ANNUAL

REPORT 2022
UnionAID
Better Work, Better World
 TABLE OF

CONTENTS
MESSAGE 04

SNAPSHOT 2021 - 2022 05

PROJECT IMPACTS 06

KEEPING HOPE ALIVE IN MYANMAR 12

DEVELOPING AND SUPPORTING 17

YOUNG LEADERS IN INDONESIA AND
THE PHILIPPINES

FINANCIAL STATEMENT 20

OUR MISSION PERFORMANCE STATEMENT 19

UnionAID builds a bridge of development

CODE OF CONDUCT 20
solidarity between workers and unions in

Aotearoa and partners in Asia and the Pacific who

LIVING WAGE 20
organise working people and communities to end

poverty through collective action, community-

based development, and decent work.

Inside cover: Nurul Iniyah action project

Indonesia Young Leaders Programme
Front cover: A pro-democracy protester in Myanmar

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 MESSAGE FROM SNAPSHOT 2021 - 2022
OUR TRUSTEES
The Covid pandemic has continued to change the way we live and work in 2022. Throughout 8 NEWSLETTERS 4 ADVOCACY
the year UnionAID has continued to adapt and change to meet ongoing and new challenges. PUBLISHED AND CAMPAIGNS BY
PUBLIC SPEAKING PARTNERS
EVENTS HELD IN IN ASIA-PACIFIC ON
I would like to Our Young Leaders’ Programmes in NEW ZEALAND LABOUR RIGHTS
acknowledge and Mindanao and Indonesia move from ISSUES
thank our staff, our strength to strength. A new model of
volunteers, our donors programme delivery using a blend of online, 2,123 PEOPLE
and supporters, and face to face and peer supported learning PARTICIPATING IN $ 200,243 DONATED
our partners throughout Asia and the is being developed and refined as we bring EDUCATION AND BY SUPPORTERS
Pacific, who have all contributed so new intakes of Young Leaders through the SKILLS TRAINING
much to ensure the effective delivery of programme. We are excited to be welcoming
our programmes and the growth of our back at least four groups of Young Leaders
fundraising partnerships during another to study with us in New Zealand in 2023.
very difficult year. 16 PROJECTS
We have also worked hard to support and FUNDED IN 9
While Covid continued to dominate expand our union partnerships. We continue COUNTRIES
headlines, the situation in Myanmar to support, amongst others, garment
following the coup in 2021 has, sadly, workers in Sri Lanka, rural cooperatives and

largely gone unreported. While we have
not been able to start a new cohort of
Myanmar Young leaders in 2022, UnionAID
has stepped up our support for the people
of Myanmar.
In this Annual Report you can read about
some of the small grassroots community
projects UnionAID has helped many of our
young leader alumni take forward in their
communities. We have also partnered with
New Zealand Nurses to support Karenni
Nurses working on the frontlines. UnionAID
will continue to do all it can to support
the people of Myanmar, and we hope
to be able to restart the Young Leaders’
Programme in Myanmar in the not-too-
distant future.
2489
after school programmes in Tamil Nadu,
and Call Centre workers in the Philippines.
We are also very pleased to have started to
support workers in Plasterboard factories
in Thailand, the same factories that are now
producing plasterboard for the New Zealand
market.
As we look forward with optimism to 2023, I
VOLUNTEER HOURS
want to thank you again for all your support
in 2022.
Ross Wilson, Chair

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 PROJECT IMPACTS
COOPERATIVE AND UNION
BUILDING IN TAMIL NADU
The Covid pandemic has continued to affect many Tribal and Dalit communities.
Covid awareness campaigns were run in
Madurai, Dindigul and Theni Districts to
educate Dalit and Tribal people, especially
children, on how to be safe with hygienic
practices, and dry ration kits were supplied
to 2140 families.
Organising workers has become even more
important in helping the most vulnerable
to access support provided for them by the
Government.
Our partners have organised labourers
in our project areas into 5 unions that
are working towards improved working
conditions. In rural areas,
Seventeen informal cooperatives have
been formed for the same purpose with
many hundreds of vulnerable workers
subsequently enrolled in Government
relief programmes.
DALIT CHILDREN’S EVENING
EDUCATION CENTRES
The Dalit Children’s Education Project has opened two new centres and is now
running 16 Children Evening Supplementary Education Centres with 907 children
enrolled, up from 845 last year.
Children attending these centres are The centres’ focus on Maths, Science and
monitored closely by their teacher and a English so that these children score well
community leader. This monitoring and in school tests and exams and increasing
support helps to connect these children numbers of these pupils now go on to
and their families to other services and tertiary education. This success has only been
has also helped prevent at least two child possible because of NZEI funding over the
marriages. past nine years.

