When making a Will, we are always thinking about those closest to us.

But writing a Will can be a wonderful opportunity to remember the causes that you believe in.

 

Leaving a will can be an emotional and daunting experience, segmenting all that is special to you onto one piece of paper. Remembering all that you have achieved, all that you wish to leave and thinking of all those closest to you. The people of southern Africa have a different kind of will. The will to improve their lives and create a better future for both themselves and their children. By remembering them with a legacy now, you can help us to continue our work within the region. 

Legacies change lives. For good.

The most important thing to remember about making a Will is to do it. Your money will then go to those people and causes you most care about.

What will my legacy go towards?

The vast majority of ACTSA's funding is from individuals like you, we depend on the support of our members and longstanding supporters to encourage our work. With them we believe in campaigning with the people of southern Africa as they strive for a better future.

Some of our leading campaigns include: 

•  Dignity! Period. campaign to provide sanitary products to women in Zimbabwe 
•  Establishing and promoting a women's UN agency 
• The trade union solidarity campaign Africa Matters  
•  A leading holistic HIV/AIDS campaign 
•  Stop EPAs campaign to end unfair international trade deals 
• Fighting for democracy alongside our southern African partners in countries like Zimbabwe where human rights abuses occur daily.

What will my money do?

?          Provide ACTSA with campaigning materials and allow us to raise awareness of the continual suffering within southern Africa

?          Increase the capacity of work ACTSA does to enable it to cover more issues in a greater number of countries

?          Facilitate ACTSA travelling to southern Africa to meet and liaise with our partners to grow and progress our campaigns

?          Continue the expansion of ACTSA's profile by helping organise events nationwide

?          Develop and expand ACTSA's grassroots community which already spans England, Scotland and Wales

What has ACTSA achieved so far?

Money from legacies really does have a big impact on our ability to campaign into the future.  Despite being a small organisation, with your help we have achieved some notable victories, including:

• Gaining compensation from British company, Cape plc, for South African miners and their families poisoned by its asbestos-mining operations;
•    Helping to secure an international agreement to block the trade in conflict diamonds that long fuelled UNITA's ability to wage war in Angola;
•      Helping to force the unconditional withdrawal of 39 multinational pharmaceutical companies from their legal challenge to South Africa?s right to increase access to HIV/AIDS medicines.
•   Through ACTSA's Dignity! Period. campaign millions of products have been distributed to the women of Zimbabwe.

These achievements would not have been possible if it wasn't for the support and encouragement of people like you. To continue this impacting work, we need long standing support.

How do I leave legacy?

There are three ways in which you can help ACTSA:

1.         Contact your Solicitor

A solicitor will know what to do and the correct wording to use. The costs are normally about £100, but it is best to get several quotes. You can also save time and perhaps money by making a list of all your assets (eg house, savings, car), all your liabilities (eg mortgage, loans, credit card bills) and deciding on your executors, before you see the solicitor.

2.         Decide upon you legacy

- A pecuniary bequest: leaving us a fixed sum of money. Although we are extremely grateful for such gifts, the disadvantage of this method is that inflation will erode its value over the years.

- A non-money gift: leaving a valuable item of property such as jewellery or furniture. ACTSA will sell any such items and spend the money on our campaigning work.

- A residuary bequest: leaving what's left of your estate after costs, taxes, friends and family have been catered for. It can be a single sum or divided proportionately between more than one beneficiary. A residuary bequest ensures that your friends and family take priority, whilst still remembering the causes you believe in.

3.         Keep your Will updated

Once written, keeping your Will up to date is very important. Your circumstances, family composition and wishes may change over the years causing your Will to become out of date. Circumstances where changing your Will becomes important include: marriage and divorce; the birth of children or grandchildren; separation or death in the family; the receipt of a substantial inheritance.

If the changes required are major, a new Will should be drawn up in order to avoid confusion.  However, this process should be easier than drawing up an initial Will.  Smaller change can be made by codicil, this is a separate document amending your Will and kept with (but not attached) to it.  You should ask your solicitor for more advice as to how to go about this. 

If you require any information from ACTSA when making your will please do not hesitate to contact us.

It will also be of great help if you could let us know if you have included ACTSA in your Will. This will allow us to plan ahead for more effective campaigning.

Thank you for your support and making a real difference to the people of southern Africa

Please remember that ACTSA is not a registered charity.