Putting something back

Community Viewfinders runs its projects in such a way as to try and maximise the potential benefits to the local community. For some projects this means employing local people or working with existing local community organisations, thereby improving locally available skills and other resources.

Beyond the impact of the work we do, we select each year charitable or community organisations whose work we particularly admire, and to these organisations we donate half of our profits. For the years 2004-05 and 2005-06, over £19,000 was donated to the following:

Reaching the Unreached, a network of children's villages in Tamil Nadu, India. RTU recently responded to the Tsunami by rapidly constructing a village and expanding its intake of orphans well beyond normal annual levels. The villages ensure that the children receive an education, that they are well look after, and where possible employment opportunities are identified within the organisation itself. Community Viewfinders made a donation to the UK based support network.

Transformation Powerhouse is a newly established charity in the East of London, aiming to create a community facility for the support, development and empowerment of disadvantaged women and young people. They currently work with people on a one to one basis, either self-referred or via local agencies. The Centre will include independent supported accommodation, facilities for small group work with intimate social areas, craft workshops, and beauty treatment, and a shop selling crafts made by local people, along with books, tapes and videos.

CAFOD's work in Northern Uganda includes the Village Based Development Programme (VIBADEP) in Busesa Village, Hoima Diocese. VIBADEP promotes eco-friendly and organic farming techniques and provides agricultural inputs and trains farmers in soil and water conservation practices. It also helps farmers market their produce and improve their income. We made a donation to support this and other CAFOD projects in Northern Uganda.

The Ansell Community Centre Trust has been set up to retain a Church Hall for community use in Hadleigh, Suffolk. The Hall requires considerable investment, but with the closure of the local council-run community building in the town represents one of the few community facilities available to local organisations and the only one with a vision to ensure access for disadvantaged groups. The Trust is in the process of securing a peppercorn lease on the building from the URC Church in return for securing its future and making it fit for purpose over 50 years. The Hall was originally a school hall built by the URC to provide education to the poor of Hadleigh and the Trust is in a sense continuing the broad social purpose.

War on Want believes in working directly with people across the developing world through partnerships.  For example, their projects support work with trade unions in sweatshop factories in Bangladesh, with landless people’s cooperatives in Brazil, as well as campaigners fighting water privatisation in South Africa. As well as partner programmes, War on Want is campaigning to challenge the power of multinational corporations that hinder development in poorer countries.

The Comfrey Project is an allotment-based scheme to promote mental and physical well-being among refugees and asylum seekers in the West End and East of Newcastle. The project is also suitable for those with anxiety or mild depression or those feeling isolated, lonely or bored. Referrals are made through GP's, Social and Support Workers.

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