What does an average working day consist of for you?                                                                             This can vary dramatically depending upon where I am, as I visit an average of 19 projects every six months across Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda, supporting our project partners in the field. My office work consists of reviewing reports, proposals and other requests from current and potential partners and providing feedback where necessary. I also write project reports, financial reports and impact assessments.

What’s the funniest thing you have seen when working in the field?                                                        I was travelling on public transport to visit a project in a rural community when my neighbour on a bus asked me to hold his chicken for a minute. Unfortunately the chicken needed the toilet and my trousers were the recipient!

What’s your favourite success story?                                                                                                                                                             Betty* an orphan, lost both parents when she was young. Following their deaths she had to leave school as her relatives were not ready to support her with school fees. Her life was very difficult; with no support from extended family, she had to work every day in other peoples’ fields for income.

I remember meeting Betty during this difficult time. She was in a desperate condition and had completely lost hope. However, she became involved with a HOPEHIV project where she received counselling and enrolled in a six month tailoring skills training course. She graduated successfully, and was supported with a sewing machine and other start up materials.

Betty has now set up her own business, and is one of the best and most successful tailors in her village. She has built her own house and married – financing the wedding herself. Betty is also supporting members of her own extended family who were not assisting her before, with food and other basic needs. She is now highly respected within her family.

When I meet Betty recently there were no tears. She had a smile on her face as she said, “I can see a bright future in my life”.                                                                                                                                                                    *Name changed to protect identity.

If you would like to keep updated with our projects why not sign-up to receive our quarterly enews?

Signify are looking for an Administration Assistant to support the Senior Partner. This is a full-time 12-month contract for immediate employment, with the possibility of renewal. The role is primarily office based with standard working hours. However, due to the complexity of the Senior Manager’s schedule and adhoc demands, the candidate will be required to work out of office hours on occasion.

To find out more about the role, read this job spec.

If you are interested in this position, please send your CV to Bernadette Ocampo: 

Email: bernadette@significantleadership.co.uk

Phone: 020 8543 9600

It was another great day for HOPE

Our fantastic runners were husband and wife team Andy and Marian Honess, QlikTech employees Cynthia Mathis and Natasha Mutepuka, and public ballot runner Andrew McLorn. Unfortunately our fifth Gold Bond place runner Philomena Lufkin had to withdraw last month with a broken arm but she still came along with us to join in the cheering!

We were able to track our runners online from the start. HOPEHIV team members Kate and Kasia along with Philomena cheered them through mile 12. The crowds and a nearby band made for an electric atmosphere that saw Andy and Marian stride past us with smiles on their faces. We caught up with Natasha and Cynthia on Tower Bridge and sent them on towards HOPEHIV team members Fiona and Lizzie at Parliament Square, 800 metres from the finish!

Our public ballot runner Andrew was the first to finish followed by Andy and Marian then Cynthia and Natasha.

We are so proud of all our runners and were delighted to see them diving into champagne and chocolates at the end surrounded by family and friends. Thank you to everyone who has supported our runners over the past few months. All our runners commented on how much the support they have received in training for this challenge helped them on their journey to the finish line.

It was very moving it to see the number of black ribbons being worn in support of the people of Boston. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families at this difficult time.

Would you like to run for HOPEHIV in 2014?

We are looking for five runners to join team HOPEHIV for the Virgin London  Marathon race on 20^th April 2014 to help us raise £10,000 for our work in Africa. Find out more.

Though we are a small team, we have a large extended family! Our valued group of HOPEHIV Ambassadors are supporters from all kinds of different backgrounds, countries, sectors and more, who have committed to represent HOPEHIV wherever they go, raising awareness of our work and intentionally looking out for new opportunities.

It was from this thinking that the Social Entrepreneurs Project (SEP) was born, created by Nik in 2004. His commitment to the SEP continues to this day as he launches the project in schools across London and the surrounding areas. Pupils respond with excitement to Nik’s enthusiasm and passion for HOPEHIV as well as the entrepreneurial challenge hesets them.

Read more stories of hope here.

Read more stories of hope here.

