01 February 2005

This month actress Emma Thompson will be appearing in a moving commercial to be shown on UK television screens on behalf of international development charity ActionAid.  The two-minute long commercial features the people of Gulale, a village in southern Ethiopia, who tell their stories and invite the viewer to join with them in the fight against poverty.

Being shown on a mix of satellite channels throughout February the commercial was shot in Ethiopia last October on one of Emma’s visits to Africa in her role as an Ambassador of ActionAid.

"These people are not just the have-nots, they’re the haves as well.  They have resilience, the like of which you or I could never dream of.  They have commitment, drive, grit, they have intelligence and they have ideas," said Emma.

ActionAid’s Head of Individuals Marketing, Imelda McGuigan said:  "Emma spent time with the community explaining what it was we were trying to do. She asked them how they would like to be represented, what issues they wanted to highlight and who they wished to speak on their behalf.  The result is a moving, yet positive appeal with 100 per cent involvement from the community."

One of the villagers, who featured in the commerical, Fanaye Woju said: "Our pregnant women used to walk miles to reach hospital.  Many gave birth on the way. Now, thanks to support from ActionAid, our women are training as midwives."

Emma has been an ambassador for ActionAid since 2001 and has spoken out publicly about her support for the work the charity is doing, in particular, to address the HIV and Aids epidemic that continues to sweep across Africa. She has travelled to Uganda, Mozambique and Ethiopia to find out what poverty means for men, women and children and the steps they are taking to overcome it.

ActionAid is part of MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY – the largest coalition ever assembled in the UK – which is calling for an end to global poverty. Over 200 charities, trade unions and celebrities are demanding that world leaders deliver trade justice, debt cancellation and more and better aid.