As the rise of populist governments worldwide led to a questioning of the value of human rights as well as mechanisms and institutions to protect them, ACT Alliance a few months ago built up a global Project Task Group on Shrinking Spaces. Its objective is to oversee the development of a sub-strategy to address the issue.

The Group hasn’t had the opportunity yet to reach a common definition of shrinking spaces and its manifestations. However, while measures to fight terrorism still might affect a minority of our members, we assume that doing humanitarian or development work in the region, many of us have experiences with MoUs being cancelled, permissions not given, difficult banking procedures and visas not issued. We probably all see that voices advocating for the most vulnerable parts of society as well as critical thinking and questions are not welcome. Democratic rights are cut, societies become less and less equal. While social media might be a great channel for communication for all of us, they also have negative consequences. In order to discredit our work, we can be accused even more easily of spreading false news on purpose, of misinforming the population and of being loyal to the donors overseas only. And finally we assume that after the spread of COVID-19, work has even become more difficult in most countries because of curfews, emergency laws, lockdowns and travel restrictions turning humanitarian work into a high-wire act.

One member compared shrinking spaces to Corona: it affects all of us and it’s hard to protect ourselves, as there is no treatment and no vaccine yet. It’s a man-made disaster.

Our answer as ACT Alliance is solidarity, collaboration and courage based on our faith. Even before ACT’s sub-strategy has been formulated, these three features will move us forward: 

• The solidarity to stand by and support ACT members and partners who are suffering from the impacts of shrinking space
• The courage to continue to speak out wherever necessary against measures and policies which constrict civic space further, whatever their origin
• Collaboration to enable better policy development within the alliance, sharing best-practice models and developing standards and innovative procedures to improve our own and others’ works.

The situation in the Philippines …
ACT-member National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) wrote in a resolution in November 2019: “Such red-tagging by the state may delay, impede, or even prevent the delivery of much-needed services to marginalized communities especially in the midst of disasters. Organizations like the NCCP should all the more be encouraged and supported especially in a context where human rights are attacked, and fear and insecurity constantly loom”. 

Faith-based organisations and church people from around the world including ACT Alliance have signed a Unity Statement for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in the Philippines in September 2020.

Read more on the situation in the Philippines. ((Link to media release))

… and in India ((to follow))

1 – ACT Alliance Maintenance Audit Summary 2020-08-01_signed by ACT

Congratulations to the winners!

Freehand – Poster making

1st prize: Harold Ilio, Roman Catholic

2nd prize: Wilfred Chavez, Roman Catholic

3rd prize: Shane Dumanhug, UCCP-CYF

Digital Arts

1st prize: Kej Andres, SCMP

2nd prize: Sheny Lane Gapac, IEMELIF-PKKI

3rd prize: Christian Decena, Roman Catholic

Song Making

1st prize: Ryan Base, ECP-SKEP

2nd prize: Rene II Badoy, IFI-YIFI

3rd prize: Benny Ruth Capote & Eljhun Capote, UCCP-CYF and Darryl Ancog, UCCP-CYF

All the winners can be found on the NCCP’s facebook page

The Nepal Forum had regular update meetings where each Forum Member informed about their plans and achievements. During the COVID-crisis, all of the ACT Alliance-members in Nepal were very active in emergency response, particularly in immediate food support, awareness raising, WASH activities, providing health kits (masks, gloves, sanitizers, soap), psychosocial support and psychological first aid, livelihood creation and recovery as well as monitoring accountability and transparency of COVID-19 response initiatives implemented at community level.

We would like to take out and present some projects which are unusual and might interest other forums:

Webinar on coffee supply chain

ICCO Cooperation was addressing a particular effect of the lockdown on Nepal’s economy. The prolonged winter resulted in national production to fall up to 40%, while the global lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is further hurting export, domestic trade, and small and medium enterprises along the coffee value chain. The limited ground that Nepalese coffee had gained in recognition and market share as specialty coffee around the world is under threat, as are jobs, revenue and liquidity. Therefore, the ACT-member organized a webinar session titled: ‘Panel Discussion on Nepalese Coffee Supply Chain Situation Analysis Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic’ in Nepali language. More information can be found in this Summary Report.

Members on air

FinnChurchAid (FCA) and DanChurch Aid (DCA) both went on air in order to raise awareness – both informing vulnerable groups living in remote areas about the consequences of COVID-19 by radio in local languages, reaching thousands of listeners.

