War Child UK blog

Our CEO's personal blog on Syria

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 08:43:22 -0400

Our CEO's personal blog on Syria:

‘We can’t say we did not know’…

#MakeCARfamous

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 07:50:06 -0400

#MakeCARfamous

Children and Armed Conflict: Where is the LRA operating?

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:34:31 -0500

Children and Armed Conflict: Where is the LRA operating? :

childreninwar:

The LRA has not been operational in Uganda since the cessation of hostilities in 2006. Most of the LRA combatants are currently in the eastern Central African Republic around the Zemongo Reserve and in Haut and Bas Uele in northern Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as along the border…

weldonkennedy: The massive flaws of Kony 2012 are many, but so...

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 11:55:24 -0500

weldonkennedy:

The massive flaws of Kony 2012 are many, but so are the successes. Plenty of people have written about its flaws from a policy outcome and messaging angles. Check out this one if you want a good run down on both fronts. Simply put, the objective is wrong and the messaging they use is so painfully neo-colonial it’s nauseating. And if you’re thinking about donating after watching the video, please follow Laura Seay’s advice and donate to War Child instead.

Rather than nail Invisible Children on their failures, I want to talk about what they’ve done really well - make a slick video that gets people really fired up. They’ve gotten million of people (mostly young white folk) to watch a 30 minute video and come away feeling empowered and part of a global community mobilising to address an injustice.

For that accomplishment, I think they earn some rights to criticise the established international campaigning community. Because while it might be damaging to advocate for the wrong policies and re-enforce bad messaging frames, I think it’s also damaging to fail to engage the public in your issues. Major organisations churn out tons of mediocre videos that leave the viewer feeling disempowered, confused, and that the issues are too big for them.

When it comes to fighting for good foreign policy, we certainly need to fighting for the right things - read Bec Hamilton’s Fighting for Darfur if you want a clear understanding of why. But it’s also crucially important that people who working out the right answers, are also doing the great mobilisation that Invisible Children are doing right now, because if people aren’t mobilised for good policy, they’ll certainly be mobilised for bad ones.

So while we may tear them down for their self-aggrandising and ill-advised video, let’s also take the time to learn some lessons about what they’re doing right:

Placing the campaign in a broader narrative arc of people power bringing bad men to justice. They lead off with this, and then repeatedly focus on dictators who have been toppled in 2011 when talking about the ICC target list and people’s ability to bring these people to justice. We all want to be part of that story line.

Subtile conditioning on the call to action. When you get to the end and are asked to share the video, you likely forget that the first minute and thirty seconds was a message that sharing videos changes the world, but that message will still be there in the back of your mind.

Laying out a clear theory of change. It’s not a great theory of change, but they paint a clear picture to the viewer about how their participation leads to the end result. Check it out at 21:40. Something that every good campaign video should emulate in some form.

Telling a story of self to humanise the content. While this comes across as self-aggrandising, it also gives a human face to the storyteller. He’s a man with a kid who wants to make sure kids everywhere are safe. You can understand his emotions.

Subtly challenging the viewer to engage. Early on you’re told, “this video is an experiment, but in order for it to work, you have to pay attention,” and when explaining the issue to his son the implicit challenge is “if this kid can understand this, you should too.” Essentially in both cases you’re told that your intelligence is being tested, and you certainly don’t want to fail.

As a final thought, I hope that everyone is seeing Invisible Children a team mate who can take set pieces like Beckham in his prime, but just hasn’t figured out passing or dribbling the ball. You wouldn’t call a talented teammate an idiot. You’d look to learn from what their great at, coach them on their weaknesses, and work to integrate them in the team in a way that makes the most of their strengths and minimises weak spots.

So let’s assume the best of intentions from of the Invisibile Children team and assume that we’re all on the same team and see how we can make the most of each others talents.

We’re very lucky to have the support of phenomenal...

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:17:07 -0500

We’re very lucky to have the support of phenomenal individuals who do extraordinary things for War Child UK. Tom Nelson and Phil Saunders - the Daring Dynamos - are cycling around the world to raise money for War Child’s work. They recently visited our project in the Central African Republic to get a first hand look at out work, and made us this awesome video so you could see too.

Tom and Phil leave London on March 17, 2012 - we’ll be posting updates on their progress, so be sure to check in to see where they are.

fwrdfoundation: War Child Uganda team in Padar. The three...

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 07:38:46 -0500

fwrdfoundation:

War Child Uganda team in Padar. The three musketeers; Ebrima, Allen and Dennis.

