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Jersey Overseas Aid and St John Ambulance Jersey are to welcome a Jersey-sponsored nurse working for the Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group for a four day visit. Established in 1882, the Group is the only charitable provider of expert eye care in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem (approximately 4.6million inhabitants) and through this partnership a full-time nurse, Muyassar Ghanem, is sponsored to contribute towards the vital care needed.
The visit is an opportunity for some Islanders to hear about the life-changing work being by Jersey charities working abroad and how JOA supports them.
You can read the full press release here
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British Red Cross CEO Mike Adamson recorded this video message during his recent trip to the camp in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. In it Mike thanks JOA for its contribution to their efforts in bringing emergency relief to those affected by the violence in Myanmar.
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The DRC has experienced political instability including ethnic violence for many years now. Millions have had to flee their homes as troubles have flared up sporadically despite international attempts to bring peace. It’s the innocent who find themselves caught up being separated from loved ones, traveling to safe places but without food supplies, water or basic provisions.Earlier this year violence erupted between Lendu and Hema ethnic groups resulting in the displacement… of over 25,000 people in Tchomia where people fled in fear of violence, revenge killings and rape. With the help of JOA funding Tearfund and their local partner Action Entraide were able to provide emergency supplies to over 15,000 individuals for one month. This photo shows the distribution of these good that include rice, beans and salt and non-food items such as water jerry cans, cooking and buckets.
Sadly the outlook is rather bleak– many Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who tried to go back home are reported to have been killed, discouraging many others who were willing to return.
In 2017, Jersey donated almost £3m in emergency aid, which reached hundreds of thousands of people in 17 countries. We have responded to hurricanes, droughts, earthquakes, and outbreaks of cholera and plague. We have also supported civilians affected by conflict, particularly in Yemen and Syria, some of the worst humanitarian crises in a generation.
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The second edition of JOA’s one-year paid internship programme opens this week, offering a Jersey resident a unique opportunity in the field of international development.
Whilst a career in international development can be incredibly rewarding, getting your first job can be hard. This exciting internship programme – in partnership with award-winning UK Charity Practical Action – will give someone from Jersey the chance to spend twelve months learning the ropes with the professionals, including six months on assignment in a developing country.
The main goal is to equip the successful candidate with the skills and experience necessary to enable them to take frontline roles with international relief and development organisations.
The intern will start work in October 2018 by spending two months in JOA’s office in St Helier, before transferring to Practical Action’s HQ in Rugby, where they will have an opportunity to work in a number of departments across the organisation. Full support will be provided throughout the year and a mentor will be appointed who will oversee learning. By February they will be ready for their first field posting, in one of Practical Action’s overseas projects.
No age limit applies, and career-changers are welcome, but JOA are looking to recruit someone who is serious about embarking on a fulfilling but demanding new path, including being prepared to spend significant time in challenging places.
Practical Action has a strong track record of bringing communities and experts together to find practical, sustainable solutions to enable people to meet their needs, which work for both people and the planet. Working throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America, Practical Action improves the lives of around one million people every year through improved access to energy, sustainable agriculture, water, sanitation and waste management, and disaster risk reduction. This opportunity will give somebody valuable first-hand experience which can be used to progress their career in international development.
Carolyn Labey, Chair of JOA, said “As well as being a life-changing launch pad for several fortunate individuals, this will help translate the huge support for charity and philanthropy on our Island into concrete assistance for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.”
Sarah Sandon, Head of International Programmes at Practical Action, said “These kinds of opportunities in international development are few and far between so we are thrilled to be partnering with JOA and offering the opportunity for an individual to significantly contribute to Practical Action’s remit both in the UK and abroad.’
Details about the Internship and how to apply can be found on JOA’s website
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JOA launched their exhibition in St Helier last night. Hosted by Jersey Heritage and sponsored by Minerva ‘Jersey Reaches Out: 50 Years of Overseas Aid’ highlights the impact JOA’s aid has had around the world since 1968 as well as highlighting the current projects being funded by Jersey. Visitor’s will be able to learn how the Jersey cow is helping to improve lives in Rwanda, take a virtual reality tour of a flying eye hospital and join a lesson in an African classroom. Aside from introductions from JOA Chair Deputy Carolyn Labey and Jersey Heritage CEO Jonathan Carter, guest speakers included Caroline Nursey (CEO of BBC Media Action), Sue Wicks (Head of Investment at Comic Relief) and Charlotte Morgan-Fallah (Head of Region for West & Central Africa and the Overseas Branches at British Red Cross).
The exhibition is open until the end of the year and entrance is free
Pictures can be found on our Facebook page
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Branching Out
Financial Inclusion at the Margins
Jersey Overseas Aid and Comic Relief today announced the launch of Branching Out, an innovative multi-million pound partnership that has the potential to transform hundreds of thousands of lives in Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Zambia.
