Reserve your spot at the Tea Gala!
There will be English style tea, food, a silent auction, and entertainment by Umqobothi, a Princeton University A Capella group with members from the University Glee Club.
We are very excited about this event and hope to see you all there to support TropicalClinics!
Nevin Vangala, TropicalClinics
Upcoming Tea Gala Celebration and Fundraiser!
Come support TropicalClinics at our upcoming Tea Gala!
We are very excited about our upcoming fundraising event and of course the Grand Opening of TropicalClinics! In addition to our efforts to make the clinic fully operational 24/7, we have also been working tirelessly with the help of Princeton University’s “Princetonians for Healthcare Reform” and Pre-Med Society to put together a Tea Gala Fundraiser and Celebration at Princeton University. We really hope that everyone can make it to our evening of celebration and support for a wonderful cause! We will be providing tea, delicious finger foods, along with entertainment (musical performances), and a silent auction.
The Gala will be held on March 29th at 5:00 pm at Princeton University’s Hamilton Hall. Our honored guests are Dr. Bruce Charash, founder of Doc to Dock, Inc and entrepreneur Derek Lidow, Visiting Professor in Entrepeneurship at Princeton University. Additionally, for entertainment, we will be graced by the wonderful sounds of Umqombothi, Princeton University’s newest African a cappella group, along with members of the Princeton University Glee Club. The entertainment alone is an event in itself, but we will also be having a silent auction with the English-style tea and food!
We are very proud of what TropicalClinics has achieved over the past years, and the past few months in particular. We hope that you and your friends can join us in this moment of celebration and help support our cause to maximize the impact we have in the Kakamega region of rural Kenya. The suggested donations are $15 for students and $60 for non-students.
I have made sure to include a copy of the event flyer with the specifics of the event. Parking will be available in Lot 23 (Faculty Road). Stay tuned in to our blog, Twitter, Facebook, and website for more details about the event, our guests, and, most importantly, our pursuits in Kenya! We hope to see you all at the Tea Gala!
Nevin Vangala, TropicalClinics
New Volunteer Opportunities with TropicalClinics!
In our end of the year post, “A Special Thanks to our Volunteers”, we highlighted the important roles our volunteers play in the overall efforts of TropicalClinics. As we have already begun our 2012 journey, we have established ambitious goals for expanding TropicalClinics and the impact it has in rural Kenya. As a result, there are new opportunities for eager volunteers to expand their skill sets, while contributing to our cause. Specifically, we are looking for grant writers and volunteers to aid in our fundraising. Here are some detailed descriptions of these posts:
Grant Writer:
- We have identified several potential funders. We are seeking grant writers from Princeton University to convert our ideas into concrete proposals and submit them to the right institutions.
- We will provide all the background information on our project needs and help on how to build relationships with our potential grantors.
Fundraising Consultant:
- We are planning a tea fundraising event in March 2012 to be held at Princeton University.
- We are looking for volunteers to send out one-page proposals to various organizations in the greater Princeton area and Nationwide to sponsor our event.
- We are also looking for volunteers to send out written requests to several companies to donate tea bags, tea snacks and tea gifts for the event.
Both of these opportunities are available now! Grant writing is necessary to pursue any type of research or fellowship. If you are interested in any of these types of opportunities in the future, this opportunity will provide you with valuable experience developing an important skill. In general, professional writing is transferable to any work environment. These skills will both greatly benefit our cause and help you to develop tools that can be used in the future.
Additionally, both of these opportunities are related to fundraising. Because fundraising generally determines whether a nonprofit sinks or swims, these opportunities allow you to develop transferable skills that can be applied to a multitude of settings. Furthermore, your work will be vital to the level of impact TropicalClinics has in the Kakamega region of rural Kenya. Accordingly, you can take pleasure in knowing that the hours and effort you put in have a direct impact on the many lives in a suffering region.
