AzuKo trains women to strengthen their homes in an area on the frontline of climate change

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Architecture charity, AzuKo launches match funding campaign on #GivingTuesday, the global day of giving.

AzuKo is excited to announce that we have been selected to take part in The Big Give Christmas Challenge 2019 – the UK’s largest match funding campaign. We aim to raise £4,400 in just 7 days, launching our campaign on #GivingTuesday, 3^rd December.

These funds will support our Build for safety training programme. We train women living below the poverty line to strengthen their homes, in an area of Bangladesh that suffers from floods, storms and tremors. We provide women with a comprehensive understanding of design and construction, the opportunity to ask questions in a safe space, essential building skills and the financial acumen to make decisions for a brighter future.

“My house is much stronger now. It will last longer. These are small improvements but they make a big difference.” – Ponchomi, training participant

We’re aiming to:

• train 240+ women in one of the poorest parts of Bangladesh to build for safety, in 2020
• increase women’s confidence in design and construction, and feeling of empowerment
• improve building standards of low-income households across Dinajpur district
• challenge perceptions of low-cost, sustainable construction materials
• build resilient communities

Our training includes:

• introduction to sustainability and green building practices
• discussions around global examples
• hands-on building activities, e.g. compressed stabilised earth blocks, bamboo cross bracing, pad foundations
• best practice construction
• material options, and comparisons
• financial planning

Donations to AzuKo between 3^rd-10^th December will be generously matched by our Pledgers and Big Give Champion, The Reed Foundation. This will mean your money can support twice as many vulnerable women.

Donation page: http://bit.ly/azukobiggive19

Throughout our campaign we will host 3 live Facebook broadcasts (3^rd, 5^th and 9^th December) from Bangladesh, connecting our supporters with our beneficiaries. We’ll discuss why we do what we do, and why your support is so vital. We encourage people to submit questions to our team, local partner and communities which we’ll answer live.

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ENDS

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Miss Jo Ashbridge, Founder and Director, AzuKo

+44 7507642167 jashbridge@azuko.org

NOTES TO EDITOR:

• AzuKo

Website: https://azuko.org

Campaign webpage: https://azuko.org/the-big-give

AzuKo is an architecture charity, registered in England and Wales (no. 1156354). We design with disadvantaged communities and empower them to create the world they dream of. We are driven by the belief that people hold the answers to the challenges they face. As designers, architects and engineers we simply light the fire.

“AzuKo is an organisation that places people at the centre of its work. It provides the necessary tools to allow them to identify their own problems and develop their own solutions. AzuKo harnesses the skills, experience and knowledge that already exists within communities.” – Julie, supporter

Additional high-resolution images available on request.

• The Big Give Christmas Challenge

Website: https://www.thebiggive.org.uk/s/christmas-challenge

#ChristmasChallenge19

The Big Give runs the UK’s biggest match funding campaign, The Christmas Challenge. For 7 days, it offers supporters of participating charities the opportunity to have their donation doubled. Founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Alec Reed CBE, The Christmas Challenge has raised millions of pounds for thousands of charity projects since it launched in 2008.

This year The Christmas Challenge runs from 12 noon Tuesday 3^rd December to 12 noon Tuesday 10^th December.

• Giving Tuesday

Website: https://www.givingtuesday.org.uk

#GivingTuesday

Giving Tuesday is a growing global movement now spanning five continents. The simple idea is to encourage people, charities and businesses to donate time, money or their voice to help a good cause. This year Giving Tuesday takes place on Tuesday 3^rd December, following Black Friday and Cyber Monday.