Digital psychosocial support

The Nepal Forum members were also highly active in support by online media: Felm created distance learning possibilities in Bhume Rural Municipality and Putha Uttarganga Rural Municipality and 1) and offered psychological first aid and tele counselling by using toll free number and apps (Whatsapp, Viber, Skype). LWF held 389 telecounselling session on psychosocial support and mental health provided to vulnerable people, sent out 14 different SMSs on COVID-19 precaution measures. Other messages related to sexual and gender-based violence and the complaints response mechanism were communicated to rights holders groups through 757 community representatives.

Although we could barely manage to dodge lockdown in Japan, Japanese society has been significantly impacted by COVID-19 particularly, in terms of a national economy as well as any country.  This Corona-crisis has made wealth disparity explicit.  For instance, we now know who can work from home and who can’t.  Apart from medical service workers and civil servants, so-called essential workers engaged in nursing care and sanitation work kept serving even during the state of emergency engaged.  They are the ones who are at risk of infections but at lower pay than office workers. 

The Japanese government decided to pay benefits of JPY 100,000 to all the people living in Japan, however it became evident that those who don’t have permanent addresses cannot be benefited by this new system.  Thus, this inequitable situation motivated us to focus on the essential worker families, the homeless, refugees and emigrants in financial difficulties under COVID-19.  We have learned that these are the ones who are the most vulnerable people and first to be sacrificed by disasters.

CWS Japan collaborated with a partner FBO (Operation Blessing Japan) to distribute hygiene products such as hand sanitizer and face masks to about 80 supporting groups for homeless, emigrant laborers, children’s feeding programs, DV shelter, nurseries, nursing and healthcare facilities for disables and aged people across Japan.  Most of these recipient organizations were identified by member churches and organizations of ACT Japan Forum.

Through this assistance, we developed a network of those FBOs supporting vulnerable groups.  We will be using this network for our outreach activities for future disaster relief.

From Livelihood Technical Forum to Street Renovation – The Myanmar Forum has been active on various issues:

1. Forming Livelihood Technical Forum Meeting among ACT members’ organizations in Myanmar

               ACT member organizations in Myanmar have been holding a “Livelihood Technical Forum Meeting” starting on May, 2020, since most of the project activities are temporarily postponed and almost all staffs are working from home due to Covid-19. A livelihood technical forum meeting was hold in order to foresee the impact on community livelihood and implementation by the pandemic, how the implementation should be continued and what kinds of activities should be prioritized. Partner organizations working with ACT members’ organizations also had a space to participate in the meeting.

               The meeting was held on a monthly basis for one and half hours, and organized through zoom. Eight technical focal staffs from ACT member organizations and three staffs from partner organizations actively participated in the Livelihood Technical Forum Meeting. This pandemic makes us brainstorm what a future implementing strategy should be like.

The following picture was taken during the third Livelihood Technical Forum Meeting through zoom on 22^nd June, 2020:

1. Covid-19 Response in 18 villages in Kayin State, Myanmar

An ACT joint project has been implementing in Kayin State for the sake of their sustainable livelihood through the dissemination of CSA and market orientated approach. During Covid-19, the community living in project implementing villages have been affected.

Karen Baptist Convention (KBC), the implementing partner of the ACT joint project in Myanmar, collected and accessed the information in order to know their implementing villages’ needs. After that, vinyl and posters about hand washing steps and precautions measures regarding Covid-19 were distributed for the sake of health education to the villagers living in hard to reached area. In addition, infrared thermometers and hand washing items such as soaps, hand sanitizers and buckets were made available in 18 villages in Kayin State by collaboration with village development committee members and their association personnel.

               The following pictures were taken meantime Covid-19 response in Mya That Kone Village, Thandaunggyi Township:

1. Street Renovation Activity in Thandaunggyi Township, Kayin State

Under the ACT Joint project in Myanmar, street renovation activities have been done in February and March. They were implemented in five villages, namely Kya Mine, Myauk Phe’ Boe, Kyauk Phyar, Taw Pyar Kalay, and Ngwe Taung Gyi located in Thandunggyi Township, Karen State.

The activity aimed for better transportation to carry local products to access the market according to the communities’ needs plus the recommendations of the 2019 report. Additionally, the communities save time when there are emergency health cases.

Project staffs and village development committee (VDC) members organized this activity. The ACT Joint project provided 1,500,000 MMK to each village. The VDCs members lead in coordination with township administrative staffs. In addition, the communities added their village development fund which they have been saving benefits from Income Generation Activities (IGA) and Self Help Group (SHG) activities. The communities contributed their labor force to accomplish the activity as well.

Good cooperation among the villagers, and good management and leadership of VDCs can vividly be seen in this implementation.

The following pictures were taken meantime street renovation activities in Kyauk Phyar village:

1. Elephant Foot Yam Cultivation Training in Hlaing Bwe Township, Kayin State

In February, 2020, an Elephant Foot Yam cultivation training has been conducted at Ywar Kaing Kaung village in Hlaing Bwe Township. The training took two days and 37 farmers including 11 women farmers fully participated.

