http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor Little Stars is a successful British registered charity that works with orphaned, abandoned, diasbled and disadvantaged children in Luxor Egypt. en littlestarsluxor littlestarsluxor Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:29:00 +0200 daily 1 - - www.LittleStars-Luxor.org - - Little Stars Scholarships - - At the last Trustees' Meeting Jane Nash made a proposal that Little Stars offers scholarship grants to orphaned and disadvantaged children who without support would not be able to continue their education beyond the basics of primary schooling.  The proposal was accepted and to start the scheme £1,000 was transferred to a deposit account which will be used specifically for this purpose.  Jane will co-ordinate fund raising for this project. . Planning for the scheme will start immediately and we hope that it will be implemented in September 2009.  Grants will be means tested and will be by application only.  All the headmasters of schools in the Luxor area will be contacted and given details of the scheme.  Initially, for financial reasons, places will be ... Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:29:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Little-Stars-Scholarships/56/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Little-Stars-Scholarships/56/   www.LittleStars-Luxor.org   Five weeks have passed since the end of our financial year and we are delighted that over those weeks we have received £6,796 in donations, which brings our total donations since we started to £42,103.  This is an amazing level of support for any charity and we cannot thank you enough.   Each pound we receive not only supports our present programme but brings the new children's clinic on the West Bank that bit closer to reality.  Next week we shall be inspecting properties so that we can begin.  Initially we shall rent property so that the clinic can be up and running as soon as possible.  Everything we buy will be movable so that when we have sufficient funds to buy land and make a purpose built centre, we can just move everything into it as soon as it is finished.   The East Bank Distribution Centre is proving very useful and soon we shall buy our stock of blankets ready for... Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:06:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/New-Financial-Year/55/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/New-Financial-Year/55/   www.LittleStars-Luxor.org  June Newsletter Over the past year, we have had very positive feedback about our Newsletters and shall continue to produce them on a monthly basis. The Newsletter for June has been uploaded onto our main site and has photos of our new Distribution Centre.  Have a look and find out what we are achieving on your behalf.     Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:37:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Newsletters/54/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Newsletters/54/   www.LittleStars-Luxor.org After regaining access to our old domains, Little Stars has five ways of bringing information to you through the internet about our work with children in Egypt.  In order to make this work more efficiently, we are moving our accounts into our own hosting space.  This might mean that access to the sites is restricted for a short time while the transfer is taking place. www.Streamline.net has made this possible through their offer of a fifty per cent charity discount.  We are very grateful to them for their support in regaining access to our sites and for their help in maintaining them.   Update 23rd June - the work is now complete and all our sites and up and running.  Thank you for your patience. Sat, 21 Jun 2008 09:08:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Access-to-Website/53/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Access-to-Website/53/ www.LittleStars-Luxor.org   End of Year Accounts   Our completed end of year accounts, which have been submitted for approval, show that cash donations to the charity amounted to £35,306.85 between 1 st June 2007 and 31 st May 2008.  In addition, clothing and footwear items that have been donated with a value of several thousand pounds.   Total expenditure amounted to £17.941 which means we have more than £17,000 left in the bank.  £15,000 of which is earmarked for the new West Bank Clinic.  Little Stars has done a great deal to relieve poverty through the distribution of food parcels, has paid education fees, has given medical assistance by providing wheelchairs and financing two clinics in Luxor, and has supported other charities and individuals through donations and payment of medical bills.  In addition we have opened a Distribution Centre on the East Bank on which the rent has been paid for... Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:05:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/End-of-Year-Accounts/52/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/End-of-Year-Accounts/52/ www.LittleStars-Luxor.org     New Distribution Centre Luxor Egypt   There has been a flurry of activity in our new East Bank Distribution Centre.  It is no longer a dust filled dilapidated dairy, it now has a new coat of paint, clothes racks, storage baskets, palettes, wheelchairs and sufficient food items to make up 250 food parcels for the relief of poverty in those who are in the most need.   There is still more work to be done and volunteers are needed but Little Stars has already been given tremendous support in getting the centre ready and and we wish to thank Mr. Col of Col’s coffee shop for his donation of racking that will make a big difference to the centre’s office.   We are still looking for premises for the new West Bank Clinic and we have high hopes for a new building that is being inspected this week.  We are still waiting to hear from the Lottery Commission but are making plans anyway so... Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:27:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/New-year-and-New-Distribution-Centre/51/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/New-year-and-New-Distribution-Centre/51/ www.LttleStars-Luxor.org Our latest Newsetter has been uploaded onto our main site.  