A Year Like No Other
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Summer 2021 A YEAR LIKE NO OTHER 1 Thank you for standing with us Welcome to your 2021 edition of Concerned – which is your p9 chance to see the incredible work that your kindness and compassion has helped to power over the last twelve months. This past year has been incredibly tough for us all, with COVID-19 changing life as we know it. But for so many vulnerable people around the world, the pandemic has made their already difficult situations even worse. That’s why I’m so grateful you’ve been INSIDE THIS ISSUE Thanks to you, we’re working in vulnerable communities there for them, when they’ve needed it most. over the world to help end extreme poverty – whatever 4 A look at what you’ve helped it takes. Whether it’s providing emergency supplies in Syria or achieve this past year setting up life-changing beekeeping programmes in 6 10 years on – our response Asia Africa 20 Central African Republic Ethiopia, I hope you feel incredibly proud as you to the Syrian crisis 1 Afghanistan 9 Burundi 21 Niger read about what your generosity has helped to make 9 How beekeeping is changing 2 Pakistan 10 Republic of Sudan 22 Democratic Republic possible. It’s only because of people like you that we lives in Ethiopia 3 Bangladesh 11 Chad of Congo can help millions of people recover in times of crisis 10 COVID-19 in Malawi: 4 Democratic People’s 12 Rwanda – so thank you for standing by us, even during these the power of community Republic of Korea 13 Ethiopia Caribbean challenging times. 13 Home news, and how you 14 Sierra Leone 23 Haiti can get involved! Middle East 15 Kenya Our work takes us to different Want to get in touch? 5 Lebanon 16 Somalia countries depending on how severe Email us at [email protected] 6 Turkey 17 Liberia the situation is. We might enter or Dominic MacSorley, CEO leave a country depending on how 7 Syria 18 South Sudan much we are needed. Please visit our 8 Iraq 19 Malawi website for an up-to-date view of the countries we’re currently working in. Where your money goes Cover image: Gladys and her children are delighted to have received soap from Concern – a vital tool to protect them from COVID-19. Photo: Concern Malawi 89.8% 7.4% 2.2% 0.6% Place of registration Dublin, Ireland. Registered no 39647 Registered Charity no 20009090 Relief and Development Fundraising Development education Governance 2 This newsletter costs just 51 cents to produce. and advocacy 3 News News KENYA Your briefing... When swarms of locusts descended on Turkana and ate the grassy pastures, Just some of the ways your kindness has supported much of the area’s livestock grew weak families worldwide during this challenging year... – leaving them unable to produce milk, and countless families with no way of feeding their children. SIERRA LEONE But thanks to people like you, Your gifts mean Concern can support Concern could provide cash transfers Photo: Stefanie Glinski / Concern Worldwide families like Ramatu’s, in Makumbu to 5,690 families, so they could buy village, who were at risk of losing their the essentials they need to survive – children to malnutrition. and bring their children back from AFGHANISTAN the brink of malnutrition. Ramatu and her husband had to sell The pandemic hit Afghanistan when everything they grew to make a living, the country was already grappling with and still struggled to put enough food BANGLADESH conflict, food insecurity and dangerously on the table. But because of the projects limited health facilities. you’ve been helping to fund, we’ve been With your support, we were able to able to support families like theirs to grow help 22,707 young children recover from That’s why your support was so vital – a more diverse range of crops in their own “The biggest change I have seen is in my severe malnutrition – providing the vital as it helped us to install vital hand- backyards. Now, they can make a stable children, they are healthier and my husband screenings and treatment they needed washing stations and provide hygiene is happier!” Ramatu Kamara income, and produce enough food to keep to nourish their bodies, and stay safe awareness sessions in public spaces. Photo: Charlotte Woellwarth / Concern Worldwide their children safe from devastating hunger. from hunger. By doing this, we could help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the areas most at-risk, and protect already vulnerable HAITI families from the deadly virus. Thanks to supporters like you, we could To read more about how your gifts host a summer camp for children in are transforming the lives of Cité Soleil using Playdagogy – a vulnerable people, please technique that teaches children visit concern.net about their rights and equality through games, sports and theatre. 