Latest news with #British-Somali
South Wales Guardian
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
Gemma Chan says UK aid cuts cannot be borne by ‘most vulnerable children'
Chan, 42, who is also a Unicef ambassador, delivered the open letter on Monday, calling on the UK government to ensure that 25% of the aid budget is spent on 'life-saving and life-changing work for children'. The letter comes after the UK government announced it would cut foreign aid from 0.5% gross national income (GNI) to 0.3% from 2027, in order to increase defence spending. Signatories included Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman, pop star Robbie Williams, 15 development organisations and more than 40,000 members of the UK public. Speaking to PA news agency, Chan said: 'We're definitely living in a really challenging time and difficult decisions are having to be made, but I feel that these decisions shouldn't be borne by the most vulnerable children in the world. 'Things like vaccinations, access to health care, they're a human right. No matter where a child lives, they deserve access to that. 'Today is really about just making sure that we're speaking up at this really difficult time for people that don't have anyone advocating for them.' The actress recently travelled to Malawi with Unicef UK and saw the ways UK funding has helped develop solutions to overcome healthcare and climate change challenges. A post shared by Gemma Chan (@gemmachan) This includes using solar panels to help improve health in rural communities by extending the shelf life of vaccines by keeping them refrigerated, and using drones to help speed up test results and to deliver health supplies. This is supported by the African Drone and Data Academy, which trains young people to use satellite technology to map flooding damage and better predict weather patterns to improve agriculture, health and emergency responses. Chan added: 'I'm really inspired by the young people that I meet in the course of doing my work with Unicef and trips like this trip to Malawi. 'I think it's really important not to lose hope, and it's really important to support the people that are really doing tireless, not necessarily very glamorous work, but working every day to make sure that children everywhere are given a good chance that (they are) growing up healthy and to be able to pursue their hopes and their dreams.' Speaking about the open letter, Chan emphasised that aid for children should be 'prioritised'. She said: '(The letter is) calling on the government to make sure that, in spite of the recent decisions and the cuts to international aid, that aid for children is prioritised and to make sure that 25% of the budget is spent on these vital programmes for children in areas such as health, nutrition, education, sanitation and just to make sure that the world's most vulnerable children aren't bearing the brunt of these really difficult decisions.' Homeland actor David Harewood also signed the letter alongside British-Somali Olympic boxer Ramla Ali, who fled Somalia with her family as a child and went on to compete for the world title. The open letter says: 'We know that by almost every measure, 2024 was one of the worst years on record for children in conflict. 'Cutting critical aid again, this time even more drastically, will put their lives at risk and undo decades of progress. 'The UK's commitment to spend 0.7% of gross national income on aid demonstrated our leadership and our compassion. The decision to cut it to 0.3% will make it impossible for this government to achieve its aspirations of tackling extreme poverty, addressing the climate crisis and building long-term global security.'
Leader Live
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Gemma Chan says UK aid cuts cannot be borne by ‘most vulnerable children'
Chan, 42, who is also a Unicef ambassador, delivered the open letter on Monday, calling on the UK government to ensure that 25% of the aid budget is spent on 'life-saving and life-changing work for children'. The letter comes after the UK government announced it would cut foreign aid from 0.5% gross national income (GNI) to 0.3% from 2027, in order to increase defence spending. Signatories included Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman, pop star Robbie Williams, 15 development organisations and more than 40,000 members of the UK public. Speaking to PA news agency, Chan said: 'We're definitely living in a really challenging time and difficult decisions are having to be made, but I feel that these decisions shouldn't be borne by the most vulnerable children in the world. 'Things like vaccinations, access to health care, they're a human right. No matter where a child lives, they deserve access to that. 'Today is really about just making sure that we're speaking up at this really difficult time for people that don't have anyone advocating for them.' The actress recently travelled to Malawi with Unicef UK and saw the ways UK funding has helped develop solutions to overcome healthcare and climate change challenges. A post shared by Gemma Chan (@gemmachan) This includes using solar panels to help improve health in rural communities by extending the shelf life of vaccines by keeping them refrigerated, and using drones to help speed up test results and to deliver health supplies. This is supported by the African Drone and Data Academy, which trains young people to use satellite technology to map flooding damage and better predict weather patterns to improve agriculture, health and emergency responses. Chan added: 'I'm really inspired by the young people that I meet in the course of doing my work with Unicef and trips like this trip to Malawi. 'I think it's really important not to lose hope, and it's really important to support the people that are really doing tireless, not necessarily very glamorous work, but working every day to make sure that children everywhere are given a good chance that (they are) growing up healthy and to be able to pursue their hopes and their dreams.' Speaking about the open letter, Chan emphasised that aid for children should be 'prioritised'. She said: '(The letter is) calling on the government to make sure that, in spite of the recent decisions and the cuts to international aid, that aid for children is prioritised and to make sure that 25% of the budget is spent on these vital programmes for children in areas such as health, nutrition, education, sanitation and just to make sure that the world's most vulnerable children aren't bearing the brunt of these really difficult decisions.' Homeland actor David Harewood also signed the letter alongside British-Somali Olympic boxer Ramla Ali, who fled Somalia with her family as a child and went on to compete for the world title. The open letter says: 'We know that by almost every measure, 2024 was one of the worst years on record for children in conflict. 'Cutting critical aid again, this time even more drastically, will put their lives at risk and undo decades of progress. 'The UK's commitment to spend 0.7% of gross national income on aid demonstrated our leadership and our compassion. The decision to cut it to 0.3% will make it impossible for this government to achieve its aspirations of tackling extreme poverty, addressing the climate crisis and building long-term global security.'
