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Foundation of the Group The Committee of the then Oxted Third World Group first met in January 1983. The initial aim was to raise £250 by Christmas 1983 for a delivery bed at a clinic in Lesotho and 100 books for a library in Peru. The Charity started off as an inter-Church Group, subsequently becoming secular, to appeal to people of all faiths and political leanings. However the local churches provided many of the members and together with local schools and other community groups continue to contribute greatly to the success of the Group. By Christmas 1983 over £1000 had been raised. Over the years this has increased so that in 2008-9 we contributed a new record of £41,337 to 28 projects. Membership & Administration Costs The Oxted One World Group was set up as a membership organisation and now has over 460 members. Their £5 subscriptions more than cover the Group's administrative costs so that all the money raised by fund raising goes to overseas aid projects. A Millennium letter distributed in the area in 2000 doubled the membership to 400 and a sponsored brochure sent out to 17,000 households in Oxted and the surrounding areas early in 2008 resulted in a further 50 new members. The increased number of members helped to considerably increase the amount of money raised by the Group's Christmas Appeal, donations to the Hurst Green Fair Bottle Stall, the Silent Auction and the success of the Open Gardens Day. Projects Since 1983 over £435,000 has been raised and allocated to projects in the developing world, in Africa, the Indian sub-continent, South America and occasionally the Far East. Most funding requests come from members with direct contact with or knowledge of a project which helps local communities. Projects must be locally generated and sustainable with adequate feedback so that we can ensure that the money is being used for the agreed purpose. Projects may help education, secure income generation, clean water or healthcare or tackle the consequences of HIV/ AIDS. Details of Projects Supported These are in the Oxted One World Group's newsletters. Money Raised in 2008-2009 * Silent Auction 2008 - £5,600 |
Fund Raising Events 2010 Saturday 20th March 7.30pm - Silent Auction, St. Peter's Hall, Limpsfield Five Things You Can Do Now 1. Become a Friend of the OWG (£5 a year). How to Join Contact: Averin Cox, Hookwood Oak, She will send you an application form together with a Gift Aid declaration. Newsletters are delivered to all members to tell them about forthcoming events, results of recent fund raising and projects supported. What More Can You Do? 1.2 billion people in the world live on under 75p a day. They are the hardest hit by natural disasters, environmental degradation, repressive social systems and a world economic system which favours the West. For 26 years the Oxted One World Group has worked to make a difference by supporting projects which help people to help themselves. Giving money is only part of the answer. The way we live here influences world development in a number of ways. The cheap prices we enjoy may be at the expense of producers overseas. Our wasteful lifestyles exacerbate global environmental
problems and are often copied by those struggling for a better life in the developing world. If people in China and India follow our lead, life on earth as we know it will be seriously challenged and the first to suffer will be
those living on the margins of survival. We can help by reducing our impact on the environment and supporting efforts to combat world poverty. For advice on such issues in the home, business or school contact Read/download the OWG colour brochure here.
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Oxted One World Group has also
recently launched its annual Christmas Appeal 2009. This aims to raise £7000 for a health clinic at Jajari in The Gambia to serve 5000 people in the area. Local people at present have to travel 30 kms. on foot or by donkey to
the nearest health facility. A local clinic will doubtless help to reduce the high infant mortality rate. It will be completed in 2010 and named in honour of the Oxted One World Group. |
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Committee 2010 |
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Geoffrey Sanderson (Chairman) OWG e-mail: oxtedowg@googlemail.com |
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Church reps. |
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All Saints: Anna Burrage. |
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Oxted One World Group - Helping Communities in the Developing World
Health Aid Youth Club,
Saboba, Ghana.
Proposed by Dr Bayju Thakar (son of Mrs Thakar, a member of OWG). He and a colleague spent 2 months working for Health Aid, Ghana, based in Saboba, a deprived area in N. Ghana, and while there set up the Youth Club with local teachers
and senior students.
They trained a group of students on HIV, STD, family planning and sanitation. They implemented a programme whereby students would pass on their knowledge to other schools.
They are in regular contact with the teacher who runs the project and plan to go back to Saboba next month. They are currently fund-raising for textbooks, stationary, bicycles (to reach outlying schools) cameras and T-shirts.
£500 covered most of their costs last year.
Learn about Saboba. Click here.
Agape of Hope, Kamulikwazi, Kasese, Uganda
At present they have NO funding and they send regular pleas for help. They have submitted a detailed budget for teaching aids, training of counsellors, training courses etc. We propose to
send an initial grant as pump-priming which we may follow up if we get a satisfactory report of their achievements. £1,000 awarded.
Learn about Kasese. Click here.
Visit Fallingrain for population, climate and sat pics here. For Sat. maps visit maplandia.com
RUSH Project, Kakamega, Kenya. Proposed by Christine
Lawrence on behalf of a friend, Liz Noble, who visits Kenya every year. Set up in 2001 by Lucy Amukowa in a slum area of Nairobi. She was a slum child herself so is well aware of what works. She and her husband
have established a feeding programme and school for street children, workshops for destitute women and teenagers, football teams which are also used to promote AIDS’ awareness, a woodwork shop and a choir which
won a nation-wide competition and was invited to perform for the President. They have been given 10 acres of land to expand their activities and have built an orphanage. The project is run
by volunteers, including teachers, who receive only basic allowances. They get some help from UK volunteers like Liz, who visit for short periods. Liz suggested a maize mill. She lives in Reigate and would love to come and talk to us.
About Kakamega, climate, pics, click here.
Click for Sat map here.
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