1. What is MAG?
2. What is MAG’s mission?
3. What are MAG’s key aims?
4. Exactly how does MAG work on the gound?
5. How does MAG choose where to work?
6. How many people work in MAG worldwide?
7. How is MAG funded?
8. What is MAG's income?
9. How much goes on public fundraising?
10. Who are MAG's trustees?
See also:
FAQs about remnants of conflict
FAQs about giving to MAG
1. What is MAG?
MAG (pronounced Mag) stands for the Mines Advisory Group and is a humanitarian organisation that helps conflict-affected communities around the world. We are registered as a charity and also as a company limited by guarantee in the UK. We are governed by English charity and company law. Our charity number is: 1083008. Our company number is: 4016409.
2. What is MAG’s mission?
MAG’s global operations directly reduce the devastating effects of armed violence and remnants of conflict. MAG removes the deadly obstacles to reconstruction, peace and security in some of the world’s poorest communities saving lives and paving the way for safer futures.
3. What are MAG’s key aims?
• To deliver on our promise to save lives and build futures globally by implementing our innovative solutions for conflict-affected communities
• To enable governments and institutions to address the needs of conflict-affected communities through funding our activities
• To work with partners and others who share our impact-driven approach and further enable people to escape from the poverty and suffering caused by conflict
• To create awareness and secure public support so we can provide an effective response to the wider problems caused by the presence of remnants of conflict
4. Exactly how does MAG work on the ground?
• We employ local people (including former soldiers and amputees) and retrain them to be medics, deminers, awareness trainers, supervisors etc.
See also: National importance: capacity building
• We partner with other agencies to help refugees take a safe path to relief camps in Africa
• We undertake emergency action such as clearing the land of dangerous or explosive items in Lebanon or after the tsunami hit conflict-affected Sri Lanka
• We promote peace-building and mediation often undertaken by our senior directorate as shown in North Sudan and South Sudan
• We prioritise essential tasks, such as clearing paths of landmines so broken water-pumping stations or powerlines can be repaired
• We cordon off contaminated areas so safe agricultural land can be exposed and used by local people
• We clear schools and buildings used as ammunition stores so children can get an education in safety
• We prevent abandoned weapons and small arms getting into the wrong hands
• We frequently conduct large-area evacuation and perform controlled detonations
• We highlight the plight of conflict survivors in the hospitals of Cambodia or Iraq and how the knock-on effects of medical and rehabilitation costs can devastate families and livelhoods in poor areas.
• We do the things that promote human security, food and water security and community-based prosperity by removing the restrictions on people caused by conflict.
5. How does MAG choose where to work?
MAG would go into any country, during or after conflict, if it safe enough for us to do so and if we have the funds. To date, MAG has been to 35 conflict-affected countries (of an estimated total of around 80 mined countries). We believe where there are conflicts there are innocent lives suffering so any country in conflict can be a target for our aid.
Once there our Community Liaison staff are key in helping us locate areas of need and priority, we get the whole town/village/community involved in mapping dangerous areas with us. Military records are helpful to show where bombs strikes were or where landmines were laid but they won’t tell us where communities can't grow food, can't tend flock, can't collect water or where children forage dangerously close to suspect land for firewood so our community level work is essential.
We also work with relief agencies, partners and other non-governmental organisations because before they can do their life-saving work we're called in to make sure they are working in safe areas. We mark off vast unused suspect areas to warn passers-by, and our priorities include people's gardens, agricultural land, essential resources, schools, hospitals, communal areas, cities and access routes.
6. How many people work in MAG worldwide?
We have around 3,000 – mostly local – people who are currently employed by us in Angola, Burundi, Cambodia, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Iraq, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Sudan, Sudan and Vietnam.
Developing local economies through training and employment means we can put salaries back into conflict-affected communities. We also have more than 100 expatriate staff made up of bomb disposal experts, managers and trainers, and in the UK our headquarters are based in Manchester, with around 60 staff. We're pleased to have a structure that keeps our admin costs low.
See also: National importance: capacity building
7. How is MAG funded?
We are mostly funded by institutional donors, international governments, foundations and other charities. We also benefit from public donations, an events programme and partnerships with professional fundraising organisations.
Most of our income is project-specific, whereby the funds can only be spent on predetermined projects and activities.
However, to enable MAG to react quickly in emergency situations, or to fund projects where other funding isn’t available, we need ‘unrestricted’ income which gives MAG the flexibility to spend funds where the need is greatest. We ask the public to support us in this way, as this flexible income can help us to act much quicker than the slower grant process will allow.
8. What is MAG's income?
MAG's income for the year ended 30 June 2009 was £34,882,880. This mostly came from governments, UN agencies and institutions. £1,094,934 of this figure came from 'voluntary income', such as public donations, fundraising events, trusts, foundations and partnerships.
9. How much goes on public fundraising?
We spend less than one per cent of our income on fundraising – a statistic we are very proud of, as this allows us to ensure that almost all our income is spend in the field.
Despite this we still manage to be creative, win awards for our campaigns and have extraordinarily talented people helping us in our work – at times for no cost at all. See ‘FAQs about giving to MAG’ for more details.
10. Who are MAG's trustees?
Revd Professor Michael Hugh Taylor OBE D.Litt - Chair
Emeritus Professor of Social Theology in the University of Birmingham
Since 1999, Michael Taylor has been Professor of Social Theology in the University of Birmingham and in January 2002 became Director for the World Faiths Development Dialogue. Michael was Director of Christian Aid from 1985 to 1997 and President of Jubilee 2000.
