Introduction

The UK Government is determined to help reduce the inequalities of opportunity we see around the world today. We believe that promoting global prosperity is both a moral duty and in the UK’s national interest. Aid is only ever a means to an end, never an end in itself. It is wealth creation and sustainable growth that will help people to lift themselves out of poverty.

"In 2002 I was hit with the reality of living with HIV opportunistic infections when I was diagnosed with bone-marrow

With a family too poor to let her finish high school, the girl, then just 17, decided to head to South Africa last year in search of a better life and a chance at further education. She and two older women managed to get a ride with some South Africans driving

A caregiver, counselor, and role model, Modimola has nurtured a commitment to care for others into a sanctuary of support for families affected by HIV/AIDS.

The tree is a powerful symbol of stability and resilience across much of Africa.

Trees provide shelter from the blazing sun, traditional medicines, building materials, firewood, and food. So, it was fitting that a group of 30 women chose to gather beneath a tree in Welgeval village, South Africa, in 2002 and decided they had to take action.

"When we became aware of the deadly

'An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind' -Mahatma Gandhi

Sunday 11 May 2008 dawned bright and clear in Alexandra. Few walking along its streets could envisage it would become one of the darkest days in South Africa's recent history. South Africa is seen as the economic powerhouse of Southern Africa. Hundreds of thousands of immigrants are attracted by the hope of employment, political stability and education for their children. Many end up in informal settlements where some local residents, also desperate for work and housing, have viewed

Favorable growing conditions in northern Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola and Namibia have resulted from abundant rains. In Ethiopia, the Belg rains are off to a reasonable start.

Poor conditions will not improve this

As soon as he settles down "home", his eight friends suddenly swoop on the meal. You need no invitation here to join in but in the spirit of camaraderie, it is an unwritten rule that food is communally shared.

For Magura, life in Johannesburg has never been kind to him ever since he skipped the border, fleeing political

It is late on Friday afternoon when we arrive in Richard's Bay in Durban, South Africa. The purpose of our mission is to visit Red Cross projects in KwaZulu Natal. In the early evening, we are taken around to familiarize ourselves with the area before visits begin in the morning.

As we pass through Slovo village, an informal settlement which has been in existence for the past decade, we cannot miss the sight of young children carrying out household chores; carrying firewood and buckets of water on their heads, cleaning plates,