Final expressn interest form cso country partners 04 07 2017 2

Raising Pacific Voices – Reinforcing Pacific Civil Society Between OXFAM in the Pacific, - “Co-ordinator” and PDF - “Co- applicant “For the EU RPV Project EU Grant CSO-LA/2016/374-324

“Expression of Interest to serve as country CSO partners”

Organisational Profile 1. Name of Organisation:

Radiation Exposure Awareness Crusaders for Humanity-

Marshall Islands 2. Country based in: RMI

Tonga

Vanuatu

3. Is the organisation legally registered at the national level? Yes / No 4. If yes to number 3 above, please provide some evidence of registration. For e.g. copy of Certificate of Registration, copy of Constitution, Charter of Incorporation or By-laws etc.

5. If your answer to 3 above is NO, please indicate in what capacity your organisation operates: 6. Type of organisationi: X

Umbrella NGO

Membership CSO

Network of CSOs

7. Is your organisation inclusive of all members of the community? Please tick the boxes for those sectors from which your affiliates comes from: X

Youth & Children

X

National Government

X

Women

X

Local Government

X

Persons with disabilities

X

Education

X

Faith-based organisations

X

Private sector

X

Traditional leaders

X

Farmers/Fisher folk

X

LGBTI groups

X

Other

Other – please elaborate: International Community through Global Partners 8. In what area or sector does your organisation work in [For e.g. Women, Youth, Faithbased organisations, Disability, Indigenous Peoples, Rural, Labour, Senior Citizens, etc] Please provide some evidence of this work with your completed form: REACH-MI’s main focus is to secure some modicum of justice for the Nuclear community which is all of the Marshall Islands. The nuclear issue is a key part in Marshallese identity and thus it is a cross cutting issue. For ease of reference to REACH-MI activites, please visit our facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/REACH.MI80415/

Please also refer to newspaper article attached herewith below for reference.

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Story taken from Marshall Islands Journal (March 3, 2017 issue) Page 2 of 11 “Expression of Interest to serve as country CSO partners”

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9. How many affiliate organisations do you represent, and where are they based: REACH-MI is an umbrella organization for nuclear issues in the Marshall Islands and often works in conjunction with other Marshallese based non-government organizations of similar objectives who too believe in the goals of REACH-MI. As the focal point for Nuclear Issues affecting all Marshallese citzens on island and abroad, REACH-MI has coordinated with NGOs such as the Marshall Islands Law Society, Majuro Urok Club and Marshall Islands Billfish Club as the defacto umbrella organization on nuclear issues.

These organizations are all based on Majuro, Marshall Islands. However, REACH-MI has members in Ebeye, Marshall Islands as well as in the continental United States and has also done partnerships with other non-profit organizations particularly the Marshall Islands Education Initiative (MEI) based in Arkansas, the Oregon Marshallese Community based in Oregon, and Living Islands also based in Oregon.

10. What languages does your organisation utilise to communicate to stakeholders? : Marshallese, English, and Japanese when needed.

Institutional capacity 11. How often does your Board/Management Collective or other Governing body meet and how is the Board/Management Collective comprised:Under our existing bylaws, the Board of Directors meet at least once every month, or more frequently on such days and times as it may decide. No meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held unless a quorum of three (3) members of the Board of Directors are present under the existing bylaws. The Board of Directors decides its own procedures. A meeting of the general membership shall be held no less than once in every three months, provided, however, that the Board of Directors or the General Meeting may call for more frequent meetings at such time or such place that the Board of Directors may decide. At its first meeting in each calendar year, the General Meeting shall proceed to elect its officers, and at each meeting, or as soon thereafter as is practicable, after the occurrence of a vacancy in any of the office, an election shall be held to fill such vacancy. A quorum shall consist of a majority of voting members who are in attendance at any meeting of the General Meeting. The General Meeting may provide by resolution adopted by a majority of its total membership, a different quorum requirement. The General Meeting adopts its own procedures as it may seem fit from time to time to meet the changing circumstances as well as the demands that come with it. For more information on membership and governing procedures, please refer to attached copy of bylaws as required in question 4.

12. How many staff does your organisation have and in what capacity do they work? Please provide an organisational structure with your completed form. Legally, under our bylaws, our corporation is comprised of a Board of Directors consisting of an advisor, an honorary member, a President, a Vice President, a Secretary and a Treasurer, who shall also serve as the officers for the organization. The Bylaws may provide for other officers and their duties and responsibilities. The main office and their stipulations under our bylaws are as follows:

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1. President. The President shall be nominated from amongst the duly registered members of the organization and elected on the majority vote of those members present and voting.

The