CID Weekly: Niue's vaccination success, humanitarian concerns in Afghanistan

+ Vaccine roll out dashboard - last 7 days

+ A Tribute to Madeleine Leydon
 

Bertrand Russell defined a ‘good life’ as “one inspired by love and guided by knowledge”. On those grounds Madeleine led an exceptional life, not just a good one. As many friends and family paid tribute to her at a wonderful celebration of her life on Thursday 15th July, I realised how love in its finest sense imbued her values, her life and work. There was, foremost, her boundless love for family and my heart goes out to husband Paddy and her exceptional children, Daniel and Evie, so deeply loved by Madeleine.

Her job at CID gave Madeleine a way to put her strong sense of social justice, love and concern for those less fortunate into practice, nurturing CID’s new members, doing everything with generosity, skill, enormous integrity and great heart. And who can forget her wonderful smile?

To all of us, Madeleine was an epitome of kindness and an organisational genius. She was my first appointment when I started as Director in 2010, an incredibly difficult time for CID. An indifferent Minister had cut the CID grant by 90%, reducing CID to only two full time positions. Many thought CID had actually folded. But Madeleine, the consummate calm organiser, was key in getting the ‘new CID’ office up and running smoothly, expertly ran our conferences (on the smell of an oily rag), and put out the informative fortnightly newsletter. I was, and remain, very proud of the strong and highly competent team of professionals that we built with Madeleine at its caring heart. And we did it with laughter and love and Madeleine’s smile.

We were better for Madeleine being in our lives, shocked she has gone. Those of us who knew her well will miss her terribly, her dedication, her sense of joy and laughter. Cancer came and took her swiftly and far too early. Madeleine still had so much to give and contribute to the world. I am grieving with many others in the CID whanau at the loss of this amazing woman.
Aroha nui Madeleine

Tribute by Wren Green, CID Director 2010 - 2016

+ Celebrating a career of service

Pauline McKay is retiring this week as the National Director of CWS, after more than 10 years of service and leadership, not just at CWS but across the whole sector. 

She has been a voice of reason, and a strong advocate for good development and the right kinds of health interventions, and we will all miss her guidance and experience. But she leaves an impressive legacy. Not just as the leader of CWS, but a CID Board member during some of its toughest years with funding cuts and lack of support. Just because she’s retiring doesn’t mean she won’t stop being a champion for social justice. Anyone who knows Pauline knows that retirement is just a new job title.

Her commitment to social justice defined her work before CWS, working in the ecumenical movement, the anti-apartheid movement, and for the YWCA. She was an early advocate for introducing Treaty of Waitangi principles into New Zealand organisations, and took these values to Geneva where she worked for the World Health Organisation and the World Council of Churches. 

We wish her the same passion and commitment in retirement, that she has shared with many people across the world for decades, and look forward to seeing what she does next with this impressive list of achievements.

+ Come join the CID Team - we're hiring!

Are you an office extraordinaire? Are you interested in international development? Are you looking for the next challenge in your career? Then we want to hear from you!

CID is looking for a new Office Manager, Events and Communication to join our small dynamic team in Wellington. This is a very diverse role, and no two days will be the same as you will be managing the operations of the CID office, organising events for the international development sector, providing support to all members of the team and much more!

Read more and apply here.

+ Global Giving Week & World Humanitarian Day (16th - 20th August)

*** Please let us know what you are up to, so we can promote during Global Giving Week! ***

Please contact us to let us know what activities, events of appeals you are running during that time, that you would like us to include in our Global Giving Week (and World Humanitarian Day) promotion.

During the week of 16th - 20th August, CID is planning to run a week-long campaign to promote the critical importance of public donor support and giving, as a driver and enabler of the effective and impactful support for vulnerable communities around the world.

Keep the evening of the 18th August free for an event around the results of  the recent survey of the sector. Details to come.