If you are interested in either of these opportunities please call (732) 331-6859 or email us at info@tropicalclinics.org. Your efforts will help Save Lives! You can learn more about TropicalClinics at our website at www.tropicalclinics.org. Please “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tropicalclinics and follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/tropicalclinics.
Thank you!
Nevin Vangala, TropicalClinics
A Special Thanks to our Major Donors
As a nonprofit organization, TropicalClinics’ successes and failures are directly tied to the generosity of the people who believe in our cause. As we enter the New Year, we would like to specifically thank our major donors for their immense support, which has directly bettered the lives of an entire region battered by the lack of access to health care. We have prepared some short bios so you can get to know the amazing, philanthropic forces that have driven TropicalClinics forward throughout 2011.
1. The Giving Back Foundation – Meera Gandhi, Founder of the Giving Back Foundation, is an incredible philanthropist. She is true to her mission of addressing illness and poverty around the world. She contributes financial and in-kind gifts to TropicalClinics every year without wavering. TropicalClinics and the people of rural Kenya are blessed to travel on the journey of “Giving Back” to the Universe with Meera Gandhi. The recent grant from the Foundation is supporting grand opening activities at the clinic at Kakamega. www.thegivingbackfoundation.net
2. Jennifer McLean is the CEO of McLean Masterworks of Orange County, California, a renowned healing practice with the Masters Series. As a marketing expert, business strategist and healer, Jennifer never thinks twice about contributing financial gifts to TropicalClinics. Her substantial donation allowed TropicalClinics to renovate an entire 10,000 square feet of space to an effective treatment center that houses a family health area, a birthing clinic, a dental clinic, an eye specialty area, a diagnostic center and a pharmacy. The people of rural Kenya now have access to this beautiful medical center and they have Jennifer to thank.
3. Frances Griffith of Milltown, NJ has been a friend of TropicalClinics since its inception. She has watched the TropicalClinics work grow from annual triage clinic offerings to a fully fledged treatment center. For the past 6 ½ years, Fran has contributed financial and in-kind gifts and supported a continual increase in the number of lives we have been able to serve in rural Kenya. TropicalClinics is grateful for the continued support from Frances.
4. Dr. William Rod Sharp of New York, New York is a true champion of the TropicalClinics cause. A former Dean of Research at Cook College, Rutgers University and Executive Vice-president of DNA Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Sharp understands the need of quality health care in the developing world. He often provides advice to our fundraising program and he contributes financial gifts to our operating budget several times per year. Dr. Sharp is arranging to nominate TropicalClinics and its founding director to the CNNHeroes program. We appreciate Dr. Sharp’s support and encouragement.
5. Dr. Judy Snow of Basking Ridge, NJ is another champion and ambassador of TropicalClinics. She has known the work of TropicalClinics since its inception. You will find Judy making substantial financial contribution to TropicalClinics without hesitation. Sometimes she will forego her own family needs to support the urgent needs of TropicalClinics expansion plans. We are indebted to Judy’s support and we look forward to working with her in our next phase of growth.
6. Mr. Robert Douglas of Perth, Western Australia is a friend of TropicalClinics. He was introduced to our work by Dr. Judy Snow. He contributes financial gifts to TropicalClinics from thousands of miles away. We are grateful for Robert’s continued support of our work.
7. Mr. Conrad Person, Director - International Programs and Corporate Contributions at Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies was instrumental in helping get a grant from Johnson & Johnson. The grant from Johnson & Johnson helped TropicalClinics source and ship a 20-foot container stocked with medical equipment and supplies from the USA to our Clinic in Kenya. The TropicalClinics mission and vision is very much in keeping with the focus of Johnson & Johnson’s philosophy of saving and improving the lives of women and children and preventing diseases and disability in underserved communities. We are extremely grateful to Johnson & Johnson for considering the positive impact a fully functional facility will have on those in our community who are living with AIDS, mothers dying in childbirth and children dying needlessly of serious but preventable infection.
