What we do
We know you work hard to raise cash for Red Nose Day, so it's only fair we do everything we can to ensure it helps people most in need. Although there's still a lot to do, we want to show you the difference you're helping to make both at home in the UK and across Africa. We think you'll like what you see.
UK
Young People
The work we do with young people in this country is really important to us at Comic Relief as many are facing enormous challenges and problems that no one should have to go through alone.
With your help we’ve been able to help thousands of young people to make positive changes in their lives but many more still need support. The main issues that we currently focus on are:
- Young People and Alcohol
- Young People and Homelessness
- Young People and Mental Health
- Sexually Exploited and Trafficked Young People
- Young Carers
Local Communities
There are many disadvantaged communities across the UK that have to deal with high levels of poverty and deprivation. For the people living in these communities it can be really tough and can feel as though there are very few opportunities to improve their quality of life.
However, there are some brilliant and committed people living at the heart of those communities who want to change things for the better. By raising money for Red Nose Day you’re helping us to help them do just that – and you could help to turn around a community near you!
Older People
Older people can be among the most vulnerable and isolated within our society. They experience a whole range of problems from loneliness and poverty to age discrimination and having little or no voice in important decisions that affect their lives.
The isolation some older people feel from living entirely on their own can also lead to ill health and depression. Thanks to the money we get from fantastic fundraisers and generous donors, Comic Relief has been able to help thousands of older people to participate in their communities, to feel less alone and feel that their views are respected.
Mental Health
One in four of us will experience mental health problems at some point in our lives. However, the stigma attached to using mental health services can prevent many people from seeking the support they need to recover and can mean they often feel alone in coping with their situation.
Those struggling with mental health issues can also find themselves excluded from jobs, family support, proper health care and community life.
The money you raise helps us to ensure that people with mental health problems have a say in the decisions that affect their lives, whilst supporting their recovery and reducing stigma and discrimination.
Refugee and Asylum Seeking Women
Every year, people across the world are forced to flee their homes because of violence and persecution. Some travel to the UK looking for refuge.
Women who’ve survived sexual violence or torture are particularly vulnerable when they arrive in the UK, particularly as many are unable to talk about their experiences in their own language, let alone in a foreign one.
Comic Relief is working hard to help survivors of torture and sexual abuse to come to terms with their past traumas.
Domestic and Sexual Abuse
Domestic violence affects hundreds of thousands of families in the UK. It’s an issue that Comic Relief has been tackling for many years and we’ve now widened our focus to include all aspects of domestic and sexual abuse.
Witnessing or experiencing abuse within the home has a huge and devastating impact on families and is particularly difficult for young people to understand and come to terms with.
Thanks to the money you raise we’re able to support survivors while building a safer future for young people and children affected by domestic and sexual abuse.
Sport for Change
Many communities across the UK face poverty, disadvantage and social exclusion. We believe that sport has the potential to engage those who are hardest to reach within these areas and your money is helping us to do just that.
Thanks to you we’ve been able to support community organisations and other initiatives that use sport as a tool for change and to address social issues around the UK.
By bringing people together these projects increase participation, reduce isolation, and improve physical and emotional well being creating stronger, more unified communities.
Africa
People Living in Urban Slums
Every day across Africa, thousands of people desperate to escape poverty in rural areas move to the city hoping to find a job. Life is often even tougher when they get there. Without the means to pay city rents, most are forced to live in already overcrowded slums, which lack even the most basic services.
Through Comic Relief, your cash is working to help those in urban slums improve their living environment. It can pay for changes like access to clean water, toilets and basic health care. It means better living conditions and often the legal right to occupy the land – so families can build their own house instead of living in a tin shack.
Street and Working Children
Throughout the world, millions of children are forced to live on the streets because of abuse, poverty, discrimination or after having been orphaned. Over 200 million have to work to scrape a living, often in incredibly dangerous conditions.
