During the last year, Zimbabweans have lived through election violence and a cholera epidemic which at its peak saw almost 4,000 new cases each week. Christian Aid’s Zimbabwe Programme Officer Miriam Machaya talks about the last 12 months and explains why urgent action is needed to break the cycle of hunger, disease and political intimidation in which Zimbabwe’s vulnerable population is caught.

Download Miriam Machaya on Zimbabwe TGA

Useful links:

Christian Aid’s Zimbabwe appeal 

World Health Organization Zimbabwe profile

World Food Programme on Zimbabwe

This programme was recorded and edited by Antoinette Powell, Communication Development Officer - IIC Division, Christian Aid.

This podcast is a taster of what happened after the Cathedral service in Coventry. In this episode Louisa talks to campaigners marching with coffins through the city centre, takes a bus ride to E.ON headquarters and hears a rousing speech from Paul Brannen calling for justice for all. Stirring stuff.

Download Eon_march

If you've been affected by the issues raised in these podcasts, then take action! Sign the Countdown to Copehagen pledge at http://www.christianaid.org.uk/ActNow/Countdown-to-Copenhagen-climate-change/Copenhagen-pledge.aspx

All three podcasts today were recorded and produced by Louisa Leadlay and Steven Buckley from Christian Aid. If you would like to hear similar episodes, why not subscribe to the Christian Aid podcasts on iTunes?

Thousands of campaigners are gathering for Christian Aid's Climate Change Day of Action in Coventry. We started the day with a joint service with CAFOD in the cathedral. The service included evocatove anti-coal speeches from Dr James Hansen and an excellent sermon from The Right Reverend James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool.

Download Editservice

The day continues with a march through Coventry City Centre and a protest outside the headquarters of energy company, E.ON. Join us again later today for the thrid and final part of today's podcasts from Coventry - Steven Buckley

Paul Brannen, Head of Campaigns at Christian Aid, introduces the Climate Change Day of Action in Coventry. He talks about the day of action, why the Copenhagen (COP15) talks in December are so important, and introduces the protest march to power company E.ON later this afternoon.

Download Dayofaction_prog1

Join us again later today when we'll have a programme from Coventry Cathedral, including speeches from Dr James Hansen and The Right Revered James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool.

Around the world today, thousands of people will be beaten and abused, many at the hands of those closest to them. Others will be left in excruciating pain as a consequence of traditional practices. Thousands more will be trafficked into degrading and dangerous work. They have done nothing to deserve this treatment: they have simply been born female.

Download 1 Safe from harm_

For Christian Aid, poverty is not simply about financial hardship: it is about having no say in how you live your life, no power to change conditions that keep you hungry, miserable or insecure. And in these cases of gender-based violence, poverty is endured at its most brutal.

Antoinette Powell caught up with Tendai Madondo, Christian Aid’s Programme Development Officer for the Irish Aid funded Multi Annual Partnerships programme, to find out why they feel tackling gender-based violence must be at the heart of exposing the scandal of poverty.

Programme Links:

• Christian Aid’s website: women of Sierra Leone
• Irish Aid’s MAPS programme

The Christian Aid Week report for 2008 is called 'Death and Taxes: the true toll of tax dodging'.  The new report seeks to expose the scandal of a global tax system that allows the world's richest to duck their responsibilities while condemning the poorest to stunted development, even premature death.

Download CAWReport_final.mp3

The situation is stark and urgent. Our report predicts that illegal, trade-related tax evasion alone will be responsible for some 5.6 million deaths of young children in the developing world between 2000 and 2015. That's almost 1,000 a day. Half are already dead

To find out more, visit us on the web at http://www.christianaid.org.uk/getinvolved/christianaidweek/cawreport/index.aspx
 

If it's been a long and difficult road for Sierra Leone to emerge from the shadows of its decade-long civil war, it's been an even longer journey for Sierra Leonean women to make their voices heard. But now things are changing...

Download international_womans_day_sierra_leone.mp3

When communications officer Antoinette Powell visited some of the communities where they are working, she found that women are not simply speaking out but are beginning to take the lead in building a stronger future for their communities.

Sierra Leone’s 2007 elections were the first since UN troops withdrew after its civil war. For many women they were also the first in which they felt able to vote for a different candidate from their husbands or fathers.

