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Upcoming Events
Whilst the May Awareness Trip is sold out, anyone wishing to join the next trip (currently scheduled for November) should ring the office on 01225 718920.
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Dobrovat House Appeal
July will see us celebrate our 1st birthday as People Against Poverty. Like anyone who has a birthday coming up we've been thinking about how we would like to celebrate, and for us there is only one answer. Complete Dobrovat House!
We have now set up our Birthday Wishlist, if you would like to buy something and help us complete Dobrovat House please click here |
This Month We Are....
Thankful to our Platinum Partners ITS for hosting a wonderful networking meeting for our Business against Poverty members. Excited for all of our first Birthday plans, particularly with seeing Dobrovat House officially opened and... Hopeful that we can raise enough funds to furnish it for the grand opening! Grateful to Karen Ramirez for all the hard work and dedication she has shown in her role as Director of Business against Poverty. |
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Skydive for us.
Have you ever wanted to experience the thrill and excitement of jumping out a plane at 10,000ft?
Take in the breathtaking views as you gracefully soar through the sky with an experienced professional Sky Diver.
If you raise £375 then you get the chance for an experience of a lifetime FOR FREE. Call us now on 01225 718920, or send us an email to register your interest. To book your place we will require a £70 deposit which can be taken from fundraising. Not only will you make a fantastic contribution to charity you will have an unforgettable story to tell and definitely have ticked one off the bucket list! |
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Before After
Boiler update - Romania
With so many generous contributions as a result of our appeal after the boiler broke in the midst of Winter at Way of Joy, excellent progress has been made in the repairs. The floors and toilets have now been replaced and the new pipes have been reinstalled and the boiler in in situ.
We are fully in the swing of making the facilities better than they were before!
Thank you to all those who contributed at this time of need.
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Member of the Month
60 Second Chat
Ali Stewart is Business and Life Coach with Ali Stewart & Co.
(Photo taken by Celia Mannings Photography)
What motivates you?
Helping other people to discover their natural brilliance and allow it to shine!
I'm being coached at the moment (as a coach you have to be coached too!), and my coach asks what gets in the way of me achieving my goals in terms of developing my own business.
Well, it's because if an email pops into my inbox asking for help, I can't resist it - and I get totally and utterly distracted from the task in hand .... but these are the e-mails that motivate and inspire me!
Who do you admire in the world of business and why?
I admire creativity and a willingness to try new things, especially in the current climate. People in business are recognising they can't do things in the same old way if we are to pull through and put this country on its feet again, they want to find a new way of doing things and are reaching out for it - I love that!
What is your business philosophy?
High challenge and high support. I challenge people and organisations I work with to achieve, and support them to do this. I work with those I like and admire and who share my philosophy, who are willing to develop the best in themselves and others.
What is corporate social responsibility important to your business?
You can't live in isolation and only look after yourself when there are so many people in a far worse situation, can you! If I make money in business and am helped by people along the way, I see it as part of the natural cycle of life to then give some of it back to help others. In the words of Dolly Parton (I think), 'Make money and then use it as manure .... you spread it round and enable others to grow'
What would your advice be to anyone wondering if their business can benefit from joining Business against Poverty?
First of all, join now, they need you! As a small, growing charity, anything your business can do is noticeable and needed - your skills, knowledge, expertise - to help People against Poverty deliver the service that's needed in Romania, Nepal and Haiti. The business benefit is that you can see what you do makes a difference, your corporate, social, responsibility comes alive, you can see the actual families you are helping. You are close enough to the action to know that when the temperature plunges to minus 25 degrees centigrade and the boiler, pipes and floor in the Medical Centre bursts and help is needed right now ... you can respond. With Business Against Poverty, you join a family of like-minded businesses, you learn from each other and deliver the best for the people that need it - you are not just giving money. And when you do give money, rather than just handing over a load and wondering if ever gets to the right place ... you absolutely know it does.
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Adios but not Goodbye!
After nearly three years as Director of Business against Poverty, I have
decided that it is time to step down and give someone else the opportunity to lead this exciting project.
I have had the enormous privilege of working with Val and Bill Huxley and the BaP steering group to grow and develop a kernel of an idea into the organisation that it is today. With the support of our members and through great relationships wi
th local media, we have developed the profile of BaP and the companies who engage with us, and raised substantial funds to support People against Poverty and our projects in Romania, Haiti and Nepal.
Please continue to support Val, Bill and Tracy Tennant and John Matthews who are on the steering group as wholeheartedly as you have me! I'm not disappearing completely and will continue to serve on the People against Poverty Board as Trustee, and will, of course, continue to be a member of Business against Poverty.
I look forward to seeing many of you again soon in the capacity of my "day job" - as MD of
Lingua Communications!
So adios but not goodbye!
Karen Ramirez
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Spring Greetings....
I think I have the Gypsy blood in me! Not only am I off to Rome next week for the baptism of my beautiful granddaughter, I am then taking a group of 8 people on an Awareness Trip to Romania within days of returning. And in July I will have the honour and pleasure of actually meeting Krishna in Nepal.
As the group of 8 prepare themselves for what promises to be the trip of a lifetime - at the least a trip that will definitely make a difference in their lives - we are already planning the next trip for November. Already half filled, there are a few places left available. So if like these 8 people you want to have a life changing experience, then please do get in touch with me by email
Two of the group are from the Bailbrook House Hotel who were the 2011 Winners of our Business against Poverty competition The Entrepreneur, and so they will now see firsthand how their fundraising is going to be spent in helping families and children living in dire circumstances. The Entrepreneur 2012 has now been launched and we would love for you and your business to get involved, so take a look at the link
So whilst I bake in the beautiful sunshine of Rome, I wish you a wonderful May and may the sun shine over you.
