you've never been before we hope you like what you're seeing too.

We've added a load of new features to the site which we hope will make it easier to keep up with our work, let you have your say and show your support for our work.

Our projects section has been expanded to include better information on the work we do, with full backgrounds on the conflicts, case studies of the children we work with and blog posts from our staff in the field.

In fact blogs are one of the things we've added across the site - making it easier to stay up to date with the news you're interested in whether it's our latest publications, campaigns or news from the field.

As well as being brought closer to our work by blogs from our staff we'll also be bringing you blogs from guest writers. This month human rights activist Peter Tatchell gives us a harrowing account of the child sex trade in Iraq.

For supporters old and new we've provided more information than ever on how you can help our work with children affected by war - from parachute jumps to wedding lists. We've also launched a shop where you can buy clothing and accessories that (we think) look great and support the children we work with at the same time.

One of the main reasons we've put all this work in is to make your experience better so we'd really like to hear from you. Add a comment below or email our online campaigns manager to let us know what you think of the site.

Security in Afghanistan

admin — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 08:21:48 +0000

Security management for organisations like War Child, which operate in Afghanistan, is a very serious issue. But it is complicated by the blurring of the lines between what is military delivered assistance and what is assistance that is delivered through neutral agencies such as NGOs.

For example, the NATO led foreign military force uses Provincial Reconstruction Teams that are detachments of soldiers, which include private contractors, who build schools, roads, wells and so on. It’s a tactic designed to win hearts and minds on the one hand – very much a military concern - while supporting the reconstruction and stability of the country on the other.

But these two agendas don’t always sit together very comfortably.

The massive increase in violent attacks on NGO workers in Afghanistan might, in part, be due to the confusion between humanitarian organisations and foreign military forces. There is a strong argument to suggest that the US led Coalition (Operation Enduring Freedom) – which has openly said it can ‘use’ humanitarian organisations as ‘force extenders’ for its own ends - has confused the distinction between military and humanitarian groups.

Between 2002 and 2005 the Provincial Reconstruction Teams actually wore plain clothes and used the same unmarked vehicles that organisations like War Child use. On this basis, how can local people and, indeed, insurgents tell the difference between NGOs and foreign forces?

In May 2004, the coalition forces distributed leaflets in southern Afghanistan which made it clear that if local communities did not provide information about the Taliban or Al Qaeda they would not receive any aid. Not only does this condemn the vast majority of the population who have no information to give to a lack of vital assistance, but it turns public opinion against those who provide humanitarian aid. Inevitably, the public will see those who provide humanitarian aid as political, and assume that NGOs are part of the military.

It might be argued that where the situation is too dangerous for NGOs to operate in then military forces should provide humanitarian assistance. Well, I get nervous when one of my own kids crosses the road. So perhaps if it’s that dangerous then soldiers building schools will be a waste of time because a parent would be witless to let their child go there. More than 120 schools that were rebuilt by the military have been burned down. No hearts and minds won, no reconstruction and stability achieved.

It is vital that NGOs have the humanitarian space to operate in. Our humanitarian space is defined by our independence and neutrality from military and political institutions. According to International Humanitarian Law, people have the right to receive aid on the basis of need alone, without it being subject to military or political conditions, intentions or interests. This is the premise from which all organisations like War Child start.

As the deaths in the number of aid workers due to violence in Afghanistan continues to rise – it has more than trebled since 2003 – ensuring our humanitarian space remains a major issue in managing our security and enabling the delivery of our work.

War Child invests heavily in its security management. Good security management should not inhibit an NGO from delivering relief or development support. It should enable it. So, as the boundaries of our humanitarian space continue to shift dramatically we must find new ways of constructing them for ourselves so that vital assistance can be delivered to those who need it, in a way that is safe, and does not exploit the humanitarian crisis for political or military agendas.

Music and revolution in Afghanistan

admin — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 08:27:36 +0000

Tonight I got to enjoy what was a new face of Afghanistan for me.

The boys set up their kit, connected plugs and leads, tuned instruments, fooled around with a little jamming and then lept into their Iranian inspired Afghan funk set.

By the fourth track the drummer was deftly riding a rhythm: standing behind a full Yamaha drum kit, using one hand while holding a can of beer in the other. This was not the Afghanistan I was familiar with.

Smiles were traded among the nine musicians as bass guitar handed over to keyboard, keyboard handed over to bongos, bongos to violin …… Spanish guitar, then a damn accordion (I make it sound wrong, but it worked, it really did), drums, lead guitar, then back to the singer.

Apparently the clarinet and saxaphone were missing. But this did not phase the brooding middle eastern intros, latin rhythms, mischievous fencing between soloists and occasional big wall of unadulterated funk. Tight but cool. Very cool. And they dressed for it too.

Their best tracks, by far, were their own. I managed to pipe some of it through my mobile back to the office in the UK office to excited applause. Anglo-Afghan foot stomping achieved at the press of a button.

These guys are accomplished musicians. Some have degrees in music. Most are classically trained. They practice everyday, smoke hashish and, when they can afford it, drink beer.

Nearly all of the band were taken out of Afghanistan by their parents as children and educated in Iran, which is where they received their education. One guy ended up in Pakistan where he learned his craft as a mean fiddler.

They all struggle with the challenge of finding work amid massive levels of unemployment, and the fears of deteriorating security. But they also struggle with the familiar problems of negotiating recording studio time (and paying for it), finding venues to play, members not turning up for practice. Shining through all this is their sense of hope, and their genuine enjoyment of their art, as they plough a furrow of cool through Afghan culture.

They described the change in Kabul since the ousting of the Taleban as like being able to walk outside and enjoy breathing in cool, fresh air.

Their music bursts out of the shabby second story flat they’ve rented. Every day. One of the guys tells me that some of the pedestrians take a longer route home from work along their block so that they can listen to the music. I looked out of the balcony and sure enough, young boys are dancing (with their shoulders) on the street. Passers by slow down and smile as the music grabs them for a moment.

One of my Afghan colleagues, who could not stop smiling as he listened, said that he did not know how important music was. “It makes me feel free. Which means I had not realised I had been confined.”

There are those who would behead these guys for playing music like this. But there is a growing army of young people who have a thirst for it, and an older generation who remember the live bands they enjoyed back in the day. Kabulis are generally open minded and liberal, very hospitable; they are people who care, who want to live in peace, and enjoy that peace. Their music is an instrument for that enjoyment as well as of defiance in the face of those who would smash the peace they strive for.

These guys are not just musicians, they are revolutionaries.

Listen live to Keane Curates at the Brixton Academy

admin — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 17:30:57 +0000

Want to hear Keane, Lily Allen, Pet Shop Boys, Guillemots, The Magic Numbers an more live? We're broadcasting tonight's gig live on the following stations in the UK. Listen in and let us know what you think of the show by leaving a comment below:

Radio City
Red Rose
Key 103
Radio Aire
Hallam FM
Viking FM
TFM
Metro
Radio Clyde
Radio Forth
North Sound
West Sound
Mory Firth
CFM
Tay
South West Sound
Radio Borders
Downtown (N.Ireland)
Kerrang
Wave 105
The Hits
Q
Mojo

You can also keep up to date with what's going down by taking a look at our twitter page.

