December will be an exhilarating and crucial month for Evie Grace Foundation. We are spreading our wings as we emerge from lockdown, and have our eye on a critical fundraising goal. To meet this goal, we’ll spend the last four weeks of 2020 participating in Global Giving’s Accelerator Program.
What’s Global Giving? It’s an international crowd funding platform that enables fledgling Not-for Profit Organisations to achieve global reach, and achieve their life saving aspirations.
What’s the Accelerator Program? It’s a one-month fundraising campaign, kickstarting on ‘GivingTuesday’ on the 1st of December, in which a charity must raise $5000 USD, sourced from a minimum of 40 donors. If we reach our funding target by 31st December 2020, we will secure a permanent position on Global Giving’s online platform, as a partner.
What will a Permanent Position with Global Giving enable Evie Grace Foundation to Achieve? Global Giving will provide us ongoing tailored support and guidance in how to best manage our account, and help us with press releases, and fundraising campaigns to draw attention to and promote our cause. Global Giving’s expert guidance will enable us to strengthen relationships and hone correspondence with our loyal donors. But significantly, the platform, with its wealth of experience supporting global NGOs, will help us reach donors and supporters in the UK, US, and around the world.
What are the important dates that will help Evie Grace reach its fundraising goal? The 1st of December is ‘Giving Tuesday’, a yearly event and a worldwide movement. On the first Tuesday of every December, individuals and organisations throughout the world dig deep and assist NGOs with small and large fundraising projects. Schools run baking stalls, companies run music events, and all manner of generous people get to feel the buzz of making a difference by contributing to their favourite cause. For Evie Grace, Giving Tuesday will mark the first day of our Global Giving Fundraiser. Our volunteers have been working tirelessly to put together an array of fundraising projects to kick us off with a bang, including a raffle, a movie event, a trivia night, yoga in the park sessions, drink and draw events and online fundraisers. We are so excited to finally be able to get these projects up and running after what has been a difficult year. Despite this, we still need your help! You could assist us by donating directly, holding a small fundraising event of your own, or by simply spreading awareness of our campaign. Please feel free to contact us at info@eviegrace.org if you would like to discuss any fundraising strategies with us, we are always happy to help!
Why is all this funding needed? Because we have a dream. Our dream is to build a fully sustainable, therapeutic home for street children and youths in Malawi. This dream is becoming more tangible every day. We are drawing up architectural designs, planning to purchase land, and in the early stages of setting up a volunteer program for construction. Ideally the home will be built by the end of 2021. Once it’s established, our compassionate and expertly trained local social workers will provide these children with therapeutic support, utilising Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDD), in order to overcome their past trauma. They will be assisted and supported throughout their time at the home to heal, thrive, and, if circumstances allow, be reintegrated into their families and communities.
This is a huge dream, and we can’t achieve it alone. That’s why being a Global Giving Partner could really define Evie Grace’s progress in 2021. It’s why we are equally excited and nervous. And it’s why we deeply appreciate any funds people can offer us in this window of time. Our supporters don’t just donate funds, they actively contribute to saving the lives of vulnerable children living on the streets. There are an estimated one million orphaned children in Malawi, half of whom have lost their parents to AIDS. Other children and youths end up on the street due to endemic poverty. The things that homeless children endure in Malawi defy belief, and are unimaginable to people in the developed world. Children as young as infants wake everyday knowing that their lives are in danger. They are forced to sell sex in exchange for food, heightening their risk of AIDS, trafficking and harm. Substance abuse is not uncommon for them, as many suffer such atrocities every day, relying on drugs and alcohol is the only way to numb the pain. There is no opportunity to seek education, medical attention or employment to break from this vicious cycle of poverty and deprivation. Given the tragedy of their current predicament, Evie Grace is more determined than ever to rescue these children and show them compassion and care. We will provide them with the support of a secure, loving environment that empowers them to become self-reliant, productive and healthy members of their communities.
We welcome you on this journey. As you can see, the benefits of graduating into Global Giving’s platform will be many and varied, but the stakes are high. We are pulling out all the stops to reach our fundraising target by the 31st December. Will you join us?
Together with your support, we can help these girls break from cycles of poverty, gain new skills and confidence, and achieve their dreams. Help us build a safe, transitional home for street girls in Malawi in 2021.
Follow our Global Giving journey on our dedicated Facebook page!
To find out more about how you can support our Therapeutic Home for Girls, including our ‘Fund a Room’ program, see here.
Written by Lucy Oliver
