ActionAid editors' blog

Child sponsorship is all about making connections. Children love receiving letters from their 'friend overseas' and have a lot of fun writing back. Here are some tips on what to include.

Hover your mouse over the highlighted text to read our tips.

Please don't include your address or gifts such as money or toys.

Joined-up writing can be hard to read, so please print clearly.

There has been such an outcry over tax dodging by big business, both in the developing world and the UK, that I really thought the government’s hand would be forced – that they would have to act to make companies pay their dues. But I was wrong. In fact, in contradiction to almost everything they have publicly said on the subject, the government is quietly planning to relax legislation on the use of tax havens come the budget in March.

What would that mean? It would mean an expected loss of about £4 billion to developing countries and – by the government’s own figures – a loss of £1 billion to the UK economy. And this at a time when you can’t move for warnings about how little money there is to go round. It makes absolutely no economic sense – unless you happen to be the CEO of a multinational company. It will undoubtedly be people such as our cover star Amelia, a struggling market trader from Zambia, who will suffer most. There’s still time for your MP to stand up and be counted when this is debated in parliament – you can read more and find out how to take action.

As the emergency in east Africa unfolded, the resilience of people in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia has been tested to the limit. In the     harsh climate of Bulla Juu, Kenya, the only thing people have to cling to is the desperate hope that rains will come in October. You can read about what happens when the rains fail.

It is unusual for us to make a direct ask of you in this section, but a sponsorship crisis means we have to ask for your help. We urgently need to recruit more child sponsors, as the financial crisis means only 50% of those we need have signed up this year. Can you ask a friend or colleague to sponsor a child? It would make a massive difference if you could.

And lastly, what will it mean for the women of Afghanistan if the Taliban return to power? As UK and US troops withdraw, we surveyed 1,000 Afghan women about their hopes and fears for the future. You can read their stories now.

Are women’s rights ‘done’? A recent ActionAid survey suggested many young people in the UK think so. But our work around the world shows that, 100 years after the birth of International Women’s Day, we are far from equal.

Women's rights are central to everything ActionAid does. With shocking inequalities still so prevalent, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But there are so many shining lights among the women we work with, so many examples of their amazing power, desire and ability to change the world, that there is much to celebrate too.

If these stories make you angry, excited or outraged, we want to hear about it. And so do the women we work with. That’s why we’re launching our Get lippy campaign. We want you to send a personal message of support to women who are fighting for their rights. We’ll create an online gallery and deliver your messages into their hands as they prepare for this year’s International Women’s Day.