First day in Afghanistan

admin — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 12:08:33 +0000

Our new field director in Afghanistan has an eye-opening first day in Kabul before heading west to start working on our project there.

My first day in Kabul starts with a security briefing. The briefing is not very comforting and has heightened my sense of insecurity and jumpiness. Thanks to the dire warnings I seem to be jumping at smallest sounds, police vans, motorbikes...

After the briefing we headed towards the airport. Neither my wildest imagination nor any previous experience of flying from a smallest airport on chartered flights prepared me for next few hours of my life.

The sense of security is so high that even before we reach airport we have to screen all our baggage. It inovolves physically lifting your own luggage on to the belt, collecting it and putting it back in your car. One gets nervous as luggage, hand bags and everything else disappears out of your vision. I attempt to watch my baggage hawkishly and finally retrieve it. The airport is so dusty everything except maybe my soul is covered with an inch of dust. I look at my new suitcase and feel sad at the bashing it receives from various thumps from airport staff. I am sure after few trips it will have to be discarded.

LESSON 1: Do not take expensive and delicate suitcases to Afghanistan and no matter what is not available carry only one suitcase (including hand baggage).

The taxi driver tries to enter through UN gate but we are refused entry as we are not UN. We are advised to a go roundabout way to reach UN Terminal. We detour and get out at the nearest point. My heart sinks as I cannot find a single trolley and looking at the condition of approach roads I baulk at dragging two suitcases. My colleague, after seeing my reaction, finds a airport porter who has trolley and refuses to let it go. All trolleys at the airport are in possession of men of varying ages - official and unofficial porters. If we want to use a trolley we have to pay US$1. sometimes they demand more if we are not locals. He brings us to a gate, beyond which he is not allowed and another official airport porter takes charge of our trolley. There is a big sign asking us offload our weapons and that UN does not allow any weapons. Hmmm... weapons???

We go through UN security screening, they weigh every piece of luggage your laptop, handbag and suitcases. If it is more than 20Kgs they charge excess luggage. I am impressed with UN tactics of raising funds. I am taken into a room for a physical check - yuck not very nice experience. Women expect or demands baksheesh [tip or bribe] for groping me all over and dawdles in letting me out. I feign ignorance and refuse to let go of few soiled Afghanis I have in my pocket.

Everywhere everybody expects baksheesh. Last evening in the hotel room, maid enters my room, peeps into bathroom, opens fridge, opens cupboards, peers under bed, again peeps into bath room, after agonising ten minutes she asks about my health. I reply I am very fine and firmly shoo her out of door.

Back to the Congo

admin — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 11:25:28 +0000

War Child's field director in DRC recalls a flurry of lost bags, corrupt officialdom and frustration on her journey back to Congo.

Back in Kinshasa. Every time I’m home I wonder why I do this to myself. I start worrying about passports, baggage allowances and loving home and friends and family. . .

It’s always fine when you arrive. The first breath of humid air, banter with the airport immigration men who tend to be ok if you give them a big smile and call them Papa, the football stadium pitch of the baggage reclaim, full of boys trying to “carry” your bags...and then seeing the staff again, and the bright colours, and the general confusion. I remember I love this place.

Interesting flight back. Arrived at Heathrow at 4.30 am Tuesday to find flight cancelled. We were routed via Doha and Johannesburg. Instead of arriving at 6 that evening, it was midday the next day. A lot of grumbling in the queue – not from us. Of course this happens. It may look like Heathrow, but we know we’re on the way back to Congo. What do you expect?

Vaguely sanguine about the experience until we got to Jo’burg and were told our tickets weren’t valid, that we’d have to wait two days to go, that the flight closed at 8 and the air France offices only opened at 8. My sense of humour took a slip – it was 4 am UK time for the second day. Fortunately my friend Franz is much better at negotiating and taking on officials than me, and at 8.35 we were sprinting through the airport, lap tops flying, catching the bus as it drew out. Bags – currently missing: what can you do?

Arguing with officials is a skill here. Kat has been doing a sterling job. Administrator in the Congo is probably second only to Logistician in oxymoronic jobs. She’s been out black-mailing the corrupt inspectors, with tears and angst and “how can you do this to us when we’re trying to help” to reduce the fine that they inevitably find a way to make you pay. She finds it all very depressing. Sadly, and probably because she’s shielding me from the frustration, it just seems normal to me. And I swore to come back from holiday positive.

Rain and decay in Congo

admin — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 10:05:44 +0000

Our field director in DRC on a country where death has become a way of life.

It rained all night. I lay awake as it crashed down, worrying that the office was going to flood and my laptop, cunningly hidden on the floor, would get wet and break. This wasn’t so much the issue but that I would loose the mind-numbing work I’d done on the budget yesterday.

The rain has already started to wash the roads away this season. Last years holes, reprieved briefly during the dry season, have started to show themselves again. Water half way up the land rovers wheel, large mud holes. It was amazing to see all the staff in on time. Usually it rains and the already bad transport system collapses. It takes some of them the best part of three hours to get in in the morning when the pot-holes become lakes and the decrepit, over filled taxi buses collapse.

The rains have been terrible this year. Officially 49 people dead and 66 wounded two weeks ago. And then people fall into overflowing drainage ditches, houses are washed away, all belongings, lost. And life goes on.

Rains and aeroplanes dropping from the sky recently. They do so with alarming regularity. All you do know everyday is that something unexpected will happen – even for me who spends most of my time in the office. Sudden floods and falling objects seem to be part of people’s lives: on-going resilience and humour is amazing - when not confronted by the corrupt tax man or police man: all part of the same system.

From Kabul to the West

admin — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 10:30:10 +0000

Desolation, unhappy memories and western arrogance haunt our Afghanistan field director's journey west from Kabul.

We board the plane and the pilot gets ready to taxi. Kabul airport has some interesting scenes. You would not be faulted in thinking you have landed at US military base by mistake. Only army women from the west would have the audacity to jog in the airport in their skimpiest shorts and vests. People stand all over the place with machine guns. I am not sure of the make but they look very ominous. Hundreds of Air force fighter planes.

As the flight takes off, it looks as if there is a dust storm coming our way. only later I realised entire stretch had dusty clouds.

The view from the plane is stark. Stretches and stretches of mountains. It is like looking at an Atlas for hours. Brown mountains without a single blade of grass or a drop of water. By the time I reached Kandahar, I was desolate as I realised remoteness of place I am going. Almost felt like requesting pilot turn back the flight. Compared to south and east Afghanistan, the west is a vast stretch of remote valleys ands mountains. it is a hostile terrain. This is one reason why insurgency activities are not high. But also gives ample opportunities for armed criminal activities as it is extremely difficult to have law enforcing agencies posted.

Kandahar evoked strange feelings as I remembered hijack of Indian airlines flight in December 2000. Again I saw a strange sight for Afghanistan - two women in shorts jogging in the Airport.

My onward journey is the same but I am already so depressed by gazing out of plane windows that I am not able to appreciate the beauty. Maybe first timers should never take a window seat or pull the shutter down.

