Annual Programme Report | 2007-2008
Mother Teresa Children’s Foundation www.mtcf-uk.org
Table of Contents
Introduction
1
Mission
2
Motivation
3
Project Areas
4
Safety
Water
Nutrition
Organisation
Resources
Contacts
Board of Directors
8
Programme Grants
Copyright © 2009 Mother Teresa Children’s Foundation Photos courtesy of Simon Scionka and Dan Snipes
10
foreword I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for helping Mother Teresa Children’s Foundation bring help and hope to so many children. Because of your support, we were able to make a tremendous difference in the lives of countless suffering children and their families around the world in 2008. Mother Teresa Children’s Foundation has been able to provide food and shelter for some of the poorest children in the world. Our work is done through our children’s feeding centres and rescue centres. But without
you—it cannot be done! You are such a vital part of our life saving programmes.
we follow the example of Mother Teresa in reaching out with mercy to the “poorest of the poor.”
You have proven that each one of us can make a difference in our world with our caring and concern. The children in remote villages in India and Africa have food, shelter and medical supplies that will ensure their survival. They thank you for your unending kindness in helping to make this relief possible. Your humanitarian heart and mercy for the suffering children is an inspiration to us all at Mother Teresa Children’s Foundation, as
On behalf of the poor, hungry and suffering children, I thank you very much from my heart for your compassionate contribution. You have given these children hope for a better life and brighter future. Sincerely,
Sr. Myrna Velasco International Advisor
Annual Programme Report ▪ 1
MISSION MOTHER TERESA CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION provides solid, workable solutions to the suffering of precious children and their families. Through our proven humanitarian relief programmes we offer lasting support and loving care to the poorest of the poor, following the example to the world made by Mother Teresa. Through the contributions of compassionate donors, the MTCF merciful outreaches bring hope to the hopeless in some of the poorest communities in the world. As Mother Teresa showed us, it is truly miraculous how compassion and care can change a life. Caring individuals who want to partner with us and be a part of Mother Teresa’s legacy of compassion can truly make a difference in the lives of suffering, forsaken children around the world. Together, we can save them from a life of hunger, disease, despair and death.
Annual Programme Report ▪ 2
Motivation Mother
Teresa
Children’s
in Macedonia, on August 27,
working
Foundation was founded with the
1910. At the age of twelve, she
of the poor in the slums of
desire to help suffering children
felt strongly the call of God as a
Calcutta. For the rest of her life,
and their families throughout
missionary to spread the love of
she cared for the unfortunate
the world. We are inspired by
Christ. At the age of eighteen,
and the dying leaving a lasting
Mother Teresa’s life as we reach
she went to India, where in
legacy of compassion that is
out to help the needy and less
1931, she took her initial vows
the basis for everything MTCF
fortunate of our planet. MTCF
and adopted the name Teresa.
does. Mother Teresa’s work has
is
of
From 1931 to 1948, she taught
been recognised and acclaimed
mercy by independently helping
at St. Mary’s High School in
throughout the world. In 2003,
children all over the world and is
Calcutta, but the suffering and
she was beatified by Pope John
not supported by or connected
poverty she glimpsed outside
Paul II. Mother Teresa Children’s
in any way to the Missionaries
the convent walls made such
Foundation is dedicated to her
of Charity in Calcutta. “Mother
a deep impression on her that
example of mercy and following
Teresa,” as she is known, was
in 1948, she left the convent
in her footsteps by reaching out
born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu
school and devoted herself to
to the poorest of the poor.
honouring
her
legacy
among
the
poorest
Annual Programme Report ▪ 3
MOTHER TERESA CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION is guided by a set of operating principles that determine how we choose our relief projects. We seek to honour our contributors by following these guidelines for every programme we support and every mission we sponsor:
1
PRojects
2 3 4 5
Offer compassion and aid to those in need, regardless of age, race, gender, or religion
Focus our resources on reaching out to the poorest of the poor all over the world
Respond with mercy and relief to victims of disasters who need immediate help
Partner with well-established, indigenous organisations to maximize the compassion we can share
Require strong accountability from our programmes and operations and maintain that accountability with our contributors
6
Support education and community development to promote lasting change and continue to improve the lives of suffering children and their families
The Mother Teresa Children’s Foundation family of charities throughout the world support many projects that meet these project criteria. The following pages describe just a few of the project areas that Mother Teresa Children’s Foundation in the United Kingdom and other countries support because of compassionate contributors around the world.
Annual Programme Report ▪ 4
Safety It is estimated that there are more than 143 million orphaned children in our world today. There are 1.7 million orphans in Sudan alone. These children may never know the care of a family or having someone to provide for them. Many of these orphaned children experience physical, mental, and emotional delays in development. Many will not survive at all. But Mother Teresa Children’s Foundation refuses to let even one child suffer the fate of living alone and in danger. We support children through Care Point homes and villages located
throughout Sudan and in many other parts of the world. Each home that MTCF helps to build provides shelter, safety, and security for 8-12 children and a “mama” (caretaker), who lives with them and provides for their needs. We provide full care for the children including nutritious food, medical care, and education. When children live in their own home with a small family of other orphans and a permanent caretaker, they find a sense of family and belonging which is so important to their future health. We are helping to build entire villages of these orphan homes where children can thrive and
grow. Without these orphan villages, these children would be on the streets, cold, hungry and vulnerable to disease or worse. The MTCF network of charities supports homes and care centres in Uganda, Sudan, Zambia, Kenya, and Malawi. We also support children’s homes in the Philippines and areas of the Caribbean. In 2008, MTCF sent lifesaving medical supplies to be distributed to multiple care centres in Sudan; clothes, shoes, and food to the Philippines; and significant food and medical aid to India to help support the children that are in our care. Annual Programme Report ▪ 5
Finding a safe source of water is one of the most difficult problems facing the poor in underdeveloped countries today. More than 1.1 billion people do not have access to clean drinking water, and more than 2.5 billion people do
Children celebrating their new borewell provided by MTCF in Southern Sudan.
