LittleStars-Luxor

www.LittleStars-Luxor.org 

  Progress Report 

There is no other foreign organisation in Luxor that is covering as wide a scope of aid as Little Stars and we are filling a big gap in charitiable provision.   As we are a new charity still in its first year of operation, this is something that we are all very proud of.

Every month the scope gets wider as we are approached for funding by different individuals and groups and as new projects are put forward for our attention.   As funds increase, things that once seemed beyond reach suddenly become obtainable and as we become more well known, we get more and more support.

Everything that we do is for the benefit of Luxor’s disadvantaged children and now we have two young girls under our spreading wings.  The girls live in different villages and they are not of the same age or family but their experience is the same.  One morning they woke up to find that their parents had vanished in the night and that they were alone.  Neighbours in Egypt are very caring, and they have looked after these girls for two years.  One is now eight year old and the other is ten years old.  Can you imagine the horror of such abandonment?  Little Stars will do its best to make sure that the girls are provided for just as it will ensure that others get the medical treatment they need.

 With you we can do so much, without you we can do nothing.

www.LittleStars-Luxor.org

Our trustees and volunteers in Luxor have been extraordinarily busy during the week as the Footsteps of Mohammed Association were unexpectedly able to buy 179 food parcels on our behalf from the Egyptian Food Bank and these had to be distributed quickly.  Not only is it cold in Luxor at the moment but there has been an usually high level of rainfall in the past few days and this has made living conditions worse, especially where there are dirt floors and no roof.

The food parcels were split almost equally between the outer villages of the east banks and the west banks of the River Nile and blankets were added where they were needed.  The logistics of delivering so many parcels was left in the hands of Aamer and he did a magnificent job. 

Thanks are offered to Carol and Brian for visiting each family and making sure that all items went where they were needed most. While in the villages, cases eligible for Little Stars assistance were brought to their attention.  We will assess all of these and offer help where we can.

Little Stars hopes to be able to repeat the distribution on a monthly basis and perhaps even extend the number of villages that can be covered.  A full report will be given in our next newsletter.

Without your support we can do nothing.

www.LittleStars-Luxor.org

We promised from the very beginning that we would be completely open about what is happening in Little Stars and we are delighted to tell you that total donations  have now reached £16,000 and we are in a position to plan for the future and undertake larger projects.

For the time being our prime concern will still be with providing new equipment for disabled children and the East and West Bank clinics, paying school fees for needy children, providing food parcels for those below subsistence level and providing blankets and warm clothes for those that need them.

If you know of a child, a family or a group in Luxor who would benefit from Little Stars' assistance then please let us know and we will see if we can help. 

We are eternally grateful to everyone who has contributed to Little Stars.

www.LittleStars-Luxor.org

December Newsletter

Our December Newsletter reporting Little Stars' activities has been written and will be uploaded in the next few days.

Printed copies of all our Newsletters can be obtained by sending a large stamped addressed envelope to our registered address.  Copies can also be sent by email through contact@LittleStars-Luxor.org

Pease advise us if you would like us to send you a copy automatically each month.

Thank you for your suppport.

 

For all organisations, whether they are businesses or charities, it is necessary to update their websites as they develop and as circumstances change.  Nothing is ever carved in stone and progress involves change.

The first change on our website was its name.  Our original site lasted only a few weeks before it was pulled down but this new site has been running successful under the administration of our present webmaster to whom we are still very grateful.

Another change has been a widening of the scope of Little Stars.  Nobody could have predicted its phenomenal success in raising funds for Luxor’s disabled and disadvantaged children and as a result of this success we have been able to provide more help than we first anticipated.

Aims also change.  What seems a good idea when an organisation starts is not always so good later.  During its first days, our website stated that we might seek Egyptian as well as UK registration.  At that stage Little Stars had neither.  In August, UK registration was obtained and it became clear that as we were a grant awarding organisation that raised its funds in the UK and did not intend to have orphanages etc. then Egyptian registration was not necessary.   This was confirmed by the Egyptian authorities.  On the recommendation of the UK Charity Commission, the wording on our website was changed to reflect this change in aims.   

Changes have also occurred in our list of administrators and we now show our Egyptian Representatives on the website.  One name has already been added and we hope to add the names of two local paediatric doctors in the near future when details are finalised.

I am sure that over the years several other changes will occur on the website and we will point them out to you as they arise. 

Thank you for your wonderful support.

When a charity works overseas they have to make sure that they operate within the laws of the country in which they are working.  The UK Charity Commission make this as easy as they can by providing information about working overseas and recommending websites which give the legal requirements for the relevant country.

If there is any doubt about any of the regulations then it is best to contact the police in the country of operation to ascertain exactly what the requirements are.  We can assure you that the police everywhere will be helpful, encouraging and will give you their full support.

Little Stars has been in long discussion with all the relevant authorities in Egypt to ensure that they are working within the laws of the UK where they are registered and in Egypt where they work.  We have immense gratitude towards the authorities in both countries for their amazing level of assistance and support.  They have confirmed that Little Stars in adibing by all rules and regulations and is operationg legally n Egypt. All departments have wished us well and thanked us for what we are achieveing.

We have nothing but praise for the local police and security police who ensure the safety of charity workers and for the co-operation of locally run charities who welcome the involvement of overseas supporters.  The Trustees of Karnak Charity Society are writing to the UK Charity Commission specifically to praise the work that Little Stars is doing with disabled children in Egypt and The Footsteps of Mohammed Association wish to thank all those who have donated to Little Stars because this has enabled their Association to help several hundred more people than they could before.

Everyone has offered thanks to our patron Lord Carnarvon for his continued support for Little Stars and for his commitment to the people of this great country.  We all want to offer our thanks to you for supporting us through your donations.