We promote ActionAid and child sponsorship

Since 2003, ActionAid International has been based in South Africa, as part of our commitment to building an organisation which recognises and values the contribution of all our members. We are the only international development organisation which has its headquarters in the developing world.

To implement its mission and objectives, ActionAid International has chosen to adopt a federal model of governance and organization. This is a union comprised of self governing affiliates and associates which are members united by a central or international (“federal”) structure and by shared values, vision and mission. The essence of this federal model lies not just in the legal and constitutional dimension but also in the more fluid economic, political, and cultural forces that make federalism necessary. The guiding principles to the federation as outlined in the Constitution of ActionAid International and ActionAid International Governance Manual.

Photo Courtesy of www.dubaiblog.it

Our portal promotes ActionAid and child sponsorship. ActionAid is an international NGO (non governmental organisation), working with over 25 million people in more than 40 countries for a world free from poverty and injustice. Head office of ActionAid is in Johannesburg. ActionAid is the only large international development organisation with head office based in Africa, with offices in Asia and the Americas connecting all the work in Europe.

ActionAid: governance

ActionAid International has a two tier governance structure composed of:

• An Assembly consisting of Affiliate and Associate Members who are responsible for the strategic governance of AAI.
• An International Board consisting of Independent Board members elected by the Assembly and responsible for the ongoing and effective decision-making and oversight of the International Secretariat.

The Chair of the International Board is elected by the Assembly.

Chief Executive of ActionAid International acts as Secretary and ex-officio member of the International Board but with no voting powers.  The Assembly meets once a year and the International Board meets 3-4 times a year

Child sponsorship

When you sponsor a child with ActionAid, your contributions go straight to projects in that childs’s community. It’s a fantastic way to gain an insight into the difference that your donation can make, and build up a personal relationship with a child on the other side of the world.

Some of our sponsors are also involved in a proramme called The Next Step, which allows us to use sponsors’ money wherever the need is greatest in each country, helping us support difficult-to-reach groups such as migrant workers and orphans.

ActionAid will send you a photo of a child who urgently needs your help and you will be their only sponsor. Your donation will go to help your sponsored child and the people who matter to them most – their family, friends and neighbours. Child sponsorship could help a community to build a school or pay a teachers’ wages, so that children can learn the skills they need to free themselves from poverty. Or perhaps your donation might buy a child’s parents seeds, and irrigation, so they can feed their family.

Your one-to-one relationship with your sponsored child means that you have a unique insight into their life, and the effect your donation is having. Through the special messages from your sponsored child and reports direct from our staff on the ground, you’ll be able to see the transformation first-hand. Sponsorship varies in length and can come to an end for a variety of reasons: a child grows up and finishes school, or – best of all – your sponsored child and their family no longer needs help. The aim of child sponsorship is to free people from dependency, and there’s no better reward for a child sponsor than knowing that your child and their community are ready to support themselves.

Child sponsorship lasts for a minimum of years, but it can be stopped at any time.

You will receive two messages from your sponsored child a year. Your sponsored child may never have held a pencil before, and may send you something quite simple. Others might send a drawing or even a letter. It all depends on the age and ability of the child you sponsor, meaning that each message is unique. Each message comes with a short update from the field worker, letting you know how your sponsored child is doing.

You’ll get two reports from the community each year. These let you know how your money is being spent and how you are helping to change lives. Once every two years, you’ll also get a new photo of your sponsored child.