Charitable Giving • 2019-2022
Supporting Local and International Communities through Health
In the period from July 2019 through June 2022, the Club focused its charitable efforts on improving the lives of women and children in the area of health.
Locally, we supported Bunter Kreis Rheinland (BKR). Bunter Kreis Rheinland works with families of disabled, chronically ill and
critically ill children. Their main focus is the medical
care of young patients at home by nurses and social workers.
Additionally, they offer programs to support the families in their
everyday lives including travel and leisure activities for children and
young people with disabilities, activities for children suffering from
diabetes, as well as activities for the healthy brothers and sisters of
sick or handicapped children. The plan was to help launch a siblings program in the Cologne area, to match that which operated in Bonn. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, these plans never came to fruition. Not only were our fundraising efforts limited*, but the pandemic made it impossible for BKR to take on such an ambitious initiative. In total we donated 4500€.
Our first donation was disbursed in the summer of 2020 as the Corona virus was spreading and not much was yet known about it. Lock-downs were in place and organizations were desperate for protective medical supplies. Our donation of 2000€ was gratefully received and used to secure personal protective equipment (PPE) like surgical masks, gowns, gloves, and sanitizers.
In June 2021, we donated an additional 2000€ to help underwrite the costs of running a riding camp for children with mental, physical or emotional-social impairments and to fully sponsor one young girl. The camp not only provided a wonderful experience for the children, but also much needed respite for the parents. The camp took place in October 2021, the second year of the pandemic; with vaccines widely available, more outdoor activities were taking place.
Our final donation of 500€ was made in June 2022. With COVID-19 restrictions mostly lifted, BKR is revisiting efforts to build up a sibling program in Cologne. They will rent space to host sibling groups in the fall.
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- They identified 523 families who experienced FGM and offered various forms of support;
- Extensive psychological counseling was provided to survivors, family and communities in individual and group sessions;
- 13 ARP (Alternative Rites of Passage) ceremonies were held with more than 5,000 attendees and 810 dignity kits were given to girls;
- 402 girls successfully reconciled with their families. Families have to sign a legal contract outlining their commitment to keeping their daughters safe and not proceeding with FGM or any other form of GBV (gender-based violence); regular follow-up is done to ensure this is adhered to;
- 1,126 women and girls were trained on sexual and reproductive health, GBV, life skills and maternal and neonatal care;
- 146 peer educators were trained to support the fight to eliminate FGM;
- 20 women′s groups were provided with seed funding to start income-generating projects;
- Empowerment meetings were conducted in five villages with 200 attendees;
- NHIF cards were made available to 100 women while contributing to family income;
- Extensive community and school awareness, including roadshows, school awareness sessions, film screening sessions, leaflets, women’s forums, radio programs and billboards;
- And finally, all important, establishment of even closer relationships with various role players at central and local government level.
We are overjoyed to share that more than $177,000 was raised by the FAWCO community! The AIWCC is proud to have contributed 6000€ to the effort, earning us the Aquamarine Medallion on The FAWCO Foundation's Donor Wall. To learn more, visit the Target Program for Health website.
Additional Donations
Additional funds were donated to support causes that arose during this period of time that the club believed warranted our support.
- In July 2020, 600€ was donated to A Mother's Love Initiative in support of Black Lives Matter following the murder of George Floyd.
- In June 2021, we donated 1000€ to co-sponsor Trees Glorious Trees, a FAWCO Foundation Development Grant, in the area of the environment; It was awarded to Regreening Degraded Land in Rural India, Khoch village in Mokhada Taluka, Palghar District, Maharashtra, India.
- In July 2021, we donated 8095€ to Aktion Deutschland Hilft in support of flood relief. The money was raised within a week's time by members and friends responding to a 3000€ matching campaign sponsored by the club.
- In March 2022, we raised 9300€ to support Ukrainian refugees arriving in NRW. The money was raised using another matching campaign of 4500€ (1000€ provided by an anonymous member). The funds were used to provide 35 vouchers from innatura gGmbH valued at 250€ to organizations working with newly arriving families.
*Raising Funds
Club fundraising was impacted significantly due to the fact that the position of Charities Chair was not filled, coupled with COVID-19 restrictions and overall uncertainty created by the pandemic during this period of time. We were able to hold our two main fundraisers, the Sustainable Fashion Bash and Trivia Night during the 2019/2020 club year. They did not take place during the following two club years. These are some of the ways we raised funds from July 2019 to June 2022. February 2020 • 6th Annual Sustainable Fashion Bash raised 3400€ Throughout the three years, we also received individual donations, earned donations through Amazon Smile, and a few of our activities also contributed a portion of their fees to our General Charities Fund. All Hands on Deck
Members also volunteered their time and talents. As the pandemic began in the spring of 2020, members heeded the call and made masks. These were primarily donated to Bunter Kreis Rheinland to support their staff and families at Uniklinik Köln. In May 2022, we hosted what we hope will be the first of many Clean Up Days. Twenty members and youth spent a Saturday morning picking up trash along the river in Rodenkirchen.
How to DonateDonations can be made via bank transfer or PayPal.
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In 2006, the Club received its article of incorporation as a nonprofit
organization (e.V. status) and stipulated, through its constitution, a
commitment to help the local and international community at large, with a
specific focus on women and children. The AIWCC aligns its charitable
efforts with the FAWCO Target Program’s three year cycle, with the
overarching goal to improve the lives of women and children in the
areas of Education, Environment, Health and Human Rights on a rotating
basis. We support the Target Project as our international charity and support a member proposed local charity following careful vetting. |
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