New Year’s message from the chair.
KDU Global and all its chapters in the diaspora, I sincerely wish you a happy New Year. I will also use this opportunity to thank our donors, contributors, and supporters for all their help this past year. We do appreciate their support which makes a great difference in the organization, especially in fulfilling our goals.
Let us take a moment to reflect on where we have been and where we are going. First of all, let me thank you for steering the ship with me and for the goals we have accomplished this past year. I say thanks to God for His continuous guidance and protection during this journey. Let us continue to stand firm and strong in our commitment to do what we are called to do in this organization.
Our Focus 2019-2020·
1. Different committees formed
A. Governance committee- With the consent of the Board of directors, recommendations for amendment of the bylaws will be made to the board. These recommendations will be approved by the board of directors before forwarding the amendments to the legal firm for review.
2021- a. Completion of bylaws amendment and ratification.
b. Recommendation for chapters to mirror KDU Global’s bylaw
B. Events Planning Committee (Family Reunion, All Global Social Events)
COVID-19 unfortunately hindered us from celebrating our 2020 Global Reunion in Canada. However, it did not stop us from having our 3 day Global Reunion virtually.
We started off on the Friday with the Young adults having their “Happy Hour” with the following: Krio Parables and meanings in English.
On Saturday, it was cultural night with, Krio parables, Nancy stories, Salone music and history of the Christian and Muslim krios. This was followed with the interfaith service on Sunday.
These events were very successful.
2021 1. Launching of Radio KDU Global
2. Black History month
3. 2021 Global Reunion
C. Finance Committee: The financial team was able to meet their budget target with the help of the chapters. I am in agreement with the financial team in thanking all chapters for their support. Most chapters were able to pay their dues of $500 and health outreach contribution of $300. Pledges made by chapters for the land tenure issue were fulfilled with the exception of two chapters still pending. As the organization ran out of the print material KDU Global’s Ashobi, it was recommended that each chapter contributes a $1000 or $500 according to the demand of the chapter in order to procure more.
2021. 1. Receipt of Global print.
2. Recommendation from the financial team that all future remittance and payments to Sierra Leone should be done directly through banks.
3. Donor slips will be sent to contributors for tax purposes.
4. Financial team will introduce a new strategy to raise funds for our new projects coming up.
5. It is recommended that each chapter pay a sum of $800 ($500 for dues and $300 for Health Outreach) at the beginning of the year.
D. Marketing /Media– Reconstruction and upgrading our website and Facebook were commenced.
2021- Face book and website reconstruction should be completed with all necessary documents uploaded and archived.
E. Planning Committee: Many projects were successfully completed or in progress in Freetown by individual chapters under the umbrella of KDU Global. A few projects are listed below.
A. King George’s home (various projects)
B. Children’s Library
C. Trash cans donation to Freetown city council
D. Building a preparatory and elementary school in Adonkia.
New Chapters. Welcomed with proper guidelines and a year probation period.
A. KDU Central Florida
B. KDU Ohio
C. KDU Alberta Edmonton.
Chapters 2020 Projects
| Chapters | Local | Freetown |
| North East | 1.Donations to King George’s home (basic health needs) Christmas Dinner to Residents of King George’s home
2.Children’s Library (computers, educational materials) siesta beds for children |
|
| Georgia | 1. Donations for masks to North Decatur Methodist church
2.Purchase for winter gears for honorary members |
1.Feed the people at St. Charles Parish church
2.Donations to West End Clinic |
| California | 1.COVID-19 Food drive
2.Donation clothes, toys for children, Care package to Riverside county |
Living Way Nursery and Preparatory School construction |
| Maryland | COVID baskets to senior citizens in the DC Metropolitan area | Christmas cheer with food items (rice, oil tomatoes, magi, onions and monetary donation to buy entrée for their Christmas dinner to Kent, Sussex, York, Bathurst, “Fourahbay and Fulahtown
communities |
| London | Shopping vouchers over a period of 3 months donated to the community during COVID-19 | Donations to king George’s home (fridge/freezer, 3 television, sanitizing products |
| Southern Ontario Canada | COVID-19 Food drive to the community
*This chapter has been the pioneer of KDU Global virtual reunion and support to chapter’s virtual thanksgiving services and Happy hour. |
|
| Florida | Fed the homeless in the community | Donations to King George’s home (clothes, hygienic packs |
| North Carolina | 1. Donations for COVID -18 relief to Jamiul Artic and Khabatullah mosques
2. Donations to St.Peters of Pepel and St. Jude,Tombo churches |
|
| KDU Texas | Scholarships to:
3 medical students 1 University student 4 secondary school students |
|
| SEPA | Educational toys, books, clothes to the community of York village |
2020 KDU Global Projects
A. Face masks. 2040 precautionary protective masks for COVID-19 with KDU Global’s logo on them were donated to the mayor’s office for four municipal schools in Freetown.