TEAM 12IN12 WRAP UP A SUCCESSFUL YEAR WITH THE HOPE TOUR

On 12th December 2012 four members of the amazing 12in12 set off from Harrogate on the HOPE tour, 12 marathons in 12 days. Over the 12 days they made their way down the country, battling daily blisters and muscle pain, finishing victoriously at the gates of Buckingham Palace to rapturous applause. If you want an insight into how it feels to run 12 marathons in 12 days, check out their YouTube channel for their daily video blogs.

The 12in12 have now raised an incredible £146,358.43! Over £18,000 of this was raised during the HOPE tour.

 HOW $10 BECAME $150,000

One of our biggest corporate supporters, QlikTech, held a summit in 2012 which HOPEHIV founder Phil Wall attended. During his talk, Phil launched the QlikTech 1010 Challenge to more than 1,000 employees in attendance. Each person was given a $10 note and challenged to turn it into $100 within 10 weeks.

Those 10 weeks saw QlikTech employees all over the world take on challenges from charity runs, to using their creative skills such as knitting and baking, to holding raffles and auctions, to staging some imaginative events such as a Playstation Singstar challenge, a children’s party for adults and a computer game contest. The goal was to raise $100,000 and they flew by that, raising over $150,000. They documented these challenges in the Book of Hope, which is an inspiring read showing many of the challenges that were undertaken and how much they raised for HOPEHIV.

You can read further about how we’ve partnered with QlikTech here. To find out more about running our Corporate 1010 Challenge at your workplace, contact my colleage Kasia Morgan on kasia@hopehiv.org.

latest edition of inside Hope focuses on Education

The Spring 2013 edition of Inside Hope is hot off the press and ready for your reading pleasure. This issue focuses on education and the hope we see in community schools and classrooms across sub-Saharan Africa. You can view our online version, or sign up to receive a copy in the post here.

 WE SEE HOPE IN JOHN O’NEILL

John O’Neill is a Perfusionist by trade, but spent much more of 2012 outside of the hospital than usual. He was a key player in the incredible 12in12 campaign, which raised over £150,000 for our work. Among other things, this saw John cycling through the night, climbing to great heights, undertaking 1,200 press-ups in 12 hours and eating 12 Krispy Cremes in a row! John felt particularly inspired to continue his journey with us following a visit to our projects in Kenya in early 2013. He has plenty of ideas for new and creative ways to support us, saying, “Fundraising for the charity and becoming part of its extended family has enriched my life. It’s all about bringing HOPEHIV into my world and sharing it with the people I know.”

RUN THE 2014 VIRGIN LONDON MARATHON FOR HOPEHIV!
APPLY TO THE PUBLIC BALLOT AND FOR ONE OF OUR GOLD BOND PLACES TO MAXIMISE YOUR CHANCES. MORE INFO. 

NEWS FROM THE GROUND

PROJECT UPDATE FROM LIZZIE, OUR PROGRAMMES AND FINANCE CO-ORDINATOR

At Malawi Presbyterian Church I met John* (pictured top right), 18, a carpenter who learnt his trade through the vocational training scheme. Before his training John had not been doing anything. He was living a miserable life struggling to buy food and wearing tatty clothes. John said, “I am a changed person these days in the village, I am doing everything myself. I bought a bike and land for 20,000 kwa [approx £35]”. When John’s carpentry business is going well he is earning about 30,000 kwa [approx £50] a month. He is now able to give money towards his younger brother’s school fees and buy items for his family. Now John is training two orphans in carpentry as part of the vocational training scheme and said that when they graduate he would like to train more orphans.

John’s story has inspired me as he has changed his life dramatically for the better but also because he is helping others. He is now able to earn a living to support himself and his family, and currently is teaching two orphan apprentices his trade so that they will be able to do the same in the future.”

*Real name unknown. Pseudonym given.

MORE NEWS

For more HOPEHIV news, check out:

• eNEWS for Schools 
• eNEWS for Churches
• eNEWS for Companies

 TOBIAS: OUR NEW SEP CO-ORDINATOR

Tonbridge School pupil Tobias took part in the Social Entrepreneurs Project (SEP) for HOPEHIV some years ago. Since then his enthusiasm for our cause has led to him assisting with SEP launches in other schools and emailing ideas for engaging with other schools at which he has contacts. Tobias’ commitment meant that in 2013 he became HOPEHIV’s first Schools SEP Co-ordinator. In this role he promotes the SEP and the work of HOPEHIV to peers and teachers at other schools in the hope that they too will get involved. Tobias hopes to continue supporting HOPEHIV at university in the coming years where he is planning to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