Annual War Child Brits Show

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:07:00 -0500

We threw our annual Brits gig fundraiser on Sunday and it was AWESOME! We were so, so, so lucky to have the support of so many phenomenal musicians for this year’s annual Brits fundraising gig. We had a fantastic line-up this year, including Ed Sheeran (and his merry crew of cameos!), Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon (who played a BRAND NEW BLUR SONG!), Fatoumata Diawara, and Dry the River.

We’d like to send a massive thank you to our musical acts, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire Theatre staff, and everybody who attended. Your vital support means we can contniue doing what we do best: help children affected by war.

From all of us at War Child UK: THANK YOU!

These are some of our favourite photos from the evening:

Backstage, Ed Sheeran gets up close and personal with Be Here Now’s Tom Oldman.

Opening act, Dry the River, tearing up the stage with their set. There was A LOT of headbanging involved! Somebody in theaudience said the bassist looked like Jesus. Thoughts?

The extraordinarily talented Fatoumata Diawara.

Blur’s Graham Coxon and Damon Albarn stopped by the debut their brand new song, ‘Under the Westway.’

The totally dynamic Ed Sheeran hastily trained the audience how to scream like a Brit-nominee.

Ed Sheeran brought gueststars! From top: Ed Sheeran with Labrinth, Example, MiKill Pane and Wretch32.

And finally, Ed Sheeran bidding the crowd goodnight.

This TV spot was made for us by our friends at Ogilvy. You...

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:03:05 -0500

This TV spot was made for us by our friends at Ogilvy. You could have heard a pin drop in the office when we first watched it - We were literally stunned into silence. Go on, take a look. You probably haven’t seen anything quite like it before.

Do you agree?

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:07:00 -0500

Do you agree?

Photo

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:15:00 -0500

What does War Child actually do?

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:00:06 -0500

What does War Child actually do?

Whilst all this talk about mechanisms, protection, mental health makes a lot of sense, what do we actually do to remedy the problems? War Child has found that for the majority of conflict-affected children, there is a pedagogy which is less labour intensive or stigmatizing, than targeted mental health programmes. Our mantra is LIFE-SKILLS. Life-Skills is psychosocial work and activities and has its own methodology championed by UNICEF, the Child Protection sector and Mental Health experts as the means of increasing resilience, confidence and a more qualified and hopeful generation in societies blighted by conflict and poverty.

As many children tend to only display milder signs of trauma or mental instability in conflict situations, War Child’s primary aim is to deal with their difficulties and build their resilience. Working with small groups of children, War Child-trained teachers take life-skills classes in both emergency and post-emergency settings.

The life-skills curriculums follow the guidelines from the Inter Agency Standing Committee and are developed in coordination with the national ministries as well as with other stakeholders and develop the following skills problem solving, critical thinking, effective communication skills, decision-making, creative thinking, interpersonal relationship skills, self-awareness building skills, empathy, dealing with stress and emotions.

So how do we actually do this? Activities range from confidence-building activities to public speaking, debating, problem solving and creative tasks. Children get the chance to communicate their messages to society through radio adverts, posters, or through becoming better at expressing themselves and their hopes. Making children aware that they can have a future, that they have rights, and that they should be able to hope is crucial in building their optimism and engagement in the peace process.

Impact

So what changes might we see in a child who is attending life-skills classes? Whilst we can’t measure it quantifiably, to staff and project managers the changes are visible almost immediately. The youngest to the eldest can quickly become more independent, relate better to authority figures, become better at playing, at empathizing, and building friendships.

For those who may not be ready or able to participate in group activities, War Child offers counselling for children. This has been very popular and successful in particular at our street-girls drop in centre in Kinshasa. The majority of girls at the centre are child sex-workers, with an average age of 12. Furthermore, War Child is well integrated into the network of child protection agencies both governmental and non-governmental in-country. By working with lots of children, our teachers quickly become aware of children who need more help, who are at risk and who need referral.

We believe that the most immediate, long-lasting and beneficial work is done with children in the safest place; the classroom.

Living with conflict

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 07:29:04 -0500

Living with conflict

In periods of insecurity, normally protective systems such as the family, community and religious institutions and rule of law can breakdown or mutate. With this erosion, the problems of social injustice, inequality, and marginalisation can become even more pronounced, yet there are fewer functioning mechanisms to help address them.

The impact of this societal breakdown can be suspension of essentials such as education, fragmented families, lost societal knowledge, and because of all this, a further entrenchment of poverty.

