Something a little different. I often wonder if like me you also wonder about the way sr Fiona lives and works in Nigeria - channelling our funds to good causes for the very poorest. So i asked her some questions. Here they are, with her answer.
QUESTIONS
1. Where and how do you live because i know that your material belongings fit in a bag?
2. Since you utilise all our donations to projects on the ground what is your source of income?
3. What kind of work do you end up doing, I know you are big on ensuring sustainability and empowerment through your projects?
4. How do you decide your projects?
5. How much of the money that's given is used and how are your volunteers rewarded for their work in the field?
ANSWER
I currently live in a circuit: Kano (where I do some consultancy work), Yola (where we have established Nokkure Jangirde, a learning centre for the offspring of farm workers), Dutse (where I have a small rental property that I generally let the field worker live in as I am away so much).
My personal expenses are minimal as I barely buy anything for myself, and I am often paid for consultancy services with food, accommodation, transport, clothing, footwear, perfume, soaps, and even medical treatment. However I have two income streams: mentoring teachers online, proof reading and editing academic papers.
Lovatt Foundation responds to:
*the interests and passions of our ansar (donors) by designing projects that mean they can share what they love even though they are so far away.
* the needs of the poorest people here who are among the poorest in the world.
* the capacity we have as volunteers on ground.
All of the money that is given is used for the particular projects that ansar reference in their transfers. There are no overheads as bank costs are absorbed by me, and we don't have an office or utilities bills. The only vehicle we could regard as "ours" is a motorbike that belongs to a field worker. We cover the repairs and keep it going.
The volunteers, may they each be blessed, are loved by the communities in which they live and work. Each person has their own income and donates their time outside of their working hours and commitments. We often speak about how joyouse the field work is and how the more we do, the easier it becomes and the less we worry about "making ends meet" because we are always fed, houses, clothed.
We are also grateful for the ansar who from time to time who recognise that we do have personal needs and send money directly for that purpose. Those gifts are very precious and one of our treats is when we can purchase very lovely soap or some BBQ chicken from a street vendor.
Lovatt Foundation partners with:
# F*R*E*E (Foundation for Refugee Economic Empowerment) in education, teacher training, crisis response to serious malnutrition, rural empowerment projects, literacy acquisition in five states, KATSINA, Zamfara, Kaduna, Adamawa, Taraba.
# Centre for Women and Adolescent Empowerment on matters such a mother tongue education, vocational training, structural reviews, justice, period poverty, solar power in Adamawa state.
# GRASSROOTS (Auwal) for orphans education, health and welfare, enterprise grants, traditional birth attendants, house maintenance and repairs
#GDWR Drilling and Sons (Tafarki) - bore repairs, feeding programmes, enterprise loans, medical cases, widows & orphans
# Bridgewater (Rahma Monguno) with tree planting, nurseries, orphans, etc.,
#NIDSG - Nigerians in Diaspora Support Group with annual trauma training for Kay counsellors and field workers in critical areas of Nigeria.
And, (I love this) four of those NGOs have registered with CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION since we started working together.
And there are the literacy centres ticking along nicely. The ICT training, the thousands of trees AND an urban garden being developed from a former dump site.
