I took the day off of work, well actually, I took the whole week off, and the reason I took the week of was because I had plans for the Wednesday. Slap in the middle of a week. Oh, and I desperately needed to escape work, and I knew that a day wasn’t going to do it.
So Wednesday came around and I took a respite from a trip to Ikea, cleaning and sorting to head to Farringdon (still kicking myself that I walked past Exmouth Market but didn’t go and have a look) to meet up with the Action Aid team and the Action Aid Bloggers. I am so pleased that my blog is able to speak on an important subject, and help others (for I hear that Action Aid are directing people who sponsor to this post I did about writing to the child you sponsor).
As a lot of you know, I sponsor Gift who is ten years old and lives in Malawi. The thing about sponsoring is that it makes you think differently. I think more about countries in Africa than I used to and I want to know about the charity which I am supporting. When Action Aid contacted me about their new projects in Myanmar I was excited to learn more.
The afternoon spent with Action Aid highlighted the work that they are beginning to do in that country. The fact that they are not interested in quick fixes and being a higher authority but enabling the people who live in the villages, towns and cities to work through what they need to make their lives better. I like this. This reminded me of Undercover Boss (that programme on Channel Four). Sometimes the CEO of a company doesn’t have the answer but the person on the front line knows exactly what would make day to day better.
I was going to list the problems that Myanmar faces on a day to day basis, but I reckon you know most of them already. We see the adverts on TV and the news specials, and whilst these adverts and programmes either make me feel really sad I think its best to think about the changes that can be made. Action Aid are there to help.
It was great sharing the afternoon with old friends and new friends. More details on the afternoon can be found on Action Aid’s blogger page..
I am proud to sponsor Gift through Action Aid and I pay £15 per month (which means I give up a few cups of Starbucks each month). If you want to look at sponsoring click the link Sponsor A Child With Action Aid. If you are a blogger and want to be involved in the next Action Aid event, then contact them at bloggers (at) actionaid (dot) org.
~ Pru
Perfecting Pru 