This week also includes World Humanitarian Day (19th August) which will be a key part of our week. It will be an opportunity to honour and thank all those that continue to support and provide life-saving support and protection to communities in need.

+ 2021 CID Photography Contest & Exhibition

We are excited to be doing things a little bit differently for this years CID Photography competition. We have a new category, and will be providing an opportunity to have your photos (along with your organisation) exhibited to the public. 

Along with the three categories from the previous year, we have a new section to celebrate the work of our own colleagues, volunteers and friends here in New Zealand. Organisations will be able to enter under four categories:

1. Development (amateur photographers)
2. Humanitarian Aid & Emergency Response/ DRR (amateur photographers)
3. Staff & Volunteers (can include Aotearoa-based staff) (amateur)
4. Professional photographers/ Humanitarian & Development - for photographers based in NZ (non-prize category)

+ 2021 Conference launched!

+ Do you want to facilitate a session at the 2021 CID Conference?
 

The 2021 CID Conference will bring together New Zealand and Pacific international development sectors after a tumultuous year to reflect, and to regroup on a new blueprint for aid and development.

If your organisation is interested in facilitating a session at the CID Annual Conference on 26th October 2021, we would love to hear from you! This opportunity is a chance to present and share collective challenges with representatives from across the sector. Please fill in this form with an outline of your proposed session idea.

Fill in the Expressions of Interest form here.

+ IDYP Event: NZ Progress in Sustainable Pacific Development

New Zealand's commitment to development in the Pacific places an emphasis on engagement, partnership, and collaboration to achieve the long-term goal of a stable and prosperous Pacific.

To ensure our development work is inclusive, effective and sustainable, we must continuously strive for effective engagement and collaboration with local governments and communities.

At this event you will hear from speakers from MFAT and VSA, learning about the processes of how New Zealand develops strategies and measures results in the Pacific.

When: Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Time: 6:00pm- 8.00pm

Where: VSA, Thorndon, Wellington

Cost: $10

Seating is limited, click here to register

+ Niue Completes Vaccine Rollout
Over the weekend, Niue marked completion of its Covid vaccine roll-out with 97% of its eligible population being vaccinated. The roll-out was completed in just over a month.

Premier Dalton Tagelagi said he was excited about the opportunities full vaccination of the island would bring as Niue looked to rebuild its economy. It is one of only 14 countries in the world that has remained Covid-free.

Tagelagi said Niue had been preparing to welcome back tourists into the country and the government was considering introducing vaccine passports.

+ Fiji races to vaccinate population while Covid spreads
On Saturday, Fiji recorded 1,180 new cases of Covid in the 24hr period, with 1,405 cases the previous day. The death toll is now 85, as well as 34 Covid-positive patients who died from pre-existing medical conditions.

In total, there are currently 12,975 active cases of Covid in Fiji, with 16,401 cases from the April 2021 outbreak (some recovered).

As of the 16 July, 391,363 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 77,610 have received their second doses.

According to Health Secretary Dr James Fong, "This means that 66.7 percent of the target population have received at least one dose and 13.2 percent are now fully vaccinated nation-wide. "Fijians can check the ministry's vaccine dashboard to find real-time data on first-dose and second-dose numbers at the national, divisional and sub-divisional levels."

Meanwhile, worker rights advocates and legal experts believe it is unconstitutional for the Fiji government to give worker an ultimatum to get a vaccine or lose their jobs.

+ Misinformation and fear hamper PNG vaccine rollout

Three months since Papua New Guinea launched its covid vaccine roll out, just 60,000 people – or 0.6% of the population – have received their first dose, with many people hesitant due to misinformation and fears around the vaccine.

Recent monitoring of Covid-19 awareness programmes by Caritas Australia found that the overwhelming majority of communities in rural areas still have extremely limited knowledge about the disease and how to prevent its spread. The bulk of the population were getting their information by word of mouth, rather than on social media or from watching and reading the news. 

Other misconceptions include the belief that Covid-19 only affects people living in cities and towns, and not people in rural area