Over the last few months I have been travelling almost constantly - to Switzerland, the US, Tanzania and Kenya following up projects and developing the Global Angels network. Visiting our projects is one of the most fulfilling parts of my life. I love seeing how the funds we’ve raised are directly resulting in thousands of people having the huge burden of struggling to survive lifted from their shoulders. It’s amazing to see the joy in their faces and also a few lions and giraffes on safari!

The trip to Kenya and Tanzania was inspiring. Katherine Corich, Allan Guinan and I were primarily aiming to develop our partnership with Majitech Engineering, who are providing 1.9 million people with safe drinking water through the use of their own drilling rigs. Along with a Global Angels grant for $71,000 and a promise of match funding, we are able to give an additional 17,542 people safe drinking water over the next few months

We visited our existing water purification plant in Eastern Kenya. My son Daniel and I had visited the area two years ago, before the water plant was completed. After four years of drought, we found the people and animals were living in devastating conditions. On my return this year, I was thrilled to see thousands of mothers and children now have access to safe drinking water every day.

The little girl and boy in the photos (above) represent a typical child-headed family in Kenya. Having been orphaned by AIDS, the two youngest children are left with their teenage sister (the girl in red) as their main carer. Every day, this family comes to collect water from the new water point we have provided, and to receive food and education through the local project we are partnered with. Each night they return to their hut in a nearby village. It was amazing to be taking photos surrounded by women who, two years ago, were digging holes in the empty riverbed to collect muddy water to drink. I was especially moved as the whole community broke into spontaneous applause and laughter when they realised it was Global Angels who had provided them with the means to keep their children so healthy. I felt proud to be a Global Angel.

This project in Kenya is particularly successful in working with the local women to help them in supporting their families and becoming sustainable. Many of the women accessing water from the project are also employed in the surrounding fields to produce organic beans for the European market, and food for their own families. Profits from the sale of the beans go right back into funding the care and education of the thousands of street kids and orphans also under the care of our partner project It was so inspiring to be able to see first hand the impact these combined projects have had on so many lives.

In Tanzania, we visited a project providing hearing aids for deaf villagers. We were able to work alongside technicians giving many people the ability to hear. In the photos (below), you can see one little girl, delighted to not only hear sound for the first time, but also to hear music as someone held an iPod behind her head. It felt like we were giving them a miracle... something so small made such a difference

The trip was hugely successful and we came back freshly enthused to continue to do all that we can to provide many more thousands of people with safe drinking water and medical care.

To help us with the challenge by donating to our Water For Life campaign, please use the form below.

Every £5 provides one more person with water for 10 years.

Thanks for being an Angel...

"My name is Nick Firth. I trekked for 12 hours in aid of Global Angels and raised $500 dollars between my school, family and neighbours. A 100% charity that supports this generation and the upcoming generations that have/will be effected by global warming. This is my attempt to do what I could to raise awareness and support Global Angels."

As you may know, every week on the Global Angels Facebook and Twitter pages we select an 'Angel of the Week'. This might be an amazing fundraiser, one of our Ambassadors or Corporate Angels or just someone who has stood out to us as being a particularly great Angel.

This week, 13 year old Nick Firth from Australia is this Angel. Inspired by Ambassador and adventurer Bear Grylls after he visited his school last year, Nick, along along with his father, performed a huge 12 hour trek around the boundary of his families rural farm property in central north New South Wales. The countryside is very rugged here and much of the terrain dense bush, with steep crevices, streams and of course wildlife! We are told by Nick's mum Catherine that, despite the day being quite cold, Nick began at 6am sunrise and finished just before 6pm sunset - an amazing 12 hours!

Catherine said, "This was an arduous day that involved navigation, map reading, climbing and crossing streams.  Throughout this Nick was driven by his efforts to support Global Angels."

Nick raised an amazing $500 Australian Dollars for Global Angels through his passionate fundraising including a special 'cake n can' stall where cakes were baked and drink cans sold to the school students at his school, St Ignatius' College. Nick received donations from classmates, friends and families which helped him to achieve this brilliant result!

Nick is a perfect example of an 'Angel in Action' and we're so proud to have him as an Angel. He also made a great video documenting his trek, so you can see him in action! Check it out below...

In October 2010, Global Angel Ambassadors Wendy Smith and Nick Leventis undertook a breathtaking challenge in support of Global Angels, making new solo (Wendy) and tandem skydiving (Nick and Tom Noonan) records in the Himalayas, by jumping from 32,000ft. They raised a staggering £103,000 to give to projects empowering disadvantaged communities in Nepal and refugees living on the Thai-Burmese border.

Once considered one of South East Asia’s richest countries, after four decades of military rule, over 3 million Burmese people are now internally displaced. The projects we’ve chosen to partner with, located just inside the Burmese border, are particularly worthwhile. The hardships faced by these Burmese Karen Refugees are tremendous, with whole communities hiding in the jungle, living without access to basic resources such as hospitals, medical care, school buildings and roads. The threat of the government soldiers bombing their settlements and mining their rice paddies creates a constant battle for survival.