Christian Aid partners - the Methodist Church of Sierra Leone and National Movement for Justice and Development - have been helping to bring about this change by addressing attitudes that see women as less valuable than men. Their work through Partners in Conflict Transformation or PICOT, addressing some of the causes of the country’s civil war, is helping groups like women who had no voice in decision-making to speak out and be heard.

Programme Links:

• National Movement for Justice and Development http://www.nmjd.org/
• The Sierra Leone Fifty-Fifty campaign for more women in politics and public life (http://www.fiftyfifty-sl.org/

To find out more visit the Christian Aid website at http://www.christianaid.org.uk/stoppoverty/conflict/stories/a_growing_voice.aspx

It has been a long journey for Suraya Pakzan. Ten years ago she began secretly educating young girls from her own home in Taliban controlled Afghanistan. This month she is receives the 'Woman of Courage Award 2008' from the US Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice. In this podcast Suraya speaks to Rachel Stevens about the remarkable lengths she went to, to protect the young girls she secretly educated.

Download woman_of_courage.mp3

Girls’ education was illegal under the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan.  In 1998, concerned at the prospect of a generation of women growing up without an education, Suraya formed the Voice of Women Organisation and began teaching girls to read and write in the secrecy of her home in Kabul. In the beginning she had just ten students.  Two years later, Suraya and her friends were educating more than 300 girls in small, secret groups in their houses – risking death for breaking the law if discovered.

In 2001, when the Taliban government was deposed, the ‘Voice of Women Organisation’ became the first woman-run non-governmental organisation to register under the new government. Today the organisation, which is now a Christian Aid partner, promotes women’s rights across Afghanistan through awareness raising programmes and continues to help poor women earn a living.

This month, Suraya is one of eight women from all over the world to receive the Woman of Courage Award in recognition of their bravery in speaking out against injustice in their countries. 

To read more about Suraya’s story visit the Christian Aid website www.christianaid.org.uk/stoppoverty/lifeonthemargins/stories/woman_courage.aspx

Throughout the Trade Justice campaign, Christian Aid worked very closely with Third World Network and its director Martin Khor. Not only is Martin continuing his campaigning work to achieve trade justice for developing countries, but he is also advising the G77 governments on international climate change negotiations in the UNFCCC. Martin Khor describes how developing countries are facing a Triple Crisis: poverty, climate change and some of the potential solutions to climate change.

Download the_triple_climate_crisis.mp3

Programme Links:

• Third World Network
• Christian Aid website Climate Change campaign actions
• Christian Aid Climate Change briefings
• Christian Aid Trade campaign

Martin Khor was interviewed by Amanda Farrant of Christian Aid. The views expressed in this programme are those of the contributors and may not reflect official Christian Aid policy.  For our public position, please visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk

In this podcast, Martin Khor explains why the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol in their current forms are generally favourable for developing countries, and also why rich countries’ attempts to force developing countries to increase their commitments to reduce carbon emissions is simply not affair or feasible option.

Broadcaster and theologian Robert Beckford's latest film, An African Scandal, is a damning indictment on the West's economic policies towards Africa. Ahead of a national tour of the film, we recorded a quick and dirty interview down the line with him from Turkey. Poor audio quality aside, he has some interesting things to say about when is the time for radical action...

Download an_african_scandal.mp3

Programme notes:

• The Great African Scandal
• Film tour dates
• Robert Beckford

Robert was speaking via Skype with Steven Buckley and Dionne Gravesande in a noisy Christian Aid office.

On the morning of 26 December 2004, when children were playing on the beach and mothers were cooking Sunday lunch at home, the second strongest ‘megathrust’ earthquake in recorded history ripped open the ocean floor off the west coast of Indonesia. Releasing the same amount of energy as 23,000 Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs, it sent giant waves travelling as fast as jet planes smashing into the countries of the Indian Ocean. Scenes of destruction were everywhere. More than a quarter of a million people died in a matter of minutes. Millions more lost their homes and livelihoods.

Download tsunami_evaluation.mp3

The cost of rebuilding was estimated at $10.75 billion, but a record breaking $13.6 billion was pledged by donors worldwide.Christian Aid raised £47 million in the appeal. By the end of 2007 we had spent £40 million – five times more than in any previous emergency – rebuilding 22,000 homes and helping 180,000 people back into work. This is a remarkable achievement by our 33 partners in Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia, especially as we are one of only three DEC agencies on course to spend our budget on time by the end of 2007.   

