SPA UK Sandesh 2014 | Page 22

ITF-INTERNATIONAL TRUST FUND

Namaste to all our members and readers At the ITF committee meeting held in April I was elected as the new Secretary and formally endorsed by SPA ( UK ) Pratinidhi AGM in May 2014 . Many of you will know that I am very passionate and committed to our Samaj and have given many years of service in different capacities over time . I think it would be helpful to give our members a brief glimpse of my involvement and achievements over the years : 1 . I served as the Secretary of SPA ( UK ) for some 5 years in the 1980s and was responsible for taking forward and registering the Organisation as a Charitable Organisation 2 . I served as the President of SPA ( UK ) 3 . I was responsible for drafting the SPA ( UK ) ITF Terms of Reference 4 . I have served as the President of London Association and been responsible for acquiring the London Samaj building under my Presidentship
Volume 39 . Prajapati Sandesh 2014 . www . prajapati . org . uk
I am fully aware that the work of ITF will be demanding and challenging and there is high expectation . I will not only bring my passion , vision and commitment to Samaj but new ideas and initiatives to take the work of ITF to the next level by working closely with and engaging with the SPAITF committee members at every level and this includes effective communication with our partner organisations in India and other parts of the world to promote the fantastic work that SPA ( UK ) is doing through ITF . I don ’ t purport to have all the answers , but I do know that if we can get our communication and visibility of the work of ITF on the right footing we can achieve much , much , more for our community and this is where we need your help to make that happen . If you have any ideas , suggestions or comments on how we can raise profile and build the SPA ( UK ) ITF brand then , please do contact me or any of the ITF committee members . This next part of the report has been written by my predecessor , Prakashbhai , who has done an exceptional job managing the ITF and introducing much needed processes to make the work of the sub-committee easy . This year we have had two meetings . In addition to receiving and discussing various grant applications , the Committee , for the first time , set a budget of £ 4,000 for the financial year 2013 / 2014 and debated on the Reporting , Monitoring and Evaluation of the Grant Aid document . I am pleased to inform you that the funds given out
were within the set budget and the Reporting , Monitoring and Evaluation of Grant Aid document was approved by the Committee in the meeting on 20 October 2013 . The Committee received 20 education and 1 organisation grant applications during the year . The Committee reviewed 18 education and 1 organisation grant applications in the two committee meetings with the deferral of 5 applications . All 19 grant applications were successful and a total grant of £ 3,920 was given . The successful applicants were 11 boys and 7 girls and the courses SPAITF committee sponsored are as follows : a ) BE Mechanical ( 6 students ) b ) MSc Integrated Biotechnology
( 2 students ) c ) Computer Engineering ( 2 students ) d ) Computer Science e ) Information Technology f ) Chartered Accountant g ) MBA h ) B . Pharmacy i ) Medical Laboratory Technician j ) Automobile Engineering k ) Diploma in Mechanical Engineering l ) The committee also supported Shree Prajapati Varistha Nagrik Mandal , Bilimora , to help the poor , the elderly and the widowed within the Prajapati community in Bilimora who are living below the poverty line . I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Wellingborough Branch , who has sponsored one student for the fourth consecutive year and I am pleased to say that the student has completed the course successfully . I hope other SPA Branches will consider
similar support / sponsorship . Medical Assistance Trust This is a new initiative by Shree Prajapati Vidyarthi Ashram , Navsari , who have sought support from leading Prajapati members from California ( USA ), Calgary ( Canada ) and UK . I was fortunate along with the HQ secretary to attend the initial meeting and since then there have been quite a few meetings resulting in progress of the project . This independent organisation will be known as Daxin Gujarat Prajapati Healthcare Trust . The aim of the Trust is to collect locally Rs 40 Lakhs . The capital sum will be invested and the interest earned will be used towards helping the poor with medical bills . We have been informed that local organisations have already started collecting funds and I am pleased to say that SPA ( UK ) has approved £ 250 towards the administration cost of the project . Over the past few years , a number of large Prajapati organisations in Gujarat have invested monies in building projects and Shree Navyuag Prajapati Samaj , Bardoli has just unveiled their building plan for Shree Prajapati Vidyarthi Ashram and NRI Guest rooms . The estimated cost for the project is Rs 1.25 Crore and I hope members will generously donate towards the project . Dedication by committed members ensures that the sub-committee operates well and this also applies to the representatives of Nairobi Trust Fund on the committee . The interest accrued on the capital sum has been poor , due to the economic climate . However , I am delighted to report that
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