Friday 12 December 2008

Two ways that you can help the Nairobi Eastlands Support Centre

It's been a long time since we showcased available volunteering opportunities, so today we bring you a project - and concrete ways that you can help - that we hope will catch your attention.

A few months ago we introduced you to the Nairobi Eastlands Support Centre when we proudly announced that the centre had earned its NGO status, and was now formally and legally recognized as an organization. This time we visit the project and give you ways to help out - without setting foot in the community, and simply by sitting behind your computer and spending some time on the Internet.

For those who didn't read the previous post on NESC, here's a quick recap of the project, explained by the project's facilitator Lynley MacKay:

"HIV/AIDS in Nairobi-Eastlands is spreading at an alarming rate, and with high rates of substance and poor health, the community needs access to affordable health care.

The community has established a health care and support centre. The centre will provide both medical and counselling services." (A more detailed overview on the project can be found here.)

While a lot has been accomplished, thanks to the tireless work of the project's team, there are a couple of urgent tasks that would welcome your offer to help.

1. Sort and Prioritize Resources: NESC has a large bank of potential funding and support organizations listed in the project room's resources. These organizations were selected partly because they have a similar focus to NESC, but now they need to be revised and prioritized according to their potential/likelihood to fund NESC.

If you can help with this task, which shouldn't take up more than 2 hours, please drop your name in the discussion thread.

2. Write a Funding Proposal: NESC has a mission statement, aims and objectives set out, a project and business plan, a proposed budget, a logo, and a web page. All it is missing is for a few volunteers to collaborate together on a proposal/funding document which will be submitted as the main source of information when applying for funding opportunities.

Sounds like something that you could do? Let the team know here.

There you have it: two concrete ways to offer your assistance to a crucial and inspiring project in Nairobi. Feel free to browse around the project's other tasks, and join in the conversation. See you online.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

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