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This page revised 2006-05-14 by SP
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News items in reverse date order November 2008: Problems: In recent months the village leaders in Indri, the village which allocated land for Sangam School, have been persuaded by commercial interests to oust Sangam Foundation and to hand the school over to a commercial organisation. Some villagers made life unbearable for the teachers including the new Head Teacher. After contesting the issue for several months Sangam Foundation has agreed to cease control wef March 2009. FOSF intends to hold an Extra-ordinary General Meeting in February. The question will be, should it cease operations or should it seek to support (or perhaps to start up) some other school in India. (The charity Objects of FOSF restrict it to India.) For further information contact one of those listed in the left panel of this web-page. Meanwhile we would like to hear of other schools or educational organisations (or villages needing a school) in India. June 2008: Annual Report 2007 January 2008: Launch of Appeal. After many months delay while we assured ourselves that funds being sent for Sangam were being well used, despite the problems which arose during the Principal's illness and decease, then months while we hammered out the text, late in January 2008 we launched our first major appeal. Previously most funds had arisen from word of mouth contacts (mostly initiated by Eleanor Nesbitt) and from an article in The Friend, the Quaker weekly magazine. There had also been sales of a book of poetry, and a fund-raising fashion show. The main part of the appeal, initially at least, is publication of an appeal leaflet as an insert into The Friend dated 1st February. Click here to see a pdf copy of the leaflet (To see this you will need to have downloaded Adobe Acrobat reader). Alternatively, to see a cut down, text version, click here. December 2007: AGM Moved back. The Annual General Meeting of FOSF is to be on Saturday, June 21st, probably at Coventry Quaker Meeting House. For an invitation, apply to be added to our supporters mailing list. In previous years the AGM has been held in March. Companies House regulations require that there be no more than 15 months between AGMs. The financial year will, at least for the present, continue to end on December 31st. November 2007: During the past few months Eleanor Nesbitt has been maintaining contact with Gauri Nandan Sighal, the General Secretary of Sangam Foundation, the equivalent of the School Governors. There has been much success, for instance the recruitment of an experienced Head Teacher, and the increase (almost doubling) of numbers of children being enrolled in the Kindergarten. During the summer we have received a £2600 donation from a prominent German musician, Thomas Riebl. In addition Quakers in New York are donating $1000. These donors have spontaneously offered these gifts, following personal contacts. Recently, we have designed an appeal leaflet, which is now with the Graphic Designers prior to printing and publishing. February 2007: Annual Report, 2006 May 14, 2006: Obituary. Following the death of Kamla Sawhney, Eleanor Nesbitt has written an obituary. March 11, 2006: The Annual General Meeting was held on March 11 at at the Friends Meeting House in Coventry. Minutes. March 10,2006. Annual report for 2005. Newsletter, Winter 2005/2006 (Requires Adobe Reader) December, 2005. Death of Kamla Sawhney, We have received the following from the General Secretary of the Sangam Foundation. With deep sense of grief, I have to inform you all of Members of Sangam Foundation and the staff members of In this hour, we re-dedicate ourselves for the cause We are aware that from this time onwards, our future May God give us the required strength to rise to the On behalf of the entire Sangam family - 12 March 2005. FOSF Annual Meeting. The Annual General Meeting of Friends of SF was held on 6 March. It took place at the Friends Meeting House in Coventry. The AGM itself was a brief formality. It was preceded by an interesting account by Mrs Kusumika Chatterjee of her recent visit to the school. This was followed by a Council Meeting. After the short AGM the Council meeting was resumed and during this last session several policy decisions were made. Links: September 2004: We applied to the Inland Revenue for our first re-imbursement of income tax, under the Gift Aid scheme. We should be getting an extra £778! This is only for our first tax year; next time the claim will be for more. Many thanks to all donors who have completed Gift Aid Declarations! - SP, 16/9/04. P.S. (April 2005) we received the £778. April 2004. As reflected in the Minutes and Newsletter (see December 2003, below) we have learnt that Sangam School faces a financial crisis. This is due to funding from an India-based donor having ceased. The donor is now concentrating exclusively on medical charities. We in Britain hope that Sangam Foundation in India will find alternative funding. Meanwhile we need to make efforts to increase our income, to pass it to the school. March 2004. The first AGM was held in Coventry. Proceedings were formal - acceptance of Chair's and Treasurer's reports and appointment of Council (aka directors, aka trustees). More relevant were the Council meetings before and after the AGM. Here are the Minutes: FRIENDS OF SANGAM FOUNDATION COUNCIL MINUTES, 13th March, 2004 (Document reference CouncilMinutes40313.rtf) (For information, this was started just prior to the AGM, was adjourned for the AGM, and was completed after the AGM.) Present: Hugh Boulter, Triupti Edwards, David Fish, Jo Hallett, Eleanor Nesbitt, Stephen Petter, Carole Taylor, and William Waddilove Apologies for absence were received from: Joy Barrow, Elizabeth Whittaker.
