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TFI 2012
Our Year in Review
The ongoing global economic recession has left many people here and around the world in difficult circumstances. As we complete our sixth year of operation, we at The Forgotten International are thankful to our generous supporters for making it possible for us to continue to make a difference in the lives of those most in need. All the projects below are the result of you caring about the basic needs of others even while perhaps tightening your own budgets. We hope you are proud of the work we have accomplished together this year.
WINTER
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Laura visiting St. Vincent's classroom
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Exploratory Trip / Kenya
TFI staffer, Laura Tomforde, made an exploratory trip to Nairobi, Kenya, in late January. On behalf of TFI she visited eight grassroots NGOs, orphanages and day schools that help struggling women and children to rise out of poverty through educational and employment opportunities. Laura left small grants with three programs that seemed most in need. The Nest Orphanage and
Children's Home, St. Vincent's Children of Kibera and the Euphrasia Women's Centre.
We also offered further support this year to two of those organizations through additional funding and by sending a volunteer through our Fellowship Program, mentioned below.
SPRING
Clean Water for School Children / Uganda 
We are blessed to know people who make giving and caring part of their life. Former TFI volunteer and Peace Corps volunteer, Kate Scurria, contacted us from Kyegegwa, Uganda, near Kampala, where she was assigned this year, to let us know of a school that was desperately in need of clean water. The solution was simple--a 10,000 liter water tank could be purchased and installed for the cost of $2,200. Working with Kate, TFI was able to give the children of the Angels' Care School a clean, reliable water source. We were happy to help in this small way and thankful to Kate for bringing us this opportunity.
Vocational Training for Women / India
A program new to TFI this year is the Sirjana Institute in Varanasi, India. This small nonprofit works with women and young girls in one of India's poorest areas providing them with academic education and vocational training so they have a means of supporting themselves and escaping extreme poverty. Our small grant this year of $2,500 served to keep 65 young women in school to complete their program. We thank founder Mrs. Kalpana Sharma for devoting herself to improving the future for these young women.
Scholarship Students / India
TFI continues its ongoing support of YouthNet's Education Program in Nagaland, Northeastern India. Since 2008, TFI has provided Merit Scholarships to 14 children in two rural schools. TFI again renewed our commitment to these young people this year, and we hear from our local guide, Hekani Jakhalu, that these kids are thriving at school and their families are very proud of them. It costs $100 per year for one child to stay in school and receive an education that will forever change their life for the better. We could not reach these children without our good friend, Hekani.
SUMMER
2012 Fellows / India and Kenya
Based on the success of our 2011 Program and the overwhelming enthusiasm from both Fellows and agencies abroad, we again put out a call for skilled volunteers who would like to live and work abroad for two months as TFI Fellows. Fellows gain personal and
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"Team TFI": Katie Lin, Mark Johnston, Claire Grote, Hillary Amster
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professional experience in their field while doing the work of poverty alleviation. TFI's volunteers not only provide valuable skills to agencies abroad, but also help us to better understand the needs of each program we work with and the community they serve. Our Fellows are an invaluable resource, and we are grateful to these dedicated young people who gave their time and effort this year.
Hillary Amster, an attorney from New York, worked at the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Dharamsala, Northern India. TFI has been sending volunteers to work with the TCHRD since 2007. Fellows perform legal research and writing for the Annual Report which chronicles human rights abuses of Tibetans in Tibet/China as well as for relevant articles about the Tibetan cause. Hillary wrote two Special Reports: one on "disappeared" persons in Tibet / China and one on religious repression of Tibetans in China. Claire Grote, an attorney based in San Francisco, picked up where Hillary Amster left off at the TCHRD. Claire's background in Criminal Law made her an asset to this grassroots NGO as she helped to compile information for the Annual Report, which focuses on arbitrary arrests and imprisonment of Tibetans in China.
 Lisa Helm, with a Masters in Social Work, worked with St. Vincent's Children of Kibera in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. St. Vincent's is a new program for TFI this year. We discovered it through a partnership with a local San Francisco nonprofit One World Children's Fund and it is a children's home Laura visited for us earlier in the year. Lisa's professional skills were of great benefit to the children and families who rely on St. Vincent's. She was able to do much, and St. Vincent's is looking to follow up on Lisa's work next year.
Katie Lin, a journalist from Canada, traveled to Dharamsala in Northern India to volunteer with the Central Tibetan Administration. Katie was assigned to the newly formed Tibetan Policy Institute, which does research and policy work. She conducted interviews with newly arrived Tibetans at the Tibetan Reception & Refugee Centre about border policy issues and wrote a feature for the Tibetan Bulletin published by the Department of Information & International Relations about the future resettlement of 1,000 Tibetans in Canada. In addition she made a short documentary for the TCHRD about self-immolations in Tibet.
A Heater for The Nest / Kenya
The Nest Orphanage and Children's Home in Limuru, Kenya, purchased a heating stove for their nursery with a donation from the Tomforde Family matched by TFI. The Nest is a program Laura found on her trip earlier this year and we are glad we were able to make an additional gift to them. We are also thankful to TFI Fellow, Lisa Helm, who was able to personally deliver the donation to The Nest on behalf of TFI. We received a very sweet handmade card from the children, which is a nice reminder of why we do this work every day.