I attended an ex pat party. Well , I did not feel like an expat, it was noisy and more like a cacophony. I was admiring hearing capacities of people who were conversing or chatting. Not my cup of tea, but I am sure I will go to mobile bar party next Thursday, just so that I have some activity do apart from sitting in office and Guest house. Even if I can chat with one on each Thursday would be fine. Oh ! I miss all my friends and our long chats.

In a way life is easy, as you have nothing to do, no restaurants, no cinemas and no shopping unless one wants to buy Herat carpets. I have gathered all books in guest house and plan to read them. But for expats major stress factor is no socialising and no one with whom they can chat. Hence the concept of mobile bar and expat party. As drinks are consumed no afghan national is allowed into party. I find it little difficult to bite it.

Celebrities show their support for Iraq Appeal

admin — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 12:12:14 +0000

Our Iraq Appeal has already attracted the support of thousands of people, including Elton John, Adam and Joe and Maximo Park. Have a look at these videos to see what they're saying about it.

Remember you can donate online or by texting 'Child' to 88818. Text donations cost £1.50 plus your usual rate.

Playstations, guinea pigs and septic tanks

admin — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:37:18 +0000

War Child's field director in Democratic Republic of Congo learns that septic tanks and Playstations are vital tools for progress for children who live and work on the streets in Kinshasa.

Another week gone by. Time disappears. You start Monday ready for a fight – and suddenly its Friday, and you’ve done 60% of your task list and a hundred other bits and pieces.

I visited two of the centres today. It’s been a while since I did. I seem to spend most of my time in the office. It is really good to see the differences: we got shown round mattresses, broken games of baby-foot, TVs, a kitchen and the water cistern. It is amazing what you learn. We got lectures on drainage ditches and septic tanks, growing peanuts, rearing guinea pigs for food and how to make a profit from a cassava mill. And you rapidly become an expert in all of the above.

Best though was the boys in one of the centres playing computer games. Brilliant. The centre is not well equipped: they don’t have enough food and the staff aren’t paid enough, but the boys have a Playstation. Same as boys anywhere. It clearly has been a huge success – keeps them off the streets and playing happily in teams What next? Wii? – all the rage in the Kinshasa ex-pat community.

This though always makes me question development structures. You have money for budget lines from donors. We can therefore support several centres with all sorts of training and rehab. However, we can’t support another centre with this money. This means that the children are getting sick because we can’t pay for toilet repairs. It sounds crazy, but it’s the way it is. How does one include “rebuilding toilets and the septic tank” under “training to support project management” on the other side of town?

Hey ho. At least its an improvement on where they were. . .

Keane help War Child raise £115k

admin — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 13:09:04 +0000

photo: Carsten Windhorst/frpap.com

Earlier this month Keane put on two huge gigs to raise funds for War Child's work with children affected by conflict. With the help of Pet Shop Boys, Guillemots, Lily Allen, Brendan Benson, Peter Kay The Magic Numbers, Milburn Findlay Brown and Teddy Thompson they helped us raise £115,000. We'll use the money to support our work in Iraq, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

All the money raised at the Brixton gig (a huge £75k) will go towards our Iraq Appeal. In a country where 1 child is dying every 5 minutes and almost 50% don't have access to education the need has never been greater. War Child is the only international charity working with children in south Iraq so this money really is vital.

Check out these photos from the night and don't forget that you can watch celebrity supporter videos from Elton John, Maximo Park and Adam and Joe here.

photo: Krystina Nellis/flickr

photo: Carsten Windhorst/frpap.com

photo: Krystina Nellis/flickr

If you've got any pics or videos from the night we'd love to see them. Send a link to will@warchild.org.uk or leave a comment below.

First impressions of Uganda

admin — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:12:48 +0000

Our programme coordinator on his first trip to Uganda where he'll be helping the local team set up our new project working with children at risk of social exclusion.

Today marks the beginning of my third week in Pader Town, Northern Uganda. Pader district has been one of the most affected by decades of civil war in Northern Uganda. With the ongoing peace talks and the prospects of signing a final peace deal in February 2008, things are very promising. Pader Town the administrative centre for Pader district is differently beautiful and upcoming. Apparently, it has been chosen as the administrative centre not only because it has nothing to offer but most importantly because it is centrally located between rival towns (Kalong, Lira and Pajule) most of which have electricity, running water, banks etc

On my 10 hour flight from Heathrow to Entebbe the woman sitting beside me struck up a conversation. ‘So how long have you been away and how long are you going home for?’ she asked, ‘well…. I have been away for 31 years and I think six months might be enough to make up for lost times.’ I responded. But before I finished, she was crying her eyes out with laughter. 'How old are you then and when did you leave home?' She managed to ask in between giggles.

So I narrated who I really am. An aid worker (sort of) as I assumed most people will understand that more than ‘a development worker’. That I am African but not from Uganda, that this is my first time in Uganda, that I am working for War Child UK, that I am really excited about the possibilities of our work in Northern Uganda, and that I will be based in Pader for six months. And all of a sudden, her face changed, the laughter is gone and I can now see the signs of disapproval in her face. Why Pader? Who are you going to stay with? What are you going to eat? I hope you have personal security. ‘Ok, slow down’ I wanted to say. But she went on. Make sure you do your shopping in Kampala because Pader is in the ‘bush’ and there is really nothing there. I must confess that I lost my enthusiasm immediately and for the first time I started thinking that may be I made a mistake accepting this opportunity.

At about 0600hrs Ugandan time (0300hrs GMT) we landed at Entebbe International Airport. Ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM 2007), everything looks beautiful and organised. ‘I wish things will always be like this’. I mumbled. I then joined the queue for Other African States and was sent behind the counter to be interrogated by the Senior Immigration Officer. Here we go again. I thought.

When it comes to the latest immigration debates and stunts, I fit the bill perfectly. I am young, Male, African, Muslim and have two passports stapled together because I need a visa for almost every country I go to apart from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and interestingly Uganda. So my profile triggers alarms everywhere.

As soon as I mentioned Pader as my final destination to the Chief Immigration Officer, the questions changed from Visas, Drugs, and Weapon smuggling to ‘Why the hell am I going there and not Kampala?’ All the questions from the elegant lady came back and oh boy they kept coming from everywhere – his colleagues in the office, the baggage handlers – everyone just seems to think I am crazy going to Pader.

Two days in Kampala attending meetings with UN representatives and other International NGOs did nothing but confirm what everyone else was saying and the most common advise became – ‘make sure you do all your shopping in Kampala’. And yes that was exactly what I did. I shopped like a fool. Our vehicle was jam-packed with my shopping. I was now convinced that I was going to a terrible place, a place so far and remote that nothing is available. So I drove to Pader expecting and prepared for the worst. It took seven long hours. It could have been five if not for road humps, the newly found invention by road engineers in Uganda. I have never seen so many humps on one stretch of road in my life. I started counting, but lost the rhythm after 50 in less than 5 miles.

