Page 13 - Aidlink AR 2021

WHAT WE DO
Gender Equality Education Livelihoods Emergencies
Af rica
Aidlink and our partners are working to address
the barriers that keep
girls from attending school and flourishing in society. We are working to promote gender equality and further rights-based education in communities. Students and teachers
are trained to support
a learning environment
and communities are sensitised on the harm of cultural practices like early marriage and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Through our community volunteers, we are working to identify out-of-school children, particularly girls and children with disabilities, and support them to enrol back in school.
Aidlink works to provide
better education and increase enrolment and retention in schools. There are a number of different reasons why children are not in school, and we work to remove some of those obstacles. We provide access to water on school grounds
or within walking distance
so that thirst, or the work required to fetch water, does not keep children from school. We build inclusive bathrooms with disability access and handwashing facilities, as well as changing rooms, and supply sanitary pads. We provide school meals to thousands
of children, so that hunger
is not a reason to miss class. We establish clubs that teach children about their rights
and sensitise communities on the value of education, and
the harm of some traditional cultural practices.
Aidlink works to support families to develop sustainable agricultural practices. We work with pastoral communities who are smallholder farming families to ensure that
they have the knowledge to produce and use plants for food, fuel and land restoration. We deliver training on business management, nutrition and finance as well as other skills key to sustainable agriculture.
Aidlink’s key strength is our partnership approach; the longstanding relationships and trust we have built with local NGOs and communities. In times of crises, our partner NGOs are on the ground ready to respond to the needs of the communities we serve. Through drought, floods or political strife, we provide a range of supports to affected communities including food, clean drinking water, sanitation, basic health materials and access to public health information.
Ireland
Schools Volunteers
Aidlink has operated a unique development education immersion programme since 2004. Our immersion programme enriches the lives of participating students and contributes to building a socially conscious constituency of young people who are committed to the principles of social justice, and who are attuned to the issues of international development. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we were unable to carry out immersion programmes due to restrictions on travel and health risks. We continued to engage with partner schools virtually through
the provision of development education resources and we look forward to relaunching this programme in 2023.
Aidlink is fortunate to have committed volunteers who raise awareness of global issues when they fundraise and take part in our events. They bring home the adage ‘think global, act local’. We are incredibly proud of our volunteers for the work they do for the most vulnerable in Africa and for their support during the pandemic.
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