The training took aim at the farmers knowing and applying sustainable methods for improving their soil and increasing yield. As a result, the farmers can increase their income by reducing the inputs and resulting low cost in elephant foot yam production and then they are able to apply the environmental friendly techniques for crop production as well.

The training covered the following topics: climate change, benefit of elephant foot yam cultivation, process and method of elephant foot yam, preparation of field, transplanting, management of weed, water, pest and disease, soil and fertility. For the sake of understanding, practical sessions were also added. The ACT joint project staffs will continue to support and provide technical guidelines to partner communities in applying.

The following pictures were taken during the Elephant Foot Yam Cultivation training. The first photo is showing the participants making natural composts by using farm waste and the second photo is a group photo of the training participants:

ACT, NCA, DCA Launch Report on Peacebuiling and Climate Change. The report is available here.

Climate change is a reality, and it is happening now. For millions of people, living in poor and vulnerable countries the effects of global warming are a daily challenge. In some countries these effects may also become drivers of conflict, which may escalate
into violence and war.

As development NGOs, with a presence in many of the world’s conflict zones, we are concerned not only about the conflicts themselves, but also about the drivers, which may unleash or fuel the conflicts. To end the conflicts, and to win the peace, the drivers must be addressed.

We commissioned this study to learn more about the links between climate change and conflicts, and more importantly, to explore if efforts to adapt to the effects of climate change, can contribute to peace building.

We selected two countries, Mali and Somalia, where there is a documented effect of climate change, and where people and communities have been facing violent conflicts for many years. We focused on the concerns, and advice coming from people on the ground, people who face both the effects of climate change, and the horror of conflicts.

Their message is clear. There is a need for adaptation, and especially conflict-sensitive adaptation measures on the ground, involving women and youth, as well as those in authority. Governments, donors, and implementing agencies should all listen to their advice. We can win the peace!

At the time of writing, 145 people have been confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 so far with Afghanistan’s very limited testing facilities; the outbreak poses a major challenge to a country already struggling with deep seated poverty, long-running conflict and an extremely fragile health system and lacking school facilities.

Approximately 3.7 million children are out of school, and 60 percent of those children are female. That’s 1 in every 3 girls attending school, a lack of female teachers, specifically in rural areas, may be a reason for low enrollment of girls. In half of all Afghan provinces less than 20 percent of all teachers are female. About one third of girls are married before the age of 18 and are then urged to discontinue their education. In some schools there is lack of sanitation and access to clean and safe private toilets. Children who come from low-income homes are forced to work at school-age. Teachers often find it difficult to provide quality education with a lack of supplies and resources, some classes are held under makeshift tents; others are held out in the open.

Apart from the challenges mentioned, the education ministry announced the closure of all public and private education institutions over fears of the spread of the COVID-19. Afghanistan still has not announced any policy for education while the education institutions are closed. There is complete disconnect between teachers and students. The other challenge is lack of access to internet and technology due to low literacy rate in the target areas. The students are free with no tasks during the day which leaves many students unable to connect to distant learning moreover forgetting what they learned during the year.

Shazia student of grade 4 with her two sisters in grade 2 and 3 says, “I am student of Kotabzai Girls High School in Mehtarlam, Laghman province. I have not seen my teachers nor have we contacted since the closure of schools. We are free during most of the day with no school work to do. I also visited one of my teacher’s home to ask if there is any work to be done but he was not at home. I want to request the teachers to prepare a small package of learning material for the students to be engaged in while we are at home. I miss my friends at school. We cannot go out to play as well. I try to help my younger siblings in their school work whenever I am able to. But then again, they do not have much to do like me.”

In coordination with the Health Department, District Administration and community member, through Health Management Committees and Village Health Committees, Community World Service Asia is implementing its MNCH[1] health projects in Umerkot and Sujawal districts of Sindh since 2015.

Citing the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, the health team is raising awareness as part of a larger effort to drive social change. The health sessions on coronavirus focuses on limiting movement and avoid gatherings to prevent spreading this further. Poor hygiene is an important factor in the spread of infectious diseases. For this reason, the sessions, delivered in local languages, provide signs and symptoms of the infectious disease. In addition, the community members are sensitized to take precautionary measures to reduce the spread of the disease.

To reduce the risks, people are advised wash hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand wash. In addition to other precautionary measures, the community members are guided to wear masks and avoid close contacts in public areas, especially.

Community World Service Asia has organized 32 sessions with the project staff, health workers and people in the community. An estimate of 840 have actively participated in the health sessions.

[1] Maternal, Newborn & Child Health