Morning everyone! This week we’re blown away by our member’s philanthropic endeavours and desire to help their likeminded friends that are changing lives the world over. Since we started 500 Reasons over 6 years ago there are 10 completely autonomous groups doing their beautiful, brilliant thing and it’s our fond hope that the model will continue to be used to do good wherever and whenever there is the need. You never continue to amaze us and cheer us up with your kind hearted thoughtfulness so please do keep your nominations coming. We have two first time nominators this week who are going to share the pot. So I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Kim and Abi and their wonderful nominations:
Good evening, My nomination is to support a friend of mine called Shelley, who along with some of her friends has been doing some amazing charity work in Uganda. Here’s the story below. I know £500 will be such a big contribution towards the funds they are trying to raise to save Ebenezer’s very precious life. Thanks for taking the opportunity to read this and keep up the fab work! Kim Summers Ebenezer is 8 years old. Debbie and Emma in the team are trained medical professionals and were able to look at her medical notes whilst we were there. We now know that Ebenzer has ASD - a hole in the heart. She will be unlikely to survive another year without surgery. She is already having long periods of unconsciousness. Her mother, who is a teacher earning on average £70 - £90 per month has managed to raise £300 towards the cost of the operation. However the cost of the operation is £4,500. Doctors have recommended that the operation must happen in the next 6 months I cannot tell you how heartbreaking to sit and listen to her story. Through pregnancy complications she had an emergency c section at 28 weeks and had Ebenezer had to stay ventilated for 2 months.Her mother is trying to raise funds through loans and grants. When her mother can raise the balance we pay our donation direct to the hospital for the operation to take place.This is a picture of Shelley and Ebenezer.
And Abi’s: Hi Joe,I hope you're well. Really enjoying being part of this community of lovely people doing good in the world!I'd like to make a nomination for a £500 donation please. I work for a small charity that supports children living in extreme poverty in Kenya to access education, nutritious meals and hygiene products. We partner with local professionally run projects, one of which is located in Kibra slum, Nairobi (reportedly Africa's biggest slum). Makena, photographed in the attached letter, is the excellent Social Worker and Project Manager there. This is our biggest project in terms of the number of children we support and sadly, the needs of the families are the most desperate. I have just returned from visiting this and our other partner projects and was really struck by the living conditions the children are growing up in. I have seen many informal settlements in almost 15 years in international charity work, but this was without a doubt the most harrowing. Whilst there, I interviewed a number of parents/guardians of children we support, and the number 1 need they each identified was food provision. The daily meals we provide literally are a lifeline for these families. I have attached an application with more details. Although we are a registered charity, we are very small (only 1.5 paid staff in the UK) and the fundraising climate is the toughest it has been for years at the moment. This money would make a big difference to the families we support. Thank you so much,Abi
