Update on Shakti Samuha, June 2012

Posted on 18/06/2012 by lizagreen

At our June 11 members meeting in Hong Kong, Zein Williams from Child Welfare Scheme Nepal (CWS), spoke about her recent visit to Shakti in Pokhara. CWS project manages Shakti on the ground and assists with fundraising, staffing and ongoing management. You can read an exerpt of Zein’s feedback below or download the Mid year report May 2012- FINAL for more information. Please contact New Day project leader Danny den Hartog on dannydenhartog@yahoo.com about joining the New Day visit to Shakti on September 30 – October 1, 2012.

The Hong Kong team visited the project in March 2012 and found that the atmosphere in the house was relaxed and peaceful. For security reasons, the house has no name and no logo and a female guard is posted at the door at all times. Inside the house, all 11 resident girls greeted us with smiles. We toured the house and found the rooms clean, simple and decorated with drawings done by the girls. The rooftop area and garden provides a secure outdoor gathering place to socialize and play at the end of the day. Anisha, the project director, drops in and out the house every day. She is warm and affectionate, the girls seem to have a great bond with her.

When we arrived early evening, Anisha, Suman (the male project officer) and the resident housemother were present in the house. Some of the girls and the housemother were preparing dinner while others were watching television. We all sat together, drank tea and everyone introduced themselves in English.

The girls seemed to be very happy to use their language skills. Some of the more extraverted girls asked us if and when we will be coming back. There were a few girls who were shy and did not speak up and we were told that one of the girls had not spoken since arriving in the house a few months ago therefore they do not know her background.

We thoroughly enjoyed this relaxed, engaging exchange. It was a happy visit, and we felt sincerely welcomed by everyone in the house. We can’t wait to go back. Perhaps next time we will bring along some pictures of our lives and some books or games to interact a bit longer with the girls!

During the past six months:

40 girls have been supported and 11 new girls joined the shelter
6 girls were reintegrated with their families and 3 girls left the shelter (one with her baby) to live in anindependent living facility
8 girls were rehabilitated for long term support
11 girls received formal education training
5 girls benefited from different vocational training skills, e.g. caregiver, housekeeping
All the girls living in the shelter benefited from regular medical check-ups and basic counselling
6 girls were provided legal support to obtain their birth certificate or their citizenship and identity card

New Day funds Shakti Samuha, Pokhara – Nepal

Posted on 05/03/2012 by lizagreen

Shakti Samuha (‘Power Group’) was established in Nepal in 1996. by women survivors of trafficking and violence.

The project supported by New Day is an emergency shelter in Pokhara which provides a place of safety and recovery for girls who are victims of sexual abuse and exploitation or at imminent risk of such abuse.It was established in 2007.

Girls who are referred to the project are supported through a rehabilitation process followed by a social reintegration process (with their families wherever possible). Services provided include emergency shelter, counseling, health care, sexual and reproductive health, education, legal support, awareness and risk reduction (HIV/AIDS, substance abuse), social rehabilitation, family reintegration, vocational training, residential support and business/ employment support.

This service is vital in a country where bonded labour and the trafficking of girls is rampant. Every year around 50 girls benefited from this life saving facility, they have been rescued from a life of exploitation, pain and loneliness, but there is still much to do as their recovery process can sometimes be extremely long.

I visited this project with my wife in August 2011 while on holiday to Nepal. The visit was organized by CWS (Child Welfare Scheme), a partner of Shakti Samuha in Pokhara. CWS provides valuable project management skills and capacity-building through training and systems development.

We were impressed about the love and care that the staff gives to these girls, who have been deprived of this most of their lives. The girls really see the manager as a mother figure. She can relate very well to what the girls went through because of her own experiences. The shelter is a very safe place but with the doors always open thegirls do not feel trapped and are there by their own choice. The visit made a lasting impression on us and I’m thrilled that New Day decided to support this project, so that they can continue with their fantastic work. You can view the presentation on Shakti Samuha from our January 10, 2012 member’s meeting here: New Day January 2012 Meeting Presentation(Shakti)

Danny den Hartog – New Day member

New Day member’s Meeting – January 10, 2012.

