Community groups across the UK will be offered support to develop their links with communities in some of the world's poorest countries, thanks to a programme launched yesterday.

The new fund, the Global Community Links programme will offer workshops and grants of up to £10,000 for not-for-profit organisations involved in a link with a community in the developing world.

Funding will enable participating community groups to use their links to increase understanding of global poverty in the UK and encourage their local community to act to reduce it.

Participants in links are encouraged to use personal contact with the link group to find out more about global development issues and to share their learning with their wider community.

Examples of what the links could achieve include:

Public talks and discussions involving spokespeople from community groups in the developing world

Encouraging local fire services to share skills with the link group to reduce the number of deaths by fire

A day of activities to encourage people to save water, raising awareness of water shortages faced by a community in Kenya.

Global Community Links will receive £3 million over three years.

The programme will be funded by UK aid from the Department for International Development (DFID) and managed by the British Council.

Professor Mike Hardy, programme leader intercultural dialogue, British Council said "The Global Community Links Programme will strengthen closer and richer relations between communities in the UK and in other countries.

"Links between communities have huge potential to help increase people's understanding of the continuing struggle to eradicate extreme poverty, and of our collaborations with the assertive pursuit of the agreed Millennium Development Goals."

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