New campaign to challenge poor donor support for overseas disability projects
Howard Lake | 29 November 2004 | News
International development charity World Emergency Relief (WER) is launching its new Wheels of Change campaign this week and hoping to challenge the low levels of support amongst the UK public for disability projects in developing countries.
The campaign will be launched on 3 December 2004, the UN International Day of Disabled Persons, with the Paralympic bronze medal-winning GB wheelchair basketball team meeting up with the top team from Guatemala for a training session and game at the Stoke Mandeville Stadium.
WER funds a number of disability projects in developing countries, including Transitions Independent Living and Training Centre in Antigua, Guatemala where the visiting wheelchair basketball team is based.
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While many charities lament that their cause is unpopular with the public, WER can actually point to evidence that supports their belief: they have undertaken test mailings which have achieved 70% less in terms of results because they contained inserts about a disability project.
The charity hopes that the new campaign will overcome this, particularly set against the backdrop of success by the Paralympic GB team and the profile of the Disability Discrimination Act.
Wheels of Change is being launched to highlight the ongoing need for better education, access and equipment for young disabled people in developing countries.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.