168
Free houses and housing facilities provided to
rehabilitated bonded labours

50
Tribal families given two acres of land for
farming activities

1,120
Women able to access credit from their own
Children at an Evening Education Centre -TNLU
cooperative Bank

400
Marginalised Dalit and Tribal women freed
from domestic violence

2140
Families given dry ration kits worth 2000/-

917
Children benefited through our child
supplementary education centre
The Kodai Vegetable Growers Cooperative – Tamil Nadu

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 Rangsit Labour Union Group donating food to Myanmar workers during pandemic
MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR
VULNERABLE WORKERS IN
THAILAND
UnionAID’s partnership with the Rangsit
Labour Unions Group (RLUG) has now
completed its third year. The project
continues to build a knowledgeable and
active union membership, organise new
unions and improve the rights of migrant
workers.
With Covid continuing to impact organising
activities, the RLUG has used Zoom to run
more than 15 Study groups as well as the
Annual Meetings of 15 of the 20 RLUG
unions.
8 UnionAID annual report 2022
Progress has been made in improving
wages and working conditions at several
sites including Suzuki Motorcycle Assembly,
Kawasumi Medical Supplies, IRC Rubber
Tyre Factory, Goodyear Warehouse and Thai
Rayon.
While no new unions were formed during
the year, RLUG was able to establish
relationships with four non RLUG unions.
More than 100 union members were trained
in the use of Zoom because opportunities for
in-person meetings have been restricted by
Covid.
ORGANISING CALL
CENTRE WORKERS IN THE
PHILIPPINES
UnionAID has continued to support BPO
Industry Employees Network’s (BIEN)
research and organising which has
revealed several high-profile cases of poor
health and safety resulting in high rates of
Covid for workers in some call centres, and
several deaths. Follow-up advocacy saw
several companies improve their health
and safety, including a major employer
Teleperformance.
Traditional face-to-face organising,
trainings and workshops have continued
to be replaced by online and digital
organising. BIEN ran a series of ‘Know your
Rights’ webinars for call centre workers
during the pandemic. BIEN’s online
organising resulted in 2 new workplace
chapters being established and 127 new
online members.
UnionAID annual report 2022 9
 The Solidarity Kitchen movement increases solidarity by providing an opportunity
Garment workers march to demand workers are paid at least the minimum wage.
for women to hear of others’ workplace issues and talk about solutions.

SUPPORTING SRI LANKA’S GARMENT WORKERS IN

HARD HIT GARMENT
WORKERS
Life was already difficult in Sri Lanka for factory workers with the
ongoing effects of the pandemic.
Political and economic instability has
particularly impacted the textile and
garment industry which provides
employment to 350,000 people and
another 700,000 indirectly. Women are the
backbone of these industries, and there
are reports that they are being forced to
turn to prostitution and sex work, as the
economic crisis continues to impact on
their livelihoods.
With UnionAID’s support the Free Trade
Zones and General Service Employees
Union has broadened its support for
workers in Sri Lanka’s garment and
manufacturing sectors by introducing
“Solidarity Kitchens”. Every Sunday
garment workers who have lost jobs
because of the political and economic
crisis, come together to cook, talk, share
experiences, and engage in morale
boosting activities such as games, singing,
and dancing.
BANGLADESH
Following the Covid lockdowns in Bangladesh, one million garment workers remained
jobless due to either permanent closure of their factories or layoffs.
Many who are working now do not get any Through workshops and training on labour
overtime or leave facilities. The majority rights, collective bargaining and social
of garment workers (approx. 80%) are protection, hundreds of workers have
women. participated in the campaign to ensure that
all garment workers are paid at least the
UnionAID continues to support the minimum wage.
National Garment Workers Federation to
protect the rights of garment workers in
Bangladesh through raising awareness
of their own rights and supporting them
to take action to protect their rights and
ensure they are paid at least the minimum
wages.

