ActionAid International
ActionAid is an international non-governmental organization whose primary aim is to work against poverty and injustice worldwide.ActionAid was founded in 1972 by Cecil Jackson-Cole as a child sponsorship charity (originally called Action in Distress) when 88 UK supporters sponsored 88 children in India and Kenya, the primary focus being on providing children with an education. Today its head office is located in South Africa with hubs in Asia, The Americas and Europe. The charity has received negative attention for its fundraising practices.
ActionAid made India's first bollywood film on AIDS titled 'Ek Alag Mausam'. It is a love story about a couple and the denial of basic rights to HIV positive people. It is based on a script by playwright Mahesh Dattani. Jeroninio Almeida, the fund-raising director of ActionAid asserted that a serious subject can be dealt with in an entertaining way, without trivializing the issue. ActionAid spent Rs 50 lakh for the making of the movie.ActionAid also supported Shyam Benegal's 'Samar', starring Rajit Kapoor and Rajeshwari Sachdev. It is based on the book Unheard Voices: Stories of Forgotten Lives, written by Harsh Mander. The film raises issues about Dalits