Val Huxley CEO People against Poverty
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Project Update: St Josephs Creche and Notre Maison Orphanages - Haiti
There is lots going on at St Joseph's Creche and the Notre Maison orphanages run by the selfless Gertrude!
The septic tank previously damaged has been fully repaired through your donations, which is fantastic news.
As well as the support from People againt Poverty Gertrude also works with other agencies, and while we have been able to purchase the land, with others help the dormitories for the disabled children from Notre Maison are now 90% completed, the floors and bathrooms are not quite there yet, but should be finished very soon.
Once the dormitories are finished the next phase can begin! The chickens will be moved into their coop and start the egg factory on the right of the dorms.
In additions to this Gertrude is exploring the potential of planting a vegetable garden to help in moving closer to self sufficiency.
Thank you to all those who continue to support and follow our work with Gertrude in Haiti. If you would like to donate to help fully support these orphanages click here |
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Appeal : Help us fight cholera in Haiti.
Haiti is a country still very much struggling, and sadly people are still dying needlessly, from diseases that can be prevented. One of these diseases is cholera, and Haiti currently has the the highest number of cholera cases in the world.
A study recently released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates there is the threat that cholera will become endemic to Haiti.So what can we do?
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Woman suffering from cholera.
This woman was brought to Hospital in Cite Soleil, Port au Prince in a wheelbarrow suffering from cholera. |
In our February Newsletter you heard from Rachel Legouté who works with Gertrude in St Joseph's Creche and the
Notre Maison Orphanages. Rachel is also working on a new campaign, raising funds to buy small chlorine tablets called aqua-tabs to be given out for free at a clinic in a large slum in Port au Prince, called Cite Soleil, which is in an area that is particularly susceptible to cholera.
 | | Young boy with cholera. |
This young boy was brought to the clinic in Cite Soleil showing symptoms of cholera. He was treated and then his mother given the instructions, directions and funds to take him to weekend clinic should he deteriorate. We do not know the how this little boy is now, but he is a typical example of many children that are suffering needlessly from the disease.
 | Clinic, Cite Soleil Port au Prince.
These are families waiting to be seen at the clinic. Each mother is given 10 aqua-tabs for free and that's enough to clean about 25 gallons of water, this will give them clean drinking water for around a week. |
The aqua-tabs cost around £31 for 1000 tabs, and that is enough to clean 2500 gallons of water. With some many people in need they require more funds to keep this going; the clinic in Cite Soleil have already distributed 40,000 tabs in the last 2 and a half weeks, and the campaign are also looking to supply 2 other clinics in the area with tabs.
Just £1 will supply around 30 tabs - that's 3 weeks of clean water.
If you think you can help and would like to make a donation towards buying these aqua-tabs please call us today on 01225 718920 or donate online |
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Changing Lives - Trekking
After advertising our Nepal Trek last week it has now unfortunately been cancelled. However we have a plethora of other Treks that are taking place towards the end of the year to tempt you.
Have you always wanted to see the sunrise from Mount Kilimanjaro, or trek through beautiful Andean villages to reach the magical Machu Picchu? Or maybe you've always fancied hiking the iconic Great Wall of China, or even to see the natural beauty of Vietnam or Costa Rica.
We are looking for adventurous volunteers to trek in China, Jordan, South Africa, Vietnam, Tanzania (Mt Kilimanjaro), Costa Rica or Peru (Machu Picchu).
More of a cyclist than a trekker? We have Cycle options in India and Vietnam as well as London to Paris.
You will be experiencing some of the most awe inspiring views on the planet, visiting iconic sites and raising money for a worthy cause!
The trek will be managed by Skyline Events a company with twenty years experience and who are behind such celebrity events as the cycle ride to India (with Denise van Outen and Lydia Bright) which was recently publicised in the press. If you raise enough in sponsorship you will get to take part for free!
For those of you who wish to do something amazing both for yourself and the projects we support then pick up the phone and give us a call at the office on 01225 718920 or email us here. We will send you a full information pack and everything you need to take part in the experience of a lifetime.
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Community News |
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May is New Members Month!
We're on a new members drive! BaP membership totals nearly 100 companies and if you would like to see who they are, check out the Members Listing. We want to substantially grow the membership, particularly SMEs, so we can help more families, furnish Dobrovat House and much more, as well as providing opportunities for you to network with an even bigger pool of companies.
Please help us by sending an email to five of your business contacts and encouraging them to join Business against Poverty. To help, you can include a link to our Membership Fees and Benefits. Thank you for your support!
Members Only Advertising Opportunity
As part of New Members Month we are delighted to have secured a special rate for a full page advertisement in the business section of the Bath Chronicle for one edition in June / July and want to share it with you! Eight companies are invited to participate in a full page, full colour composite advertisement that will include your logo and some short wording content. The cost to each company will be £150 and will be allocated on a first come (and paid), first served basis. For details contact .
April Event
In April, we were delighted to welcome members and guests to a networking and short presentation about Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity by our hosts and BaP Platinum Partner, ITS.
In an age where most companies simply cannot function if systems go down Mike Evans, Head of Technology, highlighted areas in which ITS helps companies to develop a contingency strategy to maintain business as usual. Earlier this year ITS themselves had a full power outtage, however, managed to maintain 80% service levels and not a single one of their 70 customers even noticed - the contingency plan and technology work!
If implementation or upgrading your IT contingency plan is one of those projects that keeps getting "put on the back burner", now is the time to address it! Give ITS a call for a no-obligation chat on 0845 241 7410 or visit www.itsis.co.uk.
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