Courts stop working, social workers stop getting paid and families begin making survivalist priorities and breaking up. Mental health problems, psychosocial issues are highly connected to conflict and for those suffering, the breakdown of these support mechanisms and the stress of conflict on those around them can further endanger them and others. Already existing societal perspectives such as on the restrictions of women can very negatively impact women and their dependents ad lead to inequality in resource distribution.

Conflict-affected children

Children living within a conflict-affected place over a prolonged period of time may suffer from long term problems as well as displaying immediately visible symptoms. Living in a state of continual fear, dealing with bereavement, witnessing violent acts are just some of the events and elements which can induce adverse and worrying psychological reactions. With few “conflict-free” years, psychological stress is further exacerbated. The irony is that children on the whole, show extraordinary resilience to the negative elements of their environment. This resilience is increased when their essential needs are met, and when further burdens such as income generation are taken off their shoulders.

Recruitment

Conflict can indirectly and directly affect children but it also involves them. Children can become conflict actors; involved with and fighting for armed groups. There are an estimated 250,000 child soldiers in the world today, 40% of them girls. Whilst in many cases recruitment may be forced, there are many degrees of coercion and children who have been recruited or who have signed up voluntarily are often found to have been marginalised, independent from their family and were already involved in more hazardous enterprises. We need to understand that becoming “wife” or soldier can appeal to children as a legitimate livelihood choice, and increasing the opportunities for young people is one means of reducing voluntary recruitment.

However, the psychological effects of being exposed to armed conflict at a young age can be grave for future prospects. Assisting with demobilisation and reintegration is crucial if we are to stop young people keeping from taking arms again, entering into demeaning/hazardous employment, or failing to make lasting relationships with people

The psychological effects of war

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:09:00 -0500

The below is a blog based on a talk the War Child UK Programme Director gave to a group of NGOs specialising in child poverty in November 2011. In the following posts we will try to add more colour to the ways in which conflict affects a child’s mental health and social coping mechanisms.

Conflict in the World

War Child UK (WCUK) operates in the worst conflict-affected places in the world. The countries we work in are the infamous and the unjust. As well as operating in Iraq, Afghanistan, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, we have recently begun working in Central African Republic (CAR) which has 17 distinct armed groups (recognised as distinct from criminal groups) creating an insecure environment . CAR is in a “bad neighbourhood” surrounded by DRC and Uganda (where WCUK also works) as well as Chad, Sudan and South Sudan, the newest and one of the poorest nations on earth. One of the reasons we started working in CAR is the link to, Congo and Uganda, where the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) has been active. There has been an estimated 30,000 children abducted since their appearance in the 1990s.

Iraq, Afghanistan, Congo, Uganda, have barely been out of international news for the continual conflict their citizens have had to live through.

All these conflicts create their own warped war economies which need soldiers, porters, cooks, assets etc. Unfortunately, in a majority of cases, these roles are taken by children.In the world today there are as many as 250,000 children currently associated with, or fighting for, armed groups. With few income opportunities, being a “wife” or a “soldier” can appeal as a legitimate livelihood choice to young people. WCUK works with children who have been negatively affected by conflict and insecurity. Whilst WCUK does work with children who have been associated with the armed forces, WCUK does not, in most cases, distinguish them from the millions of vulnerable and marginalised young people negatively affected by conflict.

Before the War

Over 600 million people live in countries affected by fragility and conflict (World Bank Institute). Poverty rates in these countries average 54%, in contrast to 22% for low-income and peaceful countries. Most of these countries don’t get a 54% poverty rate overnight, instead it is the result of years or even decades of fighting and insecurity which lead to stagnation of economic growth, capital flight, fewer opportunities and increasingly disabled and incapable state apparatuses. Without accountability, taxation, and capacity some conflict affected states also become “failed” states where the rule of law and jurisdiction of institutions becomes totally absent and ineffectual.

In countries such as Afghanistan it can be hard to distinguish when “before the war” was, as the cycle of conflict has been ongoing for nearly thirty years and breathing spaces for reconstruction have been rare. However, in other countries such as Iraq and Uganda the difference is more marked. In the 1990s, Iraq had an educational system to envy, with near universal rates of primary school education, an exemplary university system and a magnet for the region. Since 2003, universities have emptied, schools have been bombed, and the percentage of students completing school has plummeted.

