I will be committing 2 weeks (of unpaid leave from work, 25 October - 5 November 2009) teaching English and helping create vital resources (to deliver English training to locals throughout the year) for people employed in an historical and unique reserve in Dana, Jordan.  In strengthening their language skills, the community will be enabled to create a sustainable income for themselves, increasing the likelihood that they can preserve their unique Bedouin way of life and continue to live and work in the reserve.

I have agreed to send £1200 six weeks before I depart on the 25 October 2009 and anything you can donate will make a real difference.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your money is safely sent, from anywhere in the world, directly to The Great Generation.  If you are a UK taxpayer, Gift Aid can also be reclaimed on every donation, so please do write all of your details so that they can claim this, as this can add another 25% or so!

Your donation will ...

go towards the community in two ways. One part helps to set up a microfinance fund in the community, which is used to help local people create livelihoods for themselves. The second part is provided as an infrastructure grant to the community.

Help to create livelihoods through microfinance

The Great Generation is committed to supporting long-term change and enabling people affected by poverty or disaster to help themselves. One way they make this happen is by providing people with a small loan so that they can acquire the assets, training and resources they need to get a job or start a business, such as a sewing co-operative or carpentry apprenticeships. Volunteers work with local people identifying micro enterprise opportunities and use a portion of their fundraising to get one or more of these ventures off the ground. Want to know more about microfinance? click here: http://www.thegreatgeneration.org/info/what-is-micro-credit/

Support investment into local infrastructure

The Great Generation work alongside local people and their project partners to identify and deliver facilities that will bring ongoing benefits to the wider community. Small infrastructure grants provide urgently needed items such as water tanks, sanitation, playgrounds or computer equipment. To find out more about how TGG projects support local infrastructure click here: http://www.thegreatgeneration.org/projects/

About The Great Generation’s Projects

The Great Generation’s Expert Partners are supported in translating their community and organisational needs into a 3 – 5 year partnership vision. All volunteer projects deliver upon this vision, ensuring that volunteer’s time and resources go towards real community and organisational needs. 

The Great Generation runs two types of volunteer projects with Expert Partners: Community Based & Capacity Building.

Community Based Projects

Community-based projects support the work of NGOs and CBOs at a grass roots level:

Deliver “hands on” work in the community

Support Expert Partner delivery in the community 

Case study: Sri Lanka

A team of volunteers worked alongside a local NGO partner in Sri Lanka, Hela Sarana, painting houses and running after-school activity sessions for children. The team also converted a derelict piece of land into a fruit and vegetable garden, and the group’s infrastructure investment provided the fencing, seeds and plants, and a water tank to aid ongoing maintenance. 10 home gardens were then modelled on its design, which now provide a sustainable source of food and income for the community. A number of micro loans were made to support business ideas, including a local village shop and a sustainable rope making enterprise which continue to go from strength to strength. The house painting, after school activities and financial schemes set up by the team have instilled a sense of pride and worth in the community at a time when the Tsunami had taken so much away from their lives.

Capacity Building Projects

Capacity Building projects help NGOs, CBOs and local charities to understand their immediate organisational priorities, accessing a more specialist skills base to increase their impact and efficiency: increasing the capacity of NGOs and CBOs at an organisational level volunteers apply specialist skill sets, particularly in the areas of marketing, communications and finance evaluating projects against strategic organisational priorities.

Case Study: Brazil

A group of specialist volunteers worked with PROATA, an organisation that is dedicated to the study and treatment of eating disorders in Brazil. The team helped to develop a strategic plan for the organisation, helping them to define their vision, mission statement, objectives and priorities. The team completed comprehensive action plans on different organisational needs including data capture, expanding their educational programme and developing their website. The volunteers helped PROATA staff to develop an action plan for the 2009 Annual Brazilian Conference of Eating Disorders and Obesity, which they are hosting, including identifying sponsorship opportunities. Due to a meeting the team organized with the director of a Sao Paulo based company, PROATA now has free access to use the website content management system for their own website, meaning the PROATA team can now regularly update the PROATA website themselves.