Dear Friends,
2017 was a year of challenges. For many of us, the health, wellbeing and fundamental safety of our global community has rarely, if ever, felt so under threat. There is no denying that the challenges we face in achieving our global goals are complicated, and will not be solved overnight.
Yet that hasn't deterred our team or this community: because 2017 was our biggest year yet.
Thanks to the generosity of our partners and donors like you we were able to mobilize more than $1.5 million in financial and in-kind resources in 2017 to support the continuation of transformative healthcare programs in Tanzania.
That means we were able to deliver high-quality surgeries and rehabilitative care to more people in vulnerable communities. We trained healthcare workers to save the lives of mothers and newborns, and made investments in equipment and systems needed to deliver quality care to the hundreds of people seeking critical healthcare services at our partner hospital, CCBRT, every day. This number doesn't include the hours of advice, and hands-on event support our volunteers and friends also gave so generously. Thank you.
As we enter 2018, we are full of hope and drive. This year, CCBRT has launched a new, five-year strategy, and their vision for the future is ambitious: for CCBRT to be the leading provider of accessible, specialized health services in Africa.
At Kupona, we’ve long believed in CCBRT’s ability to make this happen. They are already a global leader in disability services, one of the largest providers of obstetric fistula treatment worldwide, and a key partner to the Government of Tanzania in the fight to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes. We have no doubt that, in the not-too-distant future, their vision will become a reality. We’re excited to be a part of the journey, and we hope that you are, too.
You have a critical role to play. Donors like you are crucial to ensuring we can deliver quality care to vulnerable people every day. That’s why, this year, we are working harder to make your donations go further.
We’re going to work smarter, and give you more opportunities to capitalize on matches and prize funds. In 2017, through our partnership with GlobalGiving, our community unlocked over $3,000 in bonus funds and prizes through Bonus Days, competitions and matching campaigns, which is the equivalent of 60 additional healthcare workers trained.
This year, we want to build on this success, and do even more to amplify your impact. Stay tuned to our GlobalGiving reports and social media through the year for the latest news on available matches & contests.
With renewed conviction, and the momentum of our best year yet propelling us forward, we are determined to achieve bold gains for the people and communities of Tanzania. Will you join us?
Say “yes” with your recurring or one-time donation, today.
Dear Friends,
In just a few short weeks, you have given over $16,000 to provide life changing healthcare to the people we serve in Tanzania through our partner, CCBRT. We are so grateful for your support. Thank you.
With just a few weeks left in 2017, we wanted to share an update from the people who translate your generosity into impact. Check out this video to hear a Happy Holidays message from CCBRT’s CEO, Erwin Telemans and Ruth, one of CCBRT's Prosthetist/Orthotists.
“It’s not too late.”
Every gift you give changes lives. It’s that simple. Whether you are ensuring every mother and newborn in Tanzania receives the high quality maternal healthcare they need, supporting critical equipment purchases, or providing life changing procedures for women recovering from obstetric fistula, your support matters for people just like Nurse Asteria.
Meet Asteria
Asteria has been a nurse at CCBRT since 2012, primarily working on the obstetric fistula ward. As part of our efforts to integrate family planning across our programs, Asteria has recently started her training to become a family planning nurse.
“Today,” Asteria explained, “I watched Nurse Janet remove an implant from a young woman. I learned the questions to ask about the patient’s health history and the proper procedure for removal. After more practice, I’ll be able to perform the same technique.”
Serving women who have lived with obstetric fistula has given Asteria a deeper understanding of how important informed choice is for women to achieve their reproductive intentions. She shared, “Many of our fistula patients come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and they don’t know that there are options available – for free – to decide when to have children. Through family planning counseling, they can have the family that they want and that they are able to care for. Family planning gives women time, from one pregnancy to another. This is time for an education, time for employment, time to care for herself and her family.”
