Welcome to Basti Ram's latest blog. As we venture from a monumentaly wet spring into a busy summer we are hoping this rain clears up for our upcoming events, many of which are taking place outside!
Since our last blog in February we have been lucky enough to have Rachel Stovold join us for two months through the Vodafone World of Difference programme. This funded Rachel's position as a fundraising officer and she has been working hard writing an exciting project proposal aimed at boys living in our linked Rajasthani destitute home for children and young people. In between writing Rachel also found time to promote Basti Ram as a Duke of Edinburgh Approved Activity Provider at the South East Duke of Edinburgh Regional Conference. We can't thank Rachel enough for her dedicated hard work, we wish her every luck for the future as she ventures to Delhi but will miss her (come back soon Rachel!).
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| Rachel at the South East Duke of Edinburgh Conference, Windsor. |
The March 2012 photography project was a complete success and a further eight young men from our linked destitute children's home very enthusiastically learnt how to use a camera for the very first time. A UK volunteer from this project is currently displaying a selection of images from this project in Watford, if you are in the area please do show your support by checking it out: http://www.facebook.com/Space2Watford
The team have been busy recruiting young people for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Beyond Boundaries III Project, 2012. This amazing 6 month opportunity is open to young people whom are resident of Barking and Dagenham, aged 16-18 and not in employment, education or training. The closing date for applicants is fast approaching (17th May 2012), so if you or anyone you may know who meets this criteria and is interested in getting motivated and inspired please email bastiram.katherine@gmail.com We are very excited to soon be getting immersed in one of our passions, group work!
Basti Ram is pleased to announce we are now set up on JustTextGiving. You can donate as little as £2 from your mobile phone by texting BARA04 to 70070 and kindly help towards providing a mobile school library for the boys in our destitute children's home. This will contribute to our long-term vision of equiping the boys with the skills and knowledge to seek less-hazardous, decent employment once they are 18 and reduce the risk of them becoming exploited.
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| Basti Ram would like to thank all of our supporters for your generous donations |
And as summer (ahem!?) is nearly here we are pleased to annouce we will be exhibiting at the following upcoming events:
19th May 2012, 11am to 5pm: Basti Ram are looking forward to exhibiting at the PICS Festival. This
one-day festival will feature a photographic exhibition showcasing
projects
that aim to bring about positive social change through photography,
alongside a programme of talks, panel discussions and workshops
(including Sensory Photography and Visual Literacy). The festival will
feature examples of photojournalism, participatory photography, citizen
journalism and sensory photography, among others. Register your FREE
place for this event at
http://www.photovoice.org/events/article/pics-festival-2012.-photographic-images-changing-society
and don't forget to come and say hi to us at our stall!
4th June 2012, 11.30am to 7pm: Basti Ram will have a stall at the family friendly Redbridge Green Fair, held in the lovely Valentines Park, Ilford. Come down and eat samosas and drink chai with us at our stall or if you are feeling generous give us a helping hand!
9th and 10th June 2012, starting at midday: The London Green Fair is the leading free environmental festival held in Regents Park. The festival provides a platform for organisations like us to come together and celebreate all that is good about our city! We can't wait and we hope to see you there!
15th June 2012, 12pm to 6.30pm: Celebration Day! As part of Small Charities Week Basti Ram will be celebrating the work and impact of small charities on communities across the country. There will be showcases, performances and demonstrations from a range of small charities. Based in Russell Square, London please come and say hi! http://www.smallcharityweek.com/
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Amongst all of the above we have squezzed in some valuable staff training on 'Being Prepared for International Volunteering' and 'Supporting and Advancing Volunteers', given talks and presentations at linked educational establishments in the UK on the possibility of NGO Management students spending their placements with Basti Ram, have undertaken a massive volunteer drive and are working to achieve the PQASSO Standard and the Fairtrade Volunteering accreditation.
The PQASSO Quality Mark, is a nationally recognised award that offers users as well as commissioners and funders external verification of the quality and credibility of an organisation. The Fairtrade Volunteering accreditation is to evidence to our past, present and future volunteers that their money and presence benefits the local community when they volunteer with us - so please keep a look out for their logos on our website soon!
Thank you for reading our blog and showing your support for Basti Ram. If you would like to find out more about the work we do or how you could get involved please contact info@bastiram.org
or +44 (0) 7515 857 865.
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