Over the last year, the Global Angels team have been visiting and choosing outstanding projects along the Thai Burmese border, and in the Himalayas, performing all the tasks and checks necessary to ensure the funds raised will be utilised to the highest level of integrity and with maximum impact. These funds will now be used to transform the quality of life for the thousands currently living in extremely challenging situations.

Photo: Board members Mark Eddison & Molly Bedingfield visit projects on the Thai-Burma border last year

A 2004 study focusing on Karen, Karenni and Mon areas showed some of the worst conditions in Eastern Burma and highlighted a health situation that closely resembled that of conflict areas in Africa:

• 1 in 5 children die before their 5th birthday.
• 1 in 12 mothers die in childbirth.
• 1/4 of all deaths are attributed to malaria.

Medic Training
Responding to the overwhelming need, Dr Stephen Nash (founder of Hope 4 The World) has been taking volunteer training teams of doctors, nurses and dentists into the jungle since he visited Burma in 2002, believing that the best way to tackle the extreme lack of medical care was to train local recruits as medics. A growing number of skilled volunteers from the UK have given up their time over the last 8 years to train medics, dentists and midwives in order to relieve suffering and care for these vulnerable people in isolated and high-risk areas.

In 2011, Global Angels supported 26 second level students to undergo their medic training. They will be manning the 32 ‘mobile health clinics’ in the region. Over the next two years we have pledged to fund the students for their third, more advanced level of training.

“I wish you could have been there to see the medics graduate - Very moving for them and for us. We have so much good will and support locally to make this happen. I am now on the case preparing for level three training at the earliest possible moment. Give thanks for a fantastic ending to a great course, it was so enjoyable. I still find it remarkable how we can achieve so much with so little when you have the right people.” Dr. Stephen Nash
 

Photo: 2012 Level 2 Graduates at their Graduation Ceremony (Photo ©Hope 4 The World)

Mobile Health Clinics
Global Angels will be funding the annual budget for two of these ‘mobile health clinics’, managed by Partners Relief & Development, working to maintain a health system throughout the villages. Medics will provide: health campaigns, reproductive health services, regular school-based care and respond to emergencies such as obstructed labour. In some cases they may carry out amputations for landmine victims and most also have a dental service. The clinics will serve a total of around 4,000 people. Previous clinics within Karen State have seen amazing results: Each home in the village has a toilet and most will boil their water. The rate of malaria has decreased to under 3%.

Although built in areas that are deemed ‘safe’, the mobile clinics are designed so that staff can evacuate patients and hide/evacuate supplies should the Burma Army move in on their location. Three previous clinics have been overrun by the Burma Army, although have since been rebuilt so they can continue with their medical care to the local communities.

Photos L-R: Midwife checks patient, a medic treats a child (© Partners Relief & Development)
 

Development Farms
‘Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day, but teach a man to fish, and he can feed himself for a lifetime.’

Global Angels are funding a Development Farms project over three years, to support marginalized communities with training and resources to start long term fish and animal farms and rice paddies along with training in modern sustainable agriculture. Each farm will have a reach of up to 4,000 people. This is a Partners Relief & Development project and will progress as follows:

The first year will focus on training two farmers from each community who will then put their training into practice on land given to them in various strategic locations.
In the second year, villagers from surrounding communities will increase their own knowledge and skills in farming at the main farm before in turn starting their own, for which they can apply for a grant to cover half of the cost.
The third year aims to make the main farms self sustaining and no longer dependent for training or financial support.

We're so excited about these new projects and pleased to be able to share them with you. Project pages coming soon with more details and photographs of the projects in action.

Photos L-R: Medical supplied are distributed, Fish Farming (© Partners Relief & Development)
 

Join our Ambassadors in The British

10k London Run 2012

It's that time of year again! Global Angels are entering a team of 36 runners into the British 10k London Run 2012 and we would love you to take part.

Join some of our amazing Ambassadors and Angels as they take to the streets of London. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned runner, this event is open to all those over 15. Last year our runners surprised themselves with the great times they achieved and many are hoping to beat them this year!

The cost of entry is £55 per person. This includes your race entry, chip timing, official photograph, goodie bag & medal and a Global Angels t-shirt to wear for the run.

BUY YOUR PLACE NOW - CLICK HERE

Those who ran last year will remember our celebratory concert held at Freedom Bar in Soho. It was such a success we hope to hold a similar evening event again.

If you aren't running on the day, you can still get involved! The atmosphere on the day is amazing and we'd love to line the streets with Angels cheering on our runners! You will also be able to sponsor anyone in our Angel team, they may be a friend or you may just feel passionately about the cause they have chosen to raise funds for.

Last year, over 25,000 runners ran the race which takes place right through central London, starting on Piccadilly at Hyde Park Corner and finishing on Whitehall. If you're already running and haven't chosen a charity to fundraise for, why not run for Global Angels? Get in touch with Fina on angelevents@globalangels.org.

The race route through the heart of this historic capital city is unrivalled anywhere in the world and takes runners past many of the iconic and most world renowned sights that the great city of London has to offer.