Project Report
| Jul 3, 2018
Congratulations for Success of IPB in Campaign
Innovations in Peacemaking -- Burundi (IPB) succeeded in its Global Giving's Accelerator goals of at least 40 donors and $5,000. IPB had 51 donors who contributed $5010. We just made it. Thanks so much to those 51 donors. Actually there were 66 donors. Due to the fact that the Burundi franc is no longer an international currency, $405 of small donations from 16 Burundians had to be rolled together and donated as one donation made internationally by David Bucura from the African Great Lakes Initiative.
Put this was a nail-biter like the best of the World Cup Football matches. Kenya where I live is 7 hours ahead of eastern daylight time in the United States. So when I woke up at 7:00 AM on Friday morning, the last day, it was just midnight in the US. At that point IPB needed 10 more donors and $1095 to succeed. I was discouraged by what we had to accomplish in that last day, but determined in that never give up sense. So I sent out an email to the Reports from Kenya listserve and my facebook page, asking for help to meet the goal.
By the time I went to bed at 10 PM Uganda time (where I was staying that night) IPB had received 7 contributions and $280. Therefore when I went to bed, IPB still needed 3 more donors and $815. I sent out another request to my Report from Kenya list serve asking people to respond. I said that I would get up at 5 AM, two hours before the end of the campaign. Immediately before I had logged off my computer, IPB received 4 new donations so we had reached the goal of the number of unique donors.
I was so concerned that instead of waking up at 5:00 AM I woke up at 3:30 AM, 3 1/2 hours before the end of the campaign. Wow, had received 18 more donations for $750 so IPB needed only $65 more dollars. The internet connection in Bududa, Uganda, was extremely slow and often unable to connect. By the time I looked again we received the last donation of $75 which put us over the top. I went to bed again relieved and happy.
There were 674 organizations that were participating in the Global Giving June Acceleration and only 88 or 13% succeeded. IPB was one of those 88. Again thanks so much for the response from the donors. Since IPB was only $10 over the needed goal, everyone who donated during the campaign can pat him/herself on the back as the one who made the project succeed.
There was one other interesting aspect to this accelerator campaign. Notice where the donations came from:
Burundi = $875 (17.5%)
Rwanda = $335 (6.7%)
Europe (including England) = $760 (15.2%)
United States = $3040 (60.7%)
This is the first time that a significant percentage (almost 25%) of the donations for peace projects have come from African itself. Elie Nahimana was the one responsible recruiting the donors from Burundi and Rwanda. Thanks, Elie, for your efforts.
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