8. Barbara Bosch of Stamford, CT is a volunteer and contributor to TropicalClinics programs. She has traveled to the clinic at Kakamega and witnessed the transformation of an empty space into an effective state-of-the-art treatment center. Barbara is quick to provide input for our fundraising events and has contributed substantial monetary gifts to our operating budget. She is planning to volunteer her services at the clinic once every two years. Thank you Barbara!
9. Drs. Mark and Mayra Wade are founders of Arise & Walk Ministries Foundation in Paramus, NJ. Their work combines medical expertise and resources with the power of prayer to enable international medical missions and networks to succeed. Mark and Mayra recognized TropicalClinics work early in its expansion phase and presented the International Missions Award to Dr. Kilibwa, founding director – TropicalClinics. The award came with a significant financial gift that helped TropicalClinics build its foundation in Kenya. The foundation has continued to contribute monetary gifts and prayer support to TropicalClinics growth and expansion each year.
10. Reverend David McAlpin, a Trustee of the Historical Association of Princeton and Habitat for Humanity - Trenton Area, supports TropicalClinics with great enthusiasm. Recently, he convinced the Princeton Area Community Foundation that promotes philanthropy to advance the well being of communities in Central New Jersey, to make a small grant to TropicalClinics operating budget. We are grateful for the faith Reverend McAlpin has in our work for the people of rural Kenya.
11. Christine Roess, a founding partner of SDI Communications – a consulting firm with successful track record of increasing team and organizational performances at companies such as AT&T, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, and Exxon Mobil is a recent contributor to TropicalClinics. Her financial contribution has enabled TropicalClinics to purchase medicine that is being shipped to the clinic in Kenya. TropicalClinics is grateful to have someone of Christine’s caliber support our cause with enthusiasm.
12. Maureen Doherty and the Rotary Club of LaGrangeville, New York made it possible for TropicalClinics to conduct free medical clinics for the people of Kakamega for 4 years. We saw how the usually quiet local primary school building turned hospital become alive with activity as thousands of would be patients queued up waiting for treatment. It was, also, exhilarating to watch the dedicated team of healthcare volunteers at Kakamega work tirelessly from dawn to dusk attending to the plights of the many needy patients. It was because of this work that awareness of TropicalClinics work has grown in this region. We could not have served over 1,500 people in 2 to 3 days, year in and year out without the financial support of the Rotary club and that of many of our individual contributors. Thank you!
13. Recently, our container of medical equipment and supplies were stuck at the Kenya port system accumulating huge storage fees and charges. We called on Princeton Alliance Church, Princeton, NJ and Freedom Plains Presbyterian Church, LaGrangeville, New York and they did not hesitate to contribute significant amount of funds that allowed us to clear and forward the container from the port to the clinic at Kakamega. TropicalClinics is grateful to Pastor Boyd Hannold, Princeton Alliance Church and Mary Moody – Missions Committee at the Freedom Plains Church for their dedicated efforts to seeing our work succeed in Kenya.
14. In addition to these major contributors, TropicalClinics receives individual donations that help support our efforts to bring health and hope to so many people in rural Kenya. We are grateful to more than 55 individuals who have donated money and in-kind support to help grow our work. Soon, TropicalClinics will rehabilitate 12 children per month from extreme malnutrition; help HIV/AIDS patients become productive members of the community and prevent many mothers from dying in child-birth, all possible because of these contributions. We expect to serve over 30,000 people in the next 6 months alone!
We are not just thanking these special individuals for their monetary donations, but the example they have set with their generosity and impressive social conscious. While we are proud of our successes, it is crucial to realize that none of TropicalClinics would have been possible without these individuals. Hopefully, their acts illustrate the importance of taking the time, effort, and money to give back to the community. We are dedicated to using these gifts to making a lasting impact in a troubled region. Thank you all and Happy New Year!
Nevin Vangala, TropicalClinics
A Special Thanks to our Volunteers
The end of the year provides a natural point for eflection and giving thanks. At TropicalClinics we are happy that we can look back on the year and be proud of our achievements. We are on the cusp of establishing our clinic and pharmacy as being fully operational, 24-hour facilities. Our efforts have allowed us to impact more and more patients in the Kakamega region.
