Economic Growth Nicaragua Project #44295

Project Optics

by Fundacion Cristiana Comunitaria para Personas con Discapacidad Ruach

Project Report | Oct 1, 2021
Optics MiraMira created to support our Fundacion

By A Delleman | Coordinator

Dear friend

In the last report we explained you : Our latest fundraising campaigns were all aimed at establishing an optical business ‘Ruach Optics’. But having the Ruach Foundation run its own business became increasingly problematic. The Board of the Ruach Foundation is busy enough as they are, and running a business is very different from running a community home.

Add to this the close scrutiny of NGOs by the theGovernment, and it is obvious that it was wiser to start an optical business independently from the Ruach Foundation.

And we did it the end of May. We created an independent optics in Juigalpa. With all the help you gave us in the Little by Little campaign accions. But with the same aim: support in the moment of profits the social work of the Fundacion Ruach.

Agreement with Fundacion Ruach

The idea to run the ‘Optica’ as an independent business caused some stir among some board members of the Ruach Foundation whose brain child the setting up of a ‘Ruach Optics’ had been. But the Ruach Board also acknowledged they would not be able to start an optics shop soon, so after a period of negotiation Ruach signed an agreement with MiraMira which stipulated that as soon as MiraMira has cleared its debts, profits will be used to benefit the social work of the Fundacion, i.e. the Community Home and the Activities Club.

It was also agreed that the entire amount of $10,000 Ruach raised by two ‘Ruach Optics’ Little by Little campaigns in Sep 2020 and March 2021 through the platform of GlobalGiving, was transferred to the account of the Ruach Foundation for their work. So Ruach reaps the benefits of MiraMira, but not any financial burdens or other responsibilities. The Ruach Board has prepared a plan how the Ruach Optics money will be used in the coming months.

Partnership with GlobalGiving

We asked GlobalGiving if the work of the optics, in this new form, can still have a project page. And the answer is that the people who wantd to donor to the social work of the Fundacion has to do it directly on: Improve the Rights of Disabled Adults in Nicaragua (28192).

So this will be our latest report of the Optics on GG.

GlobalGiving and the Fundacion Ruach

But we have a big problem in staying part of the GG platform for the moment. Partners of GlobalGiving are asked to renew their due diligence every two years to keep the records current, and to give donors confidence that we are doing great work in our community.

Because of due diligence expiration, the Fundacion is in the difficult situation that it will no longer be able to receive funds using the GlobalGiving platform after october.

In Nicaragua, every year NGOs need to submit documentation to the government agency ' Gobernacion'. If a submission is approved the NGO has the right to exist for another year. With a new more stringent law last year to control any foreign interference it has become more and more difficult for Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to function in Nicaragua. With Presidential Elections later this year, the Government keeps an ever closer eye on the activities of NGOs, and wants to control any foreign interference in the elections. Many NGO's, 100% or partly depend on funding from abroad.

We started on time the procedure. Now we are in September and we are still waiting for the approval by Gobernacion. Because we still have not the approval like we explained just above, we cannot renew due diligence that will expire on October 10, 2021. It means specifically: the project will be retired for a time being and of not longer receiving online donations meanwhile.

Of course we will nog lose contact with you! We apreciat you feel yourelf prt of the team. We will let you know as soon as posible if we are back on the stage again! If you have questions you can mail me directly: asjedel@hotmail.com

To finish with good news:

And how’s MiraMira faring in their first 2-3 months?

So far we are satisfied with the sales and the clients' feedback about our services. To promote the new business we organized a children’s drawing competition in June, with the theme: 'Seeing a better world'. We arranged with a local TV station to show a daily commercial and with a local radio to broadcast a message in Juigalpa and the surrounding villages.

We gave a one day optical service in a little place half an hour away from Juigalpa, Acoyapa, were no optics exist. A good experience we want to repeat in another moment.
But the best advertisement is the positive feedback from satisfied customers by word of mouth!

We are now in the process of training a second saleswoman for one day a week, so that the permanent saleswoman is available to visit companies which show an interest in entering into agreements for their staff to buy our products more cheaply. In this way we can build up a fixed client base. So far we made agreements with five small companies (around ten to fifty employees) and with one larger one of around two hundred employees! It will take some time to clear our debts, but we are on the right track.

