Ethics are an important part of what EAP does. We believe that it is vital for us to uphold high standards of diversity, ethical trading and to be as environmentally friendly as possible.
Diversity
It is important to us that everyone knows that EAP is firmly committed to diversity in all areas of its work. As several of EAP’s trustees are Christian, EAP has a Christian core and ethos. This does not mean that EAP is an exclusively Christian organisation. We believe that we have much to learn and profit from diverse cultures and perspectives, and that diversity will make our organisation more effective in meeting the needs of all of our stakeholders.
We are committed to developing and maintaining a charity in which differing ideas, abilities, backgrounds and needs are fostered and valued. Therefore, we want to ensure that those with diverse backgrounds, experiences and beliefs are able to participate and contribute.
Creating a sense of ownership
One of the main pitfalls for charities working in Africa is a lack of sense of ownership of projects, and the fostering of a dependency culture. We categorically do not want to be seen as “the westerners who give us playgrounds”. We have taken the following steps to generate a sense of ownership and build healthy relationships with the communities in which EAP works:
Applications. Communities must apply for a playground to be build and prove that they need and want a playground.
Agreements. The schools, charities, or organisations we work with must sign an agreement that commits EAP and the school to work hand in hand on the building of the playgrounds.
Local volunteers. The schools will commit volunteers to help with the work.
Local workmanship. We employ local welders to build the frames for our playgrounds.
Input. The school (including the children) will have input on matters such as the size of the playground, the equipment that they want and the colour of each piece of apparatus.
Living within the community. Our volunteers will live within the school buildings or huts and eat with the locals.
Environment
The environment in which we live has been damaged in many ways and because of this EAP aims to be environmentally friendly by:
- Encouraging volunteers to offset the carbon omission of their flights;
- Planting trees in the area surrounding the playground;
- Using local materials, where possible, to cut down on transport.
Work Ethics
In order to avoid having any detrimental effects in the areas that we work, EAP does not:
- Knowingly trade in any materials from the black market;
- Knowingly trade with unethical companies;
- Exploit workers, and will pay a suitable wage as advised by the host charity.
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