4 5 Our response to the Syrian crisis neighbouring countries such as Turkey, OVER 1.1 MILLION PEOPLE Lebanon and Iraq. HAVE BEEN SUPPORTED BY Thanks to supporters like you, we’ve been CONCERN’S EMERGENCY able to help the people worst affected by PROGRAMMES IN 2020, the conflict since 2013 – responding to the COVERING PROTECTION, ever-changing circumstances on the ground, EDUCATION AND LIVELIHOODS and helping people get the support they need, whenever they need it. from blankets and mattresses, to stoves, fuel and solar lighting. We began by launching our emergency appeal, which helped raise vital funds for With no end to the conflict in sight, our programmes when the conflict first hit. we are also working hard to help Thanks to the astounding response from families rebuild their shattered lives. donors, this appeal allowed us to deliver With your support, we’ve been setting Since 2013, we have been helping Syrian families like Josiane’s* to find safe accommodation and life-saving supplies such as food, medicine up child-friendly learning spaces in Syria help them rebuild their lives. and clean water to the thousands of and the surrounding countries, to support Photo: Crystal Wells / Concern Worldwide innocent people affected by the conflict. children who are traumatised from their experiences, help them continue their Then, as the refugee crisis unfolded, The conflict in Syria is one of the biggest education – and avoid becoming a we extended our support to nearby crises of our time. It has claimed more than lost generation. Supporting countries in order to help the families half a million lives, caused immeasurable who had no choice but to flee to safety. And, thanks to people like you, we’ve suffering and triggered the highest level of the people Many were living in unimaginable conditions, been helping families stay safe from global displacement since World War II. bearing the brunt of freezing winters in disease by providing hygiene kits, of Syria – Now, over a decade since it first began, there flimsy tents, rented garages or abandoned clean water systems and promoting are still more than 13 million people inside buildings. Our teams worked tirelessly to good hygiene practices – support 10 years on Syria who need urgent assistance, as well as deliver everything people needed to make that has been scaled up even more the 5.5 million who have had to flee to their situation safer and more bearable – since COVID-19. A decade 2014 – Language classes are 2019 – Emergency shelter provided of conflict – set up in Turkey to help give to 55,000 Syrian raefugees in Lebanon and how we Syrian children the best chance after their settlement was destroyed of getting an education. by severe flooding. have responded 2012 2015 2016 2018 2020 2011 – The conflict began 2013 – Concern launched an emergency 2017 – Over 1,500 women in when a political uprising response in Syria and neighbouring countries, Syria hired to help maintain living Present – Concern responds to the turned into a civil war. supporting thousands of people with food standards in displacement camps impact of COVID-19, with refugees and clean water. – providing them with a vital and internally displaced people more source of income. vulnerable due to their living conditions. 6 Photo credits left to right: Crystal Wells / Concern Worldwide; Kelle Koltukta / Concern Worldwide; 7 Jade van Huisseling / Concern Worldwide; Dalia Khamissy / Concern Worldwide Our response to the Syrian crisis Programme spotlight - Ethiopia Life-changing, long-term support Your support is also helping to fund our training programmes, which help people like Lama* provide for their families while they wait to return home. Lama had a happy life in Syria with her three children. But when the conflict began, they were forced to flee to a makeshift shelter in Lebanon – where there were hardly any opportunities to work, leaving her terrified she wouldn’t Thanks to people like you, Lama is hopeful for be able to provide for her family. her future again – and is even encouraging other A SWEETER women in her community to get involved! “All we could do here is sit in our tents, Photo: Jason Kennedy / Concern Worldwide or see if there is any help being offered,” LIFE FOR she told us. “Our options are limited.” Lama decided to enrol in embroidery ODANGI classes as part of Concern’s training I’M LEARNING NEW SKILLS Pictured are: Aixili Omod and Ojulu Ochangi Beekeeping. programme, which supporters like you Photos: Kieran McConville / Concern Worldwide EVERY DAY. I WOULD LIKE help to make possible. Not only has this TO OPEN A SMALL SEWING given her some much-needed joy, but it’s BUSINESS. IF I CAN WORK, also given her skills that she can use to I CAN FEED MY CHILDREN carve a better future for her family – Beekeeping is one of the oldest agricultural AND BUY THINGS FOR THEM and a have sense of ownership over her I LOVE HONEY, IT’S traditions in Ethiopia – and honey has always been ALL BY MYSELF.” LAMA life again.