Helping, NOT paying, a Rwandan village help its poorest kids.
The village project is now formally known as the Rwandan School Village Project-RSVP.
The Rwandan School Village Project- RSVP- now has an open and operational Club/Society account with National Westminster or NatWest bank: Current Account 66035023 Sort Code 556102; Reserve Account 66035031 Sort Code 556102.
The Rwandan School Village Project- RSVP- currently holds up to £2,890 in its accounts donated mainly by initiators of this project in addition to contributions received from Dortmund in Germany and Devon in UK.
The Rwandan School Village Project- RSVP- has started the charity legislation process and the initial steps are promising. In meantime, RSVP exists as a club/Society and is currently governed by Iain Maronge- Secretary , Denise Hart - Treasurer, and Simon Mbarushimana- Official .
The Rwandan School Village Project- RSVP- aims to bring the love of Christ to the most poor and needy, particularly children trapped into what is almost hereditary misery by investing first in their education.
The Rwandan School Village Project- RSVP- aims to cut the cost of bureaucracy by using the local church and other willing souls as volunteers. For example, a child will have a meal par day for 5 days a week for only about £1. Thence feeding 45 kids in P6 every week for only £45. This cost is consistent with a survey on local restaurant menus conducted by a very qualified person; and we anticipate the school meal to cost less than restaurants meals.
So, the Rwandan School Village Project- RSVP- will, in its emergency, feed, buy books and stationery for P6 kids first and then for other classes as funds grow.
The Rwandan School Village Project- RSVP- will tackle dependency by encouraging the parents of the children already on the project to participate in rice fields, vegetable gardens and other initiatives. The rice and vegetable grown will contribute to the feeding program.
The Rwandan School Village Project- RSVP- will use the answers to the questionnaires received to plan future projects in other village schools and village as a whole. It is shocking that only half of the kids enrolling in P1 reach P5. Further eyes watering statistics from the questionnaires will be sent to registered readers in due course.
Strategies for bringing food to the school, anticorruption measures and avoiding mayhem from other equally poor kids not enrolled into the projects as well as the day-to-day running of the projects have already been agreed by initiators. The document has now been translated in Kinyarwanda and sent to RSVP volunteers on the ground. Just please note that a diversified menu is expected to be delivered each week for about £0.20/meal/child excluding meat.
A Club/Society account in Rwandan Francs will be open and will hold only 4 weeks worth money in order to "lead not in temptation" our trusted volunteers who live on so little money themselves. 2 signatures will be required before money is paid out, and the coordinator's will be mandatory.
The feeding and book&stationery program will start as soon as the business competition for food providers is completed and Club/Society account open in Rwanda. Still working on both at the moment.
Itching to donate? Not just yet.
During the early stages of the project only monies given by initiators will be used because it is fair to test and try RSVP workings, fix any foreseeable loophole and establish transparent, thorough and trustable reporting mechanisms before committing third parties donations. In fact, RSVP will aim not just to prevent or beat corruption but, more importantly, build mechanisms robust enough to keep even the slightest fear of corruption out of our donors' minds.
Here is one exception: donations from friends, whose trust is independent from the above, will be received and kept in RSVP's reserve account.
That is a summary. Questions, suggestions or prayer requests, mailto:u44sm5@abdn.ac.uk
or telephone (+44)01224 481 345: please leave a brief message and contact details.
a) Go up for a second reading . (b) RSVP Main Menu for better navigability
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RSVP's constitution and other governing documents will be published soon.
Presently, the secretary is working on the charity legislation documents and procedures; designing fund-raising strategies; planning an on-the-field visit; awaiting translation of the questionnaires to design health education strategies and literacy classes; planning strategies to negotiate with local Church about vegetable gardens and rallying kids’ parents to the rice field initiatives.
Likewise, the treasurer, after organizing the opening of RSVP Club/Society account, she is now working out the budget for the first commitment (primary school cycle -6 years) and assisting the secretary in the above and other tasks. Definite estimates awaiting data on all the costings.
RSVP volunteers on the ground are planning to run the business competition for caterers, the best offer being chosen accprding, among other things, to the weekly menu, price, hygiene dispositions etc...; open a club/society account in Rwanda and drafting an anticorruption memo.
©CHARITY No:SC038526. CONTACT: 101 Willowpark Crescent, AB16 6XU. TREASURY: 4 Wrights Lane, Hilton, Aberdeen, AB24 4RY.
4 Comments:
ADDITIONAL JOBS NEEDING A HAND:
1.RSVP's draft constitution and governing documents.
2. Draft on the voluntary policy: i.e. that people will help expecting nothing in return; that they will bear any expenses incurred; hence not accepting to help if this is above the ressources (their time, money) wilfully and kindly allocated to RSVP.
This applies to those helping in Rwanda and UK.
URGENT ACTIONS FROM RSVP CURRENT OFFICIALS:
3. Please send me by email (or use the comment box here)a list of jobs you are willing to undertake for RSVP daily, weekly or monthly, which ever suits you.
The reason is that none gets overwhelmed with jobs when others might be looking for opportunities to help.
