SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Some of you refugees from O'net may remember SOLID's friends Jean and Jamie. Jean was a Peace Corps Volunteer and Jamie is a registered nurse and social outreach worker. Since returning to Canada they have started the G.R.O. Foundation and its first project, the Family Scholarship Fund, in response to community needs they witnessed while working at Tsepong HIV Clinic in the Leribe district of Lesotho, a Gardens of Hope location.

SOLID recently received a letter from them suggesting a partnership between SOLID and G.R.O. so that together we can further our efforts in the Leribe District of Lesotho. We propose to use this space to discuss how we can make that happen.

Dear S.O.L.I.D Salt Spring,

I am writing to you on behalf of the Global Relief Outreach Foundation (G.R.O.) and our North American partners. In 2005 we engaged in the development of a scholarship program and grassroots co-operative in Hlotse-Leribe, Lesotho. In our efforts to increase support to our students and project participants we are currently seeking to reach out to other organizations and initiatives operating in the region.

As a Registered Nurse at Tsepong Clinic Leribe, and through our mutual contacts in Lesotho I have been aware of your organization’s involvement at Molapo High School and in the Leribe region over the past several years. As both of our organizations continue to pursue successful and sustainable development progress in Lesotho I feel that it is of vital importance to open the lines of communication between us so as to facilitate mutual project success.

As we are both aware, project development in Lesotho can be both logistically and ethically challenging, particularly in terms of communications, financial transparency and transition of responsibility to local partners without reliable follow-up. Due to this we are eager to develop reciprocal partnerships in order to share information, provide mutual project follow-up while in country and to provide continuity of services considering our target population is the same.

We are eager for you to review the attached project summary as well as our website at www.grofoundation.org in order to gain a better understanding of our goals and projects. I am available at anytime to discuss ways in which our organizations can support each other, promote each other’s success and contribute to more co-operative and sustainable development in Leribe.

As a starting point we are hoping to exchange weblinks for our respective websites, and if you are comfortable discuss and draft a more detailed partnership agreement. I am eager to discuss these possibilities and I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards,

James White R.N.

Director – G.R.O. Foundation

Last comment added: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:54:42 PDT

Comment 1 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Hello Meron and SOLID,

Thank you for creating this forum to discuss any possible collaborations between our groups.

We are proceeding with three separate projects which can be reviewed on our website at www.grofoundation.org. We have added a SOLID link to our site as well.

Our first request is that SOLID assist us in any way possible with the 2007 Gifts of Hope campaign which is seeking to have our network buy christmas/holiday gifts that will positively impact the people of Leribe. Meron: if you can forward the catalogue I sent you to your network it would be greatly appreciated.

2nd: We are looking to ship medical supplies to Lesotho (or alternatively have them bought in S.Africa). I know you are just finishing another container shipment but I am wondering if/when you will have another going. Would it be possible to include the supplies in the next shipment?

Thanks again for your support and please let us know if we can assist you in any of your current projects. Jean and I are in South Korea until Nov-08' but we have several volunteers working in Canada and recently hired two partners in Lesotho.

Talk to you soon, Jamie

Comment 2 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Hi Jamie!

And a beautiful catalogue it is [click the catalogue link for quick download]. You and Jean did a great job with it. We'll be sure to pass it around to all of our networks.

After this container I'm not sure that I'd be in to doing another one from here. Our community has been wonderful in helping us with donations etc but we've been experiencing transportation difficulties getting this one off the island. However I will continue to work with Ray, our <ned> shipping baron, and his organization Partners for Others. He helped us with the 1st container that we sent in the spring and with this one that will be on it's way later this week!!! He has a number of connections in Lesotho and will continue to send shipments there. What kind of medical supplies are you looking for and where do you want them sent?

Comment 3 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

If you are on FaceBook please consider voting for the G.R.O. Speed Granting proposal for the month Feed Families for the Holidays and recruit others! Voting closes December 14th.

Comment 4 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Hi Meron - done. (Despite or perhaps because of my misgivings about facebook...)

Sounds lieke a very worthwhile project - keep up the good work!

Comment 5 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Jon, thanks for your support! I know my friends Jean and Jamie appreciate your effort (I too have some misgivings about FaceBook). It is a very worthwhile project.

Comment 6 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Just moved from 4th to 3rd place on the Razoo Speed Granting! Keep those votes coming.

Feed Families for the Holidays

Comment 7 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

After a bit of jockeying we are now in second place but still have quite a bit to go to catch the leader so if you haven't voted yet please do and recruit your friends!

Feed Families for the Holidays

Comment 8 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Hi Meron and Jamie - I just voted for Feed Families for the Holidays and will spread the word among Facebook friends.

Has any one created an act for voting on the Razoo site yet? If not - I'm happy to do so.

Comment 9 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Thanks Allison, we really appreciate your support!

