Build Africa raising development awareness

Build Africa has a long history of raising development awareness throughout the UK, working with individuals, businesses, churches and schools. We have over 30 years experience in international development worldwide. However, since 2005 our work has focused on small, rural communities in East Africa. This gives us both a comprehensive understanding of global development issues as well as an in depth understanding of the communities we support. We pride ourselves on the fact that our supporters can, and do, feel incredibly connected to the work which we undertake thousands of miles away, and it is this connection which we have always brought to the area of development awareness.

An effective development awareness strategy is also a great tool for dispelling the myths that surround aid wastage, corruption and the impact of development work. A survey carried out by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, for example, found that many people believed that 20% of the UK's GDP was spent on aid. They were concerned that this figure was far too high, suggesting 10% as an acceptable proportion. The actual figure is 0.51%. Click on The Department for International Development's website (www.dfid.gov.uk) for more information about the importance of international development awareness.

Case study: Build Africa's School Tie Appeal raising development awareness in UK schools

Hilary Ballentine is a teacher working at St. Margaret's School in Edinburgh. As part of Build Africa's School Tie Appeal she visited Malera Okouba Primary School in Uganda earlier this year. She told us: "I was very pleased to see that it is not only construction work that is carried out; there were also development plans being implemented whereby the community worked together to ensure that a school can survive on its own after Build Africa has finished the building stage. The HIV/AIDS Awareness Programme was also very impressive, with prevention messages visibly spread throughout the schools. All the children seemed to have an awareness of HIV/AIDS, which was just remarkable."

Hilary's fundraising strategy has included speaking to all the school students about the school and setting up an Interact Group (part of Rotary International) with Malera Okouba as their nominated international project. The group has met for one session per week since August 2008 and has organized bag packing sessions at both Sainsbury's and Marks and Spencers.  The Interact Group has certainly raised the profile of Build Africa within St. Margaret's and donations raised at the school's carol service also went to Build Africa.