Reflection on 2020; what a year!

As we reflect back on the year,we come to understand the impact of Covid-19 and the effect it has had globally. Through the chaos of these troubling times,our partners on the ground have continued to work tirelessly to provide vital amenities.

The list below shows just some of the projects we have been up to over the course of the year, including updates over the last few months;

YEMEN CRISIS

As the crisis in Yemen continues, the pandemic has caused an increased need for vital medical and food aid. It was critical that PPE was quickly made available for the needy who have become even more vulnerable. With the Global spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UN Refugee Agency has stated that "The Coronavirus may be the straw which breaks the camel's back in Yemen". Please see photos from the most recent Yemen distributions. Beta Charitable Trust has continued to pledge £16,000 a month for baby milk, vaccines and food parcels for Yemen. Check out our appeal page for more info on costs and how to get involved.

ORPHANS IN YEMEN

BCT has always valued the importance of supporting orphans and our partners on the ground provide them with the basic fundamentals of life; food & drink, medicines, clothing, shelter and education. We have continued our commitment through 2020 and have sponsored a further 50 orphans in Yemen. These children now have a better hope of a brighter future. Orphan Sponsorship costs as little as £20 a month which enables us to fund the provision of food, clothing, shelter and education for an orphan child in Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, Pakistan, India, Haiti or the UK. To sponsor an orphan monthly you can set up a standing order via your bank or make a donation towards this worthy cause through our website.

SYRIA AID

A report released by the UN in February 2020 outlines the poverty in Arabs states, highlighting the effect of the 2010-2015 intense conflict on the economy and the resulting increase on national poverty. With thanks to the hard work of our partners on the ground, BCT are pleased to share with you the recent distributions which have taken place this quarter in Syria, providing vital supplies including food aid for refugees in the Latikia area of western Syria, located directly north of bordering Lebanon. We aim to continue this food distribution over the harsh winter months.

KEEP THE GIRLS IN SCHOOL CAMPAIGN

Sanitary Kits

According to UNESCO, 1 in every 10 girls in Africa will miss school every month because of their periods, and girls from poor families in Kenya miss 20% of the school year due to the lack of access to sanitary products. BCT are supporting the production and distribution of reusable and environmentally friendly sanitary kits. Since starting the project in March 2020, we are pleased to share with you that our partners on the ground have completed the first 1000 kits. Partners on the ground have recently set up a successful manufacturing unit, which has allowed them to also produce face masks as well as the sanitary kits.

Masks

In Kenya, infections due to COVID 19 had exceeded 78,000 people. The worst affected victims are in remote, rural communities who have no access to adequate preventative measures.

Our partners have so far produced and distributed 30,000 masks with plans to continue production into the New Year. As schools began to open, distributions have been concentrated on school students in remote areas to ensure that they received the urgently needed PPE which they wouldn’t otherwise have had access to. Keep your eyes out for exciting updates on both projects in 2021.

ELDERLY HOUSING

Shelter is one of the basic necessities for a human being. However, 2020 statistics suggest that approximately 150 million people worldwide are homeless. The worst affected are the elderly who are commonly neglected by their children. During the BCT sponsored SAS campaign over the summer, our partners on the ground realised that the situation is very desperate as they witnessed first-hand the living conditions of elderly,widows and orphans in Chakama. BCT in partnership with CHEPs are seeking to provide decent low cost housing for the destitute families. Beginning with 10 houses, each will be furnished with a bed, solar lighting, bedding, curtains and a rug to ensure that the elderly and widows live in a more comfortable and dignified home. Latrines will also be constructed within each home. The beneficiaries, along with their dependents will received Health Insurance to provide further support for any on going illnesses which they are currently unable to access healthcare for. Additionally,they will receive monthly food ration packs for 6 months within which time a more sustainable solution will overtake to ensure they are left self-sufficient.

EYE CAMPS

As the chaos of Covid-19 has spread across the world, those already living in rural areas and marginalised from receiving medical aid are at risk more than ever. Despite this, our partners on the ground have been powering through these obstacles to ensure the cataract surgeries are able to take place where possible.

In 2020 we supported 79 eye camps where over 10,000 patients were screened, and 3000 successful cataract surgeries took place.

On Christmas Day,our last camp of 2020, was arranged in Zanzibar,where approximately 3000 patients were screened over the festive period and over 160 cataract surgeries were performed over the weekend. A huge thank you to all our partners on the ground who have continued their hard work in serving the poorest in society through these unprecedented times.

WELLS

BCT has continued to commission a number of wells across destitute areas of Tanzania and Kenya despite the current chaos caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2020 a total of 22 wells of which 17 have already been completed, are up and running and in use.

We are continuously grateful to our ground partners for their huge efforts in providing much needed water and sanitation facilities to those who, due to the pandemic, are finding it increasingly difficult to access clean water.

UK PROJECTS

Charity begins at home, and BCT are equally passionate about assisting those in need in the UK as well as internationally.

WEAR IT PINK–BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

As we do every year, we celebrated Wear it Pink and raised funds for Breast Cancer Awareness Day. A fun filled day was had by all, full of pink clothes and yummy Covid friendly cakes! We are pleased to share with you that we raised £636!

A massive thank you to all who contributed towards this worthy cause. Each donation, no matter how small, has gone a long way in helping to support Breast Cancer research.

NATIONAL CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY–SAVE THE CHILDREN

On Friday 11th December we celebrated National Christmas Jumper Day to raise money for Save The Children and collected a total of £200!

HAND IN HAND WITH HAND ON HEART

According to a government report released in October 2020, there were 288,470 authorised homeless cases eligible for assistance. However, this doesn’t include those who are sleeping rough and are open to the elements.

HoH have completed yet another Winter Warmer Project and have gone above and beyond for this year’s distributions. 1050 packs for the homeless were prepared. So far 880 have already been distributed across the UK through partnering organisations. Despite these troubling times and the resulting additional challenges, the team at HoH have continued to go above and beyond to ensure these packs of essentials reach the vulnerable and needy. BCT are proud partners of Hand on Heart and are privileged to have supported them this year with a total ofjust over£36,500! We look forward to our continuing and flourishing partnership into 2021.

For more information on all of our projects, please visit our website; www.betacharitabletrust.org

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