Happy New Year! Hours Left to Donate for 2014

Hello Echoers!

Thanks to your support, we raised $850 over the Holidays for Esther's school, the Women in Action Development Project. That puts our total fundraising for 2014 in at $8750 dollars - the largest year we've had! Between the two biggest challenges the school faced this year - potential eviction from the land lord and the threat of Ebola - you all came through in helping to support Esther and her school. Our most sincere gratitude to all of you who donated this year, with special thanks to the Simon Fraser University Teaching Support Staff Union and the "Action for Esther" Team at Mulgrave Secondary School in West Vancouver.

But 2014 isn't over yet! You can still count your donation toward our 2014 year, perhaps getting us to $1000 for the Holiday Fundraiser campaign (or more!) Your donation helps support teacher's salaries, school supplies, rent on the school building and - especially during the Ebola threat - helps Women in Action catchup on a funding shortfall they've experienced while being shut down through the crisis unable to fundraise on their own. 

You can donate through the button below:

The Esther's Echo team wishes you all the best for 2015. As we work to tell a different story of Africa, may next year be filled with your own great story of your impact in the world! 

Sincerely,

Matthew Cimone, Founder and CEO

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Founder Matthew Cimone with Esther Kanu in Sierra Leone

Consider Esther's Echo this Holiday Season

Dear Echoers, 

In our last post we talked about the impact of Ebola in West Africa. Thankfully neither Esther nor any of the students at the Women in Action Development project have been infected by the virus. However, the school has lost alumni member to Ebola since the outbreak began earlier this year. 

While none of the members of the Women in Action Development project are ill, the virus has affected the school and many other businesses and organizations through a strict country-wide regulation of public meeting spaces. As a means of controlling the rate of infection, many businesses and schools have been asked to shut down preventing person to person contact. Women in Action, though a school, also operates as a small business. The school secures contracts for products like clothing and jewellery - crafted by students - as well as services like electrical wiring and catering. Without these contracts, the school fall short on its budget. This means that while the students are already being restricted in their access to education during the outbreak, when the virus is controlled Women in Action may find itself in a huge shortfall for the duration of the year. 

We do not have the resources to combat Ebola directly. However, we can help fight the effects of the virus on the Women in Action Development project. We are asking you to help take action to prepare the school for reopening and ensuring that the staff and students hit the ground running as soon as the virus is under control - and we are hopeful that this time will come soon. 

The ebola outbreak has also provided us with an opportunity. At the onset of the virus, we were still assisting the struggling Women in Action to make a two-year rent payment demanded by Women in Action's land lord. However, the landlord left with no sign of return during the crisis which has also provided us with some breathing room in making up the remainder of the rent, approximately $4,000 dollars, that we have yet to secure to ensure Esther's school remains open until April of 2016. 

You helped us tremendously during the April rent campaign. Your donations helped Esther secure over a year of rent, and we are asking for your assistance again during the Holiday Season. Remember, 100% of your donations go abroad. We don't keep any of it. Any admin expenses come out of our own pockets. Even a gift of your time, in sharing our campaign with others, is greatly appreciated. During our April campaign, your efforts to promote our project saw our Facebook traffic absolutely soar and we were so proud. We had ten times our regular traffic! 

Huge Boost in Facebook Page views thanks to you during our April Campaign!

Thank you for all your support for Esther and the staff and students of the Women in Action Development Center. We wish you a Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Let's make 2015 and amazing one for that amazing school in Sierra Leone!

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Sincerely,

Matthew Cimone, Founder and CEO

Beat Back Ebola on Giving Tuesday

Dear Echoers, 

Over the past weeks and months you have likely heard of Ebola's impact on West Africa. One of the countries most impacted by the outbreak has been Sierra Leone where Esther Kanu, our community partner, and her school, the Women in Action Development Project, is located. 

During this time, the international community has rushed to contain the outbreak, but Ebola already begun to migrate from rural areas to capital cities, such as Freetown, where Esther's school resides. In efforts to contain the virus, major community centres such as businesses and schools have been shut down to reduce the risk of contact and infection. Women in Action relies on financial support from the local community to survive by securing contracts based on the skills training the students learn at the school (such as catering, tailoring and even electrical wiring). The closures also mean that Esther and her staff are out of work. 

Times are dark in Freetown right now. Recent reports indicate that large grave sites are being dug to bury highly contagious bodies. Esther herself has also reported that one alumni member of the school has succumbed to the disease. 

As a single organization, we cannot stop the Ebola outbreak. But we can help Esther, her staff, and her students weather the storm until the outbreak can be controlled and the country begins to get back on its feet. During that time, organizations such as the Women in Action Development Project will be critical and your support is crucial. 

On Giving Tuesday, please consider helping us support Esther and Women in Action through the Ebola Outbreak and provide a means by which countries like Sierra Leone can begin to recover from this terrible virus. Click on the link below to donate!

Sincerely, 

Matthew Cimone Founder and CEO

Esther and Esther's Echo Team members during her visit to Vancouver British Columbia

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Making The Next Two Years Count...

April, May and June were difficult months for Esther and for us at Esther's Echo.

We were informed by Esther Kanu, our community partner in Sierra Leone, that her school, the Women in Action Development Project, was facing a serious shortfall in funding to make the rent payments on their building. With a change in landlord, rent spiked significantly and the landlord was demanding several years up front in a lump sum payment. 

Because of your generous donations, we were able to successfully raise a year of rent at the rates requested by the Landlord. But we are not in the clear yet, the Landlord is still holding out for that second year. 

We have been able to negotiate the prices down significantly. Originally the Landlord was hoping for 5 years at $7,000US per year, a cost of $35,000, which was simply beyond what we could provide at the time. After speaking with the Landlord ourselves directly, and with Esther's influence in-country, we have been able to get the total cost down to $10,000 for two years. In concert with Esther, we have been able to raise $6,500, most of which came from you as supporters. 

But we're not in the clear yet. We really want to get that second year together for Esther, her staff, her students, and the daycare children who attend Esther's centre allowing adults in the poorest regions of Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital, to find employment or continue education. Having two years to work with also helps us find Esther a more cost effective location for Women in Action, or actually build Esther her own location; our goal for the future. 

And we have been informed by the Landlord that, despite our previous efforts, he may still move to evict if we don't get the remaining funding.

For those of you who have donated already, thank you for your support. Please consider sharing our efforts with those you know who would like to see a brighter future for young women and children in West Africa by supporting the vision of our community partner, Esther Kanu

Once, again, a HUGE thank you to all those who have already contributed to our campaign. Below is a special treat that was sent from Women in Action to you all

A "Thank You" from the Women in Action Development Project

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First Rent Donation is Sent!

Hello Echoers,

Thanks to all of your support, we just sent the first portion of our rent campaign donation to the Women in Action Development Project last week. Last Friday, we transferred $3000US to Esther and her school. There is $1500 that is still in cue from donations made to the Esther's Echo website from last week. These take about a week to get to our account from credit card transactions. At the end of this week, we will wire those donations as well. 

With the $4500 you contributed to the campaign combined with $2000 from Esther's efforts overseas, the combined $6500 is enough to cover at least one year of rent at Women in Action producing a whole new generation of graduates from the program. What we need to do now is convince the Landlord to accept a year of funding as he was hoping for a two year lease. I have had several conversations with them now and they seem receptive. Esther has also expressed a receptive attitude in her own dealings with him. 

We will continue to keep you all posted as events unfold at the school through May. Thank you for your support and remember that we are still trying to hit that 10K mark! 

Sincerely,

Matthew

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Esther Kanu (centre, red hair) with Staff, and Students of Women in Action