Gratefully yours,
Astrid Delleman

agreement with the Fundacion Ruach

services out of Juigalpa

Links:

http://facebook Fundacion ruach

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Jun 4, 2021
No 'Ruach Optics' but 'Optica MiraMira'

By Astrid Delleman | Coordinator

the opening!

Our latest fundraising campaigns were all aimed at establishing an optical business ‘Ruach Optics’. But having the Ruach Foundation run its own business became increasingly problematic. The Board of the Ruach Foundation is busy enough as they are, and running a business is very different from running a community home. Add to this the close scrutiny of NGOs by the theGovernment, and it is obvious that it was wiser to start an optical business independently from the Ruach Foundation.

And this is what has happened!

Astrid and her Finnish friend Sanna in Managua established contact with a business woman who owns optician shops there, and who was prepared to help them establish an independent shop in Juigalpa. Astrid and Sanna have become the proud owners of Mira Mira SA, and it will be run as a limited company. The company is entirely responsible for the start and the mangement of the business. The Ruach Foundation has no obligations; it does not run any financial risk, and yet Ruach is to become the sole recipient of MiraMira’s profits (after deduction of costs) for the purpose of funding Ruach’s social programmes.

The current status

We have worked hard to get to this stage. We have signed a lease for a shop in a convenient part of Juigalpa, and we have made the shop fit for purpose. Our company is duly registered; the Fire Department checked out the premises, and the Ministry of Health has given us permission to start. We are very happy with the experienced staff we were able to recruitand we opened on 20th May. The official opening has beenon 27th May!

Help us help!

We openend the shop with a lot of little donations and we lend money. More donations we get, sooner we will be out of the initial costs and can we have profits to sponsor the Ruach Foundation. Can we keep counting on you?

vision cheque

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Mar 23, 2021
Thank you so much!!!

By Astrid Delleman | Coordinator

Little by Little Campaign

After all the preparations we did to participate in the Little by Litle Campaign, forming a team together with Eric in England and Daniella in Ecuador, we were very curious what the results would be of our promotion work. The campaign was form March 8 untill March 12.

Our goal was to reach as much money as in September 2020. We did not overcome that goal. But yes, we are more near the minimum amount of capital we needed to be able to start “Ruach Optics”, that would enable the Foundation to become self-supporting: as the profits of this business will be used to pay for the running of the Foundation’s office and its social programmes (Community Home, Activities Club, awareness raising work to improve the lives of intellectually disabled adults in and near Juigalpa.

So, what was the end result on the leaderboard? We raised $3,003 USD donated by 26 persons! And with a $ 597 matching amount of GlobalGiving! And, one day after we received still more donations up to $ 250.-

Eric`s run

In our last report Eric wrote: To support the March Little-by-Little campaign I’ve set myself a different challenge, i.e. to run the route of my 1^st Ruach Run covering 26.2km faster than I did on 31 Dec 2016 when it took me 2 hours and 36 minutes…

And yes, Eric took the challenge, running his 1^st Ruach run faster than he did 4 years ago. And he managed! He did the run 11 minutes faster dan 4 yers ago (total time 2 hours,25 minutes). See the photos.

About 20 persons were sponsoring him, and about $ 600, - USD of the GlobalGiving champaign amount is due to his effort and support! Eric, you did a big job! We are profoundly touched by your love for our work. We are very grateful!

Next Little steps

We wrote in the last report: And if something is needed after the campaign, we call on a few friends, to give us interest-free loans. Because we wanted to start soon! And that is what we are doing now.

Besides we are starting some activities as: looking for shop room in the street where it would be the best to start the optics, compare rent, space, and so on. There is not so much choice in Juigalpa, a little country town, but it helps us to decide in the moment we really want to rent.

Also, we have contact with a lady who has optics business in some parts of Nicaragua. She will sell us glasses, frames and some machines we need for a special price to support our work.

We are taking some little steps to make our dream reality! We feel so grateful for that! Once again we showed that many small stones in a pond can cause big ripples. We showed the world how much we can achieve together! And we are very greatful for your inconditional support!

Links:

http://www.fundacionruach.org

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