Asteria believes that it is essential for CCBRT to take the lead in this area. “At a hospital, you should be able to receive more than one treatment at the same time. Here, parents can bring their young child for eye services and overhear an announcement about family planning on the loudspeaker. Just a few meters away, they can walk into Tim’s Corner and learn about their options to space births and prevent unwanted pregnancies.” Soon enough, they’ll be learning from Asteria herself.
This is the impact of your generosity. Healthcare workers trained to provide the high quality care that is desperately needed. Thank you for being a part of Asteria’s journey, and the journeys of so many others.
As Ruth says in the video, it’s not too late to make that difference to somebody’s life today.
Thank you so much for your support this year. You are the driving force behind this life changing work, and we are so grateful. Happy holidays to you and yours.
Warm wishes,
Abbey
P.S., Set up a new recurring monthly gift via our GlobalGiving project before December 31st, and GlobalGiving will match* your first month’s donation 100%!
*GlobalGiving will provide matches for donations up to $200. Recurring donations must be active for 3 months before matching funds are distributed.
Dear Friends,
On Giving Tuesday, our team called you to action in support of the people we serve – resilient people like Tausi. We shared what the potential impact of your generosity could mean, and even heard from the team at our sister hospital in Tanzania, CCBRT.
If you didn’t get a chance to hear the special video message from CCBRT’s CEO, Erwin Telemans, and the women who are directly impacted by your support, you can view it here.
On Tuesday, the call went out, and you didn't disappoint. Our community mobilized over $6,700. With these gifts, we can empower healthcare workers and give vulnerable communities access to healthcare services that will change their lives.
For women like Fadhila, your donation means that there is hope beyond devastating childbirth injuries like obstetric fistula, and, crucially, that those injuries can be prevented with access to high quality healthcare during pregnancy and childbirth.
“I had no idea what was happening to me”, Fadhila said. “I didn’t know what caused it or what fistula was. I could tell my neighbors were afraid of me. Some of them said having children caused this, others told me I was being cursed by witchcraft”.
After receiving free, high quality fistula repair surgery at CCBRT, Fadhila went home with confidence and began to educate her community about what fistula is and that it is both treatable and preventable. This is your generosity in action, empowering and changing the lives of thousands of women and girls each year.
We are so grateful.
If you didn't get the chance to give on Tuesday, good news! GlobalGiving has just launched a second round of prize funds, giving you another chance to amplify your impact. From now until December 31st, GlobalGiving will continue to award cash prizes to the organizations that raise the most funds, and also to those who mobilize the highest number of unique donors. It’s not too late to play your part and unlock the potential to change lives this holiday season. Make your gift today.
Thank you so much for your support. Wishing you a happy start to the holiday season.
With gratitude,
Abbey Kocan, Executive Director
P.S. Don't forget to spread the word to your friends and family. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and share the posts that inspire you this giving season!
Dear Friends,
Happy #GivingTuesday! On this international day of giving, we have so much to be thankful for. Why? Because this past year, you have helped change the status quo for thousands of women and girls like Tausi.
When Tausi was 17-years-old, she suffered complications in labor. Unable to access timely, high quality medical care, Tausi lost her baby. She also developed a devastating childbirth injury called obstetric fistula. Scared and confused, Tausi had no idea what to do. “I didn’t know what fistula was, and neither did my grandmother. I was so worried.”
A volunteer ambassador who had also received fistula treatment through our program connected Tausi to our partner in Tanzania, CCBRT. “I was full of joy to hear that this condition was treatable for free. CCBRT has changed my life!” Tausi says.
Tausi's story has a happy ending, but her ordeal could have been prevented.
Thanks to your support, our teams on the ground in Tanzania have trained hundreds of healthcare workers, empowering them with the skills they need to save lives and prevent injuries like obstetric fistula. As the 2017 season of holiday giving launches today, we need your help to reach more women and girls like Tausi before it's too late.
Please join us TODAY, #GivingTuesday, and help us unlock the potential to change more lives.
