In Summary: Wildman Fund 2023
As we head into the last few weeks of the year, we wanted to take some time to reflect on the past twelve months of the Wildman Fund - a charitable initiative from Etch Group.
What is the Wildman Fund?
The Wildman Fund is named in memory of Paul Wildman, the brother of Etch co-founder Shelly Frame. Paul's untimely passing serves as a reminder to all of us that whilst life is short, everyone can make a big difference in such a short space of time - a difference for others and ourselves.
Each year, Etch select three charities to support. In addition to giving ten per cent of our net profits to the charities, Etch also offers its expertise to effect change. Etch's criteria for charity selection is aligned to goals one, four and five of the UN Sustainability Goals; ending poverty, improving education, and achieving gender equality.
Our three chosen charities in 2023 were:
- The Beatrice Project, which helps to restore dignity and opportunity to young women in Zimbabwe.
- NC Kibera, which delivers sustainable improvements to the quality of life for people of the Kibera slum.
- Jeevan Asha, which provides education, nutrition and healthcare to underprivileged communities in Thane.
Let's check in with all three!
The Beatrice Project
The Beatrice Project was set up to prevent young girls from dropping out of school due to a lack of hygienic and affordable sanitary protection. The charity provides sanitary protection and training to enable young girls to complete their schooling.
In 2023, The Beatrice Project began working with two new schools, bringing their total number of schools to 15. The data really speaks for itself: The rate of school absence due to periods has fallen from 95% to 5%.
Beatrice Project team collaborator Joy, and team members Angie and Sue, with Mr Zhou, the headmaster of one of the newly signed up schools
This accomplishment has been made possible by providing menstrual cups and sewing equipment for making reusable pads, as well as providing training in sexual health, safeguarding, and gender-based violence. Another encouraging sign this year is that the local elders are becoming more supportive, and the boys at the school are increasingly open to being educated on women's issues too, shedding decades of cultural taboo. It's the start of a huge cultural shift which means the charity is poised to accomplish even greater in 2024.
This Christmas, they're launching a new appeal to support those 2024 goals, and looking to increase the amount of regular monthly donations they receive, in order to provide even more to those who need it most.
Find out more about The Beatrice Project
NC Kibera
NC Kibera is a partnership between local Kenyan and UK volunteers, resourcing and funding several projects delivering sustainable improvements to the quality of life for people of the Kibera slum, one of the largest slums in Africa and the world.
This year, the charity was able to secure the rental of a small building to act as a community hub in the Olympic district of Kibera. And on a recent visit, team members were able to report on the following progress.
During one September visit, the new community hub was used to issue over a hundred menstrual cups to local women and girls, and provide training in their use, as well as further discussion and one-on-one consultations as needed. In total, over 130 women received training, and hundreds of additional cups were provided to local teams to be continually distributed in the near future.
Another NC Kibera initiative is a youth football academy, and the Sunday afternoon training sessions now regularly attract around 100 participants - mostly boys, but some girls too. The football training creates a real sense of community and belonging, and the age range of players is currently 4 to 16, so these sessions really make a difference to a wide variety of children and young people in the slum.
In addition, NC Kibera continues to provide and pay for local washrooms, food, drug rehabilitation, garbage collection, schools mentoring, and micro enterprise loans to support and encourage local business.
NC Kibera want to extend their gratitude to all supporters for making such a big difference in 2023. The Wildman Fund is proud to support their efforts.
Jeevan Asha
Jeevan Asha reaches out to underprivileged communities in Thane and beyond, providing education, nutrition and healthcare. Their vision is to "bring hope to many lives by serving the community through various projects".
In October, Etch co-founder Shelly Frame paid a visit to Mumbai, and was able to see the impact Jeevan Asha is making, first hand.
Shelly Frame with Jeevan Asha Chairman & Founder, Basil D'Souza, his wife Cathy, and team members Rosie and Carol.
Thanks to the support of the Wildman Fund and others, Jeevan Asha has continued to provide crucial educational support for children from the slums throughout 2023, providing additional teaching, and a daily meal of curried dal and mango chutney, which the children love!
The charity has also continued to extend a helping hand to the slum residents in Thane in other ways, offering adult literacy, assisting with administrative tasks for accessing benefits, and providing practical healthcare needs such as maternity care, immunisation, and support for those affected by HIV/AIDS.
Jeevan Asha continues to embody the true spirit of the Wildman Fund, making a real difference to the community, and exemplifying the values of charity and compassion. It's been an honour and a privilege to support them in 2023.
Find out more about Jeevan Asha
Reflections
Here at Etch, we're enormously proud of the Wildman Fund and the support that it offers to these three vital charities, which are all making a real difference. Providing the resources and funds that are needed is important every year, and 2023 was no exception - our chosen partners accomplished incredible things over the last twelve months, under very tough conditions.
We want to thank The Beatrice Project, NC Kibera, and Jeevan Asha for all that they do, and for allowing us to accompany them on this journey. We're looking forward to what 2024 will bring, and remain dedicated to these essential compassionate causes.
Want to get involved? To make a financial contribution, or discuss other ways you can contribute, please get in touch with us directly!
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