Beatrice Montedoro

Charities Informational Session - MCR, 8 p.m.

Next week, during the GM, we will elect up to 5 Charities, with a max. of 2 non ukbased. Ideally, among these 5 we are looking to cover a variety of charities dealing
with different issues, but it will be up to the MCR to vote as they prefer.
Charities in support of Nature
1. Amazon Conservation Team, proposed by Friederike Reuter (non uk-based)
The Amazon Conservation Team is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting South
American rainforests through the empowerment of indigenous people. Established in 1996, ACT has
developed long-term partnerships with more than 50 indigenous communities across more than 70
million acres of indigenous landsan area larger than some Central American countries to
support the maintenance of indigenous knowledge systems and culture while protecting ancestral
lands that account for some of the largest tracts of pristine and sustainably managed rainforest in
South America. The livelihoods and cultural identities of indigenous Amazonian societies are
inextricably tied to health of their forests, making them powerful partners for conservation.

2. Cool Earth, proposed by Ferdinando Randisi (uk-based)

Cool Earth is the most cost-effective charity we have identified to date which works on mitigating
climate change through direct action (Giving What We Can, Charity evaluator)
Climate change is notoriously bad. This charity fights it by preserving the rainforest with a very
effective approach: it empowers the communities that live in it so that they do not have to leave
their lands to loggers. The charity prioritises its funding very efficiently, helping communities in
circular patterns so that they can form a shield for the forest. The charity therefore has both a
social AND an environmental impact. The unaivability of a particular part of the forest to the
loggers pushes them to other, more expensive parts, and the difference in costs ends up saving acres
and acres of rainforest.

Local Charities helping humans:

3. Oxford Poverty Action Trust (OxPAT), proposed by Beatrice Montedoro
and seconded by Rose Mortimer (uk-based)
The Oxford Poverty Action Trust was set up in 1996 to enable the public to give to homeless and
vulnerably housed people in a direct way that would ensure that the money was well spent.
Most of the donations fund the work of partner agencies, which are all charities working directly
with homeless or vulnerably housed people in Oxford. Generally, the OxPAT funds go into these
agencies' welfare funds. What this means is that, by supporting OxPAT, the MCR would effectively
be supporting a plethora of local charities all involved in helping homeless people. These partner
charities are: Aspire Oxfordshire, Church of God Soup Kitchen, Crisis Skylight Oxford, Elmore Team,
Emmaus Oxford, Oxford Homeless Pathways, Simon House, SMART, St Mungo's Broadway, Steppin
Stone.

Beatrice Montedoro
4. KEEN, proposed by Jessica Milligan (uk-based)
KEEN provide social, sporting and recreational activities for children and adults with special needs
in the surrounding area. There are currently about 200 people with special needs using KEENs
services. KEEN athletes (the children that attend the sessions) have a wide range of physical and
learning disabilities. The coaches (volunteers) are mostly local students and young professionals.
KEEN run four regular, weekly sessions during Oxford University term times: AllSorts, Zig-Zag,
KEEN Teens and GrEAT. They also run daytrips, special events and holiday activities.

5. Lincoln College Vacation Project (VacProj), proposed by Movin

Abeywickrema (uk-based)
VacProj is an entirely student-run charity, organised by members of Lincolns JCR. It runs two weeklong holidays every year (one younger week for 7-9 year olds and one older for 10-12 year olds) for
36 disadvantaged children in Oxfordshire over the summer holiday, in addition to day trips during
Easter. The children who come are either involved with social services, or are young carers who
really benefit from these times away from home and the opportunity to experience new things.

6. Students 4 Students, proposed by Joe Kelly (uk-based)

Students4Students is a charity run by students, aimed at providing one-on-one tuition for primary
school kids in English and Maths. We get volunteer students from Oxford to go to local state primary
schools and try to give Year 5 and 6 students the confidence and capability they need to succeed in
their next steps in life. While there are many education charities working around Oxford, most focus
on secondary education. S4S believes (and theres plenty of evidence to back it up!) that kids need
support sooner, as this is when the education gap widens most significantly.