Our friends at GlobalGiving are helping us celebrate today by offering $100,000 in prize funding. The Fund increases the value of every dollar you give, proportionally. For example, if we receive 10 percent of the total donations made today, we will receive 10 percent of the prize funds.
Just $100 would have ensured that Tausi made it through her delivery without injury. Only $100 to train two maternal healthcare workers, and save thousands of women and girls from a lifetime of disability.
We hope you will join us today as we help make motherhood safe for many others like Tausi.
With gratitude,
The Kupona Foundation Team
P.S. You may have mistakenly received an email from us on November 21st. We apologize for the mix up. This technical glitch has now been fixed, and you should only receive our updates via Project Reports from GlobalGiving in the future. Thank you for your understanding.
Last week, we were delighted to receive an honorable mention on GlobalGiving's Top 10 List of nonprofits committed to impact. The team at GlobalGiving highlighted our commitment to respectful storytelling, particularly when it comes to sharing the stories of the women and girls we serve. The truth is, it’s our community that deserves this recognition. Without you, our committed supporters, we wouldn't have any stories of impact to tell.
Our community amazes us every day.
Earlier this month, one of our newest supporters brought our efforts to empower women and girls recovering from obstetric fistula to new heights. Earlier this month, Sara Safari climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in support of the women and girls we serve. As part of her challenge to become the first Iranian in history to climb all Seven Summits, Sara aims to raise $19,000 for Kupona Foundation - $1 for each foot of Kilimanjaro. In 2015, Sara survived the Nepali earthquake while climbing Mount Everest to fundraise for the empowerment of Nepali girls. Since the earthquake, her efforts to empower women and girls have intensified. We are honored that Sara has chosen Kupona Foundation as her charity for the African continent, and we will be cheering her on as she conquers the Seven Summits.
Since we started fundraising on GlobalGiving six years ago, we’ve raised over $74,000 across three projects. Our community’s creativity and passion keeps us motivated, and helps us to bring life changing healthcare to the thousands of people we serve each year. People like Elian.
Elian’s story
Elian’s story is one of thousands of silent tragedies that occur every year in Tanzania, as women give birth without access to quality medical care. Elian told us, “I was admitted to a hospital in Dar es Salaam when I started to feel labor pains. After two days, nothing had happened and they sent me home. Eventually, I went back to the hospital. I was in labor for six days in total. It was then that the doctors told me I would be lucky if my baby was still alive.”
Mercifully, Elian’s baby did survive, but Elian did not emerge from the trauma unscathed. The damaged caused by such a prolonged labor was so severe that Elian started leaking both urine and feces uncontrollably. “My husband and I were the only people who knew. I was too embarrassed to tell anyone. I didn't even tell the rest of my family. I thought I was going to suffer from this for the rest of my life. But my husband always stayed positive, and always believed we would find a solution. I lived with this problem for three years. I couldn't go anywhere. I was too terrified that I would have an accident. I finally heard an advertisement on the radio, and realized that I could get treatment.”
Elian’s surgery did so much more than just repair the physical damage of fistula. It restored her confidence, self-esteem, and her sense of belonging. “Now I no longer have to make an excuse to leave a place five minutes after I arrive, in case I have an accident in public.”
Whether you scale mountains like Sara, run marathons, sell cakes, host dinner parties or support our work with recurring or annual donations, you are bringing life changing healthcare services to people like Elian, who wouldn't be able to afford the healthcare they need without your support.
Let’s build on our shared commitment to impact
Are you inspired by Sara’s story? Why not start your own fundraiser on GlobalGiving in support of Kupona Foundation? We’re here if you need help.
You can also join us in celebrating your commitment to impact this month by sharing why you choose to support Kupona Foundation on social media. Just copy, paste and complete the posts below!
Thank you for all that you do for people and communities in Tanzania.
Best wishes,
The Kupona Team
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