Since 1976, he has been a member of two Commissions of the World Council of Churches. Michael is author of several books on ethics and development and in 1997 gave Bradford University's Annual Development Lecture on NGOs and their future in Development.
Mr Paul Nielsen, ACIB - Treasurer
Senior Partner, Yorkshire Bank in Manchester
Paul has been involved in Commercial Banking for nearly 30 years. Originally joining Barclays in 1982, Paul worked in the North East and London before moving up to the North West in 1987. He joined the Manchester office of Yorkshire Bank in 2002.
Paul regards himself as an adopted ‘Mancunian’ and is especially proud to be able to support MAG which is based in the city and whose work he has seen so much need for on his cycling trips across Vietnam and Cambodia. Paul is also active in the city through his work with the Chamber of Commerce and as a Magistrate on the Manchester City Bench.
Colonel Christopher Peter Roger Bates
Retired Army Officer and Charity Director.
Christopher Bates served for 36 years in the Royal Engineers in a wide variety of appointments, including Commanding Officer of 33 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), Project Manager for Engineer Equipment in the Procurement Executive and Regimental Colonel of the Corps of Royal Engineers.
His last appointment before retiring from the Army was as the Colonel in Military Operations responsible for the UK’s implementation, Tri-Service, of the Arms Control Treaties to which UK is a signatory. On retirement from the Army in 1999, he joined the Dulverton Trust, a grant-making charity, and became the Director in 2003. This entailed visiting a large number of charities throughout the UK, and to a lesser extent in East Africa, to assess their applications for grants.
He retired from the Dulverton Trust in 2010 and is currently a Trustee of five charities: Director of CleanUp UK, Kids for Kids and Tunbridge Wells & District Citizens Advice Bureau (all incorporated charities registered in England and Wales); Trustee of the Army Central Fund (a non-incorporated charity); and Fellow of the Institution of Royal Engineers.
Mr Paul Bell, PhD, MIIA, CFE, ACFS
Independent Management Consultant
Prior to setting up his own financial crime, audit and risk management consultancy, Paul worked as a Director and then as Partner for two large professional services firms. He is the former National Head of Business Integrity and Investigation Services for a top accountancy practice and has worked with clients as diverse as a United Nations agency, a large international charity and several UK crown agencies as, well as numerous public and private sector clients across the UK and internationally.
He is an Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist (ACFS), a Certified Fraud Examiner and an MIIA qualified auditor. He also holds an MA in International Relations and a PhD in Terrorism and Security Studies.
Professor Bill Cooke, PhD MCIPD
Professor of Management and
Society Lancaster University Management School
Before becoming an
academic Bill was a change management consultant. His writing,
consulting and teaching specialises in Human Resource Management, change
management, and particularly in management in International Development
contexts. Before joining Lancaster, a world-ranked business school, he
was at Manchester Business School, and the Institute for Development
Policy and Management Manchester.
Mrs Claire Marles
Assitant Director, Ernst & Young
Claire is currently Assistant Director working in the Transaction Support department at Ernst & Young in London. The role involves providing financial due diligence to companies that are purchasing or selling a company, or listing a company on a stock exchange. Previously, Claire worked in Sydney, Australia for KPMG as a Manager in the Transaction Support department (2004-2006) and for Colgate Palmolive also in Sydney (Acquisitions project management 2003-2004).
Mrs Gill Miller, MA PGCE
Senior Lecturer
Gill is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography and Development Studies at the University of Chester and Programme Leader for International Development Studies. Gill is author of several text books and is Chief Examiner of A-level World Development. Gill has held several senior examining posts with Edexcel and has much experience leading INSET courses on Geography and development issues for teachers at A level. She was Deputy Head of a comprehensive school in Cheshire before undertaking consultancy work in education.
Mr Colin Rowe
Partner, Aaron & Partners LLP
Notary Public
Colin
has practised as a solicitor in Manchester for over 25 years. His work
is mainly concerned with development and regeneration projects. Colin
is also qualified as a notary public and notarises commercial and
personal documents for international use.
Dr Steve Wright, FRSA
Reader, Leeds Metropolitan University
Steve Wright took a BSc Hons at Manchester University in 1975, before a brief spell as an Industrial Chemist. He went on to do a PhD at Lancaster University with a thesis on New Police Technologies and Sub-State Conflict Control in 1987. During the latter part of this time he was Director of Manchester City Council’s controversial Police Monitoring Unit. He became a Transport Policy Officer for the Council from 1988-1994, where he also worked on peace, emergency planning and nuclear free zone matters.
From 1989-2004, he was the Director of the Arms and Security research non-governmental organisation, the Omega Foundation, which for part of its early life shared office space with MAG in the basement of the Friends Meeting House in Manchester.
In 2003 he won a Global Security fellowship which enabled him to take up a role as Visiting Professor in the School of Information Management at Leeds Metropolitan University. He has subsequently become part of the teaching staff at the School of Applied Global Ethics at this University where he is currently a Reader, teaching both undergraduate and post graduate courses on peace and conflict resolution.
Steve Wright has travelled widely having visited more than 60 countries and maintains a continuing research interest in the technologies and weapons of political control.
See also:
FAQs about remnants of conflict
FAQs about giving to MAG
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