Vulnerable, and often facing violence and exploitation, these children have little or no access to an education – the best chance they have of transforming their future.
Money you raise for Red Nose Day helps to rescue and protect children from violence and abuse while also supporting them to get access to good education and vocational training. Thanks to you, we’re giving kids a future.
Health
In Africa, one child in every five does not live to see his or her fifth birthday. Many of these deaths are from preventable diseases such as malaria. Many are simply due to poverty and inequality preventing the most vulnerable from accessing basic healthcare.
The money you raise is helping to tackle both of these issues in some of Africa’s poorest regions by investing in a community-based approach to improved healthcare. We’re also working hard on raising awareness of these problems and fighting to ensure that our contribution becomes part of a much bigger, coordinated, long-term effort by governments.
Education
In Africa today, 32 million children are still denied access to the one thing most likely to transform their lives – an education. There are many more who, because of other pressures in their lives or a lack of basic educational resources, sadly drop out or achieve little within the classroom.
It’s not just about getting kids through the school gates, once they’re there it’s also crucial to make sure they have everything they need to make the most of their education. Giving children the chances in life that they deserve is incredibly important, and we couldn’t do what we do without you.
Women and Girls
As the most vulnerable and abused group in society, women and girls make up an estimated 70 per cent of the world’s poorest people. Also, shockingly, domestic violence continues to be the largest cause of women’s injury and death.
It doesn’t have to be like this – we know because we’re already changing things. Money raised through Red Nose Day helps to fund groups throughout Africa that are transforming women and girls’ lives by fighting for their rights and their access to education.
People Affected by HIV/AIDS
Sub-Saharan Africa is more heavily affected by HIV/AIDS than any other region of the world and, tragically, over 14 million children have been orphaned by the epidemic. We believe that those directly affected by HIV are the ones best placed to know what services they need and what changes are required to transform their lives.
The cash raised through Red Nose Day makes a fantastic difference to the quality of life of people living with HIV. From providing home-based care and the tools they need to make a living for themselves, to helping give them a voice in how governments and agencies should respond to the epidemic, your money goes a very long way.
People Affected by Conflict
People living in war-affected countries often face huge challenges – not only in surviving from day to day but also in rebuilding their futures. Armed conflict often breeds poverty and leaves many families without adequate food, shelter or a means of making a living.
Of course, children are particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation in these situations – with many orphaned or taken from their families and forced to work or fight against their will.
With your help, Comic Relief does a lot of important work in protecting children, reuniting them with their families and helping them settle back into their communities.
Trade Issues
On the surface, ‘free trade’ certainly sounds like a good thing. The truth is though, international trade rules and practices are unfairly biased in favour of the richest nations and companies, so many poor countries simply cannot compete. This leaves local producers and farmers barely able to support their families.
We believe that trade should be a way for poor people to lift themselves out of poverty – not something that keeps them trapped in it. This is why we’re using Red Nose Day cash to contribute to and promote fair and sustainable ways for producers and workers to earn a living.
Climate Change
As is often the way, it’s the world’s poorest who will be most affected by climate change. It is already affecting communities in Africa, where a lack of rain has had a disastrous affect on crops and harvesting, and has left communities unable to feed themselves.
Rising temperatures also increase the risk of diseases and conditions like diarrhoea – already one of the biggest killers of children worldwide.
Comic Relief is funding a number of projects to help Africa’s poorest communities find ways to cope with the changes as well as working to enable them to get their voices heard in climate change talks.
Sport for Change
All across Africa children are facing desperate challenges of poverty and injustice which threaten to restrict their development.
Thanks to you though, we’re able to invest in organisations that use sport as a means to engage these hard-to-reach children. They help them learn new skills, access health and education services and provide support networks for those most in need.
By creating safe spaces where vulnerable children and young people can meet positive role models, peer leaders and adult coaches or counsellors, these projects act as a way to support and enhance their personal development.