South Wales Argus
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Gemma Chan says UK aid cuts cannot be borne by ‘most vulnerable children'
Chan, 42, who is also a Unicef ambassador, delivered the open letter on Monday, calling on the UK government to ensure that 25% of the aid budget is spent on 'life-saving and life-changing work for children'. The letter comes after the UK government announced it would cut foreign aid from 0.5% gross national income (GNI) to 0.3% from 2027, in order to increase defence spending. Gemma Chan was among the celebrities who signed the open letter calling for aid to be spent on life-saving work for children (Ian West/PA) Signatories included Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman, pop star Robbie Williams, 15 development organisations and more than 40,000 members of the UK public. Speaking to PA news agency, Chan said: 'We're definitely living in a really challenging time and difficult decisions are having to be made, but I feel that these decisions shouldn't be borne by the most vulnerable children in the world. 'Things like vaccinations, access to health care, they're a human right. No matter where a child lives, they deserve access to that. 'Today is really about just making sure that we're speaking up at this really difficult time for people that don't have anyone advocating for them.' The actress recently travelled to Malawi with Unicef UK and saw the ways UK funding has helped develop solutions to overcome healthcare and climate change challenges. This includes using solar panels to help improve health in rural communities by extending the shelf life of vaccines by keeping them refrigerated, and using drones to help speed up test results and to deliver health supplies. This is supported by the African Drone and Data Academy, which trains young people to use satellite technology to map flooding damage and better predict weather patterns to improve agriculture, health and emergency responses. Chan added: 'I'm really inspired by the young people that I meet in the course of doing my work with Unicef and trips like this trip to Malawi. 'I think it's really important not to lose hope, and it's really important to support the people that are really doing tireless, not necessarily very glamorous work, but working every day to make sure that children everywhere are given a good chance that (they are) growing up healthy and to be able to pursue their hopes and their dreams.' Speaking about the open letter, Chan emphasised that aid for children should be 'prioritised'. Gemma Chan said aid for children should be 'prioritised' (Yui Mok/PA) She said: '(The letter is) calling on the government to make sure that, in spite of the recent decisions and the cuts to international aid, that aid for children is prioritised and to make sure that 25% of the budget is spent on these vital programmes for children in areas such as health, nutrition, education, sanitation and just to make sure that the world's most vulnerable children aren't bearing the brunt of these really difficult decisions.' Homeland actor David Harewood also signed the letter alongside British-Somali Olympic boxer Ramla Ali, who fled Somalia with her family as a child and went on to compete for the world title. The open letter says: 'We know that by almost every measure, 2024 was one of the worst years on record for children in conflict. 'Cutting critical aid again, this time even more drastically, will put their lives at risk and undo decades of progress. 'The UK's commitment to spend 0.7% of gross national income on aid demonstrated our leadership and our compassion. The decision to cut it to 0.3% will make it impossible for this government to achieve its aspirations of tackling extreme poverty, addressing the climate crisis and building long-term global security.'
Glasgow Times
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Gemma Chan says UK aid cuts cannot be borne by ‘most vulnerable children'
Chan, 42, who is also a Unicef ambassador, delivered the open letter on Monday, calling on the UK government to ensure that 25% of the aid budget is spent on 'life-saving and life-changing work for children'. The letter comes after the UK government announced it would cut foreign aid from 0.5% gross national income (GNI) to 0.3% from 2027, in order to increase defence spending. Gemma Chan was among the celebrities who signed the open letter calling for aid to be spent on life-saving work for children (Ian West/PA) Signatories included Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman, pop star Robbie Williams, 15 development organisations and more than 40,000 members of the UK public. Speaking to PA news agency, Chan said: 'We're definitely living in a really challenging time and difficult decisions are having to be made, but I feel that these decisions shouldn't be borne by the most vulnerable children in the world. 'Things like vaccinations, access to health care, they're a human right. No matter where a child lives, they deserve access to that. 'Today is really about just making sure that we're speaking up at this really difficult time for people that don't have anyone advocating for them.' The actress recently travelled to Malawi with Unicef UK and saw the ways UK funding has helped develop solutions to overcome healthcare and climate change challenges. This includes using solar panels to help improve health in rural communities by extending the shelf life of vaccines by keeping them refrigerated, and using drones to help speed up test results and to deliver health supplies. This is supported by the African Drone and Data Academy, which trains young people to use satellite technology to map flooding damage and better predict weather patterns to improve agriculture, health and emergency responses. Chan added: 'I'm really inspired by the young people that I meet in the course of doing my work with Unicef and trips like this trip to Malawi. 'I think it's really important not to lose hope, and it's really important to support the people that are really doing tireless, not necessarily very glamorous work, but working every day to make sure that children everywhere are given a good chance that (they are) growing up healthy and to be able to pursue their hopes and their dreams.' Speaking about the open letter, Chan emphasised that aid for children should be 'prioritised'. Gemma Chan said aid for children should be 'prioritised' (Yui Mok/PA) She said: '(The letter is) calling on the government to make sure that, in spite of the recent decisions and the cuts to international aid, that aid for children is prioritised and to make sure that 25% of the budget is spent on these vital programmes for children in areas such as health, nutrition, education, sanitation and just to make sure that the world's most vulnerable children aren't bearing the brunt of these really difficult decisions.' Homeland actor David Harewood also signed the letter alongside British-Somali Olympic boxer Ramla Ali, who fled Somalia with her family as a child and went on to compete for the world title. The open letter says: 'We know that by almost every measure, 2024 was one of the worst years on record for children in conflict. 'Cutting critical aid again, this time even more drastically, will put their lives at risk and undo decades of progress. 'The UK's commitment to spend 0.7% of gross national income on aid demonstrated our leadership and our compassion. The decision to cut it to 0.3% will make it impossible for this government to achieve its aspirations of tackling extreme poverty, addressing the climate crisis and building long-term global security.'