Bumping at 70km/h, we approached Pader and in the distance skyline, I can see the most beautiful sunset ever. It was everything I imagined prior to leaving London and those scary conversations. Beautiful country side, no traffic jams, children playing on the streets, and they look so innocent and happy. But behind all that love and happiness is a lost childhood taken away from them by decades of civil war. They look like ‘normal’ children. How dare I say that word ‘normal’ but yes being abducted, enslaved and raped and now a mother at 15, being a former child combatant kidnapped and forced to kill, being a disabled due to lack of access to basic services, being orphaned by war and HIV/AIDS is no ‘normal’ childhood. Things don’t have to be like this. What are you going to do about it? I asked myself.

New schools materials now available

admin — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:25:53 +0000

We know what it's like being a teacher. You wake up in the morning and think 'Oops, forgot to prepare that citizenship lesson'. What can you do? Claiming that the dog ate your lesson plan isn't going to cut it with the head and just muddling through isn't exactly great for your students. Well how about using a whole citizenship scheme designed by War Child just for you?

Our new materials provide 7 complete lesson plans for years 9-11 focussed on conflict related poverty. From the fundamentals of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child right through to the workings of an international charity.

Each lesson is designed around a four-part lesson structure and includes clear objectives and learning outcomes and what's more we've included resources and activities that will allow you to deliver them flexibly.

All the lessons and resources are available for download or (if you prefer that kind of thing) we can send you a hard copy along with a CD ROM and a series of posters. Cool ones that people will actually want to look at. Just drop a line to schools@warchild.org.uk or call our Schools Programme Manager Caroline on 0207 916 9276.

Winter in the West

admin — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:24:03 +0000

Our field director in Afghanistan reports on life during one of the worst winters in living memory and its impact on the street children we work with.

From my hotel room there was a panoramic view of the city and all I can see were mounds and mounds of snow, the landmarks distinguishing road and streams had disappeared, and almost all the Afghanis were carry shovels and wheel barrows for clearing snow.

There was an almost complete shut down of markets and black marketeering and hyperinflation reigned for one week and continues to. Mobility was severely curtailed, as many taxis and cars broke down. Fuel prices have skyrocketed.

The situation for children living on streets was grim. There were a few children who took shelter in garages and restaurants. Finding shelter for these children was extremely difficult but we were able to negotiate with orphanages who eventually admitted the children.

This excerpt from a UNAMA report shows the extent of the problems in Western Afghanistan:

“Up to 17 January 2008 the following human and livestock deaths were reported to UNAMA by the Provincial Combined Disaster Management Teams (P-CDMTs) of the Western region:

Herat: Human fatality: 105 persons / Livestock: 28,700 goat, sheep and cows.
Ghor: Human fatality: 27 persons / Livestock: 849 goat, sheep and cows.
Farah: Human fatality: 20 persons / Livestock: 317 sheep and cows.
Badghis: Human fatality: 53 persons / Livestock: 12,250 sheep, goat and cows.

Badghis has been hard hit by several avalanches in Murghab. Approximately 100 villages are cut off from the district centres in Ghor. Several people were killed by avalanches in Saghar district or were trapped in the snow while on the road. Ghorian, Shindand and Farsi districts were hardest hit in Herat province as shepherds were caught outside with their livestock when the cold front hit the area. In Farah province, Purchaman and Lash wa Juwein districts were most affected.

The closure of many roads due to the heavy unexpected snowfall has led to people having limited access to food and fuel and being able to seek medical care when needed. In areas such as Farah and Ghorian, people have never experienced large amounts of snow and extreme cold temperatures and were not prepared in matters of clothes and fuel to be able to cope with the cold. Even animals were badly affected since there is no shelter or fodder available for them.”

After ten days of getting acclimatised to the cold I went out to the market. I could see many more women and children on begging on the streets. There are increased reports of assault, robbery and stealing as people are desperate for food and warmth.

The government systems, UN and other NGOs are very inadequately prepared for such worst case scenarios. The anger and disillusionment with government inefficiency and ineffectiveness is increasing. Now some government officials have started to hold the locals NGOs to ransom for delivering the aid. We are continuously facing these challenges with the juvenile justice department. The government expects aid agencies to bail them out of all crises and are crude in the way they try to negotiate support. While the impact of snow has been colossal, the government’s estimates go over and beyond the actual impact.

Shop downtime

admin — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:14:22 +0000

You might have noticed (in your desperation to get hold of some of our amazing tshirts) that our shop hasn't been working as it should. There was a bit of glitch in the system and items were listed as out of stock when they were very much in stock. This has been fixed. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Visit the shop to see it in it's full working glory.

Iraqi children being trained by terrorists

admin — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:24:01 +0000

The US military has released footage it claims shows children being trained as Al Qaeda terrorists. There have been reports of children being used as human shields in Iraq before but this is one of the first times we have seen any evidence that children may become directly involved in the insurgency. The video shows children wearing balaclavas, holding weapons and learning how to take hostages and storm buildings. In one particularly disturbing section children are shown making a mock announcement about the killing of a hostage.

Regardless of whether these videos are a reflection of a change in tactics or part of a propaganda campaign it is clear that Iraqi children are at extreme risk. With access to education and other basic services severely restricted it is hardly surprising that children (and their parents) are vulnerable to radicalisation.

Yet despite all the evidence that the social and psychological effects of war on children are creating a long term obstacle to the progress of peace in Iraq humanitarian funding is still extremely thin on the ground. But without investment from major funding bodies like the United Nations and European Union it remains almost impossible for the kind of projets Iraq children need to succeed.

This lack of funding has prompted us to start our own Iraq Appeal which aims to raise £1.5m for our work with Iraqi children over the coming years. This alone will not resolve the serious issues facing Iraqi children however. For that we will need internatational governments and decision makers to face up to the realities on the ground.

There's higher quality video (and some good analysis) on BBC News.

Dumball Rally picks War Child

admin — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:13:27 +0000

Dumbology is very simple. 100 slightly crazy people buy a cheap car (£400 max), do it up beyond all belief, get in fancy dress, then drive in convoy to a far away place, having parties and doing as much for intercontinental relations as possible along the way...

War Child has been chosen as the official charity of the 2008 Dumball Rally and the teams will all be raising money for our work before setting off to Europe. This year from 24th-31st May they'll be crossing Germany, Croatia, Bosnia (where War Child’s first programme began), Albania, Macedonia and finally the Greek island of Corfu.

Ricky Murray, Dumball’s organiser had this to say about us:

We are delighted to be raising money for War Child this year. Our trip takes us through many countries that were war zones less than a decade ago, and War Child has done a great deal to help children in those areas, so it made sense to dedicate our adventure to the charity…wish us luck!

Last year Dumball raised over £25,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust so obviously we're hoping they be able to do the same for us. You can contribute to the teams here.

We'll be posting regular blogs from the Dumball teams once they get started but to get a feel for the kind of things these guys get up to have a quick look at this video...

Iraqi funding and refugees at risk in Jordan

admin — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:28:52 +0000

Acting as home to international donor organisations and Iraqi refugees alike, Jordan has become a major outpost of a war that continues to claim lives daily. Our Deputy Programmes Director met with both on her snowy trip to the country.

A slew of rain, sleet and slurry in England preceded my trip to Jordan last month. Dreaming of balmier climes and desperate to escape gloomy, abstemious London in January, I packed my spring wardrobe and sunglasses and boarded a flight to Amman. I did a double-take when I noticed my air carrier (British Midland? Don’t they just fly to Birmingham?) and did wonder if I’d end up stranded at Brumland’s spaghetti junction. Not quite Petra, eh?