NEW SCHOOLS RESOURCE PACKS

We are very excited to announce the launch of new HOPEHIV school resource packs. The packs are aimed at different age groups and each has a different focus. Our Primary and Pre-Prep School pack encourages running a read-a-thon while the Prep and Secondary School pack maintains its focus on the SEP. Both feature new fundraising ideas, posters, a quiz and ‘a day in the life of an African school child’ resource.
If you would like to get your school involved with fundraising for HOPEHIV please contact me.

latest edition of inside Hope focuses on Education

The Spring 2013 edition of Inside Hope is hot off the press and ready for your reading pleasure. This issue focuses on education and the hope we see in community schools and classrooms across sub-Saharan Africa. You can view our online version, or sign up to receive a copy in the post here.

WE SEE HOPE IN NIK PEARS

Head of Sevenoaks Prep, Nik Pears is a long-term friend and supporter of HOPEHIV having known Phil Wall when he first met Zodwa in 1997. Inspired by Phil’s story and desire to go beyond success, into the realms of significance, Nik wanted to encourage his pupils to do the same; “As teachers, many of us are driven by a similar desire, for ourselves and those we teach. Whilst recognising and understanding the importance of examinations and qualifications, we are motivated to help ‘grow’ well-rounded children.  Children who then become young men and women – not only intent on achieving great success but who are also aware of the world and its issues”.

It was from this thinking that the Social Entrepreneurs Project (SEP) was born, created by Nik in 2004. His commitment to the SEP continues to this day as he launches the project in schools across London and the surrounding areas. Pupils respond with excitement to Nik’s enthusiasm and passion for HOPEHIV as well as the entrepreneurial challenge he sets them.

If you think your school would be interested in running the SEP or you would like to know more please do not hesitate to contact me.

NEWS FROM THE GROUND 

PROJECT UPDATE FROM LIZZIE, OUR PROGRAMMES AND FINANCE CO-ORDINATOR

 

 

 

 

 

“In March this year, I travelled to Malawi with HOPEHIV CEO Mark and Africa Director Oswald. One of the partners we visited was Malawi Presbyterian Church, where we met members of the community who set-up and run the Early Childhood Development centres (ECD) for under sevens, and ‘Children’s Corners’ for youths. Our partner also trains orphan guardians and volunteers in enterprise and establishes Village Savings and Loans scheme. Older orphans are offered vocational training such as carpentry, welding or tailoring and provided with start up materials.

While spending a day in the Sanjani community in the ECD centre I spoke to the care workers, parents and guardians of children who attend the centre. They told us how much the children were learning at the centre, including English  praying and how to share food and possessions. The guardians explained to us that the ECD centres allow children to interact with other children, including orphans which previously would not have happened due to stigma around orphans. Before the project began in Bilira there was no guarantee that children would receive a hot meal. Now they do, as the centre provides a nutritious hot meal a day which has resulted in a change in behaviour. We were told that previously they would quarrel as they had nothing else to do but now they have been taught about manners and respect.

The head teacher from the local primary school came to tell us how much the ECD helps the children. “The children impress the teachers when they attend school, the teachers do not face a challenge teaching the children”. The children who attend have an advantage when the start primary school and we saw this when we arrived at the centre as the children showed us what they had learnt reciting the days of the week, months and the alphabet in english.

One guardian said that “Children going to school look healthy and they are proud – even the orphans were sad and now they are happy and smiling.”

RUN THE 2014 VIRGIN LONDON MARATHON FOR HOPEHIV!
APPLY TO THE PUBLIC BALLOT AND FOR ONE OF OUR GOLD BOND PLACES TO MAXIMISE YOUR CHANCES. MORE INFO. 

 

MORE NEWS

 

For more HOPEHIV news, check out:

• eNEWS for Companies
• eNEWS for Churches
• eNEWS for Everyone

REWARDING RELATIONSHIPS

We’ve been delighted to hear that not one, but two, of our corporate partners have recently been celebrated for their inspiring efforts to support our work.