Posted on 21/02/2012 by lizagreen

Chris Green presenting at the meeting.

New Day held a Member’s Meeting at Grappa’s in Hong Kong on January 10, 2012. You can view an edited version of the evening’s presentation here: New Day January 2012 Meeting Presentation. We approved funding for a new project in Nepal, Shakti Samuha, led by New Day member Danny den Hartog. Our funding of Daughters of Cambodia, Kalki, Children’s Surgical Centre and LOVEQTRA continues into 2012. At the meeting we learned about the New Day visit to Phnom Penh in November 2011 and we enjoyed a video from the founders of LOVEQTRA and a media presentation illustrating our involvement in the Kalki project by New Day member Raf Sanchez.

New uniforms for the girls at Kampong Cham

Posted on 06/12/2011 by lizagreen

The girls at Kampong Cham Centre in their new uniforms.

During our New Day trip to Phnom Penh on November 25, we visited the Afesip offices to discuss ongoing developments at the Kampong Cham Centre. The existing New Day/Norton Rose grant will stretch into 2012 to fund an on-site counselor at the Centre. While we were there we were able to deliver 30 sets of school uniforms donated by the Glenealy ESF School PTA in Hong Kong. A big thank you to New Day member Scarlett Mattoli for arranging this donation!

New Day Visit to Children’s Surgical Center – November 2011

Posted on 06/12/2011 by lizagreen

New Day members with Eric Gonzales of CSC

On November 25, New Day members visited the Children’s Surgical Center in Phnom Penh to learn more about the amazing work they are doing and get an update on the grant that we disbursed earlier this year for their Obstetric Fistula program. You can read about the visit in the below post from New Day member Shannon Rogers:

The first thing we noticed driving up to the CSC was all the work going on! The CSC is in the process of adding on to their building in order to double their space. When complete, there will be 100 beds and space for 8-10 surgeries at a time. Based on the demands they are seeing – the space will be put to use!

The New Day Grant of $10,000 for Obstetric Fistula Surgeries has not been fully utilized yet. In total, the CSC has done 15 OF Surgeries, and most of the women have had the problem for over 20 years. The surgeries can be complex, and only about 50% are successful after one procedure. Follow-up surgeries are often needed.

The UNFPA recently had a $20,000 grant that was allocated to an organization that addressed the Obstetric Fistula problem in Cambodia. Thanks to the education/publicity campaign that was funded by New Day, the UNPFA was directed to CSC. They are now known as the NGO that is addressing this problem, and are the recipients of the grant!! A team from CSC is now spending a month traveling around the countryside of Cambodia to spread the word about the Obstetric Fistula and Acid Burn programs. Due to the great shame on the part of the victim and the families, many victims are hidden away and can be difficult to find. The scope of the problem is still unknown. Unfortunately, based on a rough estimate of about 5% of women in Cambodia receiving medical attention during pregnancy and delivery, it is likely a large problem. Dr. Jim stated that the Acid Burn Program also started out this way. As soon as word gets out and people learn there is a place to go – the victims will start coming.

In addition to the Education/Publicity campaign, Dr. Jim is also hoping to utilize the UN relationship to get some specialty training for the surgeons in the area of Obstetric Fistulas.

New Day Visit to Daughters of Cambodia – November 2011

Posted on 06/12/2011 by lizagreen

On November 24, New Day members Chris and Liza Green, Shannon Rogers, Georgie Kirkaldie and Amanda Clarke from Linklaters – our co-funders – visited Daughters in Phnom Penh. Our visit gave us a chance to review our first grant (you can read the report here: New Day. Daughters Report 2011) as well as discuss the details of our second grant that was disbursed in November (you can read the grant proposal here: Daughters New Day proposal 2011). Our grant covered all the expenses listed except for the silk screening business and the move to new premises as this is still pending.

A poster made by the Daughters clients on the wall of the Sewing Room

You can read about our visit in this post from New Day member Shannon Rogers:

Daughters had a very busy year working on the quality and efficiency of their Fair Trade Businesses. They are growing and have space for additional clients.

The Cafe: We had an opportunity to have lunch in the Cafe over the shop. There was a marked improvement in the service and food quality. Business has been doing well.

