Campaign Report Part 1 – why and how much?

On the 29th June I officially launched my PCs for Migrant Children campaign.  I had originally expected it to be a quiet affair with a few modest donations permitting me to purchase perhaps one or two computers at most.  It turned out to be far more successful than I imagined and it kept me very, very busy in Maesot right up until the morning I left (which was last Sunday – 22nd August 2010).

This article form part 1 of a 3-part series.  Please use the links below to jump to the particular section you wish to view once they are published:

• Part 2: What was achieved and the lessons learned
• Part 3: Future plans and photos

How it all began

Originally I came to Maesot upon the recommendations of a highly esteemed friend.  She was very enthusiastic about the place and people, and I suspected it was the volunteering-holy-grail I had been searching for since I left home in January 2010.  So, after leaving Bali in the end of May, I made my way slowly up there and arrived with the hope to take on the computer problems assailing the various schools and organisations in the area.  Much to my dismay I discovered that most schools I was visiting didn’t have any computers.  One or two maybe, but they were long-since broken and nobody had a single clue on how to address the problem.  It just wasn’t a priority and it didn’t make it onto the budget.

Being the mild IT enthusiast that I am, I decided I would delve into my own pockets and acquire/fix a computer for the school in which I had been persuaded to begin teaching English.  Why not?  They’re only a few hundred dollars and they would get heaps of experience from having even just one there to play with.  As I lay in bed thinking about whether it was a sensible outlay of my savings, I had the idea that reaching out to friends and family for donations was an alternative option… then I realised that if enough people donated, I could perhaps even provide 2 computers.  Bonus!  I had a fevered dreams about it, literally, since I’d fallen off my motorcycle shortly after arriving in Maesot and the wound had become infected.  Fun, it was not.  But I was back on my feet after a week or so and it was then when I recorded the video that you have probably already seen on the original campaign page.

There were many things that came together during my stay in Maesot that assisted me in doing all that I have done.  Not least of which was my host for the whole time I was there – he provided me with a single room to myself, a bed, a desk, and probably most significantly a laptop computer for the duration of my stay.  I don’t think I would have achieved half of what I did without all of that.

So I recorded the walkabout video of the school, took it home and ultimately ended up buying some video-editing software to achieve the results I needed… I uploaded it to YouTube, wrote the article and sent out the email to practically everyone I knew with an email address.  And then I waited very anxiously for someone, anyone, to respond with a pledge.  Honestly, I was really very nervous sending out that email and posting the article since if I didn’t receive any support, it would have been a crushing blow for me.  As it was, the first donation came within about 20 minutes of sending the email and I was delighted beyond what words can describe.  My campaign cause had been validated.

As the donations began to grow, a whole new realisation settled upon me – since my basic plan has been validated with real trust and support, I was now being placed (not against my will of course) into a position of responsibility and stewardship.  This was no surprise of course since I was asking for it, but I was a little nervous to say the least as being given this responsibility was not a trivial matter.

Now all I had to do was get stuck in!

Total donations summary

I had provided 3 options for donations – transfer to a UK bank account, transfer to a Japanese bank account, or a credit card donation using Paypal as the merchant gateway.  Each had their own pros and cons, but Paypal’s greater online convenience came with a cost – each donation was reduced by about 3% with commissions paid.  Nothing terrible or drastic, but it needs to be noted.

Further, there are foreign currency exchange rates to take into account with money that has been brought into Thailand.  I will try to detail all of this without getting too bogged down in the minutia.  I promised from the start to be fully transparent about it all, and so it will be detailed in full.  If a donor requires further particular details, I’ll be happy to provide them upon request.

Total Paypal donations: £778/£747~ (gross/net)

Total Japan Bank account transfers: ¥60,000

Total UK Bank account transfers: £250

Pledge in Thai Baht: ฿3,00

A tidy sum to say the very least.

I’d like to say a huge thank you once again to every single person who contributed to this cause and assisted me in making a massive difference to the lives of hundreds of children.  Your support and trust in me is appreciated, and I hope you will feel that your donation was well spent and that I have adhered to the promises of transparency and 100% dedication of your donations to the cause.  Any questions in particular that you may have by the end of this 3-part series, or even now, please don’t hesitate to either contact me directly, or post a comment/feedback/question in the section below.

End of part one

As mentioned at the beginning, I’ve decided to break this into several parts since it’s already quite long and I haven’t even detailed what I’ve done yet.  This first article was a little more like a story-telling, but I felt it important to provide a little colour.  At the end of the series I will have a short video and some photos of both the computers and the school children who will use them.

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or feedback either on this project or these articles, please feel free to use the comments section below.  I will try to address all questions/issues/comments raised as quickly as possible and as internet-access allows.  Thank you for visiting, and for you continued support.

Part 2 may be found here.

Tagged as: Asia, computers, fundraise, Karen, Mae Sot, Maesot, migrant children, migrant schools, report, Thailand