A recent independent evaluation looked at where the Christian Aid money went and how well it was spent. Now you can listen in to this internal Christian Aid staff podcast from December. Christian Aid's Anthony Morton King is interviewed by Antoinette Powell. Check out the programme notes below for a link to the report...

Programme Notes:

Over one million poor black South Africans have been illegally forced to leave their homes and lives since the end of apartheid in 1994.  Having lost the only home and job they have ever known, they face a future with little protection and little hope.

Download Landreform.mp3

1st October 2007 is World Habitat Day - in this programme Sarah Filbey talks with Rob Cunningham, Christian Aid’s country manager for South Africa – he explains why the huge disparity in land ownership still remains.  Despite South Africa’s progressive new constitution and land reform programme, 80% of the farmland is currently owned by the white 10% South African minority.

Rob also addresses what must be done to see an end to associated human rights abuses and evictions, and shares news of the significant victories being made by Christian Aid’s partners working in solidarity with, and bringing hope to, South Africa’s landless poor.

Programme Notes

• Nkuzi Development Association
• Summary of Key Findings from the National Evictions Survey (PDF)
• Christian Aid
• World Habitat Day

** Call 020 7523 2258 to register for tickets for the celebration service at St Paul's Cathedral **

The Christian Aid Cut the Carbon march has already covered more than 500 miles. With 500 more to go, we’re back with an update and news of an end of march gathering in London on 2 October for all supporters.

Download PODC1038.mp3

In this programme we talk to Ele Ramsey and Laura Trevelyan from Christian Aid’s Campaigns Team. They share some of the highs of the march so far and let you know how you can get involved.

• Programme Links:
  Christian Aid climate changed website - www.climatechanged.org
• Sign Christian Aid’s online shoelace petition - www.christianaid.org.uk/stoppoverty/climatechange/march/shoelace.aspx

Call 020 7523 2258 to register for tickets for the celebration service at St Paul's Cathedral on 2 October.
Ele Ramsey and Laura Trevelyan were interviewed by Steven Buckley of Christian Aid and this episode was edited by Antoinette Powell. Visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk/ for more information.

Hurricane diary. What's it really like when a hurricane strikes? Christian Aid's Rhian Holder was at home in Kingston, Jamaica when Hurricane Dean struck.  This is the first of three episodes looking at the recent hurricanes. Please manually download the second and third episodes from your podcatcher software (iTunes etc).

Download HurricaneDean_1f.mp3

Programme Notes:

• Christian Aid podcast on Disaster Risk Reduction
• Christian Aid website on current emergencies
• Donate to the emergencies fund

This programme was edited by Steven Buckley. Rhian Holder from Christian Aid Jamaica was interviewed by Sian Curry.

Facing the storm. Properly protecting your home, crops and property can make all the difference when a hurricane strikes, as people in Jamaica know all too well. This is the second episode of three podcasts looking at the recent hurricanes in Latin America. Please manually download the third episode from your podcatcher software (iTunes etc).

Download HurricaneDean_2_f.mp3

Programme Notes:

• Christian Aid podcast on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
• Christian Aid website on current emergencies
• Donate to the emergencies fund

This programme was edited by Steven Buckley. Rhian Holder from Christian Aid Jamaica was interviewed by Sian Curry.

Picking up the pieces. When Hurricane Dean battered Jamaica on 19 August, it caused widespread destruction of homes, crops and livestock. Christian Aid partners are helping people to recover.  This is the third of three episodes looking at the recent hurricanes.

Download HurricaneDean_3f.mp3

Programme Notes:

• Christian Aid podcast on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
• Christian Aid website on current emergencies
• Donate to the emergencies fund

This programme was edited by Steven Buckley. Rhian Holder from Christian Aid Jamaica was interviewed by Sian Curry.

Each year, around two million children are exploited in commercial sex work. Half a million of these children are from South Asia. They face years of virtual slavery, which can result in psychological and physical harm. Those who do manage to escape are often confronted with stigma and systems ill-equipped to help them. 