As for thankfulness, we would like to take this time to thank the volunteers who have done much of the leg work that has moved us forward this year. As a non-profit organization, we depend on the tireless commitment of our volunteers to assist with any task to better the lives of the people of rural Kenya. These selfless individuals have contributed countless hours in addition to their other commitments. They constantly work to increase awareness of TropicalClinics’ work through social media sites, marketing, and fundraising. We would like to take this time to thank these volunteers and the amazing work they have done.
Kunal has helped us revamp our social media network. He has organized our web site, twitter, facebook, and blogs in a way that has increased awareness by 15% within his first year of volunteering. He also trains our volunteers in how to be effective in utilizing the sites to inform our supporters.
Ann is an incredibly motivated volunteer. She independently researches organizations to sponsor our events. She also continually researches effective methods to grow the various projects in our organization.
Michele has played a key role in our fundraising program. She helped us operate within 15% of our budget in only a few months of volunteering with us. Her dedication illustrates how she cares about TropicalClinics just as much as she would if it were her own project.
Noelle has created marketing analysis for TropicalClinics. This analysis and research has helped TropicalClinics greatly expand its fundraising programs.
Nevin’s blogs for TropicalClinics. His posts have been read by more than 50 people and they have significantly increased traffic to our website and social media sites.
We are fortunate to attract volunteers who garner a genuinely interest in helping others and providing service in a consistently positive and helpful manner. They are helping us to increase the funding resources for our organization.
TropicalClinics couldn't be effective without the help of selfless volunteers just like these. We want to make sure they know just how much their efforts are appreciated, as well as how much their continued willingness to volunteer with TropicalClinics is valued. This dedication shows just how much we believe in TropicalClinics. With your continued support, we hope to carry this momentum into 2012 and beyond. Continue to follow our progress through www.tropicalclinics.org, our twitter, facebook, and website. Happy New Year!
Nevin Vangala, TropicalClinics
Ways to support TropicalClinics without breaking the bank!
Today’s uncertain economic climate pushes the idea of donating to charity to the bottom of our priority lists. However, it is important to bear in mind that there are several ways to support TropicalClinics and the work we are doing without affecting your current lifestyle or your family’s financial security.
The following are methods of donation are examples of “Gifts Anyone Can Afford” because they have no impact on current cash flow or financial state. Essentially, these options provide ways to help our cause of providing high quality health care in rural Kenya, without destabilizing your current financial well being, even in economically trying times. In fact, these options are mutually beneficial because these gifts both help us and offer tax breaks to the donors.
5 Gifts You Can Afford to Give:
· Include a bequest to TropicalClinics in your will or trust. Make your bequest unrestricted or direct it to a specific purpose. Indicate a specific amount, or a percentage of the balance remaining in your estate or trust. Under current tax law there is no upper limit on the estate tax deduction for your charitable bequests.
· Name TropicalClinics as a beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k), or other qualified plan. Designate us to receive all or a portion of the balance of your plan through your plan administrator. This gift may help you to avoid the potential double taxation your retirement savings would face if you designated them to your heirs.
· "Buy low and give high" by making your gift with appreciated securities instead. You can transfer appreciated stocks, bonds, or mutual fund shares that you have owned for more than one year to TropicalClinics. TropicalClinics can then sell your securities and use the proceeds for its programs. You receive an immediate income tax deduction for the fair market value of the securities on the date of transfer, no matter what you originally paid for them. As a result, giving appreciated stocks could be more beneficial to you than giving cash.
· You can give an asset you no longer need or want. One example is to transfer the ownership of a paid-up life insurance policy to TropicalClinics. Our organization can then elect to cash in the policy now or hold onto it. In some cases, you can use the cash value in your policy to fund a life-income gift, such as a deferred gift annuity.