Please have a look at it to find out what Little Stars has achieved during its first year of operation. Copies will be sent via e-mail to our regular supporters. Thank you for your support. Tue, 20 May 2008 10:03:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/May-Newsletter/50/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/May-Newsletter/50/ www.LittleStars-Luxor.org   Airlines that fly into Luxor We would like to thank those airlines that fly into Luxor and also help the charities there.  Egypt Air have given us a superb level of help and so have First Choice and Thomson Airlines .   Their help in allowing us extra baggage allowance has meant that much needed items can be brought out from the UK.  We would urge you to support these airlines when booking your visit to Luxor. Monarch Airlines said that they were unable to increase their baggage allowance and that any extra baggage woould cost us £10 per kilo.   Fri, 16 May 2008 12:15:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Airlines-that-help-children/49/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Airlines-that-help-children/49/   www.LittleStars-Luxor.org   May is the last month of our accounting year and at the end of the month we will prepare all our accounts for approval and submission to the Charity Commission.   Records for the end of April show that donations have now reached £30,000 sterling.   Only a few short months ago we were hoping that £10,000 would be collected and now, with your generosity, that sum has been tripled.   £10,000 sterling has been moved to the Little Stars deposit account to be held in reserve for the proposed clinic on the West Bank.     Please, please, continue your support.   Little Stars is already one of Luxor’s biggest children’s charities and we can make a real difference to the lives of those who have little and even less hope.     During the year we have bought over 1,000 food parcels for desperate families, 150 blankets, 10 wheelchairs and physiotherapy equipment for disabled children.   In... Fri, 09 May 2008 09:18:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/End-of-our-Frist-year/48/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/End-of-our-Frist-year/48/   www.LittleStars-Luxor.org East Bank Distribution Centre From the 1 st May 2008 Little Stars will have a Distribution Centre on the East Bank.  This is an exciting development for Little Stars as it means that we can extend our provision and help many more of Luxor's severely disadvantaged children.   The Centre, which is in Abdul Hamid Ali El Monda Street, close to the International Hospital will initially provide storage for children’s clothes, food parcels, baby milk, wheelchairs and other medical equipment.   A further bonus of the centre is that there is now a central site where visitors can leave donated clothing and school items.  The site of the Centre was originally a dairy and is very large so it has space for all present and future activities.  The rent has initally been paid for one year at the end of which the success of the project will be assessed.   The Centre... Fri, 02 May 2008 12:07:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/East-Bank-Distribution-Centre/47/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/East-Bank-Distribution-Centre/47/ www.LittleStars-Luxor.org www.LittleStarsLuxor.org www.Luxorchildrenstrust.org     Old Websites Restored       I t has taken seven months and has been a long and difficult haul but we are delighted to report that, thanks to the tremendous joint efforts of Enom and Streamline Net we have been able to restore some of our old websites.        Enom supplied us with a new sign-on and password through their own website so that we could get access to our sites for the first time.   From there it was possible to unlock them so that Streamline could transfer them to a new hosting area.   We are extremely grateful for all their help.         Our present website has served us well and there was no real need to take the trouble of getting the old sites working again, except that there were... Sat, 19 Apr 2008 01:30:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Old-Websites-Restored/46/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Old-Websites-Restored/46/ www.LittleStars-Luxor.org     There is an independent organisation that checks on the validity of Charities that are registered with the Charity Commission.  This might seem like a belt and braces approach to security but in some instances the double check has proved its worth.   Little Stars are delighted to tell you that we are now registered with Charity Check who has completed its checks and taken up references concerning our work and validity.  They are satisfied that we are a bone fide organisation and have entered us on their Register.   We thank them and our referees, for everything that they have done to give all our donors peace of mind and for having such confidence in us and what we are aiming to achieve for Luxor's children.      With you... Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:33:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Charity-Check/45/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Charity-Check/45/ www.LittleStars-Luxor-org Vacancy Little Stars has a vacancy for a manager in its West Bank Clinic. There are three assistants, two doctors, a driver and a gardener already in employment at the clinic. Duties involve keeping a staff attendance register, keeping records of children that attend the clinic, noting all equipment repairs, renovations and replacements that are needed and making sure that the clinic runs smoothly and achieves its aims.  The clinic is open two hours per day, five days per week throughout the whole year.  Cover will be arranged for holidays. The vacancy is open to European and Egyptian applicants and the successful applicant will be expected to move to the new clinic when it is finished. For further details please e-mail:-. contact@LittleStars-Luxor.org   Sat, 05 Apr 2008 20:14:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Vacancy/44/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Vacancy/44/ www.LittleStars-Luxor.org       New Clinic Update   We are seeking premises in which to house the new clinic.   