Brigitte Lorenz’s Little Midwinter Fundraiser

TBF stall at local market

When I became aware that the funding for the yellow beans for the Shan Camp was seriously threatened by the shortage of funds from the usual sponsor I put my thinking hat on and talked to some friends.

We came up with the spontaneous idea of a little midwinter party ‘with a benefit’ for the people of the Shan camp who are relying on the yellow beans as a source of their protein requirement.

Soon the invites were floating via cyber space to all our friends, inclusive of encouragement for poems, music and some financial contribution for a good cause. And people came and contributed in all manners: a couple delighted everybody with some exquisite music, some others with wonderful poetry, written by themselves or recited from famous poets.

Some of our postcards on sale for donations

I showed some pictures of the camp and the yellow bean distribution and talked a bit about the plight of the camp people. We sold some of the products of the camp weaving centre in exchange for donations. It was a very lively and enjoyable affair.

At the end of the evening people did not want to leave. The room was full of warm feelings and happy faces. The contents of our glass jar together with the donations made directly into the account were enough to support the yellow beans project for 3 more months (NZ$ 350).

Some people set up automatic payments, which is the best way to help us at TBF to keep our commitments. For only NZ$ 20 a month also you could help provide 100 people with their rations of yellow beans.

Iona and Tom at the Chiang Mai fundraiser

I certainly was very encouraged by the outcome of our little fundraiser and will endeavour again to raise more funds for a good cause.

Nadia Danti’s Fundraising Dinner for Education

When the ‘Keep 28 at Risk Cambodian Girls in School’ project was launched on Global Giving, I organised a dinner to raise awareness and funds. This was to assist The Branch Foundation (TBF) and The Cambodian Centre for the Protection of Children’s Rights (CCPCR) plan to provide safety, education and opportunities for 28 girls in Phnom Penh who have been subjected to sex-trafficking and other forms of abuse.

A good friend and I cooked dinner for all my family and friends. The dinner provided a casual environment for everyone to talk comfortably and openly about the project and ultimately contribute to ensuring these girls have access to a safe environment and education.

The weaving centre's scarves were especially popular

Internet was made available on the night for people to donate at their own discretion and for those not able to attend, project details and links on how they could donate were sent to them. A total of AU$ 500 was raised.

I believe that something so simple as cooking a meal for friends and family is an effective way to raise awareness and get people talking about issues which they can then pass on to others. I still have people asking me how the project is going and I hope this event will become a regular occurrence amongst my circle of friends and family to continually support TBF’s projects.