|
CAF was launched in response to a severe cyclone that hit the Tamil Nadu coast in 2000. In reaction to this, an emergency collection to distribute blankets to children was initiated. Since then, CAF has continued to collect money to support projects that promote two specific areas of the rights of the child, namely education and health. Most of CAF projects are located in the state of Tamil Nadu in India, some of these include: the purchase of a school bus, the establishment of an IT school and we are currently looking for funds to support a program for destitute orphans. All the fundraising activities are organised by CAF Belgium, which is an essential part of CAF structure.
CAF-Belgium, based in Brussels, is the central CAF fundraising, organising, quality monitoring and quality improvement agency. Headed by the founder and president Pia Lovengreen, CAF Belgium has a Board of Administrator, a Steering Committee, a Volunteer Committee and a General Assembly of Members.
The Board of Administrators consists of three people being the President, the General Secretary and the Treasurer of CAF. This entity is responsible for adopting the annual budget and approving the ongoing work program.
The Steering Committee supports the board of administrators and serves as the long-term planning and development body for CAF-Belgium. It is responsible for:
- developing CAF-Belgium policies and procedures;
- developing primary CAF-Belgium communications content and public relations;
- working closely with CAF-India and CAF-Congo partners and Advisory Councils;
- selecting projects proposed by CAF-India and CAF-Congo for fundraising efforts;
- proposing a strategic planning and organizational development;
- preparing financial statements and following-up budget; and
- monitoring and improving all CAF activities.
The Steering Committee members meet every two months.
The Volunteer Committee supports the board of administrators by helping/implement CAF's vision and mission and operationalize CAF's policies and procedures in Belgium. It is responsible for:
- organising educational and fundraising events;
- producing the quarterly newsletter;
- planning and producing any fundraising products;
- maintaining the website; and
- other duties as appropriate
The Volunteer Committee members meet once a month.
The General Assembly of Members meets once a year and is in charge of approving all decisions taken regarding future policy development, strategic planning, etc…
Should you be interested in becoming a member of CAF, please visit the special section dedicated to this subject, "CAF Members".
CAF-Belgium is extremely cost-efficient because it is operated entirely by volunteers and has no paid staff. Meetings are conducted in volunteers' homes and the work undertaken by volunteers is donated. As a consequence, any "overhead" or "indirect" administrative costs are kept to an absolute minimum so that a maximum resources are directed to meeting children's needs in India and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In order to consult the list of CAF-Belgium volunteers, please click on the "Brussels CAF Team".
|
