Action For Women's Rights

The rights of women and girls are at the heart of everything that ActionAid do.

Since 2017, over £5.5 Million in funding from our players has enabled ActionAid to invest in new strategies, support humanitarian action, and fund critical projects - changing the lives of thousands of women and girls.

For these women and girls, poverty means having fewer opportunities than men and boys. It means living on the margins of society, often facing discrimination or violence. Because you are female, you could be denied human rights that others take for granted. This includes the right to go to school, to earn a living or to lead your local community, or even your country. It means you are deprived of the right to play a full part in society - from birth. The denial of women and girls' rights is one of the biggest causes of poverty worldwide and a grave injustice.

ActionAid has achieved a huge amount with the support of players of People's Postcode Lottery. In the past year, they've reached almost 60,000 women and girls in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya and Ghana. They've provided:

• vital information about their rights,
• new educational opportunities,
• safe spaces, and
• improved access to justice.

In Kenya, for example, ActionAid has been working to end female genital mutilation, building a safe house for adolescent girls, and helping to set up an SMS helpline for those at risk of violence. This means that counselling, medical help and legal support are only a text message away.

The charity has reached over 400,000 people by responding to 11 emergencies through their Emergency Action Fund. The fund is there to make sure they're ready to respond to emergencies when they happen - reaching people in 'silent' emergencies that don't always make the headlines. In September 2018, the Emergency Action Fund helped ActionAid to send resources immediately to Indonesia when the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit. It enabled them to provide relief supplies, take part in search and rescue operations and run public emergency kitchens serving hot food to displaced people who were forced from their homes.  

ActionAid have over 40 years' experience in responding to disasters. Their emergency programmes are led by local staff and partners, who have an extensive understanding of community needs and can shift decision-making closer to the communities affected. They also prioritise female leadership, as women and girls are disproportionally vulnerable in emergency situations, and are at an increased risk of violence - often less able to access aid distribution simply because of their gender_._

ActionAid are proud of what they've achieved together with the players of People's Postcode Lottery. With the continued support of our players, they'll enable and support thousands more women and girls to transform their lives and to lead a life of respect and dignity.