The Spa: This has also been much busier than expected. Initially the jewelry business was moved over to the Shop space in order to train the women in both Spa services and Jewelry making – making better use of their time. However, the Spa has been so busy that there has been little time for Jewelry making.

The Jewelry Business: To address the demand, additional clients were moved over to the Shop workspace to focus on the Jewelry. It was determined that the Jewelry line is the biggest seller in the store, so Daughters is working to capitalize on that.

The Daycare: There are over 20 young children in the daycare now, many of which are babies. The clients working in the Sewing Room also rotate through the daycare, giving them a chance to spend time with the children and learn parenting skills. Daughters has a relationship with several NGO schools for placement of all the school aged children of clients.

The Men’s Program: Daughters started a program to work with husband’s of clients who are abusive. The Social Workers have been going to the clients homes and working with the men on behavioral management techniques. Behavioral improvements have been seen and the Social Workers would like to continue building on this program.

The Woodworking Program: A new line of wood carvings has been designed and the clients in the Sons program are being trained in woodworking skills. They are also responsible for all the coconut buttons and coconut pieces used in the clothing and jewelry lines.

The Sewing Room: Most of the New Day Grant in 2011 went to the Sewing Room. Training courses were provided to 18 clients and 4 staff, covering pattern cutting, production management, and production techniques. Socheata, the Sewing Room Manager, stated that the training have dramatically improved the efficiency in the sewing room and the quality of the products. She also noted that the clients were taking much greater pride in their work – stating that they feel like they are actually part of a real business, not just an NGO. The trainings, new equipment purchased with help from New Day, and a new inventory system has really streamlined the business. They are selling through their online catalog and their shop.

Based on such positive feedback on the training programs both from a business perspective and a psychological perspective, we discussed the possibility of further trainings. Ruth will investigate if there are more advance modules. Also, the clients who participated in the trainings were literate. So we discussed ways in which illiterate clients could participate in the future, whether GIPC has a program, or if a buddy system or a pre-training program could work, so that all clients could benefit from the program.

A big challenge discussed for the Sewing Room is the difficulty in sourcing fabric. Based on the amount purchased, they tend to buy scraps and have a difficult time finding the same fabric again. This can be a challenge for larger orders and/or managing catalog buyers expectations.

An overall challenge right now is the limitations and poor physical state of the existing workshop. Ruth is actively looking for a new space in Phnom Penh. They are hoping to move in the near future and this will increase their expenses.

Daughters is really utilizing volunteers to develop their designs, implement an inventory system, run the daycare, etc. We met a group of committed volunteers, staff, and clients.

Members Meeting – June 14 2011

Posted on 27/09/2011 by lizagreen

On June 14 we held a meeting for our members in Hong Kong. There were presentations and talks by Chris Green, Liza Green, Kim Cheung, Dana Barrett and Caroline Basham. You can download the presentation on our projects and financial projections here: Members meeting June 14 2011

Kampong Cham Centre Counseling Services Program update – September 2011

Posted on 23/09/2011 by lizagreen

Creating messages of hope for the tree planting ceremony

The Counseling and Psychological Services program for the girls at the AFESIP Kampong Cham Centre continues to make progress and provide invaluable psychological care and healing. New Day funded Year 1 of this 3 year program in December 2010 and visited the centre in May 2011 along with our corporate co-funding partner, Norton Rose. The program is run and staffed jointly by AFESIP and the Ragamuffin Project. Recent outcomes are detailed below:

• Recruitment of an extremely qualified Cambodian head of psychology department;

• Weekly open studio groups and as needed individual counseling sessions provided from AFESIP psychologist and Ragamuffin therapists at Kampong Cham;

• 50 art therapy assessments conducted at Kampong Cham;

• 171 residents received psychosocial counseling sessions (over all the centers);

• Monthly psychology department planning and supervision meetings have begun;

• Modification of our partnership agreement with Ragamuffin;

• Development of a detailed work plan for the remainder of the year

• Good progress towards creating a comprehensive work plan for 2012;

• Coordination with several international experts on psychosocial care for trafficking and sexual exploitation survivors;

• Gathering resources and training on Cambodian-specific trauma assessment tools and treatment modalities;

• Participation in the 2nd annual Good Practices conference held in Phnom Penh;

• Preliminary negotiations with partners to provide yoga and meditation training for our staff and residents;

• Development and approval of a plan to reallocate funds from New Day Foundation for the meditation gardens to higher priority items at Kampong Cham shelter such as a playground and supplies/equipment for the counseling room.