Whilst in many cases life “before the war” was not golden, the protective mechanisms that communities establish to help deal with the obstacles means they are able to function, and as areas become more and more insecure, the erosion of these mechanisms can have disastrous consequences for children.

War Child UK sent animator Ellie Land to northern Uganda to make...

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

War Child UK sent animator Ellie Land to northern Uganda to make a film with the local young people. It addresses the subject of Gender Based Violence - a taboo topic in Karamajong culture, but a huge problem for the women and girls there.

Rift in Paradise - National Geographic Photo Gallery

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Rift in Paradise - National Geographic Photo Gallery:

As the global population soars toward nine billion by 2045, this corner of Africa shows what’s at stake in the decades ahead. The Rift is rich in rainfall, deep lakes, volcanic soil, and biodiversity. It is also one of the most densely populated places on Earth. A desperate competition for land and resources—and between people and wildlife—has erupted here with unspeakable violence. How can the conflict be stopped? Will there be any room left for the wild?

"The identity of an individual is essentially a function of her choices, rather than the discovery of..."

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

“The identity of an individual is essentially a function of her choices, rather than the discovery of an immutable attribute.”

- Amartya Sen, The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity

Vulture fund 'sues' DR Congo for $100m

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:07:53 -0500

Vulture fund 'sues' DR Congo for $100m:

Forgive my language, but this is monumentally f****d up.

Ben.

37 stunning photos of Afghanistan

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:23:29 -0500

37 stunning photos of Afghanistan:

These are well worth 5 minutes of your time…

Rwanda visit - Day 7

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:31:48 -0500

Day 7

The car that was supposed to take us to the airport actually didn’t turn up in time, not an encouraging start! But we made our flight by the skin of our teeth as the airport was a few meters wide and luckily did not take long to navigate!

Over fifty hours travelling, seven days and a draft strategy later…we are back on UK soil to be met with our War Child staff in head office and hundreds of unread emails!

Rwanda visit - Days 5 and 6

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 07:37:00 -0400

Day 5 and 6

Kate

I came back into our small strategy room full of energy today after the inspiration of taking the field trip. It’s an intense day of mass analysis…

Amanda

We should say something about the weather. At the moment there is torrential rain with thunder and lightning. The view of the lake is obscured and we cannot see the DRC side. This morning had been fabulous, the sun was shining and for our group work we moved outside to sit in the sun. Now we can hardly hear each other speak. It has been like this, more or less, every day (as we are in rainy season here) without the force it is at this very moment. To be honest, I am supposed to be listening to our facilitator go through what a SWOT analysis is about for advocacy and the issues we have agreed on. I have to say, I have done many SWOT analysis in my time and I am, in truth, not really engaged with this particular process. What we have to do is to state our Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats against the tasks we have identified (yes, we have a clear idea of what we are going to do). All is good, although this afternoon, I do not feel that I am particularly engaged!

Kate

C’mon boss, this is the last hurdle, we all know my infamous slogan by now: advocacy rocks; get on board.

Amanda

Indeed. We have come a long way in achieving what we set out to do, that being an advocacy strategy which both War Child Holland and War Child UK can work on together. One of the really good things about being here is we have met colleagues who do not normally get together. We have now included 2 staff from War Child Canada which is, in current parlance, awesome!

Kate

Ditto to that!

Amanda

While typing this I am at the back of the room on the comfy sofa. I have to get up now, as it is my turn to put the small cards with my contributions scrawled on them up on the flipchart.

Kate

I opted for the desk chairs in order to keep my creative juices flowing vertically. It’s been an intensive day of finalising our ideas and pulling them together in something coherent which we can tell all of teams about and soon our supporters…so, watch this space!

Later that day …….

Amanda

This evening is our last and it will be sad to leave the group we have spent some intense time with. The teddies have formally been handed over to Michel, who will take them to Goma for the children of young mothers. The teddies were also involved in the process of analysing our outcomes and summing up or workshop. Two of them took part in a Flipcam exercise where we were all asked our opinion of the week and what the subsequent challenges may be. In terms of accountability, we can confirm no harm was inflicted on them and their identities will, consistent with our Child Protection policies, remain anonymous.

Kate

It feels strange after all of the logistical challenges that we not only made it here, but are also at the end of our trip and about to part ways. But this is just the beginning. Upon our return all of ideas and thinking will be turned into concrete actions that should keep us busy for the next years!

Amanda

We now look forward to another 24hr journey home…. hoping it will not be as full of incidents as the outgoing trip.

Kate

Here’s to hoping….