4. Please use the comment box or email me to suggest any jobs we ought to be doing, or things we ought to be looking at.
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WHAT IS SIMON UP TO THESE DAYS?
a. After exams, I will translate in English and present the results of the questionnaires from Rwanda. There are important statistics to know about (the number of kids in every class; basic facts about kids'life conditions etc...)
b. Contacting volunteers in Rwanda by telephone and emails about opening club/society account therein.
c.Contacting volunteers in Rwanda by phone and email about running the business competition for food providers;
d. Contacting by telephone and email volunteers in Rwanda about drafting a local anti-corruption policy;
e. Contacting by telephone and email volunteers in Rwanda about sensibilization of the voluntary ideology.
This is the toughest challenge for me because most Western help has been buying 4x4 cars for project, using large offices and staffs and paying wages that are above those working in the public sector.
And now, RSVP, is aiming to shift the balance of responsibility: "These are our poor and it's our moral, civic and Christian duty, NOT to be PAID but just HELPED, to look after them"!
f. Looking after RSVP blogs, both the main RSVP blog and RSVP state of account blog.
g. Fund-raising from friends:
- I recently contacted Daniel from Devon by phone after a few email correspondences in which he had agreed to help. He kindly made a donation.
- I recently contacted a church minister who promised to give RSVP a slot in his church to explain what RSVP is aiming to do. Very encouraging.
- I recently contacted a Christian Union, and its leader has promised to get back to me in a week.
- I recently contacted a lady through african news email list, and she has kindly agreed to give "some donations" to RSVP. Praise be to God.
NB: You can access the RSVP state of account blog through the link below, using the following details that are valid only until 26/02/2007 (after then only registered readers will have access)
username: readingrsvpblog@yahoo.co.uk
Password: transperency
http://rsvp-monthly-account-report.blogspot.com/
Any questions, comment? u44sm5@abdn.ac.uk
NB: RSVP official are encouraged to publish their comments by using their correct log in details so that readers know who there are.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
This is semi-confidential and has therefore been loaded on the State of Account comment box, which only RSVP Officials and registered users can access.
Link below:
http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1636265808214395553&postID=213637962770796817
Dear all,
just wondering how you will run this excellent charitable work just on voluntary basis?
Will you really cope once you took on more classes of the same school?
Is the voluntary scheme really sustainable in the long term?
Good ideas, but wondering whether you won't end up spending the donors's pennies on huge salaries and bureaucratic costs like other NGOs and charities do.
I like your idea of transparency. If not against the Data Protection Act 1998, hopefully other charities will follow suit.
But, can you keep this even if you started having thousands of donation every month?
All the best.
Dear Anonymous,
I am sorry I will have to refer to you as such. Thank you for your comment.
I am not particularly trained in this area but in spite of basic safeguards suggesting non contravention, I have decided to seek clarifications from the Office of Public Sector Information.
In my understanding, which seems to be consistent with the advice given by the Charity Commission, the data held on the RSVP state of account blog is less likely to be qualified as sensitive personal data, less likely to cause unwarranted distress or damage; and the data subject can see that processing is likely to achieve a legitimate purpose, and they can foresee the purpose for which the data will be used; and finally the data subject is informed, and provides the data.
Your concerns are legitimate and indeed I did receive a scary call about the Data Protection Act a few days ago- there was a complete panic in the camp.
Whilst waiting for the reply from OPSI, may I please invite you to have a look at their web site for the integral Act http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1998/19980029.htm or if you are lay like me at its application to charities on the Charity Commission web site [I have to say after some net surfuring..!!!]? http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/supportingcharities/ogs/g058c005.asp
By the way, it’s not just about the Data Protection Act, it’s also about people who wish to donate according to Mathieu 6:3-4 “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you”.
The problem is, as mentioned previously and as communicated to the volunteers on the ground, that somehow we have managed to earn fame in irresponsibility and corruption whereas other societies have invested lots of efforts to defy this probably inevitable human vice through CCTV camera, robust mechanisms of control etc…
So, how could we maintain transparency if everyone wished to be anonymous? But of course, the donors have lot of choices when it comes to the details they can allow us to publish, provided they remember those details and help us verify whether their payment is accurately reproduced on our monthly records. Different checks will hopefully also be installed to authenticate the monthly bank statement and see whether blog records are consistent with paper records.
Actually, I am willing to suggest to other Officials that we pay back every donation whenever a donor suspects illicit or irresponsible use of their money. May be this is a step too far, but I will try to ask them and assess the implications.
On whether we will remain a voluntary club/society and charity (when this time comes), I will answer affirmatively.
You know what? As soon as people’s money-donors’ money- starts getting into the pockets of those alleging to help my people, I will pack my bags.
So, with God's help I am committed to recruiting as many volunteers as possible so that more hands make light work hence no basis for salaries. And, the generosity shown so far is a clear indication that this will work.
God bless you.
Simon.
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©CHARITY No:SC038526. CONTACT: 101 Willowpark Crescent, AB16 6XU. TREASURY: 4 Wrights Lane, Hilton, Aberdeen, AB24 4RY.