Dear FFK Supporter,
In common with countless other organisations, Futures For Kids has had to put a number of activities on hold for the foreseeable future. This means that our regular fundraising events for this time of year will not be taking place – this includes the annual FFK Quiz Night; the Golf Day; and, of course, the Gala Dinner hosted by FIA to coincide with IDX.
We are desperately sad not to be able to raise funds for the amazing charities we support, particularly at a time when their other sources of funds are all but drying up. We are hearing heart-breaking stories of our core charities not able to support the children and young adults they care for in a climate when that support is even more critical than it is at the best of times.
FFK hopes to be able to reschedule a number of fundraising events later in the year, including the Gala Dinner, and may even come up with creative ways of holding events as an alternative to the in-person kind. This could include a ‘virtual race’ should we not be able to move forward with our annual Fun Run in late June.
In the meantime, we encourage you, if you are able, to make donations directly to your favourite charities, or to one of FFK’s core charities where your contribution will provide invaluable support. Below are some messages from these charities and links to their donation pages.
Thank you for your past support of Futures For Kids. We hope to be able to come back to you with better news and opportunities for fundraising later in the summer.
Stay safe and healthy.
Emma
Emma Davey, Chair of the Board of Trustees
EducAid
Based in Sierra Leone, EducAid knows all too well the harsh realities that lie ahead having lived through the Ebola crisis. The country, like many others, has now suspended all schools for an indefinite period. EducAid now needs extra support to keep its students with nowhere else to go safe and learning at the schools they call home. It is also working hard to make sure that learning continues across Sierra Leone in innovative ways that reach as many communities and children as possible. Like other charities, EducAid knows it will be facing a dramatic drop in income in the months ahead. Much of that income comes from events that will now not take place, from schools that will now be shut throughout the next term or more, from funders and trusts who are also experiencing challenges. Without help, all EducAid has built over the last 25 years is in jeopardy.
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/displayCharityCampaignPage.action?charityCampaignUrl=EducAidCovidAppeal&mc_cid=1b453cac8b&mc_eid=0718b2d270
Kids In Kathmandu Nepal (KIKN)
The news from Kathmandu is similar. All the schools and colleges are closed till further notice. The seven breakfast clubs KIKN supports in seven schools have ceased as part of the closure. Over 800 children are being affected. More than half the population of Kathmandu has left to return to their ancestral homes where they are attempting to live off the land. But one meal a day is a reasonable outcome for most families living on the breadline.
https://kidsinkathmandu.com/support-us/
Leadership Through Sport and Business
Prior to the UK government's announcement about the creation of a new COVID-19 job retention scheme, employers of three of LTSB’s top performing young people had already reacted by making their posts redundant. LTSB hopes the government's intervention will stop the escalation of redundancies however this may not help the 66 young people in the process of being placed at this time. LTSB’s support for young people is more important than ever as they manage home-working for the first time, often caring for elderly relatives and younger siblings at the same time. This includes young people from LTSB’s 2018 and 2019 Intakes as well alumni. LTSB is also supporting employers and ensuring apprentices are effective, productive, and valued. Mentoring and supporting young people and their families is even more important at this time. A significant number of young people who have completed LTSB’s 4-month preparation for work bootcamp are now unlikely to be placed in roles for many months to come, through no fault of their own. Many of these young people have lost the part-time jobs they had during the bootcamp and are now unlikely to be placed in full time career roles. Their financial contribution to their families is often a necessary lifeline.
https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/127684
WeSeeHope
WeSeeHope has always been about hope. COVID-19 risks destroying that hope, unless the charity and its partners can be where they have been for the last 20 years – alongside the most vulnerable in the poor and isolated communities in which we work. The COVID-19 crisis is devastating for WeSeeHope as it poses a genuine existential threat to the charity’s future. In the last three weeks the charity has lost 80% of the funding it was expecting to receive for the remainder of its financial year (ending June 2020) and 50% of funding for the following year. A number of its campaigns have been cancelled and £1.4m of its expected future income has been lost or affected. WeSeeHope needs to raise £320,000 by June and another additional £150,000 by September. The closer it can get to this target, the more it can reduce the impact of the proposed cuts on our work in the coming months.