LYT Newsletter July 2022
Hello LYT Family!
Is everyone absolutely melting out there? We hope you're all staying cool and hydrated.
We've been ferociously busy in the last 6 months since we've touched base - Martyn did 3 major tours, we have a brand new partner for the second half of 2022, and we gave away £50K in donations! It was also Mr. Joseph's birthday a week or so ago..
Like I said - busy! We can't wait to fill you all in. Please take the time to read if you can - it's a bit lengthy, but that's because we have so much to tell you.
MEET OUR NEW PARTNER, OPEN WAY - ETHIOPIA
In our last newsletter at the end of January, we sent out a call to arms, asking you all for suggestions and direction to any good work being done in the world - and boy, did you all deliver! Thanks to your many wonderful emails and chats at shows, we now have several projects we're keeping our eye on, and it's also how we found our current project -
Open Way started in 2007, thanks to a trip taken to Ethiopia by UK based couple Nick and Maria. During that trip they met an Ethiopian national called Mulu Menbere who was very passionate about helping people out of poverty. They felt she had such integrity that they started a project with her to help some street kids, and gradually this project turned into the humanitarian work of Open Way. Open Way provide access to the most essential needs for a healthy life, namely: access to basic education, food and water support, shelter, and access to medical help.
The situation in Ethiopia remains very tough at present and there is unfortunately a very deep humanitarian crisis there because of the war in the North and drought in the South and East. Many people have been displaced and are facing extreme food shortage due to the disastrous civil war that began in Tigray in November 2020. In the Sidamo region (about 300 km south of Addis Ababa) where most of their projects are based, the impact of the war is less direct but is being felt economically. These factors and others have led to extremely high food inflation and sadly, there is a lot of desperation.
MEDICAL
Open Way provides funds that enable vulnerable people to gain access to medical assistance by paying for medical costs, transport to clinics or hospitals, and accommodation while waiting for treatment. People with a very wide variety of medical conditions such as cancer, cataracts and other eye problems, goitre, typhus, typhoid fever, complications from HIV, scabies, malnutrition, leprosy, TB and many other ailments, as well as accidents and emergencies, have been helped.
Open Way helps around 200 people every year in this way.
HOUSING
Vulnerable people sometimes find themselves in a position where their traditional mud house is in a state of collapse. This may apply to someone who can't work and who has no family members supporting them and therefore has no means to repair their house. Open Way constructs simple houses for people who find themselves in this situation.
They have completed building 23 houses in the last 12 months. These cost about £500 each to build using local labour. The main cost is the metal roofing materials and this is going up in price continually. There is no back-up system in Ethiopia and if someone is on their own and unable to work because of parenting responsibilities, ill health, handicap, or old age, they can find themselves in very difficult, unhealthy and even dangerous living conditions. So, this is very life-changing for the beneficiaries. On average, there are 4 or 5 people in each family helped, so Open Way have housed over 100 people in the last 12 months.
EDUCATIONAL WORK
In collaboration with the rural communities where they work, Open Way have funded the establishment and running of eight pre-schools in different villages to help children get a start in education. Over 1000 children from very poor families are currently receiving free pre-school education. The schools give an important free start in education to children who, otherwise, are likely to remain illiterate working watching cattle or doing work in the home. They also give opportunities for college graduates to teach, and they have had many of their teachers pass through into government training and employment on the back of their employment with Open Way.
Additionally, 5 of the schools to date have established libraries. Students use the school libraries to study, read stories, complete homework, play games and watch television. This all offers enormous educational value for the children. Adults from the villages use the libraries in the evenings to watch (solar powered) television and to get together and meet. This is really valued by local people who otherwise have no such opportunity (there is no electricity in any of the school villages except for Teferi Kela).
The families of very malnourished children attending the schools are also given some material and nutritional support. Extra grain and seedlings are provided to families for both short and long term support. Over 400 families received cassava and banana seedlings in the last 12 months.
Open Way complete all of this life changing work and more on the astonishingly small budget of £40k a year. They have no salary costs or administration costs in the UK and all travel and accommodation expenses when trustees visit the projects in Ethiopia are paid personally. This allows all Open Way funds to go directly to relieve suffering and help people out of hopeless poverty.
We are so thrilled to partnering with the incredible, incredible work of Open Way now through the end of December. Please visit their website for more information:
https://www.openway.org.uk
£50,000 IN DONATIONS GIVEN
As you all hopefully know by now, we support one major project in a 6 month period, as well as give away as many CDDs (Community Development Donations) as we can.
HAFWAY
We're so thrilled to announce that at the end of June we were able to give HAFWAY a donation of £25,000!