1.E. B. Williams Municipal JSS – 556 students
2. Aberdeen Municipal JSS – 500 students
3. D. T. Akibo Betts Municipal JSS – 610 students
4. Fattah Rahman Municipal – 540 students
B. Health outreach Recurring Yearly project- Locations are Wesley church, which is the west end of Freetown and Bishop Crowther, the east end of Freetown for 2 consecutive days. More than 500, people would be seen on each side. Blood pressure checks, blood sugar checks, visual checks, nutritional education, hygienic education etc. will done. Necessary referrals will be made for follow up treatments. This should have taken place in December but the arrival of medical supplies shipped to Freetown was delayed. This will be take place in the beginning of January.
C. Resource centers in progress– Theses centers are being set up with internet service, laptops/desktop computers, printers, access to educational materials, websites to enhance students’ knowledge and help with their school work/education.
Potential sites for resource centers setup:
1.Bishop Crowther
2. Fullah Town community center.
3. Bishop Crowther
4. Tabernacle Church
D. Solar back packs (in progress)
For merited school children. Children will be able to do their homework and charge their phones during blackout.
E. Land Tenure– Unfortunately there was no tangible result. This will be revisited with a new strategic plan/ new perspective.
F. Young Adults The goal is to have young adults (ages 18-40) in each chapter. KDU young adults continues to have a voice in KDU Global and represented in the board of directors.
The Young adults had their “Api Awa” during the 3 day virtual reunion, as well as a successful fundraising event.
Recruiting young adults for each chapter and having their own fund raising events will be greatly encouraged in 2021.
Global Projects for 2021-2022.
- Krio House
- Launching of Resource centers
- Annual Health Outreach at Wesley and Bishop Crowther Churches
- 2021 KDU Global Family reunion In Canada
- Solar back packs award presentation to merited recipients
KDU Global Chapters will continue with their individual projects in the diaspora and in Freetown as members of KDU Global and under the umbrella of KDU Global.
4. Strategic Plan Raising funds for KDU Global. KDU Global wants to take up bigger projects but we need finances. This past year KDU Global’s income has been from dues from chapters and the virtual thanksgiving service that was held. In order to embark on bigger and very valuable projects, KDU Global has to find outside sources through donors (yearly or lifetime).
With the above projects successfully completed this past year, I hope this answers the question “What is KDU Global doing?” KDU Global needs financial support to embark on its projects. Let us keep our donors encouraged by being productive and transparent. We will also continue to convey our message to entities and individual donors through our purpose and the change it wants to bring about. By so doing, we will be able to convince them to donate.
2. Vision and Mission Statement KDU Global, in spite of frequent distractions especially COVID-19 hindering us from being focused on our goals this past year, we have been unwavering to our commitment in achieving our proposed goals.
Values KDU has and will continue to maintain the values respected by the organization, which are integrity, etiquette, trustworthiness, transparency, accountability, and teamwork.
Let us review our SWOT Analysis for December 2019 to November 2020
We will continue with our plan period of 2-4 years using the SWOT analysis.
Looking back on KDU Global’s SWOT analysis.
Strength. KDU is blessed with committed volunteers who demonstrated their strength, knowledge, education, and network skills through the projects that were successfully completed.
Weakness– KDU Global continues to improve on its external communication and making the organization transparent through our media system (website and Facebook). A goal is to develop more improved, efficient, and transparent media systems with good record keeping and donors’ data base.
Opportunities- KDU Global is in collaboration with Hope for Youth of Sierra Leone. This is an opportunity to target youths of Krio Descent, the future generation of Sierra Leone by implementing KDU Global’s mission points to prepare them for the future.
KDU Global will not shy away from the opportunity to develop partnership with other nonprofits with no direct competition and also beneficial to KDU Global.
Threats- Our threat continues to be insufficient cash flow to embark on bigger projects.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 played an integral role in this.
*KDU Global will do more fund raising and generate more donors/contributors in the year 2021.
With review meetings of actual performance of the different committees, immediate corrective steps were taken for concerned committees. This is found to be effectual in producing successful results.
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all their efforts throughout the year. The success of our organization is built on the efforts of us all and in the past year, we have achieved some successes.
Thank you for the dedication/loyalty and commitment that each one of you has shown.
We have come through a year that was full of challenges and successes. How reassuring it is that I can count on all of you regardless of what faces us.
KDU Global and its diaspora, let us give ourselves a pat on the back for a job well done.
KDU Global, please allow me as chairwoman of this prestigious organization, to extend my personal and genuine appreciation to each and every one of you for your valuable contribution to this organization. Working with you this past year has been a pleasure and I am proud to be in this mission with you.
I offer my best wishes and happiness to you and your families as we all look forward to a blessed, successful, and prosperous year.
Be Blessed.
Dr. P. Dougan
Chair KDU Global
December 18, 2019
