SaltSpring Organization for Life Improvement and Development Discussions

Letters from the Front Lines

A place for the letters we get from our friends.

Last comment added: Sun, 15 Jun 2008 23:20:26 PDT

SaltSpring & SOLID Exchange

For the past couple of weeks I've been meeting with a two of my friends, Melanie, former SOLID board member who has just returned from 2 years spent in Zimbabwe, and Simon, jewelry artisan and client, to discuss opening a fair trade type retail outlet on SaltSpring. With any luck and a lot of hard work by the time some of you get here in May we will have our little shop open.

Last comment added: Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:04:06 PST

SOLID ~ Minutes

A place to keep our meeting minutes : )

Last comment added: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:36:43 PDT

January & February 2008: SOLID News

Here's some stuff we are working on:

January 17th: Two more SOLID volunteers are making the long journey to Malawi to volunteer their energy, expertise and enthusiam at Nkhoma hospital and Ndi Moyo Palliative Care Center. This mission follows in the footsteps of Anna Callegari and Beth Gessinger who spent three months working alongside Health Care Professionals in four Sub-Saharan African countries early last year. Sala Hantle Africa!

January 19th: Meron, Phil and a couple of Global Awareness kids go to the 2008 Change Conference to represent SOILD in a workshop. The kidz and I will be presenting our Peace Tiles tale and Phil will sing his story about his work in the Export Processing Zones of Kenya. He needs some help as his partner will be away so I'm reading the Maggie part. No, I'm not going to sing!!! That wouldn't be pretty.

[Note: Our Peace Tiles story will be coming out in the next edition of AWARE Magazine. Thanks Chris!]

Heather and her lovely daughter Eswen are still in Lesotho, we look forward to their updates about our projects there.

Working on our new website and partnership at Solar Energy Host. Aaron is going to host our site for free and as an added bonus for every new account $5 will be donated to plant a tree in Africa though the Gardens of Hope project! Also we'll get a commission for every new account we send his way. So if you are thinking of switching ... just mention SOLID sent you.

March 16th: Planning for the Walk/Run fundraiser for Sala Hantle Africa being hosted by University of British Columbia.

There's more but it escapes me right now ... it's been a looooong day. I'll update when I remember.

Last comment added: Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:08:45 PST

2008 SOLID Conference

Lets begin a discussion on what we need to do in January/February and who/what SSI NGO's and beyond we want to partner with. Margery

Last comment added: Fri, 07 Dec 2007 19:44:18 PST

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

November & December 2007: SOLID News

Welcome to the November discussion thread for SOLID! The following is a list events happening with SOLID over the coming month. You are invited to use this space to discuss these or other SOLID news.

The Paradox of Altruism: How do we help Africa in her climate of AIDS and orphans? A weekend workshop with Bonnie Dalziel and Heather Ferris. November 2nd to 4th, 2007.
Community to Community container shipment.
Anna and Beth's presentation at UBC, November 8th, 2007: Stay Well Africa – Two Canadian Health Professionals immerse themselves in the challenges and magical experiences which define Africa, volunteering to offer direct palliative care, home based care, orphan support, and comfort to those families affected most by the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa. Join us for a journey through four countries where we experience the joy and pain of providing direct patient care in the midst of the pandemic.
Silent and live auction fundraiser, November 16th, 2007.
Anna receives Pharmacy Practice’s Commitment to Care award: Monday, November 19th, 2007 at the Fairmont Royal York in downtown Toronto.

We will be using this space to discuss these and other SOLID news.

Also check out the workspace.

Last comment added: Thu, 27 Dec 2007 09:46:05 PST

October 2007: SOLID News

Over the next couple of months SOLID has four (now five : ) major events on the schedule.

Community to Community container shipment.
The Paradox of Altruism: How do we help Africa in her climate of AIDS and orphans? A weekend workshop with Bonnie Dalziel and Heather Ferris. November 2nd to 4th, 2007.
Anna and Beth's presentation at UBC, November 8th, 2007: Stay Well Africa – Two Canadian Health Professionals immerse themselves in the challenges and magical experiences which define Africa, volunteering to offer direct palliative care, home based care, orphan support, and comfort to those families affected most by the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa. Join us for a journey through four countries where we experience the joy and pain of providing direct patient care in the midst of the pandemic.
Silent and live auction fundraiser, November 16th, 2007.
Anna receives Pharmacy Practice’s Commitment to Care award: Monday, November 19th, 2007 at the Fairmont Royal York in downtown Toronto.

We will be using this space to discuss these and other SOLID news.

Also check out the workspace.

Last comment added: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 08:51:00 PST

September 2007: SOLID News

Discussion about what we are up to.

Last comment added: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 15:32:22 PDT