You can read the full quarterly report from AFESIP here: August Report 2011

We wish all involved in this project the best of luck for the remainder of this year.

CSC Fistula Project – September 2011 Update

Posted on 13/09/2011 by lizagreen

New Day has received the following update from the Children’s Surgical Center in Phnom Penh Cambodia: CSC-Newday-VVF report Sept ’11

Since our US$10,000 grant in February 2011 US$3,200 has been spent on the following:

1. radio advertising to encourage fistula sufferers to come forward and seek help

2. 5 successful fistula consultations and surgeries

3. 10 consultations with sufferers who are in the process of scheduling their surgeries.

CSC is concentrating on the training of one of their surgeons (and their only female surgeon) in performing successful fistula surgeries. A visiting specialist in this area will be providing her with additional training and support so that she can continue to help women who are being assisted through the project to heal and move forward with their lives.

New Day visit to Daughers of Cambodia – May 2011

Posted on 26/07/2011 by lizagreen

New Day members in the jewelry workshop at Daughters

In May 2011 a group of New Day members visited Daughters of Cambodia during our trip to Phnom Penh. Daughters helps girls and women exit the sex trade by providing them with training and fair trade paid jobs in small businesses it runs including jewellery-making, sewing of home ware and accessories and a cafe and spa that it operates. Following a USD16,040 grant New Day and Linklaters gave Daughters for their sewing operations at the end of 2010 our members were keen to visit the sewing room at the Daughters Centre as well as the Daughters cafe and shop during our May 26-28 Phnom Penh group field trip. The visitor centre comprises a shop, woman’s spa and café. Daughters employs around 15 girls or “clients” here, some of whom are training as managers and other positions of responsibility. The shop sells beautifully hand-made clothes, fashion accessories and home furnishings produced in the sewing room at the day centre. Several purchases were made by the group! We also enjoyed a lunch at the café where we were able to sample the food and speak with the manager about the progress the staff is making. We were given a good overview of the successes and challenges faced in the safe/Shop since its opening in June 2010. They are still working on staff training to optimize the efficient running of the café. The food at the cafe was fresh and tasty and the shop on the ground floor is dong very well – more than covering its costs. Sadly there was insufficient time to road test the spa! All Daughter’s businesses are targeted to become self-sustaining over time, hence reducing donor dependence. Hopefully a new entry in Luxe City Guides: Cambodia and Laos, will give a boost to trade.

At the Daughters Centre we met up with the inspirational Ruth Elliott, Founder and CEO, for an in-depth review of all six businesses. We were given an important insight into the daily social and cultural issues the NGO faces. Our group had the opportunity to meet some of the clients Daughters employs as we looked around the operation of its businesses, namely sewing , jewelry-making and t-shirt silk screening. We were struck by the industrious and very congenial environment. Management is searching for a new building as it was evident the current premises are now too small. The New Day grant for sewing training and equipment has helped increase efficiency and capacity. Indeed, as a reflection of the sewing room’s ongoing success, product demand continues to outstrip supply. Our group discussed a number of possible future funding areas to assist the Daughters operation with Ruth including inventory control management, management systems, employing an accountant, contributing to new building rental and covering the running costs of the creche and medical/counseling services. We were impressed with what Daughters has achieved so far and were all happy to have been able to contribute to their success.

Caroline Basham – New Day Member

New Day/Norton Rose Site Visit to AFESIP May 2011

Posted on 26/07/2011 by lizagreen

In May 2011 New Day members along with a representative from our corporate partner Norton Rose visited the Kampong Cham Centre for the third time. This year’s visit on May 26/27 was very well timed, corresponding with the April/May launch of the Counseling Services project that we are funding for the year. The project provides counseling and psychological services and equipment for all the residents at Kampong Cham. It is jointly run and staffed by AFESIP and Art Therapy providers The Ragamuffin Project who are helping to design the programme and train the counsellors. AFESIP is rolling out the programme at all 3 of its centres.