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 KEEPING HOPE ALIVE
IN MYANMAR
UnionAID has continued to raise funds for
and advocate for unions, other nonviolent
pro-democracy organisations and many of
our young leaders who are all engaged in
a non-violent struggle to help bring back
democracy in Myanmar, following the coup
in 2021.
In partnership with the New Zealand
Nurses’ Organisation, we are supporting
Karenni Nurses who are working on the
frontline, providing care to those injured
by armed conflict and maintaining critical
health services, in the face of civil conflict
and the Covid pandemic.
Our young leaders continue to work
creatively in their communities in a
range of successful activities with the
most vulnerable. Countless numbers of
people in the worst circumstances, many
displaced by conflict into jungle camps,
have been given a positive focus in their
lives by these activities. Across the country
on-the-ground and online projects have
been implemented. These include help
and mentoring for women establishing
small businesses, schooling for children,
education for youth, parenting support, art
projects and sewing enterprises.
Seven of these were planned or adapted
action projects of the 2020 group and have
been done over the past two years. At
the same time another twenty-one have
been funded from underspent Myanmar
Young Leaders Programme (MYLP) funds
which have been reallocated to support
civil society organisation capacity building
and community work. UnionAID is proud
to support these small practical projects by
our alumni on the border and in Myanmar.

EARLY VOTING IN MYANMAR FOR YOUNG

HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS BROUGHT
TO LIGHT
Courageous activists and National League
for Democracy members are risking their
lives documenting human rights violations in
Myanmar. Online courses organised by Thin
Thin Lay (MYLP 2020) for 46 men and wom-
en, have helped ensure that they can do this
important work more safely and effectively.
Since the training, participants have
provided on-the-ground data to the
Assistance Association for Political Prisoners
(AAPP) Documentation Department.
Established in 2000 on the Thai-Burma
border, AAPP also provides the horrific daily
totals of killings and arrests by the military
junta.
LEARNERS
New ways of teaching have been introduced
into Karon primary schools by one of our re-
cent MYLP participants. One of these innova-
tive ideas was to hold an election for children
to choose their class presidents. Equal rights
have been encouraged in the classroom with
each child voting for one female and one
male student to represent them.
Before voting, the teacher introduced the
students to leadership qualities to help them
choose the best candidates. Their smiles
show how much they enjoyed the process
(counting the votes below). This project,
funded by UnionAID over the past year, has
blossomed into a community development
venture with joint activities and meetings
attended by the whole village.

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JUNGLE ART PROJECTS IN MYANMAR
BLOSSOM INTO AN “ART FAMILY”
When Hirini Melbourne wrote Purea
Nei he would never have dreamt that it
would be sung by ninety school children
from displaced families in Kachin state,
Myanmar. Their enthusiastic performance
celebrated the completion of an innovative
art project, funded by UnionAID, for
children displaced by the current conflict.
Over four months the children painted,
drew, sang and danced to explore their
emotions and take time out from the
difficulties that surround them.
Now a total of 192 participants have
completed these “Through the Eyes of
Agony” projects initiated and managed
by Zaw Tu Hkawng (MYLP 2017). Many of
these now meet at weekends forming what
they call an “Art Family”.
14 UnionAID annual report 2022
“I’m overjoyed to see that these children can now see the
light, dare to dream big dreams, and most importantly,
use art to beautifully convey their thoughts, feelings, and
even frustrations”.
“BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS” WOMEN’S GROUP
FORMED IN ISOLATED PUTAO
In the far north of Myanmar below the
Himalayas, ten women in Puta’o have
established a sewing cooperative and set up
a women’s association called “Vnap Nampan
Wat” roughly meaning “beautiful flowers”.
They refer to themselves as beautiful,
colourful, and diverse flowers, providing for
their family and community.
ONLINE SPRING UNIVERSITY
Hundreds of teachers across Myanmar who
joined the Civil Disobedience Movement
and had to go into hiding have nevertheless
continued to provide education services as
volunteers. Taking this opportunity to provide
some professional development and boost
their spirits, the online Spring University was
established.
From their profits from selling clothing
they have bought children’s text books,
and donated to a charity supporting needy
families. This project was initiated by Ah
Phong (MYLP 2019).
Thanks to Khin Zar Chi Latt (MYLP 2016) 240
teachers were supported to join workshops
on 21st Century skills, teacher competencies,
and school-university cooperation supporting
teacher learning run over 2021-22. The majority
of participants were female and all but three
found the workshops “very useful” or “useful”.
Further sessions on multicultural lay counselling,
and action research involved 116 and 1022
teachers respectively.
UnionAID annual report 2022 15
 SHEOWNER BUSINESS WOMEN’S
MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Sixty-five women from across Myanmar
attended an intensive online business
mentorship programme run by San Yi (2020
MYLP), along with guest speakers (one from
NZ) and 55 mentors. Along with learning
about business leadership and management,
personal development and psychosocial
support was provided during the mentoring
process. The mentees, half of whom had
small struggling businesses, were from
diverse backgrounds and locations across
Myanmar.
Various small businesses including cosmetics,
pharmacies, education centres, and local
textiles have been established or expanded
by mentees, as well as improvements made
to existing businesses. Evaluations showed
mentees and mentors improved their
knowledge of a leadership and digital skills,
career preparation, and equally important,
their stress management and mental health.
DEVELOPING AND
SUPPORTING YOUNG
LEADERS IN INDONESIA AND
THE PHILIPPINES
Our Young Leaders programmes are funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
These programmes provide young community leaders with a unique opportunity to
learn about democracy, human rights, gender justice, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and sustainable
community development here in Aotearoa and use this knowledge and experience to
address issues and bring about change in their own communities.