I was heading to Jordan to meet with donors to try to raise awareness of War Child’s work in Iraq. A deteriorating security situation has meant that most international agencies have pulled out of southern Iraq – in fact, War Child is currently the only child protection agency operating in the south of the Country. Donors now conduct all Iraq programming from the safer strategic position of Jordan. I knew I had a Herculean task ahead – international donor funding towards NGOs working in Iraq with marginalised groups of children is about as easy to come by as Lord Lucan and many donors are increasingly channelling their funding through the Iraqi state. No bad thing, you may say? Well, what if the nascent Iraqi state is struggling to spend this money effectively; if corruption impedes the delivery of humanitarian objectives; and if the state priorities don’t correspond to the needs of children and their families?

Most of my meetings were aborted due to heavy snow. Yes, snow. Most donors closed their offices and the streets were eerily deserted. Unable to get an earlier flight back to the UK, I had plenty of time to observe Jordan itself. Surprisingly for a country with a Queen (Rania Al Abdullah) who is such an outspoken advocate of women’s rights, women are scarcely visible in public life. Outside of the extremely impressive women working at the donor agencies we met with, women in Jordan were rarely to be seen. Traditionally female-dominated jobs such as cleaning and waiting tables are held by men and men alone. Even at Amman’s biggest mall, which is full of women’s fashion stores, a mere 10% of customers were women.

Is it fair to say that Jordan’s liberal credentials lie elsewhere? After all, thousands of Iraqi refugees have found refuge in the country. I met a couple of Iraqis in Amman who fled their homeland after receiving death and kidnap threats. But how is life for them now? Some bemoan their inability to acquire official refugee status, and obtaining a work permit for Jordan can be prohibitively expensive. The ripple effects of the insecurity in Iraq are complex and fascinating. I look forward to returning to Jordan (in the heat, this time) to find out more.

Poverty on the steets of Kinshasa

admin — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:35:50 +0000

Poverty is a daily struggle for thousands of people living in Kinshasa and our field director in Democratic Republic of Congo ses it every day. In her regular blog she talks about the challenge of working in these difficult conditions and the glimmers of hope along the way.

You can become pretty blasé about poverty in Kinshasa. At every set of traffic light there are blind women led by children, men without legs swinging themselves between the cars, disembodied hands at the window, street children asking for bread. I put my sun glasses down and look forward. “Desolé. Ce n’est pas possible”, concealing fear and irritation. It’s worst when the kids say “mais vous etes War Child. Moi, je suis un enfant de la geurre” – but you’re war child, and I’m a war child. It is all so unfair – and you know it. But you can’t engage or you go mad.

And then you see a small child sweeping the road. Or hear about a child who has just started to study again. Or a girl that’s been raped. Or died. And its about individuals again.

NGOs. All of us are doing a job. Like in any other office we have budgets and reports. We have a timetable and limits. Most of the time, it’s like any other job. With the added pressure of “making a difference”. You can only hope. In the mean time the functioning of an organisation is about not having personality, about consistency.

People always say, if you change one person’s life, it makes it worth it. Working at a distance from the children, it’s hard to know if you do or if you’re making a difference to the enormous need. Listening to people and being flexible to what they need; changing programmes so that they are more suitable for partners and children – it’s about the best we can do.

And that’s why it’s good to be small. And why its not. We can only stick to what we do - a drop in the ocean. But at least we know the people we’re working with and can sometimes let the bureaucracy slip. Rarely helps when I’m facing down a homeless 12 year old from the height of my 4x4 though.

Blog for War Child

admin — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:30:48 +0000

We love a good blog here at War Child so we're really pleased to announce that we're working with the lovely people behind You're Not the Only One. It's a collection of some of the best writing from around the blogosphere that will be sold in aid of War Child. And you can contribute.

You're Not the Only One is looking for active bloggers to submit a post about, well, anything really: your relationships, your past, a road not taken, being a parent, an illness or your regrets etc. As long as it's entertaining it might make it to the final publication.

In the blogging spirit of do-it-yourself the book will be distributed through Lulu. It's going to cost £9 and all the profits (i.e £4.50) will come straight back to War Child.

Here's a few guidelines for submissions:

You must be a blogger with a live blog
Your post must be about something you've been through (amusing or serious or any style you like)
You can submit in your blogname and remain anonymous, or not, up to you.
It can't be something previously published outside the blogworld, but anything from your blog, or something entirely new, is fine.
It can be no longer than 1500 words.
You must advertise the book on your site and buy it if your submission is published!

Submissions should be sent to bloggersforcharity@yahoo.co.uk by Sunday 9th March so get typing!

We'll let you here when the book's available to buy. There's more info on peach's blog if you need it.

Everybody Wants a Peace

admin — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:55:49 +0000

War Child has been invited to be the associated charity for this year’s Global Student Forum’s national conference. The yearly event, that has always tackled current social and political issues, is aimed at sixth formers and provides them with a range of exciting opportunities and resources. Students will be equipped to become peer educators within their schools and have the opportunity to meet with current political leaders. At the conference they will explore why wars start, begin to understand who is affected by conflict and consider what can be done to promote peace.

If you are a teacher and would like to find out more about GSF download the brochure or contact our School’s Programme Manager.

Street Life (Part 1)

admin — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:52:44 +0000

War Child's CEO Mark Waddington has travelled to DRC to report back on our work with children living on the streets there. In the first of several blogs from him he meets Delphin and Anna, two girls recently referred to one of our centres for street children.

I met Delphin for the first time this morning. She is five and has experienced life in a way that no child should. Her entire estate comprises a dirty old smock. No shoes. Nothing but the smock.

The effects of the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo have led to the deaths of more than 2.7 million children under the age of five. The social fabric that would normally protect children has unraveled and the economy has dissolved.

Delphin’s mother has died and her father, no longer able to cope, has abandoned her.

Delphin’s sister, Anna, is seven and has shown great courage in supporting her. Both children have been living in one of Kinshasa’s many markets, scraping for vegetable debris in the rubbish around trestle tables, helping traders in return for food while keeping a wary out eye for older children, the police and those who would beat them for living on the street.

Over the past two years War Child has been working with local groups of people who have recognised the suffering of children like Delphin and Anna. We have trained them to work with the community of street children – there are 20,000 in Kinshasa alone – by establishing listening posts. It is through these listening posts that Delphin and Anna were referred to us.

They arrived this morning at one of the street children’s centres we support. Both girls were eating a healthy meal of fish, beans and fufu by the time I got there. War Child has trained and invested in the staff at the centre, which is one of our local partner organisations.

Through this training the staff at the centre have learned how to gradually build a case profile of all the children in their care, which they use as a basis for tracing their families and mediating their reintegration: a long and involved process. But for now, there are a series of games they will use to help Delphin and Anna build friendships with the other children and, I hope, bring a smile to Delphin’s face.

All our partner organisations have been established by local people, and they have achieved this with few resources. War Child has assisted them by rehabilitating the street child centres they run: building clean toilets and showers, kitchen and play areas, and by providing furniture, especially beds, for the children. The training in child care, and health and hygiene has led to a very significant improvement in the health and well being of the children at our partner centres.

