Action Fund

Thank you for your support of ActionAid's Action Fund! I'm writing to share some information on the release of our latest report,The Human Cost of Public Sector Cuts in Africa, which highlights how austerity measures have led to the deterioration of public health and education services over the last five years.

The research draws from a survey conducted through interviews and focus group discussions in six African countries – Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, and Nigeria – among 616 individuals in rural and urban locations (296 health workers and teachers and 320 service users). It reveals that a decline in the quality and availability of services has stretched frontline health workers and teachers thin, and threatened the rights of communities. Health workers and teachers are facing overwhelming workloads and fewer resources to perform their jobs effectively, while communities are deprived of public services due to high costs and poor quality.

The report calls for immediate actions from the IMF, national governments, and their health and education ministries to address the dire situation of public services:

• We urge the IMF to stop imposing austerity measures and privatisation and instead focus on progressive tax reforms and debt relief or cancellation to increase government revenues for greater investment in public services.
• National governments should reject coercive IMF policies, seek debt relief or cancellation, and expand tax revenues in fair ways to rebuild public health and education workforces and infrastructure. They should demand the democratisation of decisions on debt relief and cancellation, with the creation of a UN Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt, and support the UN Framework Convention on Tax. They should also prioritise the substantive gender equality commitments made in the groundbreaking Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action – 30 years old this year – by ensuring that women’s rights are upheld in economic policy. 
• Education ministries should collaborate with finance ministries to ensure that at least 20% of national budgets are allocated to education, in line with global benchmarks. They should ensure there are sufficient numbers of trained and qualified teachers, who are fairly remunerated and have access to professional development and support to reduce the burden of unpaid care work that falls particularly on women teachers. There is also a need to ensure that schools are gender responsive and inclusive, and to focus on increasing funding to build more schools, improve school infrastructure, and ensure learning materials that are accessible for all learners, including those with diverse needs. 
• Health ministries should work with finance ministries to ensure the achievement of the Abuja Declaration benchmark of allocating 15% of the national budget towards healthcare. They need to recruit more health workers, ensuring they are fairly remunerated, allocate more resources to public health facilities, improve healthcare infrastructure, and provide mental health support for workers. 

These measures aim to create a more equitable and effective public service system, in line with States’ human rights obligations and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to better serve the needs of communities. More information can be found at www.actionaidusa.org.

Thank you for your commitment to our work.

The Environmental Indigenous Guard in Colombia continues its vital work in protecting the páramo, one of the world’s most important and rapidly evolving ecosystems. The páramo, nestled in the high mountains between the tree line and glaciers, is a crucial water source for millions of Colombians and plays a significant role in regulating the planet’s climate. Only three countries, including Colombia, are home to this rare ecosystem, making its preservation essential not only locally but globally.

In the Gran Cumbal region, three generations of the Environmental Indigenous Guard have dedicated themselves to preserving the páramo and safeguarding their ancestral land.



Marisol Cuatin, a current member of the Indigenous Guard, describes their mission:

“The Environmental Indigenous Guard is a non-profit organization of the Gran Cumbal indigenous reservation, composed of men, women, boys and girls whose aim is to protect the territory from an environmental and a security perspective,” Marisol shared. “We are trained to respond to natural disasters, such as forest fires and avalanches, and are deeply committed to caring for the land."

The impacts of climate change are increasingly evident in the páramo. Marisol and the Guard have witnessed the climate crisis firsthand, with changing weather patterns and longer droughts affecting the land and its resources. “What we knew as the cabañuelas, a method of forecasting the weather at the beginning of the year, doesn’t work anymore. It’s unreliable,” Marisol said. “I think one of the most worrying things about climate change is what it means for our children’s future. Many children will not enjoy fresh air, safe drinking water, and nature.”

Marisol’s mother, Luz Marina Cuatin, also a member of the Guard, has seen how these changes have altered the environment over the years. She recalls a time when the rivers were full, and the vegetation was dense. Now, as water levels drop, Luz Marina worries about the future.



“We are getting old, but our grandchildren might suffer the most,” she reflected.

The youngest member of the Guard, 7-year-old Maria, already understands the importance of their work. During COP28, Maria sent a heartfelt message to world leaders: “I belong to the Indigenous Guard because I want to take care of the environment, take care of the water and the páramo. When I grow up, I still want to be an environmental guardian.”

ActionAid, in partnership with Alianza por la Solidaridad, continues to support the Indigenous Environmental Guard by providing resources and training for emergency-response skills. This support is crucial as the climate crisis accelerates and the threats to the páramo—and the communities that depend on it—grow.

The efforts of the Indigenous Guard serve as an inspiring reminder of the power of community-driven environmental stewardship. Their commitment is essential in the global fight against climate change, and with continued support, their work can safeguard the páramo for generations to come.

 
Thank you for your support.