Download ecpat_final.mp3

In this programme we talk to Mark Capaldi and Vimala Crispin who work with ECPAT, a Christian Aid partner working to ensure that children around the world can enjoy their fundamental human rights free from commercial sexual exploitation. They explain how ECPAT’s innovative Youth Partnership Project is enabling children and young people to set the agenda in the campaign to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children and in supporting survivors

Programme Links

• ECPAT’s Youth Partnership Project – http://www.ecpat.net
• Global Gang childrens website – Find out about Youth Partnership Project member Sanlaap
• Stop the Traffik - Sign a declaration against trafficking to send to the UN

Mark Capaldi and Vimala Crispin were interviewed by Antoinette Powell of Christian Aid. The views expressed in this programme are those of the contributors and may not reflect official Christian Aid policy.  For our public position, please visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk

Statistics from the World Bank indicate that for every dollar spent now on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR); four dollars are saved in humanitarian relief. In the past decade the number of people affected by disasters has more than doubled and with climate change accelerating, this is set to worsen – so disaster adaptation and mitigation is a massively important area of work.

Download DRR.mp3

In this programme we talk with Sarah Moss and Bina Desai from the Christian Aid Disaster Risk Reduction Unit. They give their views on the importance of DRR for development agencies and report back from a recent conference in Geneva. The group also talk about climate change and the vulnerability of the world’s poor to changes that are taking place right now.

This programme was originally produced for Christian Aid staff and provides a useful insider view to the discussions that are taking place in the organisation. However, the views expressed are those of the contributors and do not reflect official Christian Aid policy. For our public position, please visit www.christianaid.org.uk

With huge apologies for the radio silence over the last few months... we're back with a podcast all about the upcoming Cut the Carbon March - Christian Aid's major campaigning event this year. The next Christian Aid podcast is published on July 16th and looks at Disaster Risk Reduction.

Download Marchupdate.mpeg

The Cut the Carbon march will last eleven weeks, beginning in Northern Ireland on 14 July and ending at the London Stock Exchange on 2 October. The march will raise awareness all over the UK and Ireland that climate change is not just a future problem, it is a current crisis for millions of poor people. Find out more information here on our PressureWorks campaigning site. 

Today we talk with Stephen Hale, Director of the Green Alliance about the political landscape in Westminster and political appetite for action on climate change. The interview was recorded in February, before Gordon Brown’s speech on March 12th. You can find a link to that speech below, together with the six key tests the Green Alliance and others have set for environmental leadership.

Download climateandpolitics.mp3

Programme Links:

• Christian Aid climate changed website - www.climatechanged.org
• The Green Alliance - tests for environmental stewardship
• Gordon Brown - read, watch or listen to his climate speech here
• Christian Aid report - Coming Clean, revealing the UK's true carbon footprint

Stephen Hale was interviewed by Amanda Farrant of Christian Aid. This episode was produced and edited by Steven Buckley. The views expressed in this programme are those of the contributors and may not reflect official Christian Aid policy.  For our public position, please visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk/

The latest Christian Aid report on climate change says that the UK government's claim to just 2% of the world’s carbon emissions is plain wrong. So we're targeting the UK government and companies to take action on climate change. 

Download coming_clean.mp3

This podcast takes you behind the scenes at the launch of the campaign in the heart of the city of London.  Later in the episode, we interview the author of ‘Coming clean: revealing UK's true carbon footprint’, Andrew Pendleton. He explains how Climate change is the most significant single threat to development and it could undo decades of progress in fighting poverty.

Programme links:

• Coming clean: revealing UK's true carbon footprint

• Send the postcard

• The Climate of Poverty - Christian Aid

• IPCC report - The Guardian
• Climate change section - The Guardian

This episode was produced and edited by Steven Buckley.  Daleep Mukarji, Paul Brannen and Andrew Pendleton were interviewed by Amanda Farrant. The views expressed in this programme are those of the contributors and may not reflect official Christian Aid policy.  For our public position, please visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk/

We continue the climate change theme this week and speak with Jeremy Leggett about a joint project between Christian Aid and Solar Century.  The second half of the podcast is a Skype call with a Christian Aid partner in Nairobi. “There’s a very intimate connection between global warming and the increase in poverty in the world.  If we’re going to make poverty history, then we have to commit ourselves to reversing global warming.

