Being in charge means thinking ahead. At times it is fun to make plans for the near future. Not all plans directly relate to what happens at the community home, but indirectly all of them do. Because if we are not actively busy improving the welfare of our resident core members, we work towards higher levels of awareness about intellectual disability in society, in different ways.
Because of COVID-19 we are more limited in our out-reach work. This leaves us feeling a little bereft, because bringing our work to the attention of the society around is a crucial part of our mission. But for now we need to hang in there, mainly indoors. Nicaragua is still in the middle of ‘the virus’, and it is of course better to prevent illness than hoping to be able to cure it.
Global Giving
Like other organisations, we have adjusted by doing more work on line. Fortunately the Ruach Foundation is a member of Global Giving, a platform which supports over 5,000 small charities world-wide raising their profile with the aim of raising awareness for their causes and getting funding for their work from English-speakers.
So we are currently busy entering the Ruach Foundation into a Global Giving photo contest competing for a money prize; and we are preparing for the annual Little by Little Matching campaign. ‘We’ is a team consisting of my daughter Daniella in Ecuador, and long-term friend Eric Jager in England and myself. Together we draft the various messages and blogs, and have selected the two photographs for the contest, and these photos have pride of place on the Ruach pages of our Global Giving projects.
Yes, projects, plural!! We have recently opened the ‘Ruach Optics’ project on the Global giving website, a first step in fulfilling our dream to start a shop for affordable spectacles and related optical services. With ‘Ruach Optics’ we hope to gain more financial independence, as we, little by little, will reduce our dependence on international donations. Please help us in getting the funding for the spectacles shop off the ground by supporting our photo contest in August and the Little by Little campaign in September.
Photo contest
We hope that at least one of our two submissions will be among the best 100 pictures selected by Global Giving. We’ll hear about that by August 10. The selected 100 pictures will feature prominently on the Global Giving website, after which the public can cast their votes for the picture they think best. If our entries get to the voting stage, we’ll let you know via email or WhatsApp. Voting will take place from 17 to 21 August. Everyone person can cast one vote. Please stay alert.
Interestingly, some time back we came first in a similar campaign called Book4Life by the Wereldwinkel (Fair Trade shop) in Groningen, the Netherlands.
Little by Little campaign (14-18 September)
Global Giving’s ´Little by Little Campaign´is a 5-day crowd funding campaign designed to show the power of the crowd and show that small donations in dollars, (or euros or sterling), can add up to big change. Moreover, all donations up to $50 will be matched at 50% with the promise that matching funds will not run out!
The Ruach Foundation would also like to compete for an extra bonus prize of $2000, $1000, $500, $300 or $100 for ranking among the top 5 charities in the category ‘Most Unique Donors’. Please ask as many friends as you can to also make the minimum donation of $5 for the ‘Ruach Optics’ project. Donating is possible via the link of the Ruach Optics project the website of Global Giving. We also will keep you informed via the Facebook of Vivir Juntos.
Many small stones in a pond can cause big ripples, i.e. big change. Let’s show the world how much we can achieve together!
