Tuesday, November 24, 2015

New Technical Courses in SVP

Last October ALG launched 2 new Technical Courses in SVP School, for an initial target of 25 children with turnover at the end of two months. The students of SVP School will now be able to learn Bakery and Arts&Crafts.

ALG Technical Education offers skills-based courses after school to youngsters in underprivileged communities and with low schooling rates. Children with learning and social difficulties, who usually abandon their studies, are provided with a free professional training that keeps them busy during the post-class period and provides them with skills for potential jobs











Friday, November 6, 2015

Hilário – One year as General Coordinator

This week it will be one year since Hilário has been working as ALG’s General Coordinator in Mozambique. The General Coordinator has a crucial role as ALG Partner providing a link between the Partners, on the ground, and the Headquarters in Portugal. Hilário tries to support all the Partners when they need and, at the same time, he facilitates the link with ALG on the ground. 
 His main functions are:
  • To coordinate the actions of the several local projects and provide support through monitoring;
  • To improve the implementation of UPG Portugal Sponsoring Programme and enable the relationship between the Partners and UPG Portugal;
  • To support ALG and UPG Portugal in the implementation of programmes aimed to improve the quality of Education, Nourishment and Health for the Sponsored Children through the follow-up  of individual cases;
  • To enable the implementation of Projects and support the Local Partners through monitoring;
  • To enable the development of new projects based on the survey of information and on the needs of Local Partners and Technicians;
  • To provide local entities a contact point in the organization and schedule regular meetings to keep them up to date with the organization’s activities;
  • To follow-up any issue related with the organization.



Thursday, November 5, 2015

ALG - Update on Funds & Volunteers

ALG has submitted audited Annual Accounts for 2014 with the UK regulator this week. We thank all donors and volunteers and give you an update of what all your generosity meant in 2014 and over the current year of 2015.
Our largest project in Mozambique: SLM School Feeding
  • In 2014 we continued to work in six big poles of intervention in the impoverished south of Mozambique: EFI pre-school and EA school in Xai-Xai, ESC pre-school and rural communities in Chongoene, SVP and SLM schools in Chokwé. Our work, in cooperation with UPG Portugal  reached out 1’878 direct beneficiariesThis number is approaching 2'300 in 2015. 

  • On Funds Raised, the year was a bit slow with £59’070 raised, down 32% from 2013. Most income in 2014 was derived from Charity Races like our hugely popular Royal Parks Half Marathon, Gift Aid and Regular Donations. Funds raised year to date in 2015 are at £77'682. We are having bumper years in Grants towards School Feeding, Pre-Schools and HIV. It is a super competitive area where we received £25k to date and guaranteed £44k so far hooray! 
  • On Funds Sent to Mozambique, a total of £51’080 was sent in 2014 to local operations (vs an historic peak of £71’350 in 2013). Our funding supported projects in Poverty Relief (10% of funds), Infrastructure (2%), Education (82%) and Sustainability (5%). The SLM School Feeding project became the Charity’s largest project feeding 800+ children every school day. This split has continued throughout 2015, with School Feeding still the largest now followed by the new SLM HIV Centre for 32 children, costing in 2015 £27’179 and £23'659 each, respectively. So far we sent £57’620 in funds over 2015.
  • On Admin Costs, we try hard to sustain the Charity’s goal of between 90-95p per pound received applied locally. The ALG team at headquarters continued to employ no paid staff and is composed in full of volunteers. Admin costs were payment of runner fees on the Royal Parks HM, followed by food costs at the now recurrent ALG Quiz nights (one coming before YE come and join us!). This resulted in 94p per pound donated available to be applied in local projects.
On Other Areas, we were happy to witness an increase in the supporter and volunteer base, with the creation of especially driven ALG Ambassadors. All of you support the work of the 3 Trustees Joana, Patricia and Sara, advised by Board Member João. 
In Mozambique we hired our first ALG Local Coordinator Hilário Langa, a hardworking young uni scholarship student that helps us gather and monitor all the info from the six Local Partners.  
new ALG website was under development for both ALG UK and UPG Portugal. 
We noted a high dependency on two one-off sporting events (32% from RPHM and JPMC) on which so many of you participate. New initiatives were developed such as easyfundrasing, crowdfunding and the ALG Quiz slowly diversifying the income base. We are always welcoming new ideas so please help us grow more!

The Charity started 2015 in a healthy financial position with cash funds of £55’630. We continue to be very present on the ground with our 5 Local Partners and our Local Coordinator. A UPG Portugal senior management team visited the local projects for one month in April 2015 and in October 2015. ALG Chairman Sara visited the operations in May 2015 and came back with a full heart from the newly inaugurated projects of the SLM HIV Centre, a Brick Production facility and an IT center in Chongoene.

Reports from our Local Partners continue to show enthusiasm for our programme, recognition and often gratitude from the beneficiaries and, more importantly, a marked improvement in the quality of life of the children and their families under the Charity’s intervention area.  

THANK YOU!

JOANA, PATRICIA & SARA