Download Nairobiclimate.mp3

You might like to check out a Christian Aid report released in November 2006 called Life on the Edge of climate change.  The report reveals that droughts in northern Kenya have increased fourfold in the past 25 years. So many animals have died that pastoralist families no longer have the means to support themselves. Already, half a million herders have been forced to settle around towns and villages – abandoning their centuries old way of life and dependent on aid handouts for survival.

Programme links:

• The Climate of Poverty - Christian Aid
• Jeremy Leggett's blog - Solar Century
• Solar Aid
• IPCC report - The Guardian
• Climate change section - The Guardian

This episode was produced and edited by Steven Buckley.  Jeremy was interviewed by Amanda Farrant, Professor Jesse by Claire Shelley.  The views expressed in this programme are those of the contributors and may not reflect official Christian Aid policy.  For our public position, please visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk/

Solar Century is the UK's leading solar energy company and based on Lower Marsh - directly opposite Christian Aid's London offices.  In the wake of the report last week from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we hear from Jeremy Leggett - the Chief Executive of Solar Century.  In a chilling message, he says that the global oil supply may have already ‘peaked’ and - as supplies dwindle - economic and social chaos could ensue unless we have an orderly transition away from fossil fuels.

Download solarcentury.mp3

Programme links:

• The Climate of Poverty - Christian Aid
• Jeremy Leggett's blog - Solar Century
• Jeremy Leggett's book 'Half Gone' - Amazon.co.uk link
• Solar Aid
• IPCC report - The Guardian
• Solar power, a bright idea - The Guardian
• Climate change section - The Guardian
• About Lower Marsh (the street where Solar Century and Christian Aid are based)

This episode was produced and edited by Steven Buckley.  Jeremy was interviewed by Amanda Farrant. The views expressed in this programme are those of the contributors and may not reflect official Christian Aid policy.  For our public position, please visit www.christianaid.org.uk

There are over 40 million people living with HIV and AIDS.  In the time it will take you to listen to this podcast, another 100 people will become newly infected.  We talk with Maxwell Kapachawo who works for Christian Aid partner, ZINERELA+ in Zimbabwe.

The Zinerela network provides care and support to religious leaders who are themselves HIV+, or who have lost or are nursing a close relative because of HIV. A Pentecostal pastor, Maxwell is himself is living with HIV. He speaks very powerfully about the need to combat stigma and discrimination, "I believe we are still what God had wanted us to be..."

Download Zinerela.mp3

You can find out more about Christian Aid's work on HIV at www.christianaid.org.uk/indepth

Christian Aid podcasts are introduced, edited and produced by Steven Buckley.  The interviewer in this episode was Eildon Dyer and it was recorded during World Aids Day 2006.  The full interview with the major donor who invested in a similar HIV awareness programme in Ethiopia can be found in the episode called Modern Philanthropy

The richest 2% of adults in the world own more than half of all household wealth, whereas the poorer half of the world's population own barely 1% of global wealth. In the UK alone, there are now more than 500,000 cash rich millionaires. Interestingly, there’s a concurrent boom in charitable giving and a new model of philanthropy.

Download philanthropy_podcast.mp3

In this podcast Steven Buckley talks to one of Christian Aid’s major donors – a man who has just donated over one million dollars to Christian Aid projects in Burma and Ethiopia. Steven asks him why he gave the money, how he came to choose Christian Aid, and what changes he’s seeing in the venture philanthropy and social entrepreneur markets.

Whether you’re Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, in the Sunday Times Rich List, a major or minor benefactor, or a student activist with just pennies to your name… this episode is all about making a difference with whatever funds you have, and is well worth listening in to.

A longer version of the interview with Simon is available on request from the Major Donor Unit at Christian Aid. If you’re looking to invest £10,000 or more, please call Gwen Johnson or Mark Rowland in confidence on +44(0)20 7523 2375

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The Christian Aid podcasts have been well received by staff and supporters alike and we're grateful to a number of bloggers for featuring our work, particularly David at Global Nomad 101 who writes "Christian Aid and Medicines Sans Frontiers blaze the podcast trail".

