11 December 2009

With the help of our staff, the communities of Hagley Gap and Penlyne Castle and the advice of the Community Advisory Board, we have defined the programmatic priorities of the Blue Mountain Project:

1. Provision of potable water
2. Health Care
3. Literacy
4. Economic Development

Over the upcoming months we will turn each priority into long term development programs with goals, projects, funding needs, and personnel needs. These in turn will define service learning program volunteer tasks and Ambassador and L.I.G.H.T. job descriptions.

I know that this sounds very bureaucratic but it provides us with a focus so that we can do a better, more efficient job meeting the needs of Hagley Gap and Penlyne. And it provides us with a focus so that we can better use the resources provided by you, our donors.

I feel that we are coming to a place where everything is coming together, where our well thought-out programs, based upon needs expressed by the community, will inform our fundraising and volunteer efforts and our short-term projects. And where we will have concrete ideas of where we should be in five years.

Maybe this is a long time horizon for a young NGO but I feel that BMP is moving out of its childhood and into adolescence and learning to think longer and with more focus.

Have a great holiday season,
Cathy