War Child also covers food costs for the children and their school fees. Schooling is a vital socialising process. And it keeps the children engaged positively with the local community through their relationships with other children and parents, teachers and supporters of the school.

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We'll be posting more of Mark's thoughts on Congo in the coming days. In the meantime feel free to learn more about our work in Congo.

All names in this story have been changed and photographs are for illustrative purposes only - they do not represent the children involved.

Street Life (Part 2)

admin — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:58:31 +0100

In the second of his reports from Democratic Republic of Congo War Child's CEO Mark Waddington reports on how our centres for street children operate and how children are getting involved in their management.

War Child supports six centres for street children in Kinshasa, enabling us to work with and support over 2,000 street children and many more who are at risk of being pushed onto the streets. And we are multiplying our impact by our advocacy which, on the one hand, is addressing the attitudes that underlie this problem and, on the other, enables us to influence policies in a way that benefit many more children than we could possibly hope to work with directly.

Because there are so many children suffering on the streets of Kinshasa, War Child has been careful to choose centres that other organisations do not work with. In fact, our target is those centres which have very limited capacity. In this way, we are better able to coordinate our collective efforts with the work of others and ensure a wider impact.

Nevertheless, it is absolutely vital that our support of the centres is sustainable so that we can reach more children by working with more centres. With this in mind, we have helped the centres by training their staff in business planning and have provided them with a grant to set up an income generating project so that they are, in time, able to cover their own costs. One of the centres I visited today has bought a grinding mill and charges people in the local community to grind maize into flour [see picture above]. The business model their staff took me through this afternoon indicates that by August the centre will be in a position to cover all its running cost and keep enough back to cover the service costs/replacement of the mill over the long term.

This in turn gives the children security. And children like Delphin need that security. And care.

The children are involved in the running of their centres, and even sit on their management committees. They are the experts on what it is like on the streets and so they are best placed to influence the decisions of our partners in a way that ensures their work on the streets has the greatest impact. These management committees are part of a broader structure that we have established. The committees involve local authorities and community leaders to coordinate the plans to address the acute problems faced by street children across several of the worst hit areas of the city.

The centres use this as a platform to hold open days, with assistance from War Child, which bring in the local community to gain their support and foster their responsibility for the children we work with. This has been particularly effective in overcoming the stigma that the children live with. It also enables us to help place the older children we provide vocational training for in employment.

Most importantly, through this wider community engagement we have been able to enroll senior policemen and judges who have been particularly helpful in resolving cases where the children we work with have come into conflict with the law.

And coming into conflict with law can be a brutal experience for street children.

Over the next 12 months we hope to increase the number of children we can offer protection to by extending our support to more centres for street children. I hope you will be able to join us in this mission by learning more about what we do and offering support where you can.

Read Mark's previous blog

Women in Afghanistan

admin — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:05:40 +0100

War Child's Security Manager shares her thoughts on the situation facing women in Afghanistan today.

I have been based in Afghanistan for over a month now. There is so much that is amazing about Afghan society. The concept of the extended family is strong here and people are so open and generous, inviting you into their homes, feeding you until you burst, trying to feed you some more and sending you on your way with a handful of fruit and entreaties to come back soon. People are poor, they struggle, and yet they would share their last piece of bread with you. It is touching and humbling and makes me think that “me me me” western society could learn a lot from Afghanistan.

However one of the things I have come to appreciate about my own society in the time I have been here is the freedom I have at home in London. It is only now, living in an environment where the security situation is such that I must keep a low profile and rely on our drivers to take me everywhere, that I see clearly the freedom I have at home. The freedom to go for coffee, to a gallery or even just for a walk to the end of my street.

Even more than that, it is the comparative freedom I have as a woman in our society. I have never just stopped and been grateful for the fact I am live in a society where I am allowed to have a job and have the freedom to choose where I go and what I do.

I know a woman here in Afghanistan who was in an abusive marriage. Eventually the beatings became too frequent and too brutal and she paid for a divorce, a practice frowned upon and shameful in this society. Her husband stipulated in the conditions of the divorce that she not remarry for at least 10 years. If she did he would take their children away from her. He, on the other hand, remarried almost immediately. This women works in a menial job 5 days a week taking home barely enough money for herself and her children to live on in the face of the rising cost of living in Afghanistan.

I know another woman, married at 12 and in a similarly abusive relationship. When she sought a divorce she was forced to pay her husband $10,000 to be able to retain custody of their children. This in a society where you are doing extremely well if you take home a monthly income of $500. This woman has raised her children alone with no support. She has a successful career in spite of the difficult conditions in which she finds herself.

The fact that these two women are able to work at all is something of a triumph under the circumstances. Most women in Afghanistan stay at home, looking after their children and their extended families, never having the chance of even a high school education.

However there are other inspiring stories to be found here. A young Afghan woman I know has set up her own NGO in order to advocate for the rights of women, engage them in political life and educate them. Another woman I know is applying (with her husband’s permission) for a teacher exchange that will enable her to lecture in the US for 8 months. She will have to leave her husband and two children behind in order to do this. But she will do this to grow professionally and bring those skills back to Afghanistan, saying that it is up to the younger generation to stay and build their country. This is a sentiment echoed in all of the people in their 20s and 30s whom I have met. They love Afghanistan, they are proud and ambitious and want to make it a better place. So maybe there is some hope for the future here.

But many women do not have the education, family connections or money to be trailblazers. The economic and social development of Afghanistan and equality between men and women cannot happen when half of the population has a voice so weak you strain to hear it. Women need to be educated to be able to claim their right to participate in public life, whether that is studying, getting a job or being able to make an informed choice about who they want to vote for in elections.

Change like this will take a generation or more, but with political will, commitment and (importantly) the direct involvement of men in the process it can happen. For the future of Afghanistan I hope it will.

Model UN Day

admin — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:38:47 +0100

Our schools mangager Caroline visited the Model UN day at Calthorpe Park school.
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As the Schools Programme Manager I was fortunate enough to be invited to Calthorpe Park School to witness their spectacular Model UN day. The sense of drama and atmosphere was there from the start as I was escorted personally by security to the holding area! All the major countries were represented and it was clear that all the students were not only enthusiastic but taking their responsibilities very seriously. The quality of the discussion and debating would have rivaled the real UN but this arena seemed somehow more powerful. To hear the youth voice being expressed with such clarity and conviction within such a professional forum was impressive and demonstrated to me that young people not only care about the world around them but are motivated to do something positive about

Delegates representing UN member states prepare for the meeting.

National dress added a bit of fun to the proceeding but the participants were taking the event very seriously.

Some of the votes were nail bitingly close.

Find out more about our schools programme

Find out more about the Model UN

Nobility, corruption and conflict in the heart of Congo

admin — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:43:25 +0100

In the last of his blogs from Democratic Republic of Congo War Child's CEO Mark Waddington looks at life in the capital Kinshasa and the war that has left it severely impoverished.

