Community
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Over the years Martyn has been involved with various organisations who work for peace, social justice and human rights in both the UK and overseas. Here`s some information about some of these projects and organizations, with their contact details if you`d lik to get involved or find out more.
Advantage Africa
Martyn is the patron of Advantage Africa and you will often hear him talk about the charity or read about
them in ‘The Passport Queue’. The charity’s founders, Andrew and Jane Betts, as well as their trustees and supporters, run a stall at Martyn’s concerts in and near Milton Keynes and occasionally further afield.
Advantage Africa supports the vision of inspirational people to overcome poverty and disadvantage. They work with disabled children and adults to challenge prejudice and create opportunities for them to access education and assistive devices. They help reduce the spread and impact of HIV through prevention initiatives and care for orphans, widows and people living with AIDS.
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ou can find out more by visiting the Advantage Africa website.
Advantage Africa’s latest newsletter highlights their support of inspirational people to provide education, support child-headed households and meet the challenge of HIV & AIDS in Kenya and Uganda.
Project Somos
Martyn is one of the patrons of Compassion Fruit Society, a Canadian based Non-Profit Organization working to establish the Project Somos Children’s Village in Guatemala. This village will be a safe and loving environment for orphaned and abandoned children. There will homes with Guatemalan foster mothers each raising a household of children. Education, leadership and arts will be integral to the Children's Village. The Village will work hand in hand with the local Guatemalan community.
The most important facet of Project Somos is to nurture the children to become compassionate and creatively intelligent adults who will enter society as productive citizens. The hope of Guatemala lies in their young people and the Village will be raising Guatemala’s future leaders, parents, teachers and professionals.
As well as being designed to have an inherent beauty and harmony, the Village will be built to be eco-sustainable with alternative energy generation, rain water capture and grey water recycling. Organic agriculture will provide food for the mothers and children.
The goal of Project Somos is to reach financial sustainability through Social Enterprises. Small businesses will be established to employ local people and to financially sustain the project in a real and concrete way. Ideas for potential businesses at this time include; volunteer tourism, special event hall rental and agricultural production.
An ideal piece of land with existing structures has been found in Guatemala and at this time the Society is working on its Capital Campaign to secure the funding to purchase the property and to begin construction of the homes for the children.
World Vision Canada
While in the midst of a North American tour in 2005, Martyn was asked if he would lend his voice to raise awareness for the work of World Vision Canada, one of Canada’s leading relief and development agencies. A representative from the organization met with Martyn in Seattle, Washington just prior to Martyn’s Canadian dates. They hit it off immediately, and good things have been happening ever since.
World Vision is a relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.
Their work takes place in nearly one hundred countries, including Darfur in Sudan and Afghanistan. They create micro-finance projects, nutrition programs, agricultural training, water programs, skills training, and many other initiatives custom designed to help communities become self-sufficient. The Canadian International Development Agency, an arm of the federal government, funds numerous World Vision relief and development initiatives. The agency also founded a refugee transition centre in Toronto, a place with too many powerful stories to relate in this short space.
The organization has a long history of connecting with Canadians through music. In the 1970’s a choir of Korean children toured Canada with a series of concerts presenting the work of World Vision. Over thirty years later, the organization still hears from donors who first supported the work and continue to do so as a result of those concerts.
But it was a chance meeting in a hotel lobby that proved to be World Vision’s most influential moment in music circles. In 1985, a Canadian staff member met a young man who was int erested in learning about the famine in Ethiopia. Plans were put in place. That young man and his wife went to work and live in a World Vision feeding centre. He came home from the experience and wrote a song called “Where the Streets Have No Name.” Bono’s life has never been the same.
Another major Canadian contribution to fighting poverty originated in Alberta, one of Martyn’s favourite Canadian destinations and easily one of its most scenic regions. In 1975, a church youth group decided to make a unique contribution to help children overseas. They would go without food for thirty hours in order to empathize with those who experience that reality on a daily basis. More than that, they would raise money for their efforts and send the funds to World Vision. This idea led to what is known variously around the world as The 24 Hour Famine, The 30 Hour Famine, and The 40 Hour Famine. These national events are now a household name in the twelve countries where they are held annually. Millions of teenagers have done quo;the Famine” as it is more informally known, and they have raised millions to help children both within their own borders and overseas. Some of Canada’s best-known musical acts have participated in Famine event concerts over the years since its inception. Many of them did the Famine themselves while they were still in high school.
Since taking that call from World Vision in 2005, Martyn has called upon Canadians to follow the lead of Stephen Lewis, a hero to many Canadians who until recently was the UN Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS. Lewis is a tireless and fiery advocate for those affected by HIV and AIDS. For his part, in venues such as Toronto’s Hugh’s Room, Martyn asks his audience to get involved by sponsoring a child in one of the programs administered by World Vision Canada. Audience members have been moved to tears by his passionate call for justice for the poor.
Martyn has joined the likes of Daniel Lanois and the late Oscar Peterson in bringing this life-affirming message to their audiences. When his schedule permits, Martyn makes a stop at the World Vision office and shares a few songs with the staff. The response has been tremendous, with many new fans coming aboard as a result of his visits. In decades to come, those staff members will hear from Canadians that they first supported international development work through a concert they will never forget, when Martyn Joseph came to their town to play.
Mike Bowman
World Vision Canada
The MST Project
In March 2002 Martyn travelled to Rio in the company of Christian Aid singer/songwriter Martin John Nicholls and BBC Radio Wales to observe the work of the MST of Brazil. Founded in 1984 the Movmento dos Sem Torra was formed in response to one of the world's most unequal societies where almost half of all farmland is in the hand of just one per cent of landowners and 25 million peasants struggle to survive on tiny plots.