The four-year programme aims to give individuals and small businesses access to affordable financial services – including bank accounts, savings, insurance and credit. It will provide low-income households with the means to plan for everything from long-term goals to unexpected emergencies. Evidence shows that when people have access to such products and services everyone benefits: people save more; spend more on health care and education; manage risk; cope with unexpected shocks; and invest in income generators and small enterprises.
Over the next four years, JOA and Comic Relief will each contribute £1m a year to the programme resulting in a project total of £8million. The joint approach to funding will be mirrored in the way the project is coordinated and administered – equally between St Helier and London.
Deputy Carolyn Labey, Chairman of Jersey Overseas Aid, said ‘We are delighted to be partnering with one of the UK’s most cherished charities working together in a sector where Jersey has considerable expertise. Branching Out has real potential to make a significant impact and most importantly provide an effective means of bringing individuals out of poverty – and keeping them out of poverty.’
A carefully chosen list of organisations has been invited to apply for multi-year projects with the first grants expected to be awarded by the autumn of this year. Aside from the grants, the programme will promote policy change where needed in the target countries to ensure access to financial services is open to everyone.
Comic Relief’s Executive Director of Impact & Investment, Ruth Davison, added, ‘Financial Inclusion is a pioneering area of development which can transform the lives of individuals, families and communities permanently. As a hub of financial services expertise, along with their 50 years of experience funding international development, Jersey Overseas Aid was a natural partner. Together, we have bold ambitions in Sierra Leone, Zambia and Rwanda.’
Financial inclusion is an enabler of many of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including eliminating extreme poverty (Goal 1), tackling hunger (Goal 2), creating jobs (Goal 8) and improving health (Goal 3) and gender equality (Goal 5).
For more information please contact Jack Jones, Comic Relief Media Team (jack.jones@ComicRelief.com) or Edward Lewis, Programme Officer, JOA (e.lewis@joa.je)
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is a UK charity which aims to create a just world, free from poverty – where everyone is safe, healthy, educated and empowered. Since 1985, Comic Relief has raised over £1 billion. That money has helped, and is helping, people both at home in the UK and across the world. For information about Comic Relief and the work it carries out, please visit www.comicrelief.com
Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland)
Jersey Overseas Aid
Jersey Overseas Aid (JOA) is an international aid organisation that supports humanitarian and development projects implemented by recognised international charities. Financial Inclusion is one of five priority themes; the other four are Dairy for Development, Environment and Livelihoods, Specialist Health and WASH for Education.
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Jersey Overseas Aid are aware of the allegations of sexual exploitation involving Oxfam staff during their response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. As with all organisations involved in the development and aid sector, we are appalled by the accusations and treat incidences like this very seriously.
We would like to assure the Jersey public that no JOA money was sent to Oxfam during their Haiti campaign and at no point in time were we aware of any misconduct at Oxfam, or indeed any other charity we support. Oxfam will not benefit from any JOA funds in 2018 and are not currently on the list of JOA preferred agencies invited to apply for funding. JOA has not funded a new Oxfam project since 2016.
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JOA Chair, Deputy Carolyn Labey, and JOA Director, Simon Boas, presented to a busy States Assembly in January where Sates members were briefed on current programmes and JOA’s global impact. The event provided an opportunity to explain in greater detail how and where JOA operates as well as announce activities to mark 2018 – JOA’s 50th year – including the upcoming exhibition at the Jersey Museum.
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Boko Haram’s systematic and violent attacks on civilians across North East Nigeria sparked the fastest growing refugee crisis in Africa. Over 7 million people lacked access to food, water, safe shelter and sanitation facilities and were in urgent need of humanitarian support. In response, Plan International launched the ‘Emergency assistance for families affected by the Boko Haram crisis in Nigeria’ which JOA supported in November 2016.
As a result of the support, Plan International has provided life-saving assistance to over 30,000 people affected by the insecurity, and provided them with the vital support they needed to survive and recover.
The purpose of Plan International’s emergency response was to provide immediate relief and support to 53,700 people, including 32,200 children, in Borno and Adamawa states in North East Nigeria. Their response focused on providing food and emergency relief packages to the most vulnerable families, including shelter materials, clothing, mattresses and other essential household items.
Specifically, Plan have:
- Distributed food packages to 2,673 families
- Placed 2,543 children with family members or foster families
- Distributed emergency and reunification kits to 2,362 people
- Provided psychosocial support to 9,393 people
Click here for the full report
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https://www.careinternational.org.uk/stories/yemen-helping-people-collapsing-country
Take a look at this blog piece on CARE International UK‘s work in Yemen developed by Humanitarian Programme Coordinator for the MENA region, Antoine Esteban. The piece highlights the current situation and future activities in regards to Care’s WASH and cholera programming, supported by JOA.