Ragamuffin generously hosted an evening for the New Day group at their therapy centre in Phnom Penh. We met the psychologists and were given an progress update. Candace Blasé, AFESIP trauma care specialist and clinical supervisor volunteer, began work on 20 April. Full-time psychologist Chum Chantha was hired and began work at Kampong Chan mid June, and they are close to hiring a full-time clinical co-ordinator. Ragamuffin and AFESIP are reviewing assessment drawings and developing plans for individual care programmes. Therapy with 5 individuals at the centre has begun. Further training for centre staff on trauma care is planned.

The following day the group travelled to the Kampong Cham centre where Children’s Day celebrations were in full swing. Much progress is evident and the new building is now functional with computer room, weaving centre, offices, medical room, a library and counseling services room. We engaged with the children in an art activity, before a tree planting ceremony. We had brought a suitcase full of books for the library with us, gratefully donated by friends of New Day members. It was a wonderful visit as always with the residents and staff at Kampong Cham and we were delighted with the progress and development at the Centre and with our New Day-funded project.

For more on the progress of the Counseling Services project see the following link: 2nd Quarter Report 2011

Caroline Basham – New Day

An Introduction to New Day

Posted on 30/03/2011 by lizagreen

If you would like to see a presentation on New Day, how we operate and who we support you can have a look here: Morgan Stanley March 2011

SGVTS Girls Home and School, Qinghai province – China

Posted on 04/03/2011 by lizagreen

Girls at LOVEQTRA

Click here: Loveqtra2 to see a slideshow.

Our involvement and funding of the girls at the Sengchemdrukmo Girls Vocational Training School in Darlag County, Qinghai, continues in 2011. SGVTS is a home and school that welcomes disadvantaged Tibetan girls who have often been rescued from a life of domestic bondage with no educational opportunities or hope for the future. LOVEQTRA is the organisation that founded and runs the home. They are also involved in disaster relief, senior care and medical assistance efforts in Qinghai.

After many obstacles in 2010 remitting money to Chinese NGOs, we were finally able to fund a heating system and washer/dryer for the home. This was co-funded by our partner Silvercrest Foundation. As a washing machine was subsequently donated to the home, LOVEQTRA will be using the remaining funds to build a laundry, canteen and new kitchen.

At a meeting with LOVEQTRA founder Philip Poh in Hong Kong this year we were pleased to hear of the progress of a number of the SGVTS girls, some of whom are now studying at better provincial schools and even at the Guangzhou Foreign Language School. Please have a look at the LOVE REPORT 2010 for more information about the fantastic work they are doing.

We hope that New Day members will finally be able to visit SGVTS in 2011!

New project Daughters of Cambodia funded!

Posted on 04/03/2011 by lizagreen

Chenda in the Sewing Room

From a meeting in May 2010 in Phnom Penh, New Day remained in active contact with Ruth Elliott, Founder and CEO of Daughters of Cambodia, a non-profit organization focused on creating sustainable employment for young girls escaping the sex industry in Phnom Penh (www.daughtersofcambodia.org). Our meetings in Phnom Penh and correspondence have revealed an exciting opportunity to support an organization in its infancy that has developed an exceptional model to reintegrate victims of sexual exploitation into society. Daughters have developed six micro businesses that are targeting to become self-sustaining over time. With the exception of key management, the businesses are all staffed with women who have been trafficked.

These businesses aim to achieve sustainable income generation in order to cover salaries and running costs and eventually become financially self-sustainable to reduce future donor dependence. All Clients are given the chance to achieve promotions through a 6 level structure within the businesses. Daughters also seeks to “graduate” women, moving them to external employment or self employment using their new skills. Once a Client has been at Daughters for more than 2 years, they are encouraged to exit the program through a tailored plan to enable successful graduation. Obviously, this makes way for more Clients to join the program.