· You can give any sort of personal property that could both enhance our mission and provide you tax benefits. For example, you can transfer a valuable painting, antique, or other personal property to TropicalClinics. Our organization may hold and display the property or use it to further our mission. TropicalClinics can also sell the property at some point in the future and use the proceeds for our mission. You would receive an immediate income tax deduction for the appraised value of your gift and pay no capital gains tax, so long as the gift can be used by TropicalClinics to carry out its mission. Without using cash, you can make a gift that is of immediate beneficial to TropicalClinics and its work.
We hope this post offered you ideas and insight into how you can possibly support our effortsm while receiving tax benefits (without crippling yourself financially). We appreciate your supports. Please continue to follow our progress through our blog, Twitter, Facebook, and web site, and pass our information onto your friends!
Nevin Vangala, TropicalClinics
Great Article on Health Care needs in Sub-Saharan Africa
I found this enlightening article that vividly illustrates the hardships surround prenatal care in sub-Saharan Africa. I've including some highlights from the article that embody the issues that TropicalClinics address on a day-to-day basis.
"According to UN estimates, around 358,000 women die in pregnancy or childbirth every year, usually because they don't have access to basic medical care or trained staff to help them deliver. The majority of the deaths in pregnancy – 280,000 – occur in sub-Saharan Africa. Around 70% of African women do not receive prenatal care and half of all deliveries take place at home without any medical assistance. In South Sudan that figure is almost 95%."
"Conditions for much of Uganda’s medical facilities is basic at best. “Everything you take for granted in western hospitals, we don’t have,” says Madudu. “No electricity, no running water. It’s hard to encourage a woman to push with a mobile phone clenched between your teeth to cast some light (in the room),” she adds."
Progress Report: What we have done and what we hope to achieve
In our previous posts, we set out to illustrate the severity of the situation in the Kakamega region of Kenya. Over the past 6 years, TropicalClinics has taken this situation head on. Although the goal of instituting affordable, high-quality healthcare in the Kakamega region often seems like an uphill struggle, TropicalClinics has made consistent headway for the better part of a decade. We push ourselves with goals that seem impossible but are realized through our strong, sustained effort and the support of a wide range of donors. Throughout such a process it is crucial to take stock of what has been achieved, while focusing forward on what still needs to be done.
In 2005, we began conducting free medical clinics at our treatment site in Kenya. Over the next 4½ years, TropicalClinics treated over 4,800 people. Our patients’ stories reinforce how vital TropicalClinics is to the Kakamega region. It was obvious that there was a widespread demand for quality health care that was not being met. Many patients had never been to a doctor, and many of the female patients never received any type prenatal care. Even worse, many of these patients walked 10-20 miles to our site, their closest health care resource. The annual care we provided to this region of 175,000 people was free. Still, we managed to raise $8,000 to pay for medical supplies and to pay for the health care staff that supported us at each free clinic.
The end of 2009 marked the transition into Phase II of the TropicalClinics program. This milestone was marked by the commission of 7,000 square feet of space at Kakamega. In 2010, $30,000 later, this space was renovated from a barren five-room clinic to a pharmacy and treatment center, equipped with the modern technology and resources that are required for high quality health care. You can see some pictures of the new treatment center in the photo gallery.
In 2011, TropicalClinics collaborated with Project CURE and Doc to Dock to get $680,000 worth of medical equipment and medicines shipped to our treatment center. Moreover, a small grant from Johnson & Johnson, a major contribution from one of our supporters, along with many small donations combined for the $28,000 that allowed us to deliver the supplies and maintain our high level of care.
While we are very proud of these successes, we at TropicalClinics are not resting on our laurels. Our next set of goals include making our facility a 24-hour clinic that is sufficiently staffed and equipped to provide the same high level of care around the clock. Within this goal lie the smaller needs of increased staff, equipment, and supplies, similar to the shipment we were able to send earlier this year. We have interviewed and hired 15 health care providers consisting of physicians, advanced nurse practitioners, pharmacists, laboratory technologists, medical record transcriber, and administrative assistants who are ready to start work full time at the treatment center. Our efforts will remain steadfast and strong. We would like to thank the following contributors for all that they have allowed us to do by way of their generosity and belief in what our mission.
