What happened to the month of January? I remember only two things:
1. I was honored to be at the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America and to live history in the making.
2. I chaired the Foundation’s Board meeting, which laid out the road map for the rest of the year and declared that our best days are still ahead of us.
As we start the month of February, we also start another month of economic downturn. Gee! It is fair to say that we all know somebody who has been affected by this economy. For the NGO community, it has presented us with a double challenge; increased demand for services and a decrease in contributions. The response has been, freezing salaries, leaving vacancies unfilled, laying off staff and even cutting programs or closing completely.
Well, at the Foundation, we have been no exception to the economic situation; however we are glad to report that we are not going to close any programs. We shall be developing new programs and expanding some old ones. We shall visit Rwanda and Ivory Coast with the intent of adding them to our already ten African countries bring our presence in Africa to twelve countries.
Even though we have had to tighten our belts, AGHPF News and Info and the Foundation will still be a key player in providing assistance, partnering and supporting local community based projects. To this end, be informed that we will close our grant application process for the year 2009 on March 16, 2009. To apply send an email to grant@aglobalhf.org.
We will strive each day to achieve and live up to our theme for the year 2009: “Do not turn your back on me!” I call on all who read this letter to do some good today and every day.
As always, I welcome your feedback on what we could do better and what we are doing well
