<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><div><div><div>Hi Gabriel,<br></div>I'm from ISoc Burkina Faso Chapter which has just been approved weeks ago. I'm glad to see the question of financial assistance is discussed. <br>We had a meeting of our local board last night and we discussed how to get our members involved and how to develop our own strategy to populate resources. For example, some members can't pay the us$28/anum membership fees. We
are allowing them to pay it monthly. Of course this will not cover our administrative expenditure or activities to be done. But that's a beginning.<br>Luckily, we have been introduced to past workshops resources and other material from Isoc that we need to use for our chapter, but we need to stick also to our environment. Africa is not a country, African countries are not the same. Most of them share a lot but they have several differences as well. In Burkina Faso we need to find strategies locally to raise funds. We don't always have to wait for sponsors even if their help is crucial. I'm afraid this is too common in several areas in Africa to always ask or expect for help. Financially speaking. This is my opinion and this is why personally I never wait for help before starting to do what I want to do. And this, I came to Isoc chapter Burkina Faso to share it as I'm confident it will help our Chapter on our Mission. In our board, we've got the chance to be discussing a lot together for more than a year, to share ideas about how to do things by ourselves before we ask for support/help. And some of our board members are pleased to give. Because we think as a new Chapter, we need to achieve few things before we can pretend to be helped on bigger projects locally. <br>
<br></div>But, if Isoc is willing to help our new chapter with a "starter financial assistance", we are not going to refuse. That would significantly boost our debut on the ground. But we are not waiting for that to do what we have been waiting so long to do during the Chapter Recognition process.<br>
<br></div>Regards<br><br></div>O.C.Omar<br></div>ISOC - Burkina Faso<br></div>Tel. +226-70699999<br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, May 21, 2014 at 4:30 AM, Gabriel Ramokotjo <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:gabrielramokotjo@gmail.com" target="_blank">gabrielramokotjo@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><p>I'm gonna agree with Chris on this one.</p>
<p>Chapters in developing countries need further assistance both financially and strengthening working relations with their respective Governments. </p>
<p>Yes ISOC HQ leadership and staff are always there to provide support and I can speak from our position as ISOC-Gauteng, but a bit of financial assistance for new chapters to cover administration costs, will go a long way in helping the chapters to achieve their mandate.</p>
<p>Regards,<br>
Gabriel<br>
ISOC - Gauteng<br></p>
<p>G.M Ramokotjo</p><div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5">
<div class="gmail_quote">On May 20, 2014 7:28 PM, "Alejandro Pisanty" <<a href="mailto:apisanty@gmail.com" target="_blank">apisanty@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br type="attribution"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="ltr">Gihan,<div><br></div><div>the $2,000 USD that Chris Mulola is mentioning are conditional upon events organized by the Chapter.</div><div><br></div><div>I am sure the chapters community will be happy to engage, as we have always done, in providing you all sorts of information that is well known within and across the organization, but maybe it is more efficient that you collect it from staff, sitting Trustees and other sources?</div>
<div><br></div><div>Yours,</div><div><br></div><div>Alejandro Pisanty</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, May 20, 2014 at 12:21 PM, Gihan Dias <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:gihan@uom.lk" target="_blank">gihan@uom.lk</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Chris,<br>
<br>
Let me give our experience in Sri Lanka, which may - of course - differ from Rwanda or any other country.<br>
<br>
On 2014/05/18 ප.ව. 5:11, Chris Mulola wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
-A chapter in a developed world whereby there is presence of these IT company giants.<br>
<br>
- And a chapter in a developing country whereby there is no such thing like Google's presence etc. and that all the other international organizations, present in those countries, have only the mandate to help governments that host them.<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
Google (and other similar companies) now have offices in many countries. Even if they have no office in Rwanda, they probably have local companies marketing their products (such as mail) and usually part of their budgets are earmarked for education, etc. We have got assistance from Intel and Microsoft for projects. Of course, ISoc, and the chapter leaders, need to establish a track record before people will give large amounts of money, but it has not been difficult to get like $500-$1000.<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<br>
Those organizations will have a mission to please these governments because that is what their job is - diplomacy and international affairs. And chapters will not get significant support from them like they are most of the times politically-oriented.<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
One strategy may be to tap into some existing programme, and try to get your work done under that banner (but may not always work).<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<br>
I have been raising funds and fighting for support for more than 3 years and i know what i am talking about.<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
Yes. I can understand your point.<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<br>
Just recently, i was challenged by a question following some reports of what ISOC global pays as taxes on salaries to i dont know remember which organization.. and the question was like this:<br>
<br>
"I wonder how your organization can be ignoring you by giving you $2000 annual support and spend more than 12millions US dollars (please check ISOC tax reports for the exact figure, it is about that) on taxes? The money you are given cannot even cover your administration needs let alone raise your visibility."<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
Could you let me have more details on this? I am not familiar with ISoc's accounts.<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<br>
If given the power there is something that i would like to change in the way that isoc operates, i mean the working relationships between governments-isocChapters-<u></u>isocGlobal.<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
I hope that together we can achieve this.<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
I guess the situation will be slightly different in countries whereby the Isoc people are the ones that built the internet up along with their gover ments, here they will continue to have a strong say. Case for Older chapters i must say. <br>
</blockquote>
Even if the chapter is new, we should try to get some of the people who have built, and are running, the networks, services, etc. in the ISoc chapter. It is only then that people will take the chapter seriously.<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
I believe this will change one day, but it will not, if we continue to put these chapters in the same basket and treat them the same way, forgetting that they should be categorized, and given different kinds of support. Just as an example..... Not $2000 for a chapter in New York or Colorado or Tokyo and the same $2000 for another one in Uganda or Burundi. <br>
</blockquote>
Actually, $2000 will not go far in New York, but may pay for a full time person for a year in a developing country. So it's not too bad.<br>
My suggestion is to first spend the $2000, show some very good results, and then keep going.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Gihan<br>
<br>
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