Women's groups in Nepal collect rice to help families in need.

Annual report and accounts

What we achieved together in 2022

Throughout 2022 ActionAid staff, partners and volunteers have been proud to stand alongside the women and girls who are making real and lasting change, and the pages of this Annual Report clearly show that by working together we are continuing to have a significant impact.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February triggered a devastating war which has claimed untold numbers of lives and sent shockwaves not just throughout the entire region, but across the world. 

Much of our response has focused on working with women’s rights organisations to provide safe spaces and protect the rights of women and girls who have been forced by the fighting to flee their homes.

One of the most notable effects of the war in Ukraine has been an upward spiral in the costs of grain and other essentials coming from the region. For countries experiencing severe hunger and food shortages for example in East Africa, this has only compounded an already bad situation, with a disproportionate amount of the impact being felt by women and girls.

The world is changing, whether due to relatively localised factors like the war in Ukraine or to global ones like the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crisis. ActionAid will need to be at the forefront of the response to these changes.

Every single day women and girls are creating much-needed and long-lasting change that will transform the lives of many generations to come, for the better. Thanks to their work, women and girls are seeing fresh opportunities, creating their own futures, stepping into leadership positions, making their voices heard, and building a world without gender-based violence and exploitation.

 

2022 in numbers

Raised
£59.6m

towards our work on women's and girls' rights

Nearly
£11.2m
was donated by supporters to fund child sponsorship programmes across 29 countries

More than
12,200
new supporters in the UK signed up to give a regular monthly gift

Putali Devi (right) is a local resident of Parsa. She along with the members of the Parvati Women’s Saving Group have joined hands to help the local community during disasters.

Nawal Kishor Sah Rauniyar/ActionAid

Preparing for the unexpected with a fistful of rice

In the mountainous regions of Nepal, climate change induced flash floods and landslides are putting lives at risk, endangering livelihoods and threatening food security.

When these disasters strike, women and girls are often the hardest hit, which is why we put them at the heart of our approach in preparing for the unexpected.

Putali is a member of her village’s women’s group, who meet regularly to prepare for future emergencies, and support other families.

“Every day each group member saves a fistful of rice," says Putali. "We then meet to pool the collected rice. Some of that rice is distributed to families in our village that we know are struggling. The remainder is sold and the money put into our emergency fund.”

These groups are providing a vital support to their wider communities, ensuring families can quickly re-establish their source of food, livelihoods and homes following emergencies.

In crisis

We received
£12.7m

through our membership of the DEC for our emergency responses to crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine

We reached more than
1m

people during the Ukraine crisis including food and psychological counselling

Over
£440,000
was raised by supporters for the East Africa food crisis appeal to tackle urgent needs caused by the ongoing drought

ActionAid staff working on the Zosin crossing point on the Polish Ukraine border

Simona Supino/ActionAid

Emergency support in Ukraine

ActionAid’s response has been significant in scope and in impact, both within Ukraine and in other countries affected by Russian invasion in 2022. 

We have implemented 40 partnerships in four countries (Poland, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine) supporting more than a million people. 

We and our partners have provided humanitarian support including food, period products, housing, legal advice, translation services, psychosocial care and protection support to women, children, and other vulnerable groups.

Our particular focus has been on partnering with grassroots feminist organisations led by women and young people.

Find out about our work to help refugees from Ukraine

In partnership

Over
15,000

people were trained as Rights Champions in three tea-producing communities in Kenya with Ethical Tea Partnership

Around
£3m

from funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery to support our work combatting violence and responding to emergencies

Around
21,000

women and girls in Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone and Rwanda to prevent, respond to and speak out about gender-based violence

The power of partnership: the Girl-Led Research Project

All around the world, adolescent girls living in poverty face unequal power dynamics. 

ActionAid enlisted the girls themselves to carry out a research project – made possible thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery – into the impact of inequality on themselves and their peers.

Designed and carried out by teams in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Indonesia and the UK, this girl-led research provides an opportunity to shift power back to girls and express their power to make change.

Read our girl-led research

In solidarity

Over
7,300

people signed our petition to scrap proposals in the UK Government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill

Over
£11,200

was raised by our crowdfunder supporting a grassroots group campaigning to end violence against women and girls in Ghana

Nearly
3,000

people petitioned then-PM Liz Truss to fulfil her promise to reinstate and increase funding of sexual and reproductive health services overseas

Bringing women to the heart of disaster readiness and response

Ysnelle Jean, 36, is a first responder, trained by ActionAid to take vital steps to help her community when disaster strikes.

In August 2021, a powerful earthquake struck the south-west of Haiti. It affected 800,000 people, killing 2,248 and injuring more than 12,700. Immediately after the earthquake, Ysnelle jumped into action.

"After the earthquake, people were very traumatised. I remember one lady who lost her house...She was in shock when she saw her house. I took time to talk to her so she could understand that even [if] the house is destroyed, she’s alive, which matters more.” 

Find out more about Haiti

Download previous annual reports

Top image: Putali Devi (50) is a local resident of Parsa. She along with the members of the Parvati Women’s Saving Group have joined hands to help the local community during disasters. Nawal Kishor Sah Rauniyar/ActionAid

Page updated 27 June 2023