Next week I will be heading to Rwanda on a visit to follow up a number of projects – as well as to complete our annual report. Highlights, on which I look forward to reporting further on in due course, will be:

– A visit to the Ntarama Health Centre where we recently opened a new hospitalisation ward and health education centre. This has been made possible due to a collective of funders, lead by Network 4 Africa and INSPIRE!africa. We made a short film about the clinic on our previous visit, which you can view here:

– A meeting with the SURF Forum or Partners to discuss our progress to date, and to undertake a strategic planning exercise to ensure that we receive the input of the partners into the development of our new strategic plan (2012 – 2014) and to share our experience of strategic planning to support the partners in developing their own strategic plan.

– Meeting one-on-one with our current partner organisations, to hear directly from them on the status of the projects that SURF continues to fund, including AERG (Education into Employment programme), AVEGA and Solace Ministries (HIV+ Survivors Integration Project) and GAERG (Good Gifts Cow farm).

– Finally, as part of a personal challenge, I will be hoping to complete a marathon on April 30th, one of two that I am running over the next two weeks starting with the London Marathon this Sunday. As I have already raised a good sum through my sponsorship page, I am appealing now for donations to a new crowdfunding initiative on which SURF is a pioneering venture.

I am hoping to raise £1,240 in the next 2 weeks which will go directly towards supporting a handicrafts and textiles income-generating activity for an association of remarkable women survivors of the genocide. The bonus of giving to the project – is that you get back by doing so! So anything that you can contribute will, as ever, be gratefully received.

Thank you.