not have indoor plumbing. The lack of clean water leads to illnesses that claim the lives of helpless children. In fact, more
water
than 80% of all diseases in developing countries are related to unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. Almost 400 million children in India alone live with no reliable source of water, and the water they can get is often contaminated or even deadly. This is why MTCF has made the provision of clean, safe water for every child one of our primary goals. Working in partnership with our contributors and local communities, the MTCF network of charities worldwide have helped establish clean water sources for thousands of people by digging wells in key locations in Sudan, Swaziland, Kenya, and India. A typical water well will be used by up to 1,000 people and will last at least 20 years.
Before MTCF established a well for these communities, thousands of people were forced to walk for hours to collect water. Women and children are primarily responsible for this back-breaking chore, and the water is often from polluted rivers or filthy swamps and contaminated with parasites and the dangerous cholera bacteria. But an MTCF-donated well brings real relief to these people by drastically reducing exposure to unsafe water, water-bourne epidemics, inadequate sanitation, and even tribal conflict associated with water rights. Many children previously burdened with water collection are now able to attend school. A water well is one of the most effective and lasting ways we can make an impact in the poorest of communities around the world. Annual Programme Report ▪ 6
Nutrition In the developing world, well
MTCF has made it our mission to
can help them obtain shelter,
over 500 million people are
make sure that every child has
medical care, and schooling. In
living in what the World Bank
enough to eat. We are making
2008, the MTCF charities helped
has called “absolute poverty.”
it possible for hungry, homeless
ship 25 pallets of food and
Every year 15 million children
children to eat a hot meal
vitamins to Swaziland to help
die of hunger. The World Health
every day through successful
support the children there. And
Organisation
that
programmes such as our Care
in Bangalore, India, the MTCF-
one-third of the world is well-
Points in Swaziland and Sudan,
donated
fed, one-third is under-fed and
and our Mobile Feeding Centres
Kitchen,” provides up to 1,200
one-third is starving. The Indian
in Malawi, Uganda, and India.
meals a day to some of the city’s
estimates
subcontinent has nearly half the
“Mother’s
Friendship
most helpless children. It is our
world’s hungry people. Africa
In Africa, many street children
dream to see a place in every
and the rest of Asia together
who come to our Care Points
needy region where children can
have approximately 40%, and
used to feel lucky if they got to
come and receive a hot meal
the remaining hungry people are
eat 3 or 4 times a week. But now,
and a little hope in their lives.
found in Latin America and other
they come and receive a hot
Because of MTCF’s generous
parts of the world.
meal every day and are put in
contributors,
contact with care providers who
becoming a reality.
this
dream
is
Annual Programme Report ▪ 7
Resources Mother
Teresa
Children’s
these nations so that our relief
We
Foundation was founded by
efforts will have a lasting impact
effectiveness of our projects to
Dr. Sajan George Kavinkalath
for the nations in which we
make sure that our resources
as a non-profit organisation
work. In addition to providing
are
committed to providing food,
direct relief to children, their
benefit for the children. MTCF
clothing,
families,
communities,
receives financial support from
aspects of care to suffering
we seek to educate the public
private individuals and public
children
in
about
companies. Many of our donors
We
the plight of these children
support the projects of MTCF on
accomplish this goal by keeping
through community awareness
a regular basis. MTCF informs
a very limited administrative
projects. All of our projects are
the public of its relief projects
structure in order to provide
held to the highest standards
around the world by means of
the
of
direct mail appeals, programme
shelter, in
and
all
underdeveloped
nations and worldwide.
maximum
resources
to
and
developed
nations
accountability
including
our projects. We also support
independent audits and strict
community
reporting
development
in
and
regularly
having
evaluate
the
the
maximum
reports, and the internet.
accounting.
Annual Programme Report ▪ 8
Organisation information ADDRESS Unit 10B Sovereign Park Cleveland Way Hemel Hempstead Herts, HP2 7DA
TeLephone
Contacts
1442-288-597
Website www.mtcf-uk.org
E-MAIL
[email protected]
board members Dr. Sajan George Kavinkalath - President Crystal Chen – Treasurer Nathan Barnes – Member
Annual Programme Report ▪ 9
Programme Grants
UniteD Kingdom
Grants to Programmes In year ended 31 May 2008, MTCF in the UK donated £193,937 to life-saving programmes in countries throughout the world.
£5,219
China India
£111,768 £6,523
Myanmar
£34,050
Philippines £1,035
Swaziland
£35,342
Zambia £0
£20,000
£40,000
£60,000
£80,000
£100,000
£120,000
ALL Europe
Grants to Programmes The MTCF charities throughout Europe together donated £794,083* during the last fiscal/calendar year to areas of need in the following countries.
£10,852
China
£258,626
India £13,556
Myanmar
£122,955
Philippines £5,733
Slovakia
£196,256
Sudan £58,063
Swaziland
£128,042
Zambia £0
£50,000
£100,000
£150,000
£200,000
£250,000
£300,000
*currency conversion rates as of 21-7-09 Annual Programme Report ▪ 10