After 25 episodes, we thought we'd take a moment to describe the podcast project at Christian Aid.  Regular presenters Steven Buckley and Amanda Farrant look back at some of their favourite episodes over the last six months and talk about upcoming shows.  New listeners will find this episode the ideal sampler for what to expect from Christian Aid.

Download podpromo.mp3

Is the UN the best option for protecting the lives, the livelihoods and the human rights of the world’s citizens? Or does it simply enable great powers to rule the world behind a smoke screen of legitimacy?... An old boys’ club we should ignore and work around or a forum for accountable decision-making?

Download un_legitimacy.mp3

In this podcast we hear from Katherine Nightingale who has spent a year on secondment to the World Council of Churches and worked at the heart of the UN.

"The centre of any development intervention in a drought stricken area... should be water". In this episode we talk with Christian Aid partner MASS. The organisation works with the poorest communities in a drought stricken region called Orissa. 

Now the drought and disaster capital of India,things weren't always so bad for Orissa.  This is a story of climate change and insecure livelihoods - two key areas of Christian Aid's work.

Download water_harvesting.mp3

Music used in this podcast is courtesy of royaltyfreemusic.com

"The North are the debtors as their civilisation has been built on the sweat and resources of the South...The issue of developed and developing countries is a misnomer."

Wahu Kaara is one of Kenya’s leading anti poverty activists and founding director of the Kenya debt relief network. She is also on the high level planning committee for the World Social Forum which will take place in Africa next year.

Download wahu_kdnhr.mp3

Fresh from addressing the Labour party conference in Manchester, Wahu came to talk with us at Christian Aid. In a powerful interview, Wahu expresses her ideology and calls on us to challenge governments and international institutions.  She reminds us that - with solidarity - global change in economic justice is possible.

How the City of London is funding climate change... When Britain’s domestic carbon emissions are a mere 2 per cent of the global total, why should we bother campaigning for change here? Actually, Britain’s carbon jackboot-print is far more significant – closer to 15 per cent of global emissions – when you add in the global activities of the top 100 companies listed on the UK’s stock exchange.

Nick Robins and Mark Campanale work in the middle of it all for Henderson Global, one of the City’s biggest investment houses. They believe that companies should be compelled to declare clearly their carbon emissions and want to see government and regulatory action to ensure this happens. Hear Nick and Mark tell an incredible story that you couldn’t make up.

Download carbonpc.mp3

We came, we marched, we conquered! The last of our three special podcasts from the huge campaign rally in central London on September 14. This episode joins the march, talks to the campaigners and celebrities and hears around 50 million reasons why campaigning works...

Download bgo_episode_3.mp3

Download bgo_episode_2.mp3

In this episode in our special series of podcasts live from the march in London, we hear speeches from Daleep Mukarji (Director, Christian Aid), the actress Adjoa Andoh, and Ronan Keating. The audio quaility isn't the best in this episode, but well worth a listen!

You can find out more about the events today and find video clips from the day at www.pressureworks.org.uk .  Episode 3 will be published this evening and features lots of short interviews with Christian Aid supporters present on the march.

Episode 1 of our series of live podcasts from the Christian Aid campaign march in London on September 14. Christian Aid, celebrities, and thousands of campaigners are calling on Gordon Brown to 'stop paying for poverty'.

Download episode_1.mp3

Find out more at www.pressureworks.org.uk

This episode brings us to the end of our series of podcasts from Haiti. You’ve heard about just a fraction of the work Christian Aid does around the world. Whether it’s the development stories you’ve heard about in this series, humanitarian response, or campaigning for change on the global stage – Christian Aid partners are there and making an impact in over 60 countries worldwide.

Download haiti_day_9.mp3

But we couldn't do this without you. To donate to Christian Aid, or to take a campaigning action, visit our website at www.christianaid.org.uk

We’d also like to get your comments on this series. So drop me a line using the email address irc@christian-aid.org

If you’ve been following us for a while now, you’ll know that the podcasts are normally broadcast each week and cover a range of topics for staff, partners and supporters alike. So stay subscribed to the podcast and listen in to some behind the scenes and staff training episodes. 