QlikTech were awarded the PR News CSR Award  for “CSR on a Shoestring” in February. This was in recognition of the hundreds of fundraising initiatives, events and schemes undertaken by QlikTech employees round the world in response to the 1010 challenge set to them last year, raising an incredible $150,000 for our work. Having watched everything from sponsored jalapeno eating to flamenco shawl making, Maria Scurry, Head of QlikTech’s PR and Communications, says the 1010 challenge was “officially the highlight of my career at QlikTech (really, how can Time Magazine and an IPO compare to this?)”

Hot on their heels, Six Degrees Group won the “Inspired CSR Award” at The Know List Awards 2013 in March, for their CSR programme, Six Degrees of Hope. The programme has seen employees golfing, baking, pub-quizzing, auctioning and cycling their way to an amazing £80,000 raised so far for our work. CEO Alastair Mills - who pledged company matching for all funds raised by employees – says, “Whilst building a brand new company through multiple acquisitions, Six Degrees of Hope helped define our culture and identity, while giving us a cause behind which the growing team can unite.”

Well deserved all round we say!

HOLIDAY HELP

This recent hint of Spring will prompt many of us to turn our thoughts towards holiday planning. Alisdair Luxmoore, Founder of bespoke holiday company, Fleewinter has thought of a great way to send people off to the sun while also engaging them in supporting HOPEHIV. For each holiday booking in South Africa, Fleewinter donates £10 to one of our projects there and, at the point of purchase, asks the client to consider matching or bettering this donation. 

Last year, Fleewinter and their customers raised over £3,000 for the work of HOPEHIV project partner, Umthombo, which works with young people on the streets of Durban.  Following this success, the company has just adopted their second project, Siyathuthuka Home Based Care through Hands@Work South Africa, which serves some of the most vulnerable children in Mpumalanga Province. For us, it’s a great example of a small company generating a steady stream of income for HOPEHIV. By finding a genuine link with its product, Fleewinter is able to promote our work to its customer base with a high degree of integrity. Alisdair says, “You would think there could be nothing simpler than giving some money to a good cause in South Africa but finding one was incredibly difficult.  HOPEHIV made this possible by identifying programmes where 100% of our cash makes an impact, and we are able to show our clients and contributors the benefit their generosity is producing.”

latest edition of inside Hope focuses on Education

The Spring 2013 edition of Inside Hope is hot off the press and ready for your reading pleasure. This issue focuses on education and the hope we see in community schools and classrooms across sub-Saharan Africa. You can view our online version, or sign up to receive a copy in the post here.

we see hope in our ambassadors

PHIL WALL AND DAUGHTER ISOBELLE RE-VISIT ETHEMBENI

As many of you will know, in 1997 HOPEHIV founder Phil Wall visited Ethembeni orphanage in Johannesburg where he met a little girl called Zodwa, which is where the HOPEHIV story began. In April 2013 Phil returned to South Africa with his daughter Isobelle. I asked Isobelle how she felt about her visit;

“Spending time in the place where it all began was great. Standing there I was just thinking, ‘Wow! 16 years ago my dad met a little girl that changed my parents’ lives HERE.’ It was slightly weird if I’m totally honest, but seeing my dad get all choked up in the playroom made the whole concept so much more real. 

Visiting the projects really meant a lot to me. Apart from being able to challenge myself it gave me a chance to really appreciate the positive side of things. We’re often shown clips of the starving, hurting and dying people, trying to convince us to pay three pounds a month to charities, but we’re never really shown the incredibly positive impact that our money and work is having on communities and families. So being able to witness the amazing changes in people’s lives definitely meant a lot to me, as well as being able to convince and remind the care workers of the beautiful work that they are doing, even if they can’t see it themselves all of the time”.

Read more about Isobelle’s experience on our blog.

SPRING PRAYER FOCUS 

Starting this month, we will be featuring a prayer in our eNEWS for Churches written by one of our church supporters for the children and vulnerable young people that we support. We hope that these prayers will be helpful guides in your personal contemplation and reflections.

The prayer for this eNEWS edition comes from Jago Wynne, Associate Rector at Holy Trinity Church, Clapham, who supported HOPEHIV through a celebratory Carol Service of the HOPE Tour (more on this below) in December. He has chosen to focus on our economic empowerment work, taking the lead from John’s story in our project update (also below).

