SOSUA  KIDS

Annual Report 2010 

Executive Summary

This report summarizes activities and developments in 2010 and outlines plans and prospects for 2011

Report on 2010

 2010 was the first full year in which we have operated as an officially approved “Asociacion Sin Fines De Lucro” (Non-Profit Association) of The Dominican Republic.  

 We are currently (during the school year 2010/211) supporting 386 disadvantaged local children by providing them with the uniforms and supplies without which they are not permitted to attend school.  This is a larger number than in any previous year and was of course made possible by the continued generosity of individuals, groups and businesses through donations and the organisation of fundraising events.  The Board of Directors (Junta Directiva) has introduced the title of “Patron” of Sosua Kids as a means of recognising those who have given us continuing especially generous support over a period of time.  A list of patrons is appended to the end of this report.

 Our own fundraising efforts have also helped significantly. Our then Chief Fundraiser Sue Bryan organised a particularly successful golf tournament at Pipestone Links Golf Course, Alberta, Canada in July.  In Sosua itself, our Christmas Fun Fair was probably the most successful event we have ever organised locally, in terms of both raising money and increasing awareness of our association and its work.  The sosuakids.com web site has both kept existing supporters aware of our activities and attracted new donors.

 In determining the number of children we can support each year we have to strike a balance between on the one hand  donors’ expectations that their money will be used for the purposes for which they have given it as soon as possible (rather than hoarded in reserves) against on the other hand our need to ensure that we can meet our commitment to continue supporting our children in future years.  We do this by retaining in reserves, for use during the following year, a sum equivalent to 50% of the cost of supporting the children concerned in the current year.

 During 2010, one of the four university students we had been supporting graduated (in dentistry) and another left in order to take up an opportunity to continue his medical studies in The United States.  We are not supporting any other university students in their place, having decided to concentrate our funds on our core activity of providing school uniforms and supplies.  However, we continue to support the pre-school at Los Castillos by providing money to fund scholarships for poor children.

 In April Board member John Bosworth replaced Jennifer Paulger as Secretary of Sosua Kids; Jenni continued on the Board, taking greater responsibility for fundraising efforts.  Later that month our Vice-President Barbara Anderson resigned but happily her absence proved to be temporary and, at the time of writing this report, she has recently returned to her former role.  In December our Chief Fundraiser, Sue Bryan, left Sosua and returned to live in Canada.  We will sorely miss her although she hopes to continue supporting our work from afar.

 Prospects and Plans for 2011

 Sosua Kids faces 2011 with new leadership since, at the very start of the year our President, Karen Conquergood, resigned and was succeeded by Janet Williams.  Barbara Andersen returned as Vice-President and Jennifer Paulger succeeded Janet as Treasurer.

 Our priorities for the year are:

 To continue supporting the maximum number of disadvantaged local school children commensurate with available funds and continuing future commitments.  In the school year 2011/12 we hope to be able to support at least the same number of children as in the current year (386).

To broaden our existing funding base wherever possible by finding new supporters, including individual and group donors and fundraisers and business sponsors.  We are very lucky in the enthusiasm, generosity and loyalty of our existing supporters, but fund-raising conditions continue to be difficult, due both to the general economic climate and to the increasing number of good causes seeking financial help.

Board of Sosua Kids (Junta Directiva)

President                               Karen Conquergood (until January 2011)

                                                Janet Williams (from January 2011)

Vice-President                      Barbara Andersen (until April 2010 and from January 2011)

Treasurer                               Janet Williams (until January 2011)

                                                Jennifer Paulger (from January 2011)

Secretary                               Jennifer Paulger (until April 2010)

                                                John Bosworth (from April 2010)

Members                                David Auffret

                                                Linden Andersen

                                                John Bosworth (until April 2010)

(There is currently one vacancy on The Board)

Patrons of Sosua Kids

Maureen and Thomas Behl (MT Cerveceria, Calgary, Alberta, Canada)

Michelle Bennett (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada)

Sylvia Berkley (Stichting Help Sosuakids Naar School, The Netherlands)

Beyond The Beach Children’s Foundation (Canadian based international foundation)

Trish and James Joyce (Isle of Man)

Janet Williams,

President, Sosua Kids

March 2011