The charity is part of an international federation that focuses on helping women and girls living in poverty and distress. Last year it raised almost £40 million directly from the public, received more than £12 million from the disasters emergency committee and was given £3.8 million by the UK government and the EU.
ActionAid is active in emergency zones around the world including Gaza, Ukraine and Afghanistan and counts Alesha Dixon, the singer and talent show judge, Jodie Whittaker, the former Dr Who actress, and the Bridgerton star, Phoebe Dynevor, among its celebrity supporters.
While its field work has continued, the charity’s London office has been engulfed by bitter internal politics centred on a race audit which concluded in 2022 that staff from minority backgrounds felt “less valued, less supported, less empowered” and had fewer career opportunities than white colleagues.
The study concluded there had been “systematic denial, disbelief or indifference” to racism and staff felt “unheard, disrespected and excluded”. Conversely it also reported that some white staff believed people of colour were “protected” in the organisation.
The audit prompted the development of an anti-racism plan which has seen the appointment of an “anti-racist storytelling manager” and an “anti-racist storytelling educator and facilitator”.
The charity’s 2022 annual report, published earlier this year, says it also aims to “develop an anti-racist, decolonial, feminist, sustainable and climate just fundraising model and approach”.
However, it added, the “significant turnover” in senior roles would lead to “delays in decision-making, a loss of institutional knowledge and loss of confidence among staff”.
Much more detail in the article in The Times https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/actionaid-chief-quits-after-just-four-months-wb3v5dqrr
Can also be read here https://archive.ph/0lvfQ