Im glad that we have people who have time to organise Events and sacrifice their time and family time for unknown and sometimes uncomfortable people.  And I hope this will continue in the future. Thank you for opening this thread.

One personal POSITIVE note I would like to share with you:

Very soon Ale and I will be traveling around the world filming a documentary and investigating ways in which we can use technology to share teaching&learning resources.

More info here:

www.EducationalPaths.com

www.Wiki-School.org

YES, I WILL CONTINUE ORGANISING ACTIVITIES till the end of July and once I come back next summer, but I NEED YOUR HELP NOW.

I am looking for sponsors in both projects.

YOUR PRESENCE in the social networks (Facebook, Google+, Twitter, etc) CAN HELP ME have more chances of being lucky ;) AND you get to be amongst the first to be part of the project :)

Please take 5 SECONDS to 'Like' these facebook pages: http://www.facebook.com/wiki.school.org http://www.facebook.com/EducationalPaths

If you have 5 Seconds more, share them in your wall. YES, I WILL POST HERE some videos of the documentaries.

At the same time and while we are travelling through AFRICA, we will be supporting different projects along the way. It is for this that we are FUNDRAISING money.

If you wish to donate some money to my fund, please feel free to email me directly. 

ALL donations will be added to this document:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Av6bo8Jfsq5adHRXTVFTRDByOUNCR2RNT3ZLSTZjRWc&usp=sharing#gid=0

You can have your name in the list, a nickname or just a code. The point of having this in this PUBLIC file is that anyone can check the final amount and all individuals can check their donations are there.

 I will not be able to give you a Swiss Charity registration number, but will be able to post here a picture with many happy people who thanks to this donation can make their life’s and that of others better. 

Please make sure you post your donation offers here, as this migh encourage others to contribute for this POSITIVE thread further.

THANK YOU ALL!

Alvaro

A little story to remind us all that we can make all the observations we like, but when we make a (negative) judgement based on those observations.......we can end up looking the fool. 

So you basically open with a seemingly candid post then shamelessly advertise your personal projectsand ask for money?! Not cool dude.

Please feel free to post POSITIVE messages in this thread. 

This includes your personal projects on anything that could make anyone happier, but not your personal views of other's oppinion if by doing that you critisise them.

Catalin

 With all due respect you’re missing the point.  Let’s not allow this thread to go the same way as the other one (which was the point of starting it in the first place!).

 Alvaro’s project is a very positive one which I hope will help many people round the world.  I hope you will agree with that.

 Whether you agree or not as to how he is funding the project, is not for discussion here.

 (That’s a request, not an order!) 

Dear Angels, Demons and Others:

As someone who has worked in international development assistance for over 25 years, I urge you NOT to donate money or goods to unregistered charities, African or otherwise.

Why? There is litttle to no accountability, transparency or efficacy in this type of donation. There have been major scandals even with registered charities and international organizations where huge sums of money have been misappropriated. One result is great disappointment and donor fatigue.

There are so many worthwhile children's organizations which support educational technology projects including CARE, Save the Children, and UNICEF, amongst many, many others. If you really do care, do the necessary homework and make an annual contribution that sustains long-standing efforts proven successful.

Feel guilty about having too much money? Want to help? By all means, do so.

But please don't assume that Africans (in all 54 nations on the continent) can't film their own videos and express their own needs. Look into giving to a well-established African-based charity, a registered Swiss organization or a national branch of one of the major international charities.

Hello there, C2:

l regret to say that I wholeheartedly disagree. Transparency and accountability are vital in any charity measures. 

I think perhaps glocals needs to establish guidelines about solicitation of donations for charitable causes because any related scandal could seriously damage the network's reputation and existence. 

I would never, ever encourage anyone to give to an unregistered charity. Ever. 

I have seen the other threads and understand what is going on. This does not obviate the need for transparency and accountability.

I hope glocals shuts down this sort of solicitation. 

Hi Translator - I hear exactly what you're saying and I agree 100% with you.

However, I don't see the word charity, registered charity, charitable causes or the "C" word appear anywhere (but maybe that's a whole different forum!).

Having had his knuckles wrapped in the previous forum, he is trying to use less emotive language, such as "fundraising" and "looking for sponsors".

I don't see anything wrong with that - we all see it every day on facebook.

(And he's not just going to Africa - he's going "round the world" but people love to pick up on the Africa pitch because it's emotive.)

I remarked on Catalin's comment because it seemed like a personal dig (and not very "positive") relating to the old forum, which we are all trying to move away from - particularly as Nir has worked so hard to gain "closure" and pacify so many warring factions.

I suggest all our time could be better spent looking for some more angel stories.  So if you'll excuse me, I just need to go and polish my halo. 

http://www.aidforafrica.org/category/member-charities/?type=all-membersjavascript:mctmp(0);

"Our members are involved in a wide range of activities that touch the lives Africans throughout the continent. Most member organizations work at the grassroots level, empowering people to build a better future for their children, families, and communities.

Whether a member provides critical medical care and supplies, preserves family livelihoods through sustainable farming innovations, or promotes the education of a new generation of entrepreneurial leaders, each offers desperately needed hope and help. To search for a charity by region or area of interest, please visit Where We Work.

Our member organizations meet specific tests of programmatic impact, fiscal accountability, and governance standards. We are pleased to provide this collection of trustworthy, effective charities working on the ground in Africa. View our full list of members by name only, or, to find a specific member, click on the first letter of its name below."

Ah, I didn't realize he was going around the world...I understand now...

Happy polishing...

Devil in a blue dress,

T.

Thank you translator for your post where you proposed POSITIVE alternatives to my POSITIVE project.

I also encourage people to donate to whatever charity cause they feel it is worth it, in Africa or Switzerland. In the past I have donated to big charities like UNICEF, now I (personaly) prefer to give it to small local charities.

I understand that there are fraudulent people all around the world, but I am very confident I will be able to find many good, genuine, efficient, third-party comission free small charity projects. I understand and share your vied that it is a big responsability to make sure that donations are not scammed, and I take full responsability of that. 

Ocio Sano it appears you care very much about charity and improving situations of people in Africa (and other countries) where needed, which I wholeheartedly applaud. You also state you are opposed to scamming on glocals – a great stance.

So a question if I may – why do you want people to give money to you to distribute to charities as you come across decent ones, rather than you highlight specific charities you find to be worthy of support as you come across them and suggest donations to them directly?

In my mind the second approach would achieve your goals better – people are likely to give more when they see where there money is actually going. It would also help spread the word of smaller charities which is never a bad thing. And finally, a blog or ongoing posting here could be entertaining and educational for people following your travels.

(Also, I personally only give money to named charities where I can research them fully and am satisfied it is the best use of my money. I’ve had bad experiences in the past with poorly run charities, and even those where the distribution of support to the poor was based on their religion! Not the religion we like? We’re not helping you… shocking :O)

Hi folks,

I'm closing this thread now.

Let's all agree that if anyone wants to give money to some charity they should research it and decide.

Have a nice week.

Oded