The most spectacular event in Kinshasa is the daily arrival of the train from the sprawling shanty of N’Djili. The roof is packed with young men jostling for sitting space. The carriages, with no glass to fill the windows, are run by gangs which extort money from the passengers for standing room. The train crawls into Kinshasa and crawls back. Most of its passengers will put in 12 long hours, without lunch, sometimes without water, pursuing whatever cache of small business activities they can to put a meal on the table for their family - once a day.

Kinshasa is a busy city. It thrives with busy-ness. But it is a busy-ness borne out of survival and necessity, no longer the thumping heart of central Africa.

Thirty years of Mobutu’s kleptocracy, through which the army, police and civil service continually fed off the people, left a moribund state that provided no architecture of opportunity. No platform upon which to craft a life, no matter how modest, on your own terms. It was a situation that was propped up by western interests as part of the Cold War, in fear of the Soviet and then Cuban influence in neighbouring Angola.

Ultimately, after investing in its descent into corruption, the west put Congo out to pasture.

The Congolaise are barely surprised by this. On the back of Belgian colonisation, which saw 10 million people brutally murdered and many more with hands and arms chopped off by the legions of rubber companies, they were not really expecting the west to turn round and offer them development. We had no further use for them. The Soviet threat left and so did the scaffolding that kept in place the corruption of their pro-west government. The only government they had. And Kinshasa was stabbed to its heart.

The stage was set for a brutal war that involved 7 countries, and tore apart what remained of Congo’s infrastructure. By recent estimates it has left 5.4 million dead. The biggest loss of life since the Second World War. Current estimates suggest that 1,300 people are dying every day as a consequence of the war.

The conflict has aggravated an already acute poverty, and it has unraveled the social fabric that enabled people to make ends meet. Unemployment is massive. Child mortality is the ninth highest in the world. In a country that is rich in people, mineral resources and forest resources, with a huge hydro-electric potential and the possibility of an agricultural productivity that would more than feed every Congolaise.

Kinshasa itself was once known as Beau Belle for its high life, boulevards, designer clothes shops and vibrant economy. Now it is characterised by open sewers, rotting debris and slums. Children are accused of witchcraft because they have lost their parents to AIDS and their extended family can’t feed another mouth. There are 20,000 street children. All live with the threat of beatings, murder and rape. Sexual violence is extreme and staggering. For many women, survival sex is the norm.

But the heart of this city still beats, albeit faintly, beneath the human tragedy of war and corruption. The resourcefulness of the many, in a time of such need, is fuelled by the generosity of the many. As the suffering persists so too does the strength of this spirit.

This is a city where many people have nothing, and yet, they are still prepared to give. Even now, this nobility defines Kinshasa.

More on War Child's work in Democratic Republic of Congo

Polling the nation

kellya — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:19:35 +0100

Over the past few weeks War Child asked you what the UK government could best do to help developing countries: provide more financial aid, help with training for politicians, doctors and teachers, make it easier for them to sell their goods in Britain, put diplomatic pressure on countries’ own governments to change or... invade them. No prizes for guessing which option came last.

The overall response was that helping to train more politicians, doctors and teachers is the way forward – giving people in developing countries control over their future.

As some of your comments recognised, the answer is perhaps more complex than our poll suggested. Amanda Jones commented that financial aid can alleviate short term problems, but “we should work toward a world where aid is no longer necessary - throwing money at the situation will not do this. Local people should be trained to participate with the global nation as equal partners, not powerless beneficiaries of First World aid.” This is something highlighted in our projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where we work with former child soldiers like Remi providing them with training, advice and livelihood grants to set up their own businesses, meaning they have real long-term prospects.

Next up, we’re looking for your opinions on the BBC story that UN troops have been trading arms with militias in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Who do you think has the best chance of achieving lasting peace in the country?

Jon Snow and students speak up for War Child

kellya — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:31:48 +0100

Students from Calthorpe Park School in Hampshire joined Channel Four newsreader Jon Snow and War Child CEO Mark Waddington in meeting the All Party Parliamentary Group on Street Children last week to talk about the problems faced by children who have ended up on the streets due to conflict.

Hard-hitting and very well received by the MPs at the meeting, the students’ presentation got straight to the heart of a complex issue, asking tough questions about the numbers of UN peacekeeping troops and how children are dealt with in aid strategies. They pointed out that jargon that surrounds government and NGO policy (such as "displaced people")can often distract from the fact the discussion is about real individuals in terrible situations. You can watch some of their talk and an interview with them below:

Jon Snow is also a bit of a hero of ours and he gave us a great introduction which is also available to watch on YouTube.

Congo Season at the Frontline Club

admin — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:33:57 +0100

On May 12 the Frontline Club in London presented a programme of two short films, entitled “Mission Impossible” and “The UN’s Dirty War”, about the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The largest such mission in the world today, MONUC (the French-language acronym for ‘UN Mission in DR Congo’) currently comprises 16,475 personnel from UN member states including Pakistan, South Africa, India, and 15 other countries. The documentaries presented disturbing footage of the continuing conflict in eastern DRC and its impact on the civilian population, and highlighted controversial allegations of corruption and misconduct by members of the UN forces. The films were followed by a very interesting and well-informed discussion about the UN role in the Congo, with contributions from the filmmakers themselves and from members of the audience, including several Congolese attendees and former DRC-based NGO and UN workers.

Frontline continues its ‘Congo Season’ on Thursday evening (May 15) with an event focusing on the country’s abundant natural resources and how they have fuelled the conflict.

Learn more at:

http://www.frontlineclub.com/

http://www.monuc.org/

Find out more about our work in DRC.

Celebrities donate auction gifts - get bidding!

kellya — Tue, 20 May 2008 17:36:38 +0100

War Child have a number of unique, signed and rare items donated by our celebrity supporters currently on auction on eBay.

From the shoes worn by Keane’s Tom Chaplin on stage at their War Child benefit gig in 2007 to two original Damien Hirst spin paintings and a Gibson Les Paul guitar signed by artists at the 2006 Mojo Honours awards, this is your chance to grab a piece of history and donate to our projects in Iraq, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

Visit our eBay site and get bidding now!

Dumball Rally revs up for War Child

kellya — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:22:29 +0100

The Dumball Rally is go!

Over a hundred people in thirty-two clapped out cars (and some strange fancy-dress!) set out on their mission from Brussels to Corfu on the 24th May. They’re currently in Bosnia (we think!) and amongst the general tomfoolery they’ll be raising money for War Child. Visit their fundraising page to donate.

You can follow their progress on the Dumball Moblog (already there’s been a bit of bother with the German police, lost passports and plenty of continental beer). Check out some of the guys' posts here:

As a sneak preview, here’s a few photos we’ve received here at War Child HQ.

Get a moo-ve on, guys, you've got to make it to Corfu in eight days...

That's more like it!

Life on tour, eh?

War Child goes to Underage Festival

kellya — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:29:45 +0100

After an amazing success in 2007 as the world’s first strictly under 18’s festival, the Underage Festival returns to London’s Victoria Park on the 8th August and War Child will be making an appearance. Most of us are a bit past the age limit, so we’ll be sneaking in alongside some of our supporters to catch a line up which makes us wish we were just that little bit younger. (As if we needed another reason).