And do be sure to tune in on September 14th this year when we’ll be podcasting live from London as we joining thousands of Christian Aid campaigners drumming home the message to the treasury department. You can find out more about that event by listening to the Christian Aid podcast called ‘The beat goes on’ or by visiting our campaigning web site www.pressureworks.org

If you’re the kind of person who gets irate about illegal immigration then this might not be the podcast for you. But then again, if you’re listening to a Christian Aid podcast, then you’re probably not that type anyway

Today we get the other side of the story of illegal immigration – stories fresh from our field trip to Haiti this week. We find out what it's like to be so poor that your only option is to work 100’s and 1000’s of miles from home... what it's like to be shuffled across a border by a trafficker, have your money taken, and be beaten.

Download haiti_day_8r.mp3

The truth is that economic migration and people trafficking happens the world over – the equation is simple - the more that poverty increases in one country and prosperity in another, the greater the levels of economic migration. The next two episodes try to find out the stories that have lead people to cross borders and how this exposes them to severe human rights violations.

Episode 8 will be broadcast on Thursday.

After a long podcast yesterday, today we take just a few minutes to catch up with Amanda in Haiti before we broadcast the last of the episodes later this week.

Download haiti_day_7.mp3

Welcome to episode 7 in our series of weekday podcasts from Haiti.  Over the last few days, we’ve been bringing back news from a field trip to Haiti that’s taking place right now.

UPDATED EPISODE : Today we hear Amanda travelling through Port-au-Prince and talking about the rivers of rubbish she can see. In this episode, we try to set out a little more on what vaudou really is, setting aside the Hollywood B-Movie prejudices of yesteryear. We hear from a Hongan, an evangelical Christian midwife, and a drunken Boko.

Download haiti_day_6.mp3

This is the last of our episodes on vaudou. Listen out for yet another aspect to poverty in Haiti tomorrow.

Christian Aid works with people of all faiths and none.  This means accepting people's beliefs and practices and working with them to lead a more fulfilled life... 

"In Haiti, the people in the vaudou sector are the most vulnerable people, the poorest people. If you want to stop the increase of HIV in Haiti, you should work in this sector".

Download haiti_day_5.mp3

Over the next two episodes, and you'll be challenged in your perceptions of voodoo (vaudou) but also have some stereotypes reinforced. We'll hear from an evangelical Christian midwife, a voodoo high priestess, and a drunk voodoo practitioner talking to Amanda with potions on his desk and skulls under it. The thread that joins them all together is Christian Aid partner Aprosifa and their vital work on HIV in Haiti.

Episode 6  will be broadcast on Monday 14th August.

Please note: this is the corrected day 4 episode, the earlier file was corrupted. Episode 5 will now be broadcast on Friday 11th August.

In this series of podcasts we're hearing from Christian Aid partners and beneficiaries as we try to bring listeners a sense of Haiti, its people and the poverty they face.

Download haiti_day_4.mp3

In this episode, we join Amanda as she travels to the south east of Haiti and one of the few remaining forest areas, Forest de Pins. The area is suffering from massive deforestation and the resultant flash floods. Thanks to the work of Christian Aid partner, Veterimed, the local farmers now have a hope of selling their milk. The work also includes a tree planting programme and the Veterimed project includes training for the whole community, not just the men folk.

We start today’s podcast with a 3 minute interview Amanda recorded with Christian Aid’s emergency regional officer who is based in our Haiti field office. Hear how the number of hurricanes has increased each year in Haiti and how there’s a disaster waiting to happen...

Download haiti_day_3.mp3

Later in the podcast we hear from a Christian Aid partner, Veterimed - a co-operative that is working with local farmers to achieve real change for all concerned.

In this series of podcasts we're hearing from Christian Aid partners and beneficiaries as we try to bring listeners a sense of Haiti, it's people and the poverty they face.

Download haiti_day_2.mp3

In this episode we hear about the poverty that began in Haiti immediately after independence 200 years ago. Amanda then talks with two Christian Aid staff from the Haiti field office and, amongst other things, finds out about how Christian Aid partners are working with voodoo priests to address HIV issues.

The first of our daily podcasts from Haiti over the next few weeks. We'll be hearing from Christian Aid partners and beneficiaries as we try to bring listeners a sense of Haiti, it's people and the poverty they face.

Download haiti_day_1.mp3

In this episode we hear perceptions about Haiti in a series of voxpops before Amanda left for Haiti and then talk to her in her hotel room to hear all about the trip ahead.

