On behalf of A Ray of Hope, UNESCO Youth Ambassador for the Culture of Peace. could I proffer season’s greetings and best wishes to you all for a healthy and happy 2007. I must also extend to the many dedicated members our sincere thanks for your support, in its myriad of forms, which came our way during 2006 and allowed us to not only develop as an organisation but more importantly to assist many more children and groupings overseas.
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It would be difficult to nominate one project over another for special mention however 14 visits by our representatives to overseas projects in Hungary, Romania, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Belarus, Philippines. Serbia, Jordan and Montenegro to initiate and develop projects was a pleasing development. Visits to Hungary, Belarus, India and Nigeria are already at the planning stage for 2007.
Many thousands of pounds worth of medical and educational supplies were delivered to 14 countries. This could not have happened without the incredibly generous support of companies throughout the United Kingdom and in some cases companies overseas
A Ray of Hope began life 11 years ago with 10 teachers and 60 children and now boasts a membership of those caring and being cared for of over 300,000. Affiliations from Sobo Orphanage in Senegal, “AHEAD” working in Ethiopia, “SEED” supporting schools in Tanzania and NiPRO, a network of 25,000 young professionals both in and outside Nigeria all have contributed very positively and extended the global family of A Ray of Hope.
It was a great delight for us to learn that Aminatta and Simon, and their magnificent band of stalwarts, have completed the school in Sierra Leone. Many years of endeavour, and certainly great commitment, reaped the harvest that was truly deserved. Purchases of land and buildings in India, Hungary, Romania and Philippines came about due to the friends and families of our remarkable department heads and liaison representatives.
A Ray of Hope is fortunate in having representation on the United Kingdom’s National Commission for UNESCO’s Education Committee, the African Working Group and the Peace and Security Group – also extremely close links to UK’s ASP Net. All in their turn add new dimensions to A Ray of Hope. Young Matthew Cooper, aged 10, addressed the Inaugural Conference of the National Commission in Nottingham and Hayley Murphy, a recently qualified doctor in Nano-biomedical technology represented the United Kingdom and A Ray of Hope at the Euro-Mediterranean Forum in Cyprus.
I suppose the project that gave me the greatest fun was the purchasing of animals for organisations in Nepal, Sierra Leone and Uganda as not only will they be able to provide fresh eggs and milk for the establishments concerned but animal husbandry classes will be additional extra curricular activity.
The expertise in A Ray of Hope was extended by the appointments of highly qualified and knowledgeable individuals in the fields of World Heritage sites, Health and Hygiene, Peace through Art, Positive Citizenship and Digital Literacy.
Art competitions in Nigeria, Belarus and Northern Ireland promoted our ethos yet further with the contribution to the United Nations Peace Day in Belarus being possibly the largest as a single project in the world.
Honorary appointments and patronages have also been awarded in at least Uganda, Nigeria and Belarus as many of our representatives keep their accolades to themselves.
Thank you again for your support and we can be assured that the same is forthcoming in 2007
Don
Director A Ray of Hope
UNESCO Youth Ambassador for the Culture of Peace
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