"It was an amazing trip of deep emotion, rich experience and challenge. One of the moments I will never forget was by the side of the road in a place called Campos. There at an MST encampment, I saw the reality of the struggle for a group of courageous people, intent on obtaining justice and a piece of land on which to plant crops, raise homes and build a community. I made a promise to them that I would do whatever I could to tell their story."
The MST, a partner of Christian Aid, has taken the campaign for fair land reform on to the city streets organising mass demonstrations to raise awareness of the land reform issue. The MST's strength comes from it's focus on community and working together. The people on the settlements are encouraged to set up co-operatives taking responsibility for sanitation, health, education, security and social life. Redistributing land alone is not enough to solve Brazil's extreme social problems. Christian Aid has been supporting the work of the MST since 1986 and in 2001 Martyn, Martin John Nicholls and the poet Stewart Henderson highlighted the work in their "World of Difference" tour. But now as Martyn says "I'm seeing it first hand and it's heartbreakingly moving."
On returning from Brazil Martyn decided the best way to keep the promise he'd made was to record a CD with the song "Till the end" written whilst in Rio, which deals with, amongst other things, the murder of 19 MST members by the police in April '96. Asking Tom Robinson, Steve Knightley, Ricky Ross and Stewart Henderson to donate tracks the end result also included a video version of the track "Till the End." As folks kindly gave freely of their time and costs were cut to a minimum nearly all the monies raised from the sale of the CD went directly to the MST.
Finally some of Martyn's observations on an incredible trip: "What a privilege and how fortunate I have been to learn huge lessons in the presence of these people. I should not be surprised. For a long time I have known that to sit with the poor brings extraordinary blessing and insight."
http://www.christianaid.org.uk
Links
Musical friends
Ani DiFranco
http://www.righteousbabe.com/ani/
Fiercely independent and influential American contemporary folk singer-songwriter, who Martyn toured with in the US over the Summer in 2008.
Show of Hands
Highly acclaimed West Country acoustic roots duo who Martyn has worked with many times over the past few years, with Phil Beer, their multi instrumentalist having played on Martyn`s CDs Vegas and Whoever It Was The Brought Me here.
Steve Knightley
http://www.myspace.com/steveknightleymusic
Martyn and Steve have successfully worked as an occasional duo since 2003, following their collaboration in Faith Folk and Anarchy with Tom Robinson in 2001/2. They recorded the CD The Bridgerow Sessions together in 2005.
Tom Robinson
ffffff; font-size: small;">Iconic songwriter and now BBC Radio 6 music presenter who joined forces with Martyn and Steve Knightley to form Faith Folk and Anarchy in 2001/2.
Rachel Taylor-Beales
http://www.racheltaylor-beales.com/
Cardiff based singer songwriter whose most recent, and critically lauded, CD Red Tree was produced by Martyn. Rachel opened shows for Martyn in 2006 and her debut CD, Brilliant Blue, was released on Pipe Records.
Martin Sexton
Martin is a singer-songwriter who fuses folk, funk, blues and jazz to maker his own unique sound. He opened shows for Martyn here in the UK in Spring 2007 and Martyn returned to the US in Autumn of the same year to return the favour!
Other musical links…
Orchid Electronics
http://www.orchid-electronics.co.uk/
Manufacturers of Martyn`s pre-amp.
Lowden Guitars
Maker of the guitar Martyn has toured with for many years and the producer of many beautiful instruments.
Elixir Strings
G7th
Makers of the capos that Martyn ises
Other links…
Steve Smith - Dla`Kwagila
http://www.stevesmithartist.com/
Steve is a contemporary Native artist based in Vancouver. He`s done some amazing work including two large installations in Vancouver Airport. Look out for them if you pass through!
Other organisations Martyn recommends you take a look at!
Greenbelt Festival
Long running contemporary arts Festival held at Cheltenham Racecouirse over August Bank Holiday weekend each year.
Stephen Lewis Foundation
http://www.stephenlewisfoundation.org/
The Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF) supports community-based organizations that are turning the tide of HIV/AIDS in Africa
Amnesty international
Working to protect human right worldwide.
Casa Alianza
http://www.casa-alianza.org.uk/
Casa Alianza is an international, non-governmental organisation dedicated to the rehabilitation and defence of street children in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Mexico.
War Child
The charity works with children affected by war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. They work with children who have been hit hardest by the joint forces of poverty, conflict and social exclusion
Tearfund
A relief and development charity challenging the global effect of poverty and social exclusion
Traidcraft
A fair trade organisation, fighting poverty through trade and helping people in developing countries to transform their lives.
Fairtrade Foundation
the campaigning and certification organisation behind the FAIRTRADE Mark, guaranteeing a better deal for Third World producers.
Present Aid
A website that offers a range of unusual gift ideas that are perfect for all occasions. Buy a goat or a can of worms and help put an end to poverty!
World Health Organisation
A site with lots of information about world health issues within the United Nations. Challenging and fascinating.
BOND (British Overseas NGOs for Development)
A world without poverty, inequality or injustice in which human rights are upheld and the environment is protected is their vision. Rad more about how you can help.
The Bevan Foundation
http://www.bevanfoundation.org/
The Foundation are the social justice Think Tank for Wales. They organise research, promote debate and discussion and publish articles and reports and arrange events. Martyn took part in a seminar organised by Bevan with Billy Bragg discussing the issues of music and protest.
