Welsh community groups urged to act on global poverty

08 March 2010

Community groups including scout troops, Women’s Institutes and church groups across Wales will be offered support to develop their links with communities in some of the world’s poorest countries, thanks to a programme launched today.

Gareth Thomas, International Development Minister, launched the Global Community Links programme at the Wales for Africa International Development Summit in Cardiff. The new fund will offer workshops and grants of up to £10,000 for not-for-profit organisations involved in a link with a community in the developing world.

Funding will enable participating community groups to use their links to increase understanding of global poverty in the UK and encourage their local community to act to reduce it. Participants in links are encouraged to use personal contact with the link group to find out more about global development issues and to share their learning with their wider community.

Examples of what the links could achieve include:

• Public talks and discussions involving spokespeople from community groups in the developing world;
• Encouraging local fire services to share skills with the link group to reduce the number of deaths by fire;
• A day of activities to encourage people to save water, raising awareness of water shortages faced by a community in Kenya.

Global Community Links will receive £3 million over three years. The programme will be funded by UK aid from the Department for International Development (DFID) and managed by the British Council.

Gareth Thomas said:

“Creating links with communities in the world’s poorest countries is one of the best ways for people in the UK to learn more about the global issues that affect us all, forging personal relationships that span thousands of miles.

“The Global Community Links programme will give communities insight into the daily challenges faced by those in the developing world, and I’d urge Welsh community groups to get involved and join the fight against global poverty.”

Following the conference, the Minister visited Pontypridd to hear about the town’s link with Mbale, Uganda. The Pontypridd Overseas Networking Trust (PONT) was initiated in 2000 by professional and church members with an aim to build a long term link to help those in poverty in Africa, and now the town shares its health and education resources and expertise with Mbale.

In the past decade, PONT has:

• Helped over 600 people to travel between Pontypridd and Mbale. Each year 3-4 teams travel between the two places.
• Allowed 560 voluntary health workers in Mbale to receive accredited training
• Provided 10,000 malaria nets
• Helped to establish an endoscopy unit in Mbale hospital
• Distributed 450 goats to families in Mbale.

Jayne Bescher, Head of Global Citizenship at Pontypridd High School, said:

“PONT has been a life-changing experience for all the children and teachers involved, both in Uganda and Pontypridd. Supporting friends and studying each other’s lives gives them real understanding of the wider world and the difficulties encountered by those in developing areas.

“The children of Pontypridd High School truly understand the meaning of being citizens of a global village.”