Katie Newman – Children’s Student Nurse – University of the West of England – Bristol. (2012)

As a result of work funded by a Charitable Foundation, WYCE now has a strategic plan, a fundraising strategy and a strategy for generating income from overseas volunteers coming to work on the project and stay in its lodge in Madina Salaam. This is an important source of income for WYCE; the latest group to go out there raised £4,500 in the UK which has not only paid their lodge fees but also funded their volunteer work completing new staff houses and digging and preparing footings for a final block of school classrooms, which are needed before the new school year starts in September 2012.

Most importantly, as result of the £60,000 invested directly into it by this Charitable Foundation, the charity has been able to undertake a full operational audit of all its Gambian operations, set up a new tile and brick-making business in Madina that is teaching trade skills, creating jobs, and generating income, fund six months’ running costs in the UK and the Gambia and, for the first time ever, create an operating reserve equivalent to around four months’ running costs from its other income.

This has already significantly increased its sustainability, and the future looks exciting. However, the Charitable Foundation that was previously supporting us has indicated that, whilst supportive of further investment, they are unlikely to be able to offer additional grant funding before the second half of 2012, due to their other commitments. WYCE has recently submitted over £300,000 worth of applications to other UK trusts for core and project funding over the next three years and continues to identify and approach other potential funders, so we are confident that a sufficient number of these will bear enough fruit to enable the strategic plan to be implemented in the current year. In the meantime, it is costing us around £1,300 per month for a small office and two part-time staff in the UK and £4,300 for the whole compound and 58 staff in the Gambia, so our operating reserve will quickly be eroded if we do not attract some short term funding whilst waiting for the outcomes of these major bids.

We are looking for between £3,000 and £5,000 a month to cover the UK operations indefinitely, to be able to continue funding the school, medical centre, malaria prevention project, water storage project and skills and employment development activities in the Gambia.

We need YOUR help to raise enough funds to continue doing so.

Do you think this is something you could support in any small (or large way)?

Please get in touch if you feel you can help.

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