Heavenly Father, 

We pray for more and more orphans to be able to enroll in vocational training or start their own businesses. We pray that you would give them the courage and the vision and the opportunities to be able to do this. We pray this so that all may go well with them, and so that their souls will be getting along well (3 John 2). We pray that through the work of HOPEHIV and the resources they provide, these young people will see your hand upon them. We pray that they will grow in their love of the One who is the truth, and that they will continue to walk in the truth (3 John 3). We pray this for their benefit and for the benefit of their communities.  We also pray this for our own benefit as we experience joy as we hear how You are at work in their lives as they walk in the truth (3 John 4). We pray this, above all, for your glory and honour. 

In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

 THANK YOU HOLY TRINITY BROMPTON!

Over a three year period ending in January 2013, Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) London partnered with HOPEHIV to extend our emotional and social support programme – Mama Mkubwa – to two new communities in Tabore, Tanzania. A poverty-stricken region with high HIV rates, Tabore has limited access to education and a presence of cultural practices that has left approximately 6,000 children in this area orphaned or vulnerable. It is in this environment that Mama Mkubwa has worked through churches to identify, train and equip village volunteers to set up kids clubs which provide a safe place for play and trauma therapy.

Thanks to HTB’s support, the programme has reached 1,375 orphaned and vulnerable children through the weekly kids clubs – over 500 more than the original project target.  Orphans and vulnerable children themselves report a clear and  noticeable reduction in the stigma and isolation they’ve experienced since the clubs started. These three years have shown that Mama Mkubwa Tabore is steadily helping negative attitudes towards young people affected by HIV/AIDS to change for the better. This is truly phenomenal, and we’re hugely grateful for the hope that the HTB family has helped bring into their lives. Do read our final report on this mission partnership to find out more about the amazing results that HTB has helped us achieve. If you’d like to undertake anything similar with your own church family, do drop me an email!

latest edition of inside Hope focuses on Education

The Spring 2013 edition of Inside Hope is hot off the press and ready for your reading pleasure. This issue focuses on education and the hope we see in community schools and classrooms across sub-Saharan Africa. You can view our online version, or sign up to receive a copy in the post here.

WE SEE HOPE IN SARAH O’NEILL

Sarah O’Neill is a personal trainer and nutritionist. In 2012, she committed not only to undertaking 12 sporting events throughout the year to raise money for us, but also persuaded 27 other people to do the same, undertaking everything from marathons to London to Paris cycle rides to bog snorkelling! Through the ‘12 in 12’, Sarah and her friends managed to generate a phenomenal £146,358.43. Watch this video diary entry from the HOPE Tour for a taster of the physical and mental pain that the team endured.

“As the idea of the 12in12 grew, so did my desire to support HOPEHIV. I’m drawn to the charity’s efficiency in getting funds to where they are needed the most, their commitment to help those in some of the most challenging situations, and the passion and commitment of their project partners”. Now a HOPEHIV Ambassador, Sarah volunteers one day a week of her time to the HOPEHIV office, using her expertise in sporting events to enhance our fundraising capacity.

KNOW ANY YOUTH WORKERS?

WE WOULD LOVE TO ENGAGE MORE YOUNG PEOPLE WITH OUR WORK. IF YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO WORKS IN THIS FIELD, OR ARE A YOUTH WORKER YOURSELF, PLEASE  CONTACT KATE.

NEWS FROM THE GROUND

PROJECT UPDATE FROM LIZZIE, OUR PROGRAMMES AND FINANCE CO-ORDINATOR

At Malawi Presbyterian Church I met John* (pictured top left), 18, a carpenter who learnt his trade through the vocational training scheme. Before his training John had not been doing anything. He was living a miserable life struggling to buy food and wearing tatty clothes. John said, “I am a changed person these days in the village, I am doing everything myself. I bought a bike and land for 20,000 kwa [approx £35]”. When John’s carpentry business is going well he is earning about 30,000 kwa [approx £50] a month. He is now able to give money towards his younger brother’s school fees and buy items for his family. Now John is training two orphans in carpentry as part of the vocational training scheme and said that when they graduate he would like to train more orphans.

John’s story has inspired me as he has changed his life dramatically for the better but also because he is helping others. He is now able to earn a living to support himself and his family, and currently is teaching two orphan apprentices his trade so that they will be able to do the same in the future.”

*Real name unknown. Pseudonym given.

MORE NEWS

For more HOPEHIV news, check out:

• eNEWS for Schools 
• eNEWS for Companies
• eNEWS for Everyone