The last of the podcasts in our series, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. In this episode, Sian Curry talks about economic apartheid in South Africa. Land inequality in South Africa means that 60,000 white farmers own 85% of the land - leaving 19 million poor black South Africans trying to make a living on what remains.

Download gbu_episode_3.mp3

Several Christian Aid partners in South Africa work on this issue. Sian talks about one such partner, AFRA. They work with local people to make claims for land to be returned to them and also work to protect the rights of tenant farmers who are appalling treated. 

Despite this good work, the situation could soon turn ugly. The land reform programme in South Africa is theoretically good but the government is moving too slowly. Since the end of apartheid in 1994, only 2% of land has been transferred. Tensions are mounting and some are looking to the land grabs that happened in neighbouring Zimbabwe as a positive example of change.

In episode 2 of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Sarah Malian talks us through agriculture in Egypt and how small farmers are struggling to access markets. Although officially a middle income country, Egypt's population of 79 million people suffer significant poverty in rural areas. It's a story of poor trade rules - something that affects farmer access to local markets and their access to the EU.

Download gbu_episode_2.mp3

EU timetables are arranged at the precise time when Egyptian farmers have seasonal over-production of crops and could sell competitively to the EU market. It's an important issue - if southern Mediterranean countries were allowed access to EU markets, they could increase the job market by 119,000 and add over US$700 million dollars to the economy. Just  by supplying  produce for the EU's currently *unmet* demands...

In the absence of structural change, Christian Aid partner - CEOSS - is working with farmers and their families to help them cut out middle men and market their products directly. The podcast has three stories highlighting how effective this work has been. Well worth a listen.

The first of first of three podcasts in our series, 'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly'. In this episode, Hannah Morley looks at economic justice in Bolivia, the poorest country in South America - despite having the second largest oil and gas reserves  in the region after Venezuela. Assets that should be worth billions and billions of dollars.

Download gbu_episode_1.mp3

As we hear from Hannah, water privatisation and the control of hydro-carbons by Western big business has left an already poor population worse off. Privatisation has meant that a water connection for a single household can cost more than 6 months salary, and there has been no improvement in service provision, despite price rises of 35%. Rich western oil firms, who are paying high royalties and taxes elsewhere in the world were paying just 18% in Bolivia, yet the population are forced to pay international prices for their fuel.

The good news is, that with successful lobbying by Christian Aid partners, things are beginning to turn around in Bolivia. And the pace is increasing With the election of a new president, Evo Morales. This podcast is a story of how campaigning can affect change and helps to explain what we mean by economic justice.

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Thandanani Children’s Foundation have been a Christian Aid partner in South Africa since 2002.  They primarily work with children who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS, but also work with children who have been abandoned or abused. 

Download hiv_orphans.mp3

The foundation provides practical help like food parcels and school uniforms, as well as helping orphans to link up with state-run services, like school fees exemptions, that are there to help them. They also provide emotional support for grieving children, many of whom are now taking care of younger brothers and sisters.

In this podcast, Duncan Andrew the director of the foundation speaks about the impact of HIV in South Africa, the realities of life for children who are orphaned by HIV and the partnership with Christian Aid.

You can find out more about the work of Thandanani Childrens Foundation here on the web.

Sarah Malian talks with Nabil Abadir and Ibrahim Makram from Christian Aid partner, CEOSS (Coptic Evangelical Organisation for Social Services) about poverty issues in Egypt.

The podcast gives an excellent background to the issues faced by the poor in Egypt, taking in farm liberalisation, social organisation / democratisation, electorate apathy, and gender mainstreaming (including the widespread problem of female genital mutilation (FGM)).

Download poverty_in_egypt.mp3

CEOSS works over 172 locations and helps 1.5 million people every year. To find out more, Christian Aid staff should check out this presentation on the Christian Aid intranet or contact Sarah Malian (intranet link).

Supporters can find out more about Christian Aid's work in Egypt here on the public web site.

A fantastic bilingual podcast with Father Edwin Gariguez and Ramil Baldo. Well worth a listen. We're now at the end of the internal trial and want to launch the podcasts more widely - please let Steven Buckley have your feedback.

Download philippines_mining_podcast.mp3

Steven Buckley and Paul Langley chat about what's coming up for CAW06.

Download intro_to_caw_podcast.mp3