PHILIPPINES/MINDANAO YOUNG LEADERS

PROGRAMME
Ten new young leaders from across
Mindanao began their Young Leaders’
Programme this year. They come from
diverse civil society organisations including
labour rights, indigenous community
development, environmental organisations,
and community theatre arts.
The programme was delivered largely online,
but with the easing of Covid restrictions
throughout the year the group were also able
to meet in person for a residential workshop
in Davao City in late September.
A three-day alumni conference was also
held before the residential and 15 of the
16 alumni attended together with the new
cohort.
The current cohort of Young Leaders will
be coming to New Zealand in April 2023.
They will be joined by the 2021 intake of
Young Leaders who have not been able to
visit New Zealand earlier due to Covid travel
restrictions.

Nilar and her cosmetics shop are part of the SHEowner Business Women’s Mentorship Programme

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 MAKASONGAN TAM (FOR OUR FUTURE):
IMPROVING ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION
IN THE PHILIPPINES
Children in Barangay Himbah, in the
Philippines, face challenges accessing
quality education. Financial restraints, social
barriers, and a lack of education access
locally, is preventing children from getting a
good education.
Vincent D Durie, who took part in UnionAID’s
Mindanao Young Leaders Programme
in 2021, and works for Tau-Social Peace
Advocate of Real Tawi-Tawian Active
Networks (Tau-SPARTAN), identified the
challenges in his local community and has
embarked on an action project to help
improve education outcomes.
Vincent said “One of the main challenges
Barangay Himbah faces in terms of education
is that it is an isolated community.”
18 UnionAID annual report 2022
“Based on my research, there is no schooling
for (Grades IV-VI) in the area, therefore
parents need to send them to other
communities to complete their education.
Moreover, due to the distance of the school
from the houses and the presence of
saltwater crocodiles, it makes traveling to
school difficult for children, especially when
they need to cross the sea every day to go to
school.”
In phase 1 of the project, Vincent identified
that improved learning materials and
teaching methods of volunteer teachers
in Barangay Himbah, will help to improve
children’s education outcomes. In phase 2
of the project, Vincent is arranging training
workshops for volunteer teachers, and will
be supplying new learning materials, and six
months of mentoring support with the help
of TELUS International, Philippines.
Nurul Inayah action project from the Indonesia Young Leaders Programme.
Open discussion about postpartum depression
INDONESIA
YOUNG LEADERS
PROGRAMME
Another ten young Indonesia leaders began
their leadership development journey in
2022. Covid disruptions meant that much
of the course work needed to be delivered
online. Three Young Leaders from earlier
years, acted as learning advisors to the 2022
group throughout their online courses.
Fortunately, the easing of Covid restrictions
allowed us to hold a two-week teaching
residential in Lombok, in October. This was
organised alongside an alumni conference.
This gave the 2022 group a chance to meet
alumni, particularly their 2021 counterparts
who will all come together to New Zealand in
April 2023 for ten weeks.
INDONESIA:
RAISING
AWARENESS
AROUND MOTHERS’
EMOTIONAL
WELLBEING
In Makassar, Indonesia, Nurul Inayah who
works for Kala Teater, and took part in the
Indonesia Young Leaders Programme in
2021, identified a lack of awareness about
the emotional wellbeing of mothers after
childbirth. Makassar is under a patriarchal
system, so the topic of mother’s mental
health is often taboo, and space for
discussion is limited. Inayah wanted to open
up the discussion and increase awareness of
postpartum issues.
She launched a very creative action project,
which included a public campaign and
a theatre performance on the theme
of postpartum depression. Her project
succeeded in raising awareness, and the
Ministry of Culture and Education’s, Dana
Indonesiana, is going to support a tour of
the performance into early 2023. The actors
who took part in the performance have also
managed to persuade an arts organisation to
talk about postpartum depression as part of
their discussion program.
Syahruni Djunaid who reviewed the
performance said: “The performance by
Kala Teater brought to light the issue of
Postpartum and provided a safe space for
mums who experienced this issue. It touched
all eyes seeing it, both men and women.”
UnionAID annual report 2022 19
 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL STATEMENT OF SERVICE
PERFORMANCE FOR THE YEAR PERFORMANCE FOR YEAR
ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

