Inspired Individuals

Dear Friends

This message comes as I am moving from my ‘personal’ journey funded by donations, rent and a small amount of income, to funding a charity that has a robust infrastructure that can hopefully carry on until FGM ends! Below are some highlights of what I and 28 Too Many have been up to, as well as future plans! Below that, there are details of the 3 ways you can get involved! In addition to getting my newsletters, if you’d like to pray read Option 1; if you’d like to give to my personal support read Option 2; and if you’d like to give to 28 Too Many, read Option 3!

With regards to media coverage, we were published in the New Wine Magazine and the Church of England Newspaper, added to an award from Inspire Magazine and Tearfund’s Inspired Individual ‘scholarship’…we seem to have taken off! We now have 8 volunteers, focusing on Operations, Communications & Research; 4 country researchers (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania & Ethiopia) and 1 regional researcher based in East Africa. We were also amazed to receive 2 grants, and 2 donations – all in March! This has helped us decide to register as a charity, so we have a solid base and good governance for using our funds wisely!

This year will see 28 Too Many achieve its initial first year plan: Map the practice of FGM & presence of relevant charities in 4 countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania & Ethiopia); Create a database to share knowledge, expertise and contacts; Publish 3 academic papers on FGM; Teach, share knowledge & lobby across the UK and select other countries. We now want to build a solid infrastructure to enable 28 Too Many to achieve its goals to end FGM across Africa & Europe.

Option 1 – Following the stories/praying for me and 28 Too Many!
Join up to my e-prayer bulletin sent out quarterly by Reem (rsharouni@gmail.com). Do ask her or me for a prayer card or bookmark!
Follow our blogs and Facebook page (facebook/28toomany). Please ‘like’ us so others learn about our work via your networks. We have over 135 ‘likes’ and would like 1000 by the end of the year!
Follow us on Twitter @28toomany.

Option 2 – Funding my support!
As I celebrate a jubilee birthday this year (!), I’d like to make my dream of ending FGM in Africa by 2023 come true before I retire!

With a personal financial model made up of rent, and 2 weeks of paid work (Methodist Church; Diocese of London; coaching in Africa), the rest of my income comes from donations. This has increased to 4 churches and 17 personal donors. This funds 80% of my costs – and I’d like to realise the last 20% as I aim to stop all paid work by March 2013 as 28 Too Many already takes up all my time!

Please consider:
a regular donation to my personal support via CMS website (www.cms-uk.org), Stewardship (www.stewardship.org.uk a/c 20040144) or via one of my Link Churches. Donations can be by credit card, cheque or standing order. These are increased by 25% with gift aid. No amount is too small….£1.60 a month from each receiver of this email would meet the 20% shortfall!
donating £2.80 a month instead of a coffee out? (that’s 10p per country!). Cash or cheques still attract gift aid via CMS – and I can personally deliver 10p’s from a jar!
A one-off donation – annually, as a bequest or to mark an event.

Option 3 – Funding 28 Too Many
Although up to now all our work has been undertaken by volunteers, that cannot last forever, as we seek to run a professional, robust and sustainable charity. This year we plan to:
Register as a charity with the Charity Commission.
Visit Tanzania for research of our fourth African country and develop in-country networks.
Produce our first brochure.
Invest in an IT platform/database to share our research findings.
Upgrade our website to make it more interactive.
Produce sustainable campaign material and a banner for talks, marches etc.
Ensure volunteers, interns and trustees have their expenses paid.
Employ one key post holder to run our operations and a part-time bookkeeper/auditor to manage our finances.

Whilst some of these expenses can come out of the four start up donations, we will not be able to grow without sustainable regular income.

Please consider:
Making a one-off donation to contribute to these start-up projects (do specify if you want to!).
Holding a fundraising dinner; event; film night; clothes sale; eBay sale, bike ride or marathon run etc with proceeds going to 28 Too Many. We can supply t-shirts/running tops etc!
Making a donation via Paypal on our website.
Donating via Just Giving (being set up soon!).
Donating your time (volunteering!) or knowledge (IT, research, web, legal, finance, trustee etc!).

Thank you to all of you who have given so much already to my journey – in support, friendship, ‘in kind’, love & generosity!

With love, as ever
Ann-Marie x
Ann-Marie Wilson
Founder/Director
http://www.28toomany.org

[Posted by Monica on behalf of Ann-Marie Wilson]

Deadline for abstracts for the AFRICA OVC conference extended: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&shva=1#inbox/1375591ea4d21c86

We have happy to share the news that WHO has recommended the AKS to represent the Indian civil society in the WHO conference for accelerating implementation of TB-HIV collaborative activities in SEAR, Nepal, in July 2012.

We give thanks to the Lord for this. Please pray for this conference and workshop.

[Posted by Monica on behalf of Manju & Lawrence Singh]

Great update from David Clemy on the work he is doing with the Kitega Community Centre in Uganda

Please click here to read more: http://kitega-cc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=134:april-2012-news&catid=79&Itemid=616

Let’s keep David and his work in our prayers.

[Posted by Monica on behalf of David Clemy]

Dear all,

On 18th March 2012 Sunday Morning, It was a real blessing day and very happy day to NEW HOPE FOR GIRLS ORGANIZATION, when one staff (Sean) from Inspired Individual came to visit us and stay with us for one day.