International Charities helping humans:

7. Drapen I Havet (A Drop in the Ocean), proposed by Holly Hathrell (non ukbased)
A Drop in the Ocean is a volunteer organization whose purpose is to help refugees, especially
children and their mothers. They do not receive state aid and are therefore dependent on private
support and donations. A Drop in the Ocean is present at the island Chios, Nea Kavala and Cherso in
northern Greece and in the area of Athens. They work directly inside the refugee camps, often run by
the national Greek army. They use a large portion of the proceeds to purchase water, food and
supplies to refugees locally and for storage fees on our destinations. In order to maintain continuity
in their work and ensure training of volunteers, they also cover the cost of a certain number of
coordinators on the destinations.

Beatrice Montedoro
8. Eritrean Women's Community Centre (EWCC), proposed by Maayan
Ravid (uk-based)
The Eritrean Womens Community Center is a grassroots initiative developed and run by asylum
seeking women from Eritrea. Established in 2012, it serves as the first port of call for many Eritrean
women who entered Israel since 2007 due to increasing human rights abuse in their country. These
women escaped Eritrea and sought refuge in neighbouring countries. Many were kidnapped by
human traffickers and fell victims to torture and rape along the way, kept in torture camps in the
Egyptian Sinai desert as ransom was demanded for their release. In Israel Eritrean women struggle
with various issues lack of legal status or rights, daily survival and economic hardship, domestic
abuse, post-traumatic symptom, and more.

9. BECOME "Come True" Project, proposed by Maayan Ravid (non ukbased)

Become is a non-profit assisting orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya, Haiti and South Sudan
since 2009. They approach childrens wellbeing holistically, running community based, sustainable
initiatives with local partners. They believe all children, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, or
socioeconomic circumstances, should have access to basic human rights; are entitled to food, health
care, education, shelter, and safe environments where they can grow. Project Come True was
initiated by South Sudanese Parents and Israeli friends after the deportation of the community from
Israel in 2012. South Sudan, the worlds youngest country, was established in 2011 following
decades of civil war. The education system is ranked lowest in the world. Project Come True sends
South Sudanese children to boarding school in Uganda, while parents remain in Juba to develop
their new land.

10. Afrinspire, proposed by Dan Brown (uk-based)

Afrinspire is a small UK registered charity that provides support to local community leaders in East
Africa, specifically Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan, to implement indigenous
development projects. The support ranges from funding orphaned street children to go to school, the
provision of computers and educational materials to schools and Womens Literacy Groups and the
dissemination of sustainable agricultural techniques. Afrinspire will use any funds donated by
Lincoln MCR this year for the Functional Adult Literacy program (FAL). FAL teaches practical
numeracy and literacy skills to illiterate adults, typically women. This includes basic accounting to
help households organise their finances and save, reading skills, awareness of HIV, and techniques
to improve hygiene.

11. Trinity Health Services, proposed by Claire Keene (non uk-based)

Trinity Health Services is a student-run clinic held fortnightly on Monday evenings in Braamfontein,
Johannesburg. Established in 2004, it began when a group of medical students identified the dire
need for healthcare amongst the homeless population of the city, and approached the Holy Trinity
Catholic Church in Braamfontein, which is known for its soup kitchen and student accommodation.
The clinic was, due to various unfortunate circumstances, forced to cease operating some years ago,
but has recently been revived in its new form. The clinic is managed and mostly operated by
students, with the supervision of qualified healthcare practitioners, and is equipped with a small
pharmacy. Apart from the obvious benefits to the patients, most of whom also attend the churchs
soup kitchen, it provides an excellent opportunity for both junior and senior students to contribute
to the community in a meaningful way, and simultaneously supplement their education.