Thanks – and enjoy the film!
First, a quick thank-you. Thanks, as ever, for all that you and other Friends of Londiani supporters have done to boost awareness of our work. Alongside the more high-profile fundraising efforts and volunteer involvement that allow us to continue to support the developmental needs and aims of the people of Londiani, the simple business of telling others about that work could be overlooked. It shouldn’t be. It costs little or nothing to pass on the news about Friends of Londiani but it’s enormously valuable to us that so many of you do.

It’s also one of the areas that the Internet has made so much easier in recent years. That means we can ask you to support us without getting out of your seat. And, when it comes to the support we’re asking you to offer on this occasion, that’s probably appropriate.

We’d like you to watch a film. It’s only two minutes long but in that period we think it speaks volumes about what we do for women in rural Kenya, about our main programmes and about the challenges they address. We very much hope you’ll like it. It certainly comes from the heart and – especially if you’re looking for a brief summary of our work for women – it covers a lot in a very short time. And, as you’ll soon notice if you follow the link, it’s also our entry for a competition – the 2014 Better Together Video Competition. You can vote once a day every day until the 21st November, so please do!

If our video receives the most votes it will win a cash prize. This, of course, would be an enormous boost for our work. But Friends of Londiani is only one of many charities competing, you might say. Can you really win? Well, that’s only part of the point. If you and others vote for us and encourage friends to follow suit you’re spreading the word at a time when charities everywhere are still coping with cuts and an economic downturn. In fact your apparently modest efforts to raise awareness of Friends of Londiani may be helping us to build a bigger support base and financial support for the long term.

So thank you again. And now, as they say in the cinema, enjoy the film.