informative, and that you enjoy hearing about the projects that are - PDF document

Smart, simple solutions to devastating problems Welcome to this presentation about Practical Action’s work. I hope you find it informative, and that you enjoy hearing about the projects that are helping to transform lives across the world. 1

What do we do at Practical Action? Practical Action is an international development charity working to implement change in developing countries. We believe that we can utilise technology to help challenge the problems facing those living in extreme poverty. 2

At Practical Action, we believe that people are the most important part of the process – and as such, all of our work puts real focus on communities. By seeking to affect change within institutions, policy processes and legal standards that affect communities, we seek to empower women and men to change their own lives for the better… Building up from the local to national and international levels. 3

Currently, Practical Action has multiple country offices around the world. Including Kenya, Zimbabwe, Senegal, Peru, Bolivia, Sudan, Nepal, India and Bangladesh. We currently have around 90 active projects around the world, and strive to do so much more for other countries in Latin America, Africa and South Asia. All of our country offices are staffed by people from the local communities, ensuring that at all levels of decision-making, the people who are most affected, are heard and involved. 4

We have big ideas… ideas that mean that little by little, we can help to achieve a fairer world for all. 5

We believe that by enabling people to have some degree of control over their own lives they are able to improve their relationship with their own community, and to have their most basic needs met. By ensuring that community members are involved at all levels of the decision making process, we ensure that the most affected people are the most prominent voices in motivating change. 6

We work toward our ideal future – a future where Practical Action is no longer needed – we want all of the people we work with, to be free from poverty, so that they can live a self-sufficient life. 7

Do you want to know more about the reality of Practical Action? Let’s look at an example/some examples of our work, and at the people we’ve worked with. These are very practical examples of how our ideas work in reality; and how the people at the heart of our work are affected. 8

This is Kaushi and her two children. Kaushi lives in one of the poorest districts in the Far Western Region of Nepal. Her village is an 18 hour drive from Kathmandu until the road runs out – and then where you start climbing on foot. 9

The mountain paths are steep, the terrain is tough and the ascent is dangerous. It takes people like Kaushi around four hours to make each trip down to the market, or to the local town for supplies. Kaushi has to walk these pathways six or seven times a month, taking her crops downhill to market to sell, bringing essentials back uphill for her family. Kaushi relies heavily on the food she grows to feed herself and her family - but there isn’t enough. This is especially hard when selling any surplus is your only way to earn an income. But she has no choice if she is to provide for her children, her husband is working in India, earning whatever he can to send back home. Kaushi says: ‘Everything is hurting; my back, my neck, my legs, my head…’ Carrying a huge load is extremely painful. It also makes the journey perilous but due to extreme poverty and hunger, she has no choice. Kaushi continued: ‘I have slipped many times. I worry about my children if something serious happens’ . 10

This way of life is placing a terrible strain on Kaushi and her family. Kaushi suffers pains in her back, neck, legs and head. I’m sure you’ll appreciate how hard it is, just to keep going - especially when there’s no end in sight to the relentless drudgery, effort and pain. Kaushi’s children often go hungry. And when she makes the treacherous journey to market they have no choice but to miss school, staying at home to tend to the crops. But life doesn’t have to be this way. For communities like Kaushi’s , the problems they face are far from insurmountable. The solution exists, and Practical Action is working to help communities like Kaushi’s . 11

Tough terrain needs clever thinking. What these communities need is a Gravity Goods Ropeway. While steep mountains make road and rail transport extremely difficult, they are ideally suited to using gravity to help lighten the load. It’s a simple but highly effective technology, capable of moving heavy loads up and down mountains using the force of gravity. And as no external power is needed, they are cheap to run, environmentally friendly and sustainable. They are even designed to be strong and flexible enough to resist an earthquake; vital in this part of Nepal. 12

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This clever but simple engineering solution uses the force of gravity to move heavy loads downhill – at the same time propelling another load uphill, without the need for any additional source of power. Once installed, they have very low maintenance costs, all covered by a small usage fee, which is charged locally. Goods that once took hours of arduous and back-breaking work to get to market can now be transported easily and efficiently, meaning less produce is damaged, and markets can be reached quickly, in order to secure the best possible price for produce. 14

Sometimes, the ropeways even help children in remote villages get to and from school more easily, saving them hours of dangerous walking. 15

What’s more, with a Gravity Goods Ropeway, the journey times are halved. Families have more time to tend to the crops and livestock resulting in a better harvest; they earn a better price at market; resulting in a better income. And without the need to carry a heavy load it is much safer; especially for women who are heavily pregnant or who have just given birth. 16

With the help of our supporters, we plan to provide five new Gravity Goods Ropeways in some of the most remote and impoverished districts of Nepal, including Jumla, Kalikot, Mugu, Bajura and Bahjang, changing the lives of up to 20,000 households. Community members in these districts are ready to work together on installing Gravity Goods Ropeways. With your support, they will join us in carrying the steel wire ropes up the mountainside and in building the landing stations top and bottom. And once built they will be staffed and maintained by the communities as a sustainable business for the future. 17

By supporting Practical Action, you can be sure that you are transforming lives all over the world, and we’d love to help get you started! We now have some great fundraising ideas, activities and projects that work alongside our STEM challenges. Visit www.practicalaction.org/ideas to download our assembly presentations and fundraising activity materials. To go alongside our range of fantastic curriculum-linked teaching resources, we can get your fundraising off to a flying start by providing: • Promotional materials for fundraising events (posters, display packs, information leaflets) • T -shirts, badges, wristbands and other merchandise • Help with promoting your events through Practical Action’s website and social media • Fundraising tips and ideas • Assembly presentations about our work 18

Thank you for listening. 19

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