It is and it will continue to be a big mark to our heart for such kindness valuable time Inspired gave us, we once again thank you very much for everything

With love and prayers

Consola

[Posted by Monica on behalf of Consola Meena]

Dear Friends

Greetings from Cambodia! Nations 2 Nations is amazing with 25 nations gathering in Battambang, Cambodia. Last night we had the Pastors from the city here and was welcomed by the leading Pastor who is 75 years old. He said this is is an historic event to have so many nations come to the city to call forth the missions potential from Cambodia. We started the evening with a traditional Cambodian dance, followed by a song from Vietnam and an African dance from South Africa. Many Cambodians at the gathering have never seen Africans and as I spoke last night I invited them to be missionaries in Africa and the nations. They responded with an incredible Yes, we are coming. We finished the evening with the roll call Of the nations; from Ethiopia to Columbia, Switzerland to Swaziland, Samoa to Vietnam, South Africa to Singapore and finished by calling the Cambodians to go to the nations. Wow! It was unbelievable to see them respond to God’s invitation to be part of God’s dream to see Jesus worshipped in every nation and language. It was only the first day and God has done so much already. At morning break a young Aboriginal girl from Australia shared with tears in her eyes her indigenous roots and family story and how God provided for her DTS (Discipleship Training School). I encouraged her how beautiful her people are and that God needs the voice of her people to show forth His greatness. You could see how encouraged she was with the message that God made her to be a unique voice and not an echo….and for her not to try to be like someone else.

Please continue to pray for us as Wilson Goeda will share today His journey of reconciliation.

Blessings,
Edwin

[Posted by Gary Swart on behalf of Edwin Fillies]

The Agnes Kunze Society, ‘Hope Project’, has celebrated 10 years on 8 April 2012!

Let’s join in with Manju & Lawrence Singh in thanks to God for this amazing project, which is changing so many lives in Dehra Dun, india!

For more photos, please visit:
https://picasaweb.google.com/113756766451769115997/AgnesKunzeSocietyHopeProject10YearsCelebration8April2012?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ7t67mR_-veDg&feat=email

[Posted by Monica on behalf of Manju & Lawrence Singh]

The Inspired Individuals initiative is looking for a volunteer to work alongside one of our inspired individuals in Asia. You would need to have experience in farming and be willing to spend 3 to 6 months in Asia.

You will have the opportunity to work alongside an inspired individual working on drug rehabilitation, while supporting them to become financially sustainable through various types of farming e.g. fish, mushrooms, goats etc…

You would need to be self-funded, but a small financial stipend maybe available.

For more information please contact Monica: info@inspiredindividuals.org.

Estimados amigos y amigas:

Aprovechando en Día de los niños y las niñas en Bolivia (12 de abril), les pido considera el impacto de la epidemia del VIH en la niñez y el VIH en Bolivia.

Por favor tengan en mente que tenemos por lo menos tres tipos de niños y niñas por quienes debemos velar en el contexto de la epidemia de VIH:
…
· Niños y niñas que ya viven con el VIH (con diversos problemas de salud, especialmente los que tienen más de 5 años cuando el SUMI ya no les cubre la atención gratuita).

· Niños y niñas afectados/as por el VIH (generalmente a raíz de la salud de uno o ambos progenitores, a causa de la orfandad o de la discriminación).

· Niños y niñas vulnerables al VIH (por ejemplo niños y niñas que sufren explotación sexual, abuso sexual infantil, aquellos/as que viven en situación de calle y aquellos/as que enfrentan problemas de consumo de alcohol y drogas; todos/as son altamente vulnerables a adquirir el VIH).

Es nuestra responsabilidad como adultos/as, el velar por la protección de los derechos de los niños y las niñas en el contexto de la epidemia del VIH y sida en Bolivia.

REGISTRATION FOR OVC AFRICA 2012 CONFERENCE NOW OPEN!

Dear conference delegates, supporters and friends
The 2012 OVC in Africa Conference will take place at Gallagher Convention Centre from 30 October – 2 November 2012.

Nelson Mandela said: “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”

With this in mind we would like to inform you of the second Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Conference that will be taking place from 30 October – 2 November 2012 at Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.

This conference, the second in the series, will deliberate on a variety of issues aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of our children, especially those marginalised by orphan-hood, poverty, abuse and HIV and AIDS.

The first OVC Conference – held in 2010 in Johannesburg – was a huge success and this second conference will build on the groundwork laid in dealing with the issues facing orphans and vulnerable children.

Whilst progress has been made over the past year in achieving the key outcomes of the ‘Every Woman Every Child’ campaign – spearheaded by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) strategy – we still have a way to go.

This conference affords us the opportunity to come together and make a valuable contribution to strategies for realising the MDGs for Africa. We are encouraged by the global commitments to increasing investment in maternal and child health, and we gather at this conference to re-affirm our commitment to posiiton ourselves to harness this window of opportunity.

The task ahead is huge but can be made easier as we involve all sectors such as government, faith-based organisations, the private sector and development agencies in this partnership. We welcome delegates from all these arenas to the 2012 Orphans and Vulnerable Children’s Conference and look forward to your insights and commitment to the children of Africa. We will not turn a blind eye.

For information on the conference please visit http://www.ovc-conference.co.za.

All general enquiries can be directed to info@ovc-conference.co.za.

Prof Anna Coutsoudis
Conference Chair
OVC in Africa Conference 2012