Minute 2004/1 Acceptance into Membership The following were accepted as members of FOSF: Carole Taylor, Clare Lockwood. Minute 2004/2 Annual Accounts The Accounts for the year ending December 31st, 2003, were accepted by the Council and signed by David Fish, the Treasurer. The meeting adjourned during the AGM. Minute 2004/3 Council Membership It was noted that the following members had been appointed to the Council by the Annual General Meeting: Joy Barrow, Hugh Boulter, Triupti Edwards, David Fish, Jo Hallett, Clare Lockwood, Eleanor Nesbitt, Stephen Petter, Carole Taylor, William Waddilove, and Elizabeth Whittaker. Minute 2004/4 Officers It was agreed that Eleanor Nesbitt be Chairperson and that David Fish be Treasurer. (Stephen Petter continues as Administrator and as Company Secretary, and William Waddilove continues as Newsletter Editor.) Minute 2004/5: Reimbursement of Expenses. Following discussion at the AGM it was agreed that Stephen Petter should be re-imbursed his expenses relating to Sangam School during his recent visit to India, up to 5000 rupees, i.e. approximately £70.
We agree that for one year we will devote as much funding as possible
to contribute to teachers' salaries, the remainder if any to be reserved
for capital extensions and improvements.
December, 2003. Third Newsletter - much improved. Click
to read. (It may take a minute or so to appear.) 9th July, 2003: British Charity Commission Registration.
Click here for details. Sunday, 23rd February. Council's First Meeting. Details 3rd January, 2003.INCORPORATION! END OF INDEX 9th July, 2003: The British Charity Commission have at last granted us Registration. The main object of our work over the past 11 months has been to acheive this status. Registration has many benefits, the main one being that British donors may use Gift Aid - which results in the Inland Revenue giving the charity the money deducted as tax. The other main advantage is that potential donors trust a a charity that is registered, knowing that it fulfills certain criteria and is regularly monitored. But first we had to become incorporated, rather than continuing as an informal associationm. We chose to become a Company Limited by Guarantee. For this we needed a 'constitution' (actually it is called the Memorandum and Articles of Associationsand) acceptable to the regulators - Companies House. Then we had to set up a Management Committee or Council, and to hold a meeting to appoint officers and agreeour policy. Then to set up a bank account. All this took well into this year. Finally we were able to apply to the Charity Commission which involved filling out a rather horrendous form then answering four or five quite tough questions. Now we need to register with the Inland Revenue in order to use Gift Aid. The newsletter (which ironically we had just issued) carried information on how to contribute funds, but not about Gift Aid. We did not know how much longer it would be before our application was accepted. However, supporters are asked to contribute. On receipt of their mail we will send them Gift Aid forms. Our registration number will need to be added to all official documents
Newsletter PublishedMonday, 7th July, 2003 :The second FOSF Newsletter was mailed out today. (Supporters with email had their copies a few day s ago.) Whereas our first newsletter was only one page, this one carried 8 pages, including a standing order mandate form for supporters who wish to make monthly contributions. A version can be seen here. Council's First MeetingSunday, 23rd February. The first formal meeting of the Council (the management committee) of Friends of Sangam Foundation (FOSF) was held in Coventry Quaker Meeting House on Sunday after a lunch mainly of Indian food, prepared by members of Coventry Quaker Meeting. Members of the Council had been communicating via email for some months but this was their first face to face meeting. It was agreed that Eleanor Nesbitt should continue to lead our organisation. David Fish, a Quaker and a medical doctor, who has wide experience as a Treasurer of voluntary organisations, agreed to be our Treasurer. Stephen Petter agreed to contiue as Company Secretary and Administrator. Also as Newsletter Editor. After a long discussion about priorities it was agreed we need to ask Kamla Sawhney (the founder and Principal of Sangam school). An abridged version of the Minutes will be published in the next Newsletter. INCORPORATION3rd January, 2003. A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital named Friends of Sangam Foundation was registered with Companies House (number 4627919) on 3rd January, 2003. Pending its first formal meeting its Directors are Eleanor Nesbitt and Stephen Petter. The latter is also the Company Secretary. Its objects are: "To promote and provide quality education for children at Sangam School, Indri, Haryana and elsewhere in India, giving preference to those from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds". End of NEWS page. Return to TOP of this page Return to Home Page
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