By Louise | Managing Director
Well, what a peculiar week we had last week. I mean phew, I’m glad that is over.
It all started with meeting after meeting as I navigated the week. Then a sponsor donated a box full of seeds to assist those who have lost their crops due to the floods. Which is wonderful however, we are still waiting for another donor to agree to the flood relief monies so we can provide food parcels, blankets and school uniforms to families that are still struggling and in the process assist with seed distribution and training for those families who don’t normally plant.
Then we had an institutional donor come and do a once in a 10yr visit where they crawled into every orifice. WOW, 3 of them came to interrogate every aspect of KTD196. They went through our organizational documents, policies and procedures, finance systems, they also performed a mini audit, my poor bookkeeper is still 4days later sending documents for verification purposes. Then I took one of their team out to the field to verify and confirm the work we are doing. He met with the kids and the parents to ensure we are actually implementing what we say we are implementing.
The good news is, you as a supporter of KTD196 can rest assured that we are being held accountable and responsible for every aspect of the work we do. Eventually we will receive a report with recommendations for improvement, so that you know we are performing at optimal level according to the nation’s requirements but also to this donors specifications.
Immediately after that, off to camp for 3days of training. We had 10 new adults from around the province (Acornhoek, Groblersdal, Seshego and Greater Tzaneen) come to be introduced to our children’s program and take that knowledge back to their villages and implement the training, so our footprint is growing. Sadly, one night we were rained out, the fierceness of the storm meant that people had to sleep in the hall and the kitchen area, which was roofed, however the rooves leaked so everyone was very wet.
The next day, people still smiled and enjoyed the day despite the chaos of the night before.
Straight after camp, another meeting, this time with Government, Health & Welfare SETA came to interrogate and investigate the work we do in order to register us to become service providers. They were elated with the work we do, in fact they commented there was no one else in the province doing this sort of work with the impact we are having. Our application will be successful, in this way, we will be able to implement our training through H&WSETA and be paid for it, another income stream for KTD196 which makes us more sustainable long term.
I have spoken in the past about the precarious position most charitable organisations are in, fundraising is very difficult, even the experts are finding it difficult especially after Mr Trumps withdrawal of funding globally. We are doing our best to become less donor dependent.
I hope you found the snap shot of my week interesting, there is never a dull moment that’s for sure.
I am so grateful to have you walking this path with us. It’s remarkable to think that some of you have been part of our community for 13 years—right from our beginning on GlobalGiving. Please know how much we treasure your partnership; your belief in our mission is what turns our goals into real-world results.
Blessings
Louise
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