That would be wonderful if you could put something together for Razoo. I haven't quite figured out how to do that there yet and am really pressed for time with the run up to December 31 and all the year ends I have to deal with being a bookkeeper and all.

Comment 10 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Hi All,

Sorry I've been out of touch, things have been strange and amazing here on our South Korean travels.

I am so pleased to be working with you all from SOLID and other organizations, and even though we are trailing on the Facebook grant it has been great to see how many committed individuals there are.

Allison: Jean Margaritis, my partner and G.R.O.'s Gender and Health Advisor is in charge of running our Razoo profile. Please email her at jean.margaritis@yahoo.com if you need any assistance in setting up the Razoo causes etc.I will tell her to start following this thread as well.

** We are also closing in on two weeks of shopping left for the Holidays. The response to the 2007 Gifts of Hope has been limited but effective. With under 25 orders we have raised nearly $3000. I am hoping that we can make a final push before the end of the shopping season, so any assistance from you all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help Meron!**

Take care, Jamie

Comment 11 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Hey SOLID crew,

Question: Is SOLID Lesotho a registered charity in Lesotho with the council of NGO's. G.R.O. is currently pursuing that status but now that Greg has left we are reluctant to advance it until Jean and I are back later this year. Any advice on what you have done legally there would be appreciated.

Jamie

Comment 12 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Hello SOLID! Sorry it took me so long to register with Ned. I am overwhelmed with all of the online groups and keeping track of everything!

Thank you for all of your help with our Razoo Speed Grant and though Facebook isn't our preferred medium, it seems to be working well enough for now.

Looking forward to further discussions and I am glad there is another platform for us to bounce off ideas.

Cheers, Jean

Comment 13 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

As promised, I've posted the ACT on Razoo and linked it to the G.R.O. cause, and posted it to the O.net alums group.

You can view it here: http://beta.razoo.com/acts/vote_ for_gro_on_facebook

However, in doing a tag search, I realized that Christina Jordan has already posted this act and recruited some folks ( http://beta.razoo.com/acts/faceb ook_gro_lesotho ) so you now have double the exposure!

I also learned a Facebook trick today. On a Causes or Razoo speed granting page - there is a red button to "Recruit" - however, this only lets you recruit 20 people per DAY.

However, if you click the little "Share+" button on the upper right of the cause/grant page, you can message as many people as you like in 20 person batches. So I was able to contact every one of my 140+ friends today to vote!

Comment 14 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Thanks for the tip-off to the Razoo Act, Allison - and the neat little fb trick, too!

Comment 15 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

~James said: Question: Is SOLID Lesotho a registered charity in Lesotho with the council of NGO's. G.R.O. is currently pursuing that status but now that Greg has left we are reluctant to advance it until Jean and I are back later this year. Any advice on what you have done legally there would be appreciated.~

Hi Jamie! To the best of my knowledge that hasn't been pursued. Gary and Andrea are there right now, you might consider emailing them and asking where that is at.

Comment 16 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Allison and Christina, thanks for setting up the acts on Razoo. The double exposure should help I hope! And thanks for the tip on the share button. I'll send it out again to my friends that didn't respond to my recruit request. Maybe if I'm annoying enough they will vote just to shut me up! and then send me to my corner :D

Comment 17 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

The G.R.O. Foundation makes Beth's Blog and BlogHer for the Holiday Guide. Congratulations to LiA and Ten as well. Hope this helps to raise the profile of all these worthy organizations.

On the Razoo Speed Granting we've dropped to third place so if you haven't voted and recruited your friends yet now would be the time to do it.

Cheers!

Comment 18 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Thanks for all your hard work recruiting and supporting us! You rock!

Comment 19 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

You're welcome! Happy to help such a worthy cause in any way I can. XoX to you both.

Comment 20 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Hello All!

Thank you to all that voted for our last grant, 'Feed Families for the Holidays'. Thanks to YOU we managed 2nd place!

We have a new grant going on Facebook titled "A New Year for African Students" We would love your support: you can place a free vote by following this link:

http://apps.facebook.com/speedgr anting/proposal.php?pid=553& ref=NTUzfDUzNzY0Mjg1Mg%3D%3D

We will be working with S.O.L.I.D. to find out how we can best use the $1,000.00 as SOLID has many amazing projects as well in Lesotho. I say $1,000.00 because I think that if we tap all of our networks, we can win it! Imagine how far $1000.00 will go in Lesotho.

Let's start the big push! Thanks so much

Jean

Comment 21 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Hi Jean - congratulations! I've sent out word to my network on Facebook, and posted the proposal to my profile.

Let's see if we can't make #1 this time!

Comment 22 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Thanks to my good friend Carlos we were able to pull out of 3rd place and in to 2nd in the final couple of hours of voting on the last proposal. For some reason we were automatically entered in to this next one. Working with Jean and Jamie we changed the proposal to support students in Lesotho. This one is a G.R.O./SOLID collaboration: "In addition, for this grant we are collaborating with S.O.L.I.D. in support of their projects with disabled youth in Lesotho. A portion of this grant will support their projects."

