News
GAN Highly Commended in Charity Awards
GAN’s work with children recognised by UK Charity
Sector
 Following news last month that GAN had been nominated for the Charity
Awards 2004, we are pleased to announce that we were ‘highly commended’ in
the ‘international aid and development’ category. As one
of only three organisations throughout the country that was nominated
in this category, GAN was very proud to have had our efforts recognise
in this way.
The particular aspect of our work which was commended was our ‘children’s
clubs’, which promote creativity amongst children in fields such
as art, drama and sports.
The winner in GAN’s category was VSO, with whom GAN have an excellent
working relationship in Nepal. Our congratulations to them.
School Twinning Programme Launched
Cross-Cultural Understanding between young people
in the UK and Nepal
GAN is pleased to announce the launch of our ‘School
Twinning Programme’. The programme is designed to enable children
and young people from both the UK and Nepal to become more
informed and culturally accepting citizens. Through
the exchange of letters, gifts and ideas,
they will learn about a country from first
hand sources from people of their same age, and will learn to see
differences
not as a negative
thing, but as a positive force for good. The
programme will entail many different aspects,
many of which will be driven by the children and
young people themselves. We are looking for schools who may be interested in having a ‘twin
school’ in Nepal. If you are a teacher, or know of a school that
would be interested in participating in this programme, please contact
us for further information.
Aspects of GAN’s School Twinning Programme
- Photo project – children from both schools take photographs
of their local communities and these are
shared between schools, perhaps through
an exhibition or in the form of a booklet.
- A mapping exercise in both communities
undertaken by the students themselves which
details important local issues – for example the different
sports which are played in the UK and Nepal;
or the options available for older
students after taking one’s
leaving exams.
- Members of staff also share ideas and
issues regarding teaching, and gain different
perspectives on the nature
of their role. Likewise, this can be
the case for headteachers and governors.
New Partnership With World Expeditions
GAN delighted to launch partnership with one of the UK's
leading adventure travel specialists
 World
Expeditions, the trekking and adventure holiday
specialists, offers over 40 treks to
Nepal and the rest of the Himalayas. There
is something for every level
of fitness and age, ranging from introductory
and moderate level treks for the novice trekker
through to mountaineering
and exploratory trips for those looking for a
true challenging adventure. For many years
they have been at the forefront of
porter protection schemes in Nepal and are keen
wherever possible to support organisations
such as GAN. For more details
about available trips and their responsible travel
policy, refer to their website at www.worldexpeditions.co.uk or
alternatively call 020 8870 2600. In addition,
they will make a donation of £100 per person for every
booking referred to them via GAN.
New Trustees Appointed GAN’s new trustees introduce themselves
Anna Patterson
After finishing my degree I went out to Nepal as
a GAN volunteer in November 2000. I was attracted
to the practical, long-term approach, which is key to GAN's work in
Nepal. After six
months working near Pokhara I found that leaving
the country was not enough to escape the clutches of GAN and I kept
being drawn back in
by Nepali curry evenings and sponsored walks.
When I moved to London I realised that resistance was futile and joined
Centurions (London
volunteer group). Since then I have eaten more
curry, helped plan events and hosted a wine tasting evening.
After
leaving Nepal I did a Masters degree in Renaissance
Literature and I now work in the Science Museum's
sponsorship department. GAN Trustees Still Wanted
New trustees wanted to help with GAN’s expansion and development
Further to the above, with two of our committee members going off to
Nepal (one to live and one on extended study leave), combined with the
expansion of our activities and the development of the organisation,
we are actively seeking new trustees to take GAN forward. We are not
looking for people from any particular background, as a wide range of
skills are needed to support our work – from personnel to fundraising,
from teaching to event management, from business to management. If you
have an interest in our work, and can give a reasonable amount of time
to further our work, then we would love to hear from you.
Your commitment as a trustee would be between five and six meetings
per year. As well as time spent on general committee duties, you would
also be involved in a particular area of our work which interests you.
If you are interested in finding out more, please do not hesitate to
contact us. Information about becoming a charity
trustee is available from the Charity
Commission or directly
from GAN.
300 Club
Help GAN by encouraging friends and family to
give as little as £2 per month
In a bid to secure additional funding for our many projects in Nepal,
GAN is launching a major initiative to ensure regular giving to GAN.
From a little as £2 per month, people can make a massive difference
| And what GAN can do
for you in return
If you manage
to secure £25 a month of regular
contributions for GAN, in return we will
thank you by giving you:
- A pashmina shawl
- A pack of GAN Christmas
Cards
- A free Nepali dinner
at one of our cultural evenings.
|
The idea of the 300 club is for supporters of GAN
to
source £300
of regular income a year for the charity through
direct debits and standing orders (£25 per month).
Brainstorming
a list of friends, colleagues and family who
may be interested is a good start, and approaching them directly with
the information
the next step. Just two or three people giving
a fiver a month, and five or so giving £2 will make up the £25
target.
Postcard Promotion
Get some exercise and help promote GAN’s work!
 GAN has recently produced some colour postcards by which we hope to
introduce new people to the charity. We are asking our current supporters
to help us deliver some of these postcards in their local area. This
will help us to keep our costs to nil.
If you can assist us by delivering some postcards, please contact us
and we will put some in the post to you.
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