The Guardian
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘It was chaotic but beautiful': Warda Mohamed and Kosar Ali on filming the British-Somali short Muna
When Warda Mohamed posted a message on social media that she had completed her feature film script, she never expected it to change her career. 'I genuinely thought it was just going to be a few people saying, 'Oh my God, well done',' she says. 'I posted it at nine o'clock at night and thought nothing of it.' By morning, a commissioner at BBC Film had reached out, setting the wheels in motion for what would become Muna – an 18-minute short film that screened at more than 60 international film festivals, won multiple awards, and has now made its way to BBC iPlayer. Muna tells the story of a British-Somali teenager, played by Kosar Ali (Bafta-nominated for Rocks), who navigates a complex mother-daughter relationship while mourning a grandfather she never met. Her grief mirrors Mohamed's own experience growing up. 'There isn't an answer to [grief],' Mohamed says. 'You have to feel it as you go along.' Ali, with her deep connection to the story, was instinctively drawn to the role: 'When I approach Somali stories, it's always a yes before a no because there are so few,' she says. Mohamed, who co-directed the play Dugsi Dayz in 2022, aimed to create an authentic representation of British-Somali life. 'For too long, Somali people have been portrayed through stereotypes in western cinema,' she says. 'I want to show all of the beauty and richness of being British-Somali.' Ali echoes this sentiment: 'It's rare to find Muslim stories that aren't warped with negativity, so I wanted to do it right.' However, achieving this authenticity came with its own set of issues, Ali says. 'The casting process was really challenging because of a lack of Somali actors. In the end, we had to street cast [approach and ask the general public] and use our networks to make it work.' Beyond grief, Muna also explores culture, family, and belonging. Ali, who earned her first executive producer credit as well as playing the lead role, is especially passionate about the authenticity of the mother-daughter dynamic. 'It isn't about clashes of culture or religion; it is about two people figuring things out. It is a universal experience that many can relate to.' The soundtrack blends contemporary UK and traditional Somali music, with Muna curating the perfect playlist for her school trip. Ali adds: 'I wanted to keep it fun and authentic to me. The music used and the dance scene was a true representation of me as a person, not just acting.' Finding the right oud player for a scene with Muna's grandfather was also a challenge, but Mohamed's persistence led her to connect with a musician in Mogadishu through her family. 'It was chaotic but beautiful,' Mohamed says. 'Shooting in Somalia captured the duality of being British-Somali and made it all the more worthwhile.' The production was shaped by Mohamed's commitment to a faith-based film-making approach to reflect the cast and production staff. 'It was important for me that our set reflected the values of the community we were representing,' Mohamed says. 'When you see the prayer scenes, they're not just performances – they're actual prayers.' Mohamed reflects on the barriers she has faced as a working-class film-maker: 'It took more than four years to get funding,' she says. 'One of the biggest roadblocks was people not understanding the story. They wanted me to focus on the wake, but I wanted to show it through the eyes of a young girl who doesn't know why she's grieving, or what she is meant to feel.' 'The people in positions of power don't understand our stories,' she adds. 'Representation is crucial – not just for the audience but for decision-makers too. We need people from different backgrounds in development, executive, and commissioning roles so they can understand stories that haven't been seen on screen before.' After its successful festival run, Mohamed says she heard from many people wanting to watch Muna again or for the first time – so she is delighted the film is now on the BBC's iPlayer platform. 'The iPlayer release feels like Muna has been given new life,' she says. 'It's been joyful to see different parts of the world respond and hear how people connect with Muna, her brother, or even the parents.' For now, Mohamed has set a new precedent for Somali storytelling in British cinema. 'We have to keep making things, keep writing, keep telling our stories,' she says. 'And hopefully, people will eventually see us the way we want to be seen.' Muna is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer
