SUMMARY OF MEETING OF SUSILA DHARMA (BRITAIN) HELD AT REIGATE ON 14TH OCTOBER 2006
Two new Trustees were welcomed to the Board –Ridwan Kennedy and Polly Skerratt.
The Board started to draft a budget for 2007. The first item discussed was our funding of the preschools at Mithra. SD(B) has been sending £9,000 per annum ever since we received a grant from DFID of £27,000 over 3 years, i.e. since 2000. It was agreed that we would stick by our resolve of last year and begin to taper this grant so that eventually Mithra should be able to get its funding from other sources, and we would be able to redirect some of this money to other new projects. We decided to send £7,000 in 2007.
The Board had already pledged £2,500 for Clearpath during 2007.
Our contribution towards the expenses of SDIA would remain at £7,000.
The Board felt that it would be necessary to budget an extra £1,000 for overheads to cater for the Euro SD meeting in January and the Thank You celebration in 2007.
The Board congratulated Latifah Nankivell on raising almost £600 for the Water for Vhombozi project. We had been in touch with Hugh Lynn, the NZ member who initiated this project, but it seems that there is some delay in implementing the project and we do not yet have bank details to be able to send him the proceeds.
The Board felt that it might be necessary to create a questionnaire for any member wishing to raise funds for a project which was not already part of our portfolio in order to record the basic details, bank address, focus of the project and who would be responsible for it, etc.
SES held a meeting in tandem with ours and we met over lunch and for an hour afterwards to review progress following the Brecon meeting. Lewis Herlitz had sent the information about ICDP to two Local Authorities and was awaiting a response. Attention was drawn to the establishment of a Big Lottery Fund for properties with a social aspect. Any Subud property planning to run events with a social aspect could take note of this.
Lorna Dowson-Collins had submitted an idea for capacity building in Kalimantan. After she had had success in a Business in Development competition, she wanted to do a similar project on a smaller scale where locals submitted concept papers for an enterprise and the best ideas received a prize to get them going. Help in formulating their ideas would be part of the project. KSG would also be discussing this project, and when we know their response, we will consider whether we should give support.
SD(B) has been asked to help fund a portion of a large proposal submitted by Anisha in Bangalore to the German Development Dept. (BMZ). BMZ will fund only 75% of the total cost, and the rest has to be raised by Anisha. The Board agreed to pledge £2,000 for the next 3 years, if the BMZ grant was realised.
All members of the Board expressed their intention to attend the Euro SD meeting at Pelham House, Lewes, in January for at least one day. Some will attend full time.