Johnson & Johnson
Project CURE
Doc to Dock
The Giving Back Foundation
Princeton Area Community Foundation
Arise & Walk Ministries Foundation
Raritan Valley Chapter of the Links, Inc
Rotary Club of LaGrangeville, NY
B Smith Enterprises
Princeton Alliance Church
Freedom Plains Church, LaGrangeville, NY
Grace Evangelical Church, Stamford, CT
McLean Master Works
And Over 100 individual patrons
Please, take time to further explore our cause at www.tropicalclinics.com. Stay informed through facebook, twitter, our website, and e-mail newsletter. We hope our achievements have inspired your interest and compel you to contribute in any way you can. No amount is insignificant.
Nevin Vangala, TropicalClinics
Imagine a life without basic healthcare...
Think about the last time you were sick. How far away was relief? Perhaps you went to your medicine cabinet and immediately had access to aspirin, pain relievers, cold remedies, etc. Maybe you had to run to a pharmacy to pick up the necessary over-the-counter medication because what you wanted was not at home. The worst sting you felt was probably that of the uncomfortable visit to your local doctor’s office or clinic. This process has become so normalized in our society that the luxuries of our healthcare system are often taken for granted.
Now imagine a world where people wait in lines outside pharmacies and clinics. These pharmacies and clinics may not have the medicines you need. The physicians or nurse practitioners may not have time to see you. If you finally make it to the examination room, the quality of the care you receive depends upon the resources available. Is this hospital or clinic fully staffed? Is there sufficient equipment for proper testing? Are the necessary people in place to conduct lab work or other medical tests? We rarely need to worry about these questions, but there are places where healthcare providers face these obstacles every day.
Just a few months ago, to get antenatal care in the Kakamega region of Western Kenya, a pregnant woman must walk for hours or days to the nearest health center. If she is lucky, a nurse (hopefully in a good mood) will attend to her. Too often, she finds the health center closed or lacking supplies, in which case she must make the long, arduous journey to a district hospital. There, this woman – whose household struggles for survival on less than $2.00 a day – must pay a cost-sharing fee of 200 shillings (approximately $2.50). She then joins a long line of patients who have similarly walked from villages all over the vast Kakamega District. The pharmacy shelves at the district hospitals are often empty. The few clinical officers and nurses struggle to attend to more than 100 new patients who come every day for help. Like millions of other residents in Kenya's remote rural area, there is no adequate access to medical care.
Thus, the demand for quality healthcare far exceeds what the local resources can supply. Less than 5% of the district hospitals in the region have sufficient funds to purchase essential equipment. Less than 10% have sufficient funds for maintaining buildings and purchasing medicine. According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, only 21% of deliveries are assisted by a health professional; approximately 15,000 women and girls die each year due to pregnancy-related complications with another 450,000 suffering disabilities caused by complications during pregnancy and childbirth each year.
This resource shortage has a snowballing effect. In the midst of such a shortage, priority goes to the most extreme cases. If you are not sick enough you have to go to the back of the line until you are sick enough. While you wait, the costs, resources, and medicines required for treatment steadily increase. This lack of preventative care breeds greater medical problems that require resources that the Kakamega region does not have.
The worst repercussion of this vicious cycle is that people become discouraged and see their attempts to seek treatment as futile. A significant number of the patients seen by the staff at Tropical Clinics have never even seen a doctor. People are unnecessarily suffering through pain and disease because there is no option for affordable healthcare in the Kakamega region.
During this holiday season, as we give thanks, remember that entire regions of the world, such as the Kakamega region, do not have access to our unseen luxuries. TropicalClinics is constantly working to make sure facilities of affordable healthcare are in place. We hope that these facilities can help stop the vicious cycle of pain and suffering in the Kakamega region.
Check out our site at www.tropicalclinics.org. Follow us on twitter. Spread the word. Support our cause.
-Nevin Vangala, TropicalClinics