HAFWAY's biggest need was to be able to support expanding the opportunities given to their young people via a mode of transportation. To be able to accommodate trips out to camp, rides to their programs, and other such opportunities, they needed a new (used) mini bus, as theirs had died many months back and rentals were both expensive and often unavailable.
With LYT's gift of support, HAFWAY are overjoyed to have been able to purchase their new to them mini bus - in excellent condition, and already being put to use!
We were able to visit with HAFWAY in June, prior to our donation, to spend some time with them and view their wonderful space - you can see photos from our visit here, on our FB page.
Advantage Africa - Refugees with Albinism
In January we updated you all on a CDD given to Advantage Africa in support of their newest work in refugee camps in Uganda. After getting their latest news, we felt it urgent to continue to fund their incredibly important work there, to further develop their skin cancer prevention, food relief and UNHCR advocacy activities in the Nakivale and Rwamwanja refugee settlements. Jane, Andrew, Peter and team were also keen to expand this work into the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in the north of Uganda. This is one of the largest settlements in the world with upwards of 270,000 refugees, mostly from South Sudan. Advantage Africa understands there are many people with albinism in this settlement, living in very challenging conditions and without support to keep them safe from skin cancer. Working in Bidi Bidi would continue to strengthen the evidence they can share with UNHCR towards seeking policy change and vastly improved conditions and support for refugees with albinism. We are so proud to be able to continue to support this life saving work with a CDD of £15,000.
We look forward to staying in touch with Andrew and Jane, and hearing their updates as they continue to advocate and aid refugees in these coming months.
The Congo Tree - Democratic Republic of Congo (DAR)
Yet another project brought to our attention after our call to arms in January, we're so excited to share with you new partner The Congo Tree. The Congo Tree believe in developing the skills of young people and supporting them to become the next generation of leaders, which is particularly needed in such a complex environment such as the Congo. There is conflict and violence in the Eastern part of DRC and the young people of the Congo Tree have been peacemakers this year, passing on messages of peace to their family and friends, which has had considerable impact.
Their major project is their WYLD Programme, which equips young people with transferable ‘life’ and leadership skills, supports them with mentoring, and encourages them to get involved in their community. Their mentoring programme has created a bridge and an informal platform between young people from different ethnic groups and backgrounds, particularly in Rutshuru and Masisi; two areas still coping with active violence and conflict, as well as dealing with their respective histories.
Through peer-learning techniques, WYLD aims to build transferable ‘life’ and leadership skills in problem-solving, communication, creativity, enterprise and leadership with integrity. Designed to work specifically with young people who are growing up in difficult contexts, giving young people the space to dream, the support to achieve and the tools to overcome barriers builds resilience, opportunities and, most importantly, hope for a positive future.
Practically, the whole programme is generally run over a year. The Congo Tree also set a team challenge to design and present a social action or enterprise project for the benefit of the local community which, if presented well, will be awarded a small grant and groups then have a year to organise and begin their project. A graduation is held at the end of the year and everyone who completes the programme gets a certificate.
Additionally, in the past year The Congo Tree team have come up with a great new group of projects under the heading of Mwanzo ('beginning'). These are Mwanzo Artistique, Mwanzo Enterprise, and Peace 4 a Future:
Mwanzo Artistique: is a professional and personal development programme designed to support young artists at the early stages of their careers.
Mwanzo Enterprise: is to equip and support teams of young entrepreneurs in the start-up phase of their business by providing them with the right spaces to work, coaching and basic lessons in business development and management.
Peace 4 a Future: is a programme to support young people to be at the centre of finding solutions to problems related to peace, justice and inclusion in their communities.
The Congo Tree are just getting started, and their major need is a 'Treehouse' - a place to serve as the hub for all of their work, and that's free from religious, tribal and educational expectations and serves as a safe space for their young people to meet and learn and grow. The Congo Tree will be launching a fundraising campaign in October in support of a Treehouse, and we're so thrilled to have started them off with a CDD of £10,000!
We'll be looking forward to their updates, and their future work as they hit their 10 year anniversary this April - you can read about all their incredible work on their website: https://thecongotree.org.uk
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Finally, with these last donations given, we've crossed the half million pound mark - we've given £514,454.64 to 15 main projects and 17 CDDs since we started in 2014. We. Are. In. Awe. Of you, all of you, who have supported us over these last eight years.. We could not do this without you. Our army of hopers, united by synergy and belief in the unique way Martyn blends art with activism via LYT, and our incredible partners doing compact work with a clear purpose and urgent need.
Thank you. We hope we've given you even a glimpse into the type of work you are supporting, the lives you are helping to save, and the futures you are bettering.
Here's to the next (cooler!) 6 months!
As ever, in gratitude,
Justine, Martyn & the entire LYT Team
To help Open Way via a gift of support, please visit our www.LetYourself.net to donate.