Lushomo currently relies entirely on individual donations and the support of volunteers for all its activities. To continue helping young people in Lusaka we need three main things, outlined below. If you or your organisation could help with any of these things, please do get in touch. We need:
Other individuals or organisations to help make Lushomo stronger
Do you work in the field of HIV or have personal experience that could be useful to share with our members? Do you work for an organisation that supports young people and/or those living with HIV?
As a tiny organisation we would welcome support from individuals who could volunteer to help organise activities, raise funds, and keep things ticking over. We are also keen to partner with other organisations that have similar goals and values in order to expand and develop our work.
Resources that directly support our work, e.g. educational materials, food, transport
If we could source these things without having to pay for them, or at least pay a reduced amount, it would really help reduce the financial burden of running the group. So if could offer this kind of assistance to the group, or know other people who might be able to, we’d love to hear from you.
Donations of money to cover our running costs
Even with the fantastic help we get from volunteers, there's no real way to get around the fact that for food and bus fares cash is the only viable answer. All the costs we have incurred to date have been met through kind donations, but at present we don’t have a long-term plan to sustain this kind of support, and without new funding, the group's activities will have to come to an end at some point – or at least continue without any fresh input. The costs associated with each meeting tend to be about ZMK 300,000 – 400,000 (or £50-60), depending on exactly what's happening, so all contributions would be gratefully received.
Raising Lushomo’s profile would help to get the members’ voices heard by a wider audience, and hopefully help to make connections with individuals and organisations who could help to strengthen and sustain Lushomo’s work into the future. You know better than we do how you might be able to do this, but here’s some suggestions:
- If you provide information about HIV or young people, for example through newsletters, IEC materials, or via the internet, you could link to our website, or discuss Lushomo’s work.
- If you write about young people, development, or HIV for the media, you could consider including information about Lushomo in a relevant article, or seeking our opinion about issues relating to our work.
- If you compile case studies regarding the sort of work we do, you could consider finding out more about Lushomo as a suitable subject for a study.
- If you organise activities with young people in Lusaka, or relating to development or HIV in the UK, and would like a group member or supporter to speak about Lushomo at an event, this could be arranged.
