Remarkable People

About us

Sense is the leading national charity that supports and campaigns for children and adults who are deafblind. We provide expert advice and information as well as specialist services to deafblind people, their families, carers and the professionals who work with them. We also support people who have sensory impairments with additional disabilities.

• Our services
• Our vision, purpose and values
• Sense's five year strategy
• How Sense is organised
• Our achievements

Sense's history

This factsheet tells the history of Sense since it was founded in 1955 by a group of parents and the developments since then.

Annual review and accounts

Sense's annual reviews, reports and accounts describe our key achievements and provides the full accounts for the last financial year.

About EJAF

The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) was established in the United States in 1992 by Sir Elton John. EJAF's U.S. office is located in New York City. In 1993, Sir Elton also established the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF-UK) in the United Kingdom, headquartered in London. These two organizations function as separate entities with their own distinct grant-making portfolios, but both pursue similar missions - to support innovative HIV prevention programs, efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, and direct care and support services for people living with HIV/AIDS. Collectively, the two organizations have raised over $220 million since inception in support of projects in 55 countries around the world, including significant funding dedicated to programs in their respective home countries.

EJAF-US awards grants to community-based projects in the Americas and the Caribbean. EJAF-UK focuses its grant-making on programs in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Please visit www.ejaf.com for further information on the UK organization.

EJAF regularly evaluates its grant-making priorities within the context of the ever-changing challenges and needs of the evolving HIV/AIDS epidemic, targeting its grant awards where they will make the greatest impact. This approach has clearly resonated with our donors, and their generous response over the past two years has enabled us to increase EJAF’s grant making by 140%. We have expanded not only the amount of money given but also strategically targeted key populations that are poorly served by current prevention efforts and most at risk of infection including: critically under-funded communities of the Southern United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America; highly marginalized populations such as injection drug users, men who have sex with men, and incarcerated individuals; and underserved populations such as African Americans and young people.

EJAF focuses on supporting community-based prevention programs, harm reduction programs, public education to reduce the stigma of HIV/AIDS, advocacy to improve AIDS-related public policy, and direct services to persons living with HIV/AIDS, especially populations with special needs. Direct services include HIV/AIDS-related medical and mental health treatment, testing and counseling, food distribution, assisted living, social service coordination, and legal aid.

The Foundation’s greatest asset and strength is its Founder and Chairman, Sir Elton John. No mere figurehead, Sir Elton serves as EJAF’s chief fund-raiser – conducting benefit concerts, meeting with major donors, foundations, and corporations, and participating in numerous public events – and also as a highly visible and outspoken advocate – testifying before Congress, appearing at press conferences, writing editorials, and delivering speeches at events and awards ceremonies. His status as an entertainment icon and his many years as a dedicated AIDS activist and philanthropist bring tremendous visibility and credibility to EJAF’s work.

What We Do

Working with more than 3,000 local partner organizations, we work with people living in poverty striving to exercise their human rights, assert their dignity as full citizens and take control of their lives.

We focus our efforts in these areas:

Development

We work with and through partners and communities on long-term programs to eradicate poverty and combat injustice.

Emergencies

We deliver immediate life-saving assistance to people affected by natural disasters or conflict, and help to build their resilience to future disasters.

Campaigning

We are part of a global movement for change. We raise public awareness of the causes of poverty and encourage ordinary people to take action for a fairer world.

Advocacy

We press decision-makers to change policies and practices that reinforce poverty and injustice.

Policy research

We can speak with authority as a result of thorough research and analysis, and the real experience of our partners in developing countries.

Oxfam’s commitment to human rights

We believe that respect for human rights will help lift people out of poverty and injustice, allow them to assert their dignity and guarantee sustainable development.

When we speak about having a rights-based approach, this is what we mean.

We believe that everyone should have the right to:

A livelihood

Oxfam works at many levels with partners and communities in support of their right to a decent living.

We argue for better working conditions and better protection of the natural resources on which poor communities depend. We campaign for fairer trade rules at the global level, and for better policies at the national level. We work with partners and communities to implement programs that lead to self-sustaining livelihoods, with a strong focus on women.

Basic services

Being healthy and educated is an essential step along the route out of poverty.

Yet millions of people have no access to health services, schooling or safe water. They are constantly at risk from illnesses that are easily prevented or treated, or are unable to read and write, which means exclusion from their society. We campaign for more and better aid, with a focus on basic services. At the program level, Oxfam provides health training and clean water supplies, as well as funding schools and teacher training.

Be safe from harm

War and natural disasters cause untold suffering for millions of people around the world and keep them locked in poverty.

In disasters, people are at greater risk of violence, disease and abuse. We save lives in emergencies by providing shelter, clean water and sanitation. And by working with local partners, we help communities to rebuild and to better prepare themselves for future disasters.

Be heard

People living in poverty often have little influence over decisions that affect their lives.

Oxfam supports partners and communities to understand their rights and to speak out about their needs and concerns. And, with others, we get people in power to listen and act.

Be treated as equal

People who are marginalized – because they are women, disabled or members of a religious or ethnic minority – are more likely to be poor.

We combat such discrimination, and work with these groups to ensure they have the means to enjoy equal access to jobs, essential services and influence.