So please get out and vote and recruit your friends!

Thanks for your continued support.

Comment 23 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

We've creeped our way up to 6th place. With $1,000.00 at stake it's going to be touGH competition so would appreciate your support! VOTE!!! :D

Comment 24 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Congrats Meron and G.R.O.!

My fb "network" is growing slowly as I learn more and gain confidence in it as a platform; all the same, I'm using it to encourage as many people as I can to vote for you!

Comment 25 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Thanks for the support Jon. I think it would be pretty amazing if a small grassroots organization could win this thing!

Comment 26 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Hey Babe,

I sent the link you posted to most of my address book a couple of days ago but like me, many have folded their fb profiles for now. Hopefully you guys get at least a few bites from that. (best I can do given fb is involved - sorry)

Oh and Jean and Jamie .... you're brilliant!!!

Comment 27 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Thanks Gayle, appreciate the effort.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Comment 28 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

It's been slow sloggin' on FaceBook. With only two more weeks to go in the voting we've managed to hold steady in 7th place. But that won't get us the dollars. If any of you have suggestions of how to campaign for votes we'd sure love to hear them.

I've plastered some posters with a connecting URL enclosed around Second Life ... hopefully that will help.

If you haven't voted yet go here to VOTE!!!

Comment 29 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Just dropped in my vote.

Comment 30 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Thank You Mark!!!

Comment 31 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Prim Perfect, a Second Life Style for Home and Garden magazine hosted a New Year's Eve benefit for the Gardens of Hope. I haven't received the final results yet but I heard it went very well. Now Saffia, the magazine's editor, has just blogged about Using FaceBook to Raise Funds! Hope it helps!

Comment 32 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Hey all...

Thanks for your hard work. We're trying to get our networks motivated and make it as easy as possible for others to vote. After this grant is finished we can maybe have a quick discussion about a more direct approach for future grants. It seems getting high schools involved will be key, so I'm working on that.

Great work on the online adds!

Peace. Jamie

Comment 33 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Speaking of schools this is the poster I made for the Global Awareness Group at our local high school to put up. I'll meet with them next week and see if we can't get a whole campaign going. Rock on!!!

Comment 34 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

I blogged about the FaceBook contest on Non Profit Commons. If we don't win this thing it won't be for lack of trying.

Comment 35 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Razoo Speed Grant. We've managed to hold on to sixth place for the past couple of days but have a long way to go to move in to one of the top three spots. Today I meet with the Global Awareness Group so hopefully that will give us a boost. If you haven't voted yet please do! and tell your friends. Thanks for your support.

Comment 36 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Only two more days for voting and it dawned on me to put up one of the link posters to the Razoo Speed Grant on FaceBook in our space at NonProfit Commons in Second Life. I'm slow but I'm catching up and will be better prepared for campaigning in the the next grant! :D

Still holding on to sixth place!

Comment 37 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Voting is now over and we didn't win :( But with 280 votes we did finish in sixth place! I'm pretty proud of the fact that, as a small grassroots effort, we were able to hold on against some pretty high profile organizations. And I've learned some new campaigning tactics. Next time we'll get 'em!!! Thanks to everyone who supported us, really appreciate it.

Comment 38 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Congrats Meron! I'm happy to vote for future projects.

Comment 39 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Thanks Jon ... really appreciate your support!

Comment 40 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Thanks to all of you who helped us with our Facebook competition!

I just wanted to let you know that we have launched our newly re-designed website at www.grofoundation.org. Do drop by, check it out, and of course, send us your feedback! Everything is a work in progress!

We have also posted three new internship positions with The G.R.O. Foundation for Summer/Fall 2008. Please do send the message to your network or to anyone you think may be interested! We are always looking for volunteers as well!

Thanks much, NED!

Comment 41 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Hey Jean,

Website looks great ... I'm envious.

I've been exchanging emails with Lauren at the Baker Institute of Energy Forum at Rice University in Houston, Texas. They have started a program called the "Lesotho Sustainability Assessment Project". She found us through our website and the Gardens of Hope Projects. They are sending 5 undergrad and 1 grad student to Maseru, Lesotho this summer to assess some local communities, then confer and identify future projects, specific per community, such as water installations, electricity, etc. which their students will return and do (with faculty assistance) the following summers.

I sent her a link to your website and I've suggested that her best conversation would probably be with Greg as he was most involved with the development of the agricultural project at Malapo High School. Hopefully we can connect them up?

I'm away for the weekend+ camping with the kids and friends (it's an American holiday weekend and the SaltSpring locals vacate the island if they can before the invasion ; ) I'll be back next Wednesday.

Comment 42 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

Lesotho Keyhole Garden video

Comment 43 on SOLID ~ G.R.O. Foundation

The G.R.O. Foundation challenges you to be a Global Hero