In December 2010 New Day gave Daughters a USD16,040 grant for training and new equipment that will increase the efficiency and capacity of their sewing operations. This grant was generously co-funded by our corporate partner, Linklaters. The Sewing Room is the largest business at Daughters, employing up to 60 Clients. It produces clothing, fashion accessories and home furnishings, which are sold through Daughters’ own store and to select overseas buyers. Clients can achieve different levels of promotion including Trainer, Team Leader and Designer before graduating from the 2 year Daughters program. The operation has, to date, been successful and current demand is outstripping capacity. The co-funding by New Day and Linklaters is intended to build efficiency and capacity in the business, which will drive revenue and improved profitability.

New Day will be visiting Daughters in May and we look forward to seeing their progress!

New Day funds AFESIP Kampong Cham Centre Counseling Services

Posted on 03/03/2011 by lizagreen

New Day visit to Kampong Cham, May 2010.

Click here to read the February 2011 report from AFESIP on this project: February 2011 Report

In December 2010 New Day funded the establishment of a COUNSELING SERVICES PROGRAM to provide critical emotional care to the residents at Kampong Cham Rehabilitation Center. The program will develop the staff, capacity and management systems of the psychology and counseling services at KCRC. The Program will be rolled out at the other two AFESIP centres in Phnom Penh (Tom Dy Centre) and Siem Riep. The program at KCRC will be the 1st year pilot program of a three year project running in all three AFESIP centres. New Day will restrict its funding to the KCRC as we are already invested there and are committed to the incremental improvement of the care it provides to its residents.

In 2009, one of AFESIP’s donors, the Somaly Mam Foundation, commissioned the Ragamuffin Project to conduct an assessment of AFESIP’s psychological care programs and to produce a report of recommendations. The 3-year Counseling Services Program is based around those recommendations that AFESIP management formally accepted and agreed upon. Ragamuffin (www.ragamuffinproject.org) is an INGO offering psychological services, specialising in art therapy, and has been working in Cambodia for the past 9 years. Ragamuffin is currently also working in partnership with another New Day-funded project in India, the Kalki Welfare Association. The following outcomes have been identified for the 3 year program:

1. Increase in staffing within the counseling department

2. Implementation and monitoring of the department’s management systems and policies

3. Ongoing training programs – up to 8 per year

4. Development of a therapeutic model of care for the trauma recovery of victims that can be adopted by all centre staff

5. Increase the capacity of care-givers at each centre to play a key role in the support of those in their care

6. Develop approaches to support and counsel the staff working directly with victims

7. Develop a case management system for each individual resident based on client-centred care plans

8. Increase facilities and resources to support recovery from emotional and psychological damage

The funding for this program is US$25,480 for the 1st year with a US$15,000 co-fund from our coprorate partner Norton Rose law firm. We are delighted to be working on a project at Kampong Cham again with Norton Rose.

Fistula Program Funded!

Posted on 17/02/2011 by lizagreen

CSC – Obstetric Fistula Program

February 17, 2011

Project : Obstetric Fistula Program – Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC)

Location : Phnom Penh, Cambodia (www.csc.org)

Funding status : Approved

Budget : US$10,000

Corporate Funding Partner : None

CSC and Fistula Project Background

New Day members will recall CSC – Children’s Surgical Centre, Cambodia – as we have worked with them previously on CASC (Cambodia Acid Survivors Charity). CSC is an organisation that aims to improve the quality of life for disabled poor people by providing them with free rehabilitation surgery. To this end, they have now started an Obstetric Fistula Program.

Obstetric Fistula is a condition which occurs in women who have suffered through prolonged labour, sometimes lasting several days. It often occurs in poor, rural areas where women have little access to health care during pregnancy and labour, or cannot afford it. The pressure of the baby’s head on the bladder and vagina during this prolonged labour can lead to a “gap” or fistula somewhere between the bladder and vagina (or rectum). The baby often dies, and the woman suffers from continual leaking of urine and/or faeces which causes her to smell badly. Since the condition is often untreated, the women can be socially excluded by their husbands, family and community.

Obstetric Fistula can be repaired by a routine surgery which normally costs around US$300-400. CSC has initiated the first in-country fistula program in Cambodia.

New Day grant will be used for the following areas of the program:

1. Outreach – As patients are often in rural areas and excluded from society, CSC first needs to inform the public about their program and find the sufferers.

2. Training – CSC will send Cambodian surgeons for specialist training.

3. Awareness – Programs such as radio ads will be conducted

4. Equipment – Purchase of required surgical equipment

5. Surgeries – Funds will cover cost of surgeries, approx. US$300 per procedure.

Enrich Hong Kong fully funded!

Posted on 24/08/2010 by lizagreen

Enrich – Enriching and Empowering Women

Enrich, Hong Kong

August 24, 2010

Project : Enrich – Migrant Worker Training Programmes

Location: Hong Kong (www.enrichhk.org)

Project Leader : Kim Cheung

Contact: kim@newdayasia.org

Funding status : Approved

Budget : HK$50,000

Corporate Funding Partner : None

Foundation Partner : None

Enrich : Background

In Hong Kong, there are an estimated 250,000 foreign domestic helpers. Most of them are women who left their families in their home country in order to earn higher income, raise their standard of living, and provide a better future for their children. This group are often victims of high debt and overspending due to circumstances which they can avoid if equipped with the right information. They require financial education on how to manage their finances and ensure that the money they earn will provide them and their families with a better life and hopefully, a good retirement in their country.

Mission:

Enrich’s mission is to establish a sustainable organization that empowers lower income women in Hong Kong to take greater control of their lives, secure their futures, and raise their standards of living.

Key strategies to achieve our mission:

Enrich values the importance of the following strategies to achieve its mission:

1. provision of practical and impactful education and training on personal finance and confidence and communication for migrant workers & ethnic minorities;

2. outreach work to different migrant groups and organizations; and

3. institutional development where continual training for staff and volunteers will provide sufficient human resources to continue the work we do.

Enrich Funding Request

The funds requested will be used by Enrich to deliver 25 workshops (in the second half of 2010 and into 2011) on 1) personal finance and 2) confidence and communication to migrant workers in Hong Kong. Training is conducted in the native language of the participants. The training costs include preparation, organization and promotion of training as well as recruitment and training of new trainers. Enrich’s project coordinator will then work with Hong Kong charities and religious groups to organize and promote workshops to their members. A training evaluation is conducted at the end of each training and the information collected is processed by the trainers and the coordinator. The training is continually being reviewed and improved at the end of each training session.

Intended Benefits of Project

Migrants and ethnic minority workers usually have very little training or support in managing their finances. Borrowing money at high interest rates and buying on credit are common practices which results in many of them being perpetually in debt. Immediate and competing needs, plus difficulties in keeping account of what is spent and saved, results in over-spending on phone bills, bank transfers, gifts and impulsive buying. Few have savings or retirement plans. Many go home after years or even decades of hard, lonely work to face the sad reality that in financial terms, they are no better off than when they left.

Basic training in personal finance can make a big difference in their lives. With the knowledge and motivation to calculate their financial situation, make and implement a budget and a savings plan, get out of debt, decide on priorities and deal with family pressure, they can have much greater control over their lives. Having a personal and workable financial plan can determine the time frame and conditions under which they consider current and future work opportunities.

LOVEQTRA Girls’ Home Funded!

Posted on 24/08/2010 by lizagreen

On the 23rd of August New Day co-funded a CNY118,518 grant along with the HK-based Silvercrest Foundation for the Sengchemdrukmo Girls Vocational Training School in Qinghai province, China. The grant will be used by LOVEQTRA to install a heating system in the school and home as well as to purchase 2 industrial washer/dryer machines for the girls and staff. This will be the first time that the girls will receive proper heating as they have had to rely on simple yak dung heaters in the past. They will be able to improve their standards of hygiene and health by being able to wash their clothes and bed-clothes regularly whereas before they had to hand wash everything only a few times a year in the freezing stream.

SGVTS Building

This is the second grant that New Day has made to LOVEQTRA. We wish them continued success with the wonderful work they are doing and we are happy to be a small part of it! Thank you to the Silvercrest Foundation for partnering with us.