Special Deliveries to La Comunidad de Niños Sagrada Familia / Peru
 Through collaboration between VIDA USA, VIDA Peru, One World Futbol, Peace Builders, Inc. and TFI donor Steve Preminger, we were able to deliver a truckload of needed goods--medical supplies, school supplies, nursery supplies, clothing, shoes and toys--to a community of over 800 children and young people at La Comunidad de Niños Sagrada Familia near Lima, Peru. This team effort inspires us and reinforces the belief that we can accomplish so much more when we work together. We thank all the organizations and friends who partnered with us to make this possible. Everyone at Sagrada Familia was excited to receive an early Christmas gift!
Furthermore, an amazing group of students at Riverside High School in South Carolina, through their student club called Atlas, put on a variety of fundraising activities throughout the year and raised
almost $2,500 for Sagrada Familia. The students in Atlas care about other young people around the world, and led by their teacher, the wonderful Mrs. Anne Snow, voted Teacher of the Year at Riverside, the club chooses a TFI program each year to sponsor. They are truly inspiring young people. Former TFI Fellow Danielle Bicknell personally delivered their donation to Miguel Rodriguez, founder of Sagrada Familia.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Visits TFI
G lobal law firm Bingham McCutchen welcomed Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to their San Francisco offices on September 19, 2012, for a benefit reception for TFI. Mr. Kennedy is one of the country's top environmental lawyers and was named by TIME Magazine as one of the "Heroes for the Planet." Mr. Kennedy spoke about how the poor are disproportionally affected when corrupt political systems and irresponsible business practices are allowed to pollute our air, water and land.
TFI featured photos from our "Living on a Dollar a Day" project of the extreme environmental damage done by an e-waste dump in Ghana and the women and children forced to work on this toxic dump site to scrape out a living. We were honored to have Mr. Kennedy with us and were moved by his message. We are most grateful to all at Bingham for hosting such a wonderful reception and to our event sponsors for making the day possible.
FALL
"Living on a Dollar a Day" Celebrates a Major Milestone
P hotojournalist, Renée Byer, author, Tom Nazario, and book designer, David Griffin, met over two days and reviewed the entire manuscript, page by page, of TFI's forthcoming publication, "Living on a Dollar a Day." In the end, all were pleased with the results. This is a big step in the long road that began in the summer of 2009 when TFI pulled together a group of photojournalists and proposed the idea of doing such a book. Tom Nazario met with publishers in December to take the next steps. We are looking forward to seeing the finished publication and will keep you posted on a 2013 release date. Book signings to follow!
Wine and Music for a Cause
One of TFI's Board Members, Tarek Fahmi and his wife Carol, hosted a beautiful evening of wine and food pairings with live music at their home for friends who had come to learn about the work of TFI. Tom Nazario made a short presentation to the group under the stars of the Fahmi's backyard, and together we raised $2,800! It was a fun way to meet new friends. Thank you again, Tarek and Carol, for creating such a lovely event for us!
Jason Bradeen Rides Again
The "24 for the Forgotten" Charity Bike Ride returned for a second year when Jason Bradeen from Woodside wanted to take action again to raise awareness for TFI's programs. Over the weekend of October 6 - 7, 2012, Jason rode his bike 24 hours around the San Francisco Bay Area to raise funds for a program long supported by TFI, the Tong-Len Charitable Trust in Northern India. They help displaced families out of poverty through educational and health-based projects. Jason helped raise $2,700 during his 223-mile ride! TFI will make an additional donation and deliver a total of $3,000 to Tong-Len. Thank you to all who gave and supported Jason.
Final Fellow of the Year / India Mark Johnston, who served as a Fellow in Dharamsala last summer recently completed a Masters in Public Policy in London and wished to go back to New Delhi, India, this year to work with the Parliamentary Offices of Representative B.J. Panda on poverty-related issues. Mark is applying his background in international development at the government level in this unique opportunity. He will be home in time for Christmas! Supporting Disabled Youth / India  Each year TFI makes a small grant to Harmony Through Education, a school in Dharamsala, India, which provides education, vocational instruction, medical care, and two meals a day to young people with mental and/or physical challenges. Without this school, many of these children would end up as beggars. Instead, 23 young people are receiving special education for the first time and each day are making improvements. Harmony also reaches out to the families and the community for support and involvement. TFI gave $2,500 in 2012 towards their good and much-needed work.
QuickBooks Pro We have long needed help in the office to get our bookkeeping methods updated to the 21st century. Thankfully, we received an early holiday gift in the form of Ms. Dee Grimm, an accountant who responded to our request for a volunteer bookkeeper. Not only is she a joy to work with, and a very patient teacher, she is whipping our books into shape just in time for the new year. Dee's donation of her time and expertise, as well as her good nature, is a priceless contribution to the overall work of TFI. Thank you, Dee! FUTURE PLANS In January, we are planning an exploratory trip to Cambodia, one of the poorest countries in South East Asia, where many women and girls are vulnerable to trafficking. Also, we are preparing to send Fellows back to Peru next year, and we are looking forward to launching a new California Project that will involve teaching compassion to youth in local schools. We hope you will continue to follow our updates and get involved in 2013. Thank you for your ongoing support of our work and mission! We are most grateful. | 