The festival is headlined by riotous Gallows, the exhilarating Foals and goth-garage from The Horrors. Other highlights look to be electronic mastermind Four Tet who’ll be playing a special Domino Records 15th Anniversary Stage, Swedish summery popsters Those Dancing Days and melodic quirky indie boys The Maccabees. We’re also intrigued by young punks Care Bears on Fire and willing to see if a band with an average age of 13 can show the older ones how it’s done.

If you’re going along, be sure to pop by War Child’s stall where we’ll be letting you know how you can show your support for our work with children affected by conflict.

See the Underage Festival website for the full line up and details on how to buy tickets.

Nottingham War Child pull the pin out

kellya — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:32:04 +0100

The War Child group at Nottingham University have been doing us proud at the free Sounds on the Downs festival. Creating a huge grenade from papier-mâché, they set up a stall, gathering signatures on the grenade to send to MPs to show the support for War Child causes and generally making a noise about the work we do.

The group hope to run a fundraising gig in the autumn. For more information on their activities, and photos from the festival, visit their Facebook page.

If you’d like to get involved in War Child campaigns, you can find out more about setting up your very own War Child action group by e-mailing Sarah at sarahg@warchild.org.uk.

Virtually dancing the night away in Second Life

kellya — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:23:17 +0100

On Friday 20th June some of our supporters will host a twelve hour dance marathon in aid of War Child. Live acts and DJs will be donating their tip proceeds to us, and there will also be the age old charity collection buckets for people to drop their loose change into.

What makes this event different is that it’s taking place in Second Life, the virtual world where users can create their own version of themselves (an avatar) to explore, buy land, create buildings, make friends, play games and generally live the online version of the good life. About twenty virtual nightclubs will be taking part from around 10am to 10pm Second Life Time (that’s 5pm – 5am British Summer Time), allowing users to meet, have fun and raise awareness and money for War Child.

Hang on a second. “Virtual world”? Does that mean the donations aren’t real?

People can exchange their real life hard cash for the Second Life currency of Linden Dollars, which they can then use to purchase anything from a piece of land to build that long desired condo on or a brand new pair of trainers for their avatar. There’s about 250 Linden Dollars to the US dollar, so it’s fully exchangeable for solid currency in real life. (Or First Life, as Second Lifers like to call it). Virtual money will translate into real money for War Child and our real projects which help real children marginalised by war.

Visit the event page on Second Life to find out more.

Photo taken from ialja's Flickr photostream under a Creative Commons licence.

War Child at the Mojo Honours Awards

kellya — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:18:18 +0100

500 guests. 21 awards. And a room full of music legends (most of whom were way before my time which made it hard to recognise some of them without my handy crib sheet.)

I was in amongst the photographers and journalists, all scrambling to get a picture of all the winners and frantically calling their news editors for that ever important exclusive.

Flying the flag for War Child was Jeremy from Gibson Guitars, who have kindly donated a Gibson ES-335. Not only are we lucky enough to have this amazing guitar but Jeremy was lovely enough to get all the winners from the ceremony to sign it. How cool is that? And how lucky will the person who ends up getting it be when we get around to auctioning this bad boy… watch this space for news on when this might happen.

In no particular order, the following graced the press room and added tones of glitz; Jimmy Page & John Paul Jones aka Led Zeppelin(Best Live Act); John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten – (MOJO Icon Award); Neil Diamond (Classic Songwriter); Paul Weller (Outstanding Contribution to Music); Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds (Best Album for Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!) and Genesis (MOJO Lifetime Achievement).

Alex Turner and Miles Kane (aka The Last Shadow Puppets, seen left) got the gong for the Breakthrough Act of 2008, while Duffy scooped the Song of the Year Award for her hit “Mercy” and was tip top happy until she was unfortunate enough to bump into Johnny Rotten. Not sure what exactly went down thereafter but apparently she fled the Awards crying. Ouch.

En route home a few complimentary cocktails later, I walked pass a couple of police cars and a drunk guy dressed in skinny jeans, funky hat, pointy shoes and suede jacket smoking a “stinky” rollie…”Who is that?” I ask the paparazzi lady taking pictures of this debacle, to which she replied “Oh my god! You don’t know who he is? Johnny Cooper Clarke is the ultimate legend”. Right. Yes. Of course. At which point I saw a black cab and jumped in homeward bound. Zzzzzzzz.

And here are some photos taken with the stars who graced our Gibson guitar with their signature:

Paul Weller and Graham Coxon (Photo: Dean Fardell)

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds (Photo: Dean Fardell)

To find out more about the Mojo Honours List head to www.mojo4music.com

War Child will be auctioning the signed Gibson guitar you can see in these pictures at a later date with all proceeds going to our projects helping children marginalised by conflict. Keep watching www.warchild.org.uk for more details.

All photos copyright Dean Fardell.

Army of You - live sets and video interviews

kellya — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:48:49 +0100

The War Child team dusted off their dancing shoes and took themselves down to the Scala earlier this month for the charity’s annual new music shindig Army of You.

Army of You roundup

And what a load of great new music we found ourselves throwing shapes to!

From Edward J Hicks to Kid Harpoon and The Rumble Strips to Does it Offend You Yeah? Army of You showcased some of the best live acts around and had the venue rocking from start to finish.

Does It Offend You Yeah: "Doomed Now"

Much respect must also go out to those who manned the wheels of steel, especially Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard who played a storming set enroute to his mate’s stag do – nice one Joe!

Backstage interview with Autokratz

Want more? You can catch more videos and interviews from Army of You on the event page at last.fm.

We've also got a review of the night, photos and a special Army of You podcast from Earwax Radio.

Sir Paul McCartney gives War Child a peace sign

kellya — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:00:08 +0100

Sir Paul McCartney is possibly the definition of a national treasure. It’s a surprise his photo isn’t next to the definition of ‘legend’ when you flick through the dictionary. So you can imagine we wanted to shout about it when he lent us his support recently.

Finding time after storming an appreciative crowd at hometown gigs in Liverpool, Sir Paul remarked: “I have been supporting War Child since 1995. Their work with children in war zones saves lives and their work with those who take decisions that help them to do something about it saves even more lives”.

Sir Paul has been an active supporter of our work for many years – from contributing alongside Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller on a cover of the Beatles’ ‘Come Together’ on the first Help album to donating artwork for auction. We hope to work with him again in the future!

Photo taken from Rich007's Flickr photostream under a Creative Commons licence.

Give Peace A Chance: Knowing John Lennon

kellya — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:12:03 +0100

Christie’s South Kensington will be staging a unique event on Tuesday 8 July; an evening with Gail Renard and Tom Maschler, both of whom worked with and personally knew John Lennon.

Gail Renard, is the owner of the lyrics to John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance”, which are being sold at Christie’s South Kensington and literary legend, Tom Maschler who is responsible for the publication of many of John Lennon’s works. The talk will give new insights into this iconic rock legend and all proceeds from the event will go to War Child.

You can attend the event which includes a champagne reception, and an opportunity to view Christie’s South Kensington’s up-coming Rock Memorabilia sale. Tickets cost £10 with all proceeds going to War Child. Go to http://www.christies.com/events/ for more information.