We are looking for a large ground floor flat or single story building with good access, close to the service bus routes, in the village of Nage El Genena near the hospital.   It is vital that the clinic is on the ground floor as wheelchair access is needed and it would be wonderful if it had a small garden where the children could play with specialised equipment.   We think that we will need space of around 100 – 120 sq. metres.     If you know of any similar premises that are available for rent on a long-term basis please advise us as soon possible as we have sufficient funds to get the project started.   contact@Littlestars-luxor.org     Pl ease continue your wonderful support. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:22:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/New-Clinic-Update/43/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/New-Clinic-Update/43/   www.LittleStars-Luxor.org   Project Updates Updates have been added to all six of our projects outlined on the main site.  Just click on the link to see the progress we have made.  All of it has only been possible due to your support. http://www.littlestars-luxor.org/luxor_egypt_children.html     Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:42:00 +0100 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Project-Updates/42/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Project-Updates/42/   www.LittleStars-Luxor.org Our March Newsletter has been completed and uploaded onto the main site.  Please read it and see what we have been doing over the last month.   http://www.littlestars-luxor.org/luxor_news.html Back copies of all our newsletters are available by email from contact@Littlestars-luxor.org or by sending a large stamped addressed envelope to our registered office.   Thank You    Sun, 23 Mar 2008 08:02:06 +0100 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/March-Newsletter/41/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/March-Newsletter/41/ www.LittleStars-Luxor.org Recent research has shown that 80% of all charity donations are given to 2% of the registered charities and that more than 26% of charities have an income of less than £1,000 per year.  This shows just how important your donations are to us.  Although we are not in the high donation group, with donations approaching £25,000 we are not in the bottom group either.  This is our first year of operation and this level of support is fantastic.  The range of children we can help is constantly widening and applications for assistance from individuals and groups in Luxor are now flooding in.  Thank you. With you we can achieve so much. Without you we can achieve so little.   Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:35:00 +0100 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Thank-You/40/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Thank-You/40/ www.LittleStars-Luxor.org   New Clinic on the West Bank We are delighted to tell you that we have received a wonderful donation for a world-renowned marine biologist and that it is being used to start a fund for the creation of new clinic on the west bank of Nile. We believe that there is a need for a centrally placed free clinic where disabled children can get physiotherapy treatment and chronically sick children from poor families can get free help and medicines.  The clinic would also house a store-room and distribution point for free blankets, clothes, baby milk, nappies and emergency food parcels for those who need them most.  The clinic would be fully staffed by Egyptian doctors, nurses and assistants.  This will not only help the children directly but also indirectly by increasing local job opportunities.  It is hoped that we can raise sufficient funds to open the clinic later this year.  To do that we need your help even... Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:52:00 +0100 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/New-Clinic-on-the-West-Bank/39/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/New-Clinic-on-the-West-Bank/39/   www.LittleStars-Luxor.org   Statement from the Trustees Many of our regular supporters are aware that for the last six months this charity has been under constant attack from an ex-employee with a grudge.    During this period, he has flooded the Internet via a copycat website with vile personal abuse, false allegations and threats against this Charity and its Trustees.  His actions have been reported to the Charity Commission, the Foreign Office and the Police in the UK, plus the Police, Security Services and British Embassy in Egypt.  The allegations were considered malicious and unfounded by all the relevant authorities in both countries and the threats and abuse were officially recorded.   We are a small charity doing our best to help the children of Luxor.  We have fought his actions every inch of the way and will continue to do so.  We will not let one dysfunctional person who was dismissed for illegal... Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:31:00 +0100 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Statement-from-the-Trustees/38/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Statement-from-the-Trustees/38/   www.LittleStars-Luxor.org   The Good Samaritan Society   The Good Samaritan Society has always been very important to Little Stars as the work they do with disabled children in Luxor is so valuable.   When we first visited their Home we were shocked at its condition but there was little help that we could offer as they were about to move to other premises.   The problem of substandard-accommodation still exists but recently they acquired a thirty-month lease on an old building that is now used as school rooms for the children and accommodation for the elderly patients that they have.   The children are staying in the old dilapidated Home until money can be found for a purpose-built centre.   This month, representatives from Little Stars spent several days at the Good Samaritan home assessing how help can be offered.   We believe in consultation and do not impose our own ideas on any of the projects... Fri, 07 Mar 2008 23:36:00 +0100 http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Good-Samaritan-Society/37/ http://www.blogigo.com/LittleStarsLuxor/Good-Samaritan-Society/37/