2022 2021 2022 2021

Revenue

Donations, fundraising and other similar revenue 200,244 170,940 Young leaders have increased capacity to contribute to development, democracy,
peace and justice in Asia-Pacific
Revenue from providing goods or services 299,447 368,248

Interest, dividends and other investment revenue 1,986 2,349 Total participants graduating from young leader programmes 17 12

Grant revenue 4314,972 427,985

Total number of fieldwork projects undertaken by young leaders as part of programme 16 4
Total Revenue   816,649 969,522

Number of young leader alumni attending annual programme conferences 22 89

Expenses

Project Expenditure 197,538 175,187 Working people in developing Asia-Pacific countries have decent work and
improved livelihoods
Expenses related to public fundraising 3,278 5,376

Volunteer and employee related costs 254,743 311,697 Number of projects funded with overseas union or NGO partners 16 8

Other Expenses 51,388 30,493

New unions or co-operatives established with funding support from UnionAID - 2
Grant Expenditure 314,972 427,985
Number of people receiving education or training on labour rights and unions 2,123 525
Total Expenses   821,919 950,738

People in New Zealand and Asia-Pacific are educated about labour rights and
Surplus/(Deficit) for the Year   (5,271) 18,785
issues facing working people

Advocacy campaigns undertaken by partners in Asia-Pacific about labour rights issues 4 5

In 2022 UnionAID’s income and expenditure decreased reflecting the ongoing impact of Covid on the
implementation of the Young Leaders’ Programmes in Indonesia, Philippines, and Myanmar. However,
UnionAID was able to grow donations by almost $30,000, (+17%) over 2021. Newsletters published and public speaking events in New Zealand 8 4

Expenses also decreased overall by $128,819 (-14%), funding to union partners in Asia and the Pacific
increased to $197,538 (+13%) as we continued to support them to respond to the COVID 19 crisis.
Grant expenditure on the Young Leader Programmes dropped again in 2022 to $314,972 (-26%) as
programmes continued to be run online during the reporting period.

Overall UnionAID ran a small deficit in 2022 of $5,271. Accumulated funds stand at $256,632.

UnionAID’s full audited financial statements can be found at charities.govt.nz or provided on request.

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 CODE OF CONDUCT
UnionAID is a member of the Council for International Development (CID) and in 2016 was approved as a signatory
to the CID Code of Conduct. The Code requires members to meet high standards of corporate governance,
public accountability and financial management. We are proud to be a signatory to the Code of Conduct and will
continually strive to better serve the communities involved in our projects, and our donors in New Zealand

If you wish to make a complaint to UnionAID please send an email to admin@unionaid.org.nz addressed to either
the Executive Officer or the Chair of Trustees. Information on UnionAID’s complaint policy can be found on our
website.

Complaints relating to alleged breaches of the CID Code of Conduct by UnionAID can be made to the CID Code of
Conduct Committee. More information about the CID Code of Conduct can be obtained from www.cid.org.nz

LIVING WAGE
UnionAID believes all working people, in Aotearoa and around the world, should be paid a living wage that allows
them and their families to live in dignity. We are proud to be an accredited Living Wage employer in Aotearoa and
through our employment and contracts contribute to fairer communities in Aotearoa.

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CONTACT INFO
PO Box 6689, Marion Square,
Wellington 6141
Phone: +64 4 382 2747
Email: admin@unionaid.org.nz

unionaid.org.nz