Giving Thanks!
How YUGA Fundraising Makes a Difference
Thanksgiving is a time to recognize the many things that we can be thankful for, and how we can help give to others. As the saying goes, it is better to give than to receive; and YUGA has certainly experienced the joy of giving! Last year, YUGA raised nearly $20,000 for Plan projects around the world- helping individuals and communities reach their full potential.
- Charitable donations by individuals and institutions in the United States amounted to $307.65 billion in 2009. According to the Giving USA Foundation
- The US committed $1.15 billion to Haiti relief from 2010-2011- in addition to $1 billion already spent as of May 2010. According to the US Department of State
- An estimated $25 billion will be needed for HIV services in 2010. According to UNAIDS
Haiti Relief
From various fundraisers- including concerts, school fundraisers, and other projects-- YUGA was able to raise more than $15,000 for Haiti relief. The money you raised helped Plan reach thousands of people in need of humanitarian assistance after the earthquake.
One important way that Plan has been active in Haiti is by helping get children back to school. Plan Haiti youth volunteers prepared 40,000 school backpacks for returning students, packed with notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, and rulers. Plan has been constructing semi-permanent classrooms and 45 water and sanitation facilities, including a bathroom and hand-washing station. Plan has distributed 180 portable library kits in 90 schools, and led training workshops with 630 teachers and school directors about how best to use the supplies.
For more information about Plan's work in Haiti, including a video of Plan's work, click here.
Post-Test Clubs in Uganda
A post-test club is a unique way to encourage community members in Uganda to be tested for HIV/AIDS. Detecting HIV early is important because the earlier the virus is detected, the better it can be treated.
Members of the post-test club have access to a variety of Plan-supported services, including community gardens, village savings and loan programs, and vocational training. Members of the club don't have to be HIV-positive; they simply must be tested! At the 2010 Dance-a-Thon, YUGA raised $3,500 to support Post-Test Clubs in Uganda and promoted HIV/AIDS awareness in the Providence area!
For more information about Plan's Post-Test clubs, click here.
In the Community
One of YUGA's main goals is to take local action on global issues. YUGA chapters have held local fundraisers in their schools to raise awareness of global poverty, child exploitation, climate change, HIV/AIDS, and girls-related issues. While we focus on the global community, we're also holding community service projects, food drives, and other activities to support our communities at home.
Both at YUGA Camp and at Cranston East's Poverty Week, YUGA members have made hundreds of bagged lunches for Crossroads RI, a local homeless shelter in Providence RI. YUGA has also participated in community clean-up projects with Love Providence, an urban nonprofit that supports children and families in inner city Providence, Rhode Island.
Take Action
- Participate in the Move to Stop AIDS Dance-A-Thon on December 10th! Find family and friends to sponsor you to dance for the evening and raise money for AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe. The Providence area Dance-a-Thon will be held a t Local 121 in Providence- and there's talk of a DC-area Dance-a-Thon, too! Click here for more information about the Providence Dance-a-Thon and how you can raise awareness and take action on this global crisis. For more information about the DC Dance-a-Thon, contact Kate at kate.ezzes@planusa.org.
- Host a Walk for Wells at your school. Be on the lookout for more information and resources to host a Walk for Wells fundraiser on March 22, World Water Day. Simulate the walk that millions of girls must make every day to collect clean water for her family- and raise money to build a well at her school so she can get an education! Visit http://www.walk4wells.com/ for more information and how you can get involved.
- Host a fundraiser for the IMAGINE project. The goal of the IMAGINE project is to promote girls' education through the construction of schools that address the many reasons why girls can't attend. IMAGINE schools include three classrooms, a well, latrines, a daycare center, and teachers' lodgings-- and have shown to be an enormous asset for Nigerien communities. Host a Poverty Week, put on a bake sale, ask for donations to IMAGINE instead of birthday gifts, or think of another fun and create way to raise awareness and help support the IMAGINE project!
Steering Committee
Meet your New Members!
| Angie | Clare | Luis | Oscar | Rachel | Nadyah |
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YUGA Central This Month's Most Popular...
Facebook Message: What do cell phones, video cameras, and the internet have to do with development? New Plan report. October 5 at 12:11pm
Tweet: Never underestimate the power of a chicken. http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/1534992 October 18 at 2:53pm
Blog Entry: Plumpynut: Funny Name, Serious Results - Read about Kate and Corrie's visit to Edesia, makers of the nutritional supplement Plumpynut. October 28, 2010
YUGA Calendar
December 1: World AIDS Day
December 10: Move to Stop AIDS Dance-a-Thon
7pm-1am
Local 121
121 Washington St Providence, RI
School Spotlight
Additional Resources
Picks of the Month
Books to Read
- Ten Ways to Change the World in Your Twenties by Libuse Binder
- 365 Ways to Change the World: How to Make a Difference - One Day at a Time by Michael Norton
Film to Watch: The World According to Sesame Street A Global Documentary of Local Proportions Length: 99 min
Next Month
December- HIV/AIDS December 1st is World AIDS Day, and YUGA has already begun raising awareness and fundraising for the cause! Find out about HIV and AIDS, how to raise awareness in your school, and how you can participate in the Move to Stop AIDS Dance-a-Thon on December 10th! Visit www.planusa.org/movetostopaids to sign up!
