Friends of Alalay (Santa Cruz)

We are so very grateful to everyone who made it to our fundraising concert last Wednesday (10th December). The Musical and Amicable Society were fantastic, playing with such passion and energy (even after so many hours of rehearsals!), the silent auction was a great attraction, many mince pies were consumed… and we raised almost £3000 for the street children!

I will post some photos of the event in the next few days – so watch this space. Many thanks to the Musical and Amicable Society, my wonderful team of helpers and all those who came on the night. We couldn’t have done it without you!

We still have some Christmas cards available for sale, each individually designed and painted by an ex-street child now supported by Alalay.

They cost just £1.50 each, or 4 cards for £5. Please contact us for more information.

I am constantly inspired by the determination of people (of all ages!) to help Bolivian street children.

I was recently invited as a special guest to the 18th Bristol Cub Scouts Entertainment Evening – a wonderful event where children aged 8-10.5 years performed a huge variety of stories, puppet shows, jokes, songs and more, all in aid of Friends of Alalay. The Cubs have been supporting my work since 2009 in a number of ways, and I have spoken to them many times. Their enthusiasm to help the street children really shone through, and I was incredibly impressed at their bravery on stage – often performing on instruments which they had only been learning for a few months! Many, many thanks to all involved.

In other news, it’s exactly a week today ’til our Concertos for Christmas concert (10th December at 7:30pm, Cotham Parish Church, Bristol). Do come along, enjoy wonderful music (from Bach, Telemann, Vivaldi and Corelli), eat mince pies, and help Bolivian street children to help themselves. More information (and a downloadable flyer!) available here.

We are very excited about our upcoming “Concertos for Christmas” concert in five days time.. (find out more HERE)

In addition, we are now able to publish our final silent auction list. We have ten very exciting items donated by local organisations for the auction. Please scroll down for the full list and some photos of specific items.  If you would like to bid in advance or can’t be at the concert simply contact us noting the item and the amount you are willing to pay, though of course, you can also see the items in more detail and bid on the night.

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SILENT AUCTION ITEMS 2014:

1) VIP Tour of Clifton Suspension bridge, including exclusive Hard Hat Tour of the Vaulted Chambers (for up to six people) www.cliftonbridge.org.uk

2) A selection of beauty products (retail value approx. £150 including Crabtree and Evelyn, H2O+ and Bronnley items)

3) Breakfast for two at Rosemarino (winner of Bristol Good Food Awards best breakfast 2012, 2013, 2014) www.rosemarino.co.uk

4) A six-week ukulele course for one (choose beginners/intermediate group) www.music4humanity.info

5) Dinner for two at Racks Bar and Kitchen www.racks-bristol.co.uk

6) A wooden hamper containing six of the finest herbal infusions in the World, chosen by the UK’s top herb expert Jekka McVicar www.cantonteaco.com

7) Barista training workshop at Small Street Espresso www.smallstreetespresso.co.uk

8) “Save with Jamie” hardback book by Jamie Oliver and “Man at the Helm” hardback book, signed by author Nina Stibbe – the two books together

9) A home coffee brewing set (including coffee mill, Clever® coffee dripper, roasted coffee packs and “Coffee: A Modern Field Guide” book) www.cliftoncoffee.co.uk

10) Cream tea for two at “Old Street Pantry”, Clevedon

Our many, many thanks to all of the above fantastic businesses for donating items!

Bids close midnight on Thursday 11^th December 2014. Successful bidders will be contacted after this date.

Please do come along to Concertos for Christmas – enjoy wonderful music (from Bach, Telemann, Vivaldi and Corelli), eat mince pies, and help Bolivian street children to help themselves!

“A feast of Baroque concertos played on period instruments, capturing the warmth and vibrancy of the composers’ soundworld. Soloists step in and out of the ensemble, sharing the spotlight in a heady combination of chamber music and virtuosic display.”

On Wednesday 10th December at 7.30pm, Cotham Parish Church, Cotham Road, BS6 6DR. Free entrance – retiring collection.

We are currently on the lookout for a couple of high quality items for our Silent Auction on the night. Please do contact us if you would like to donate something. Click on the poster picture to download a flyer and find out much more information about the event.
See you there!

It has been a busy few weeks here in Bristol!

Firstly, huge thanks to all those who helped me to stick together the Alalay Christmas cards, which are now ready for sale. You can now buy a beautiful Christmas card handpainted by a street child at Alalay, for just £1.50 (or 4 for £5). Contact us for more information (limited number available).

Secondly, thanks to all those who supported us at the Doynton village sale last Saturday… Next week is the 18th Bristol Cub Scouts Entertainment Evening, and then on the 10th December, the Musical and Amicable Society presents “Concertos for Christmas” – all to raise money for Alalay’s work.

Please do come along and invite friends!

Last night I was invited to attend the Department for International Development (DFID) Direct Funding Roadshow in Bristol, organised with the help of Development Initiatives.

The nationwide roadshows explain about the different DFID funding options available to small and medium-sized civil society organisations which work to reduce poverty in the developing world. We also heard from two local charities which already receive DFID funding, to find out about the benefits and challenges of using this funding, before entering into a general discussion. It was a great opportunity for local networking and talking with a variety of DFID staff and others. Find out more about the Funding Roadshows and the new available grants here.

Samsung Bolivia has started an exciting campaign this month – “Ayudar no cuesta nada” (helping doesn’t cost anything) to help Alalay in its work with Bolivian street children. For each new “like” they receive on their Facebook page, they will donate 1 boliviano (approximately 9 pence) to the Alalay Foundation. They aim to reach 500,000 “likes” and thus well over £45,000!..

If you have a spare moment, please do “like” their Facebook page, available by clicking here: https://www.facebook.com/SamsungBoliviaOficial. Please share and encourage friends to do the same! Let’s make this viral!

Simply a quick note to say that we have just received this year’s beautiful Christmas card designs from Bolivia (via Belgium!) Each has been individually designed and hand-painted by an ex-street child supported by Alalay. We now have the job of printing the cards, sticking the paintings on, and getting them ready for sale!

Watch this space to find out how you can order your cards in the next couple of weeks.

As previously mentioned here, this is a busy time for Alalay in Santa Cruz. The regional co-ordinator Ximena Rojas Landivar is one of the main organisers of the International Street Workers’ Conference, organised as part of Dynamo-International Street Workers’ Network, a network which aims to support “street workers” – professionals who work with children, young people and adults on the streets.

Running from the 20-25th October, the Conference brings together a huge number of people, including representatives from the Bolivian Government (at national, departmental and municipal levels) and various international/national networks and civil society groups. Delegates will discuss issues based around a series of questions covering three main areas: political, methodological and training, whilst deciding what their focus should be for 2015-16.

Practical questions to be discussed include: what policies are necessary, pertinent and applicable to enable social inclusion of marginalised groups? What have your experiences been (both positive and negative) in terms of implementing policies for people living and/or working on the streets? What are the minimum requirements for the successful training of “street educators” (professionals who go and speak to children still living and working on the streets)?

There will also be talks from Paula Vargas (UNICEF) about the International Convention on the Rights of the Child and Rosario Valenzuela (Bolivian Vice Ministry for Social Defense and Controlled Substances) about the national plan for drug reduction in Bolivia, alongside many other presentations.

Street work and building a relationship with children still on the streets is a fundamental part of Alalay’s work. Read more about the challenges of working on the streets here (a Dynamo publication, entitled “On the Street: A practical guide for new social street workers”) or find out about Alalay’s street work and other stages of activity with their children here. We are thrilled that Alalay is so intrinsically involved in what promises to be a fascinating conference, and very excited to hear about the ideas that stem from the discussions! Watch this space.