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Dear Friends,
With a productive 2019 behind us, and new sponsors and team members coming on board, we were all looking forward to doing even more in 2020 to ‘Find, Help and Empower People in Need’.
Like you, PCF is being affected by the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19). Friends, family, supporters, and the people we help are enduring new challenges every day.
Currently, we are conducting impact assessments with our partners to see how the crisis is affecting the people we support. Those findings will help us understand new needs as they develop.
In this newsletter, we will be sharing stories from our projects that have inspired us during this crisis. It is more important than ever to celebrate these positive achievements!
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60+ Children in a remote Burmese village finally have a school for less than USD 20.000! Read More
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Six projects in Thailand and Cambodia: six new videos. Read More
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Effective Philanthropy - Two supporters share perspectives on their PCF support. Read More
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Fundraising successes and how one brief introduction can make a world of difference. Read More
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We are also pleased to share some other updates from within the organisation:
- We recently held our 2020 Board Meeting.
- Mark Kearns has formally joined PCF as the Communications and Strategy Manager after many years of supporting us in a volunteer role.
- As we start working on the 2019 Annual Report, the 2018 Annual Report is available to remind us what was achieved during that year.
- A special initiative has been set up to help supply food to needy Chiang Mai residents during the economic downturn associated with the pandemic – see more here.
In Thailand, so far, cases of Coronavirus have remained relatively low. We hope the situation remains this way, knowing how many of the people we support already have many challenges to face daily.
Within our organisation, we are taking the necessary steps in response to ensure the safety and well-being of our colleagues and continue working on behalf of the people who rely on us.
In line with our motto, 'Find, Help and Empower people in Need', let us all remain safe and do our best to help those around us.
Our deepest thanks to all of you who contribute in so many ways to our work. We cannot do this without you.
Your Friends,
Sallo & the Philanthropy Connections Foundation Team
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Pying Mong School Construction Completed
60+ children can finally go to school for less than $20.000!
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Can you imagine your child not being able to go to school? Pying Mong village in Burma is home to an isolated farming community of the Lahu ethnic group. With no education for the older generations and no school for their children to attend, the community was concerned that their children would not have a chance for better opportunities in life.
Thanks to our sponsor Anthony Mann (Tony) and his late wife Nancy, construction of a school building was started on 29 July 2019 that will provide a safe and positive place for children to learn.
Bad weather and difficulty in transportation of materials caused some difficulties in the construction, but the community responded very positively even through the delays, with children and adults volunteering to help carry bricks and providing the workers with drinking water.
Two toilets were also built for access to sanitary facilities, especially needed since the village itself had no toilets at all.
The construction of the school is now complete. See how it was built in this short video!
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The community plans to have an opening ceremony in June 2020 when the new school term begins for the 60+ students that will be attending in the first year.
Our sponsor gave more than the budgeted amount for the construction, so after a discussion with Tony, the surplus funds are being used to outfit the new classrooms with chalkboards, furniture for the students, and basic school supplies.
So just how much does it cost to build a school?
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Need Some Inspiration?
Virtually ‘visit’ six outstanding projects!
Our long-time friends and supporters Dick Stevens and Adriènne Kranendonk recently produced several new videos for six of our projects.
We recommend taking a few minutes to ‘visit’ each project with us and see what is happening and how people’s needs are being addressed by passionate local partners with vision and determination!
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Meet Pearl, a young girl from a mountain village in Northern Thailand, and visit her preschool where she and her friends are getting a good early education so they won’t be left behind.
Watch Now
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Take a tour of a Karen community school where a solid education is provided to local children alongside preservation of their culture and traditions.
Watch Now
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Learn about KAKO, our implementing partner in Cambodia and the varied projects they are implementing for communities with little ability to create opportunities for their young people.
Watch Now
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Walk in the shoes of Mol & Piyawat - two promising young students who would have no hope of a secondary education without their scholarships.
Watch Now
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Ride along with the Chiang Mai International Rotary Club, which distributed winter clothing to our projects in remote mountain villages whose people get very cold during wintertime.
Watch Now
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Find out how Solar Panels are bringing light safely indoors at a refugee camp so work and homework can continue even after the sun goes down.
Watch Now
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Why Support Us?
Two supporters share their perspectives on their backing for PCF.
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(Pictured) Students under the teaching of a graduate from the IECBP Leadership Training Programme that PCF supports in Burma.
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Effectiveness that produces lasting changes was one of PCF’s founding principles, and recently two of our supporters have shared their thoughts on why they trust us with their support.
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Tony Mann, who sponsored the new school built in Burma, wrote the following after the project was completed:
"...I think it's important that people know more about the work the Philanthropy Connections Foundation (PCF) does and the trust I have in them… Sallo consulted me at every stage in the preparation and construction of the school, showed me exactly how Nancy's donation was spent... and then consulted me as how the small residual amount will be spent.
"There aren't many charitable organizations that operate with this degree of transparency and engender such high levels of trust and confidence."
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Catherine Keyl, a well-known Dutch TV host, was once quite disheartened with the kind of charitable aid missteps she had witnessed over the years, but from our very beginning, she enthusiastically supported PCF's approach, and now she is one of our most ardent advocates.
What changed her mind? She’ll be happy to tell you in her own words, as only she can!
Read More
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Can You Introduce Us?
Fundraising successes and the impact of one brief introduction
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Recently, one introduction from a friend resulted in the IECBP project in Burma being funded for the next year for $20.000 enabling promising young change-makers are getting the training for a lifetime dedicated to making a difference for their needy communities. That is the power of one simple introduction.
New Support for PCF:
- Dr. Sai Sam Htun of the Loi Hein Group in Burma has supported the IECBP in Burma for $20.000.
- Ann Amann raised 100.000 THB at her birthday party. She then invited friends to a field trip to Koung Jor camp. Based on that visit, one of her visiting friends - Christine Peter - donated 100.000 THB to meet new needs in the camp. When you see the needs, it’s difficult not to get involved!
- Edwin Wierda from Wierda en Partners Vermogensbeheer will be supporting food and medicine costs for 50+ students and teachers at BNSCLC for the next 1.5 years!
- Stichting De Grootste Familie Helpt supported the building of a brand new kitchen & study area for 45 students and 7 teachers at the BNSCLC Community Learning Center, replacing the old, rat-infested kitchen!
- The UN Irish Pub donated mattresses to a camp for internally displaced persons without decent bedding, and the Chiang Mai International Rotary Club helped transport the mattresses!
- The Classic Cars of Lanna club raised 20.000 THB at a lunch fundraiser for PCF!
Who could you introduce us to? Here is some helpful information to start with:
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Vulnerable people will face many new challenges in 2020.
Can you help us achieve our goal of keeping these projects going through this crisis?
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