One World Centre Isle of Man

Public donations to the street collection organised by the One World Centre on behalf of the DEC Cyclone Idai appeal raised almost £6,000. Thank you to all those who contributed and to all the volunteers who were able to help out at short notice.

As you may be aware, Mozambique was hit by a further cyclone (Kenneth) whilst still recovering from the impact of Idai. This is the first time in recorded history that there have been two cyclones of such power in one season in Mozambique.

DEC partner charities in the region have been concentrating on providing clean water and sanitary facilities to prevent a major outbreak of cholera. They have also been delivering emergency shelter materials and blankets, food such as pulses and maize flour, and urgent health assistance.

The DEC Cyclone Idai appeal is still live and donations can still be made via the DEC website at www.dec.org.uk or you can make a £5 donation simply by texting DEC to 70000.

As you will have heard, Cyclone Idai has swept through Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, leaving behind a trail of destruction, killing hundreds and affecting an estimated 2.6 million people.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has now called an emergency appeal to help raise funds for those affected by the cyclone.

As part of the DEC’s Rapid Response Network, the One World Centre is organising a street collection in the Isle of Man to allow members of the public to donate to the DEC appeal. This will take place from Friday 29th – Sunday 31st March 2019 and we are looking for volunteers to help with this collection.

Please get in touch by calling 800464 or emailing info@owciom.org if you can spare an hour or two to collect either in Douglas, Ramsey, Peel, Castletown or Port Erin.

We will post updates here and on our Facebook page. For the latest information from the DEC, go to the DEC website here

We are really pleased to be able to support Practical Action with their solar panel STEM Challenge, which has now been made available to Manx schools. Practical Action has received funding from the Isle of Man Government for a real-life solar power project in rural Zimbabwe and the STEM challenge offers learning about what life is like for those with no access to electricity as well as an introduction to electricity production and how solar power works. All the teaching materials are on https://practicalaction.org/solar-challenge-isle-of-man and there is also a competition that schools can enter to win STEM kit for their classroom. The One World Centre is hosting two solar panel kits that schools can borrow – these are currently available on one-week loans so please get in touch if you would like to use one.

Are you involved in a local or international charity on the Isle of Man and concerned about safeguarding issues?

The One World Centre is facilitating a free workshop on Saturday 16th March on safeguarding issues for charities and voluntary organisations. This will include a presentation as well as the opportunity to share knowledge, raise questions and network with others.

Attendance is free but please book ahead by email to info@owciom.org or call 800464, stating your name, organisation and the number of places required.

The event takes place from 10am to 1pm at the DEFA Training Room, next to One World Centre offices, Thie Garey Ny Cloie, Foxdale Road, St Johns IM4 3AS

It’s time to celebrate all things Fairtrade with the launch of Fairtrade Fortnight. This year the focus is on making sure that cocoa farmers, particularly women cocoa farmers, earn a living income and there are lots of supporting materials on www.fairtrade.org.uk. Schools and churches around the Island are getting involved (listen out for Manor Park students on Manx Radio’s Thought for the Day this week!) and there also other activities happening that you can read about on the Fairtrade Isle of Man Facebook page here. Maybe you could organise a Fairtrade bake-off or coffee morning with friends, or encourage your workplace to take part? We’re now in our 11th year of being a Fairtrade Island – choosing Fairtrade is such as easy way to make a difference so break out your favourite bar of Fairtrade chocolate or make a cup of Fairtrade coffee, and let’s take Fairtrade forward!

Local singer/songwriter Bruno Barton has been inspired to write a song encouraging us all to do our bit to save the world we love and know. Called Blue Planet you can listen to it here and read the lyrics here. Thanks Bruno for sharing.

Any charities wishing to apply for an Isle of Man International Development Small Grant should note that the application deadline has been extended to 5pm on Friday 15th February 2019. More info on:
https://www.gov.im/…/internat…/funding-streams/small-grants/

The One World Centre was approached by the UN Biosphere Isle of Man team at the end of last year to ask if we could make a pledge for 2019 as a UN Biosphere partner. We said we would pledge to share one sustainability idea each week throughout 2019 and these have been appearing on our Facebook page. We know everyone is not a Facebook fan though so each month we’ll summarise our ideas on the website. Here we go with the ideas in January:

Sustainability idea # 1
Reduce your consumption. There’s a famous quote from Mahatma Gandhi saying “Live simply so that others may simply live.” While few of us would like to live as frugally as Gandhi, we can ask ourselves if there is anything wasteful that we’ve got into the habit of buying or using – and that we can really do without in 2019.

Sustainability idea # 2
Eat less meat. This is such a simple idea to put into practice but one which can have the biggest impact on your environmental footprint. Livestock agriculture is not only a major greenhouse gas emitter but also uses huge amounts of land and water. Introduce meat-free days to your diet and learn to love your veggies!

Sustainability idea #3
Use tap water not bottled. Tap water in the Isle of Man undergoes stringent testing to make sure it is safe to drink. Bottled water uses huge amounts of resources through extraction, packaging and transportation – not to mention an enormous plastic pollution problem when not disposed of properly. The One World Centre has just joined the Isle of Man’s Refill scheme as one of the places where people can ask to refill a water bottle for free. More details are available here https://refill.org.uk/refill-schemes/refill-isle-man/

Sustainability idea #4
Insulate your home. Another win/win opportunity. Choosing the right sort of insulation for your home will keep it warmer in winter and cooler in summer meaning you need to spend less on energy to heat and cool it. More and more eco-friendly insulation materials are becoming available too.

Sustainability idea # 5.
Driving to work by yourself? Think about organising a car share with a colleague or taking the bus if possible. The Isle of Man Government website has a link to the Liftshare scheme where you can match your journey with others taking the same route. As well as reducing emissions, you’ll save by sharing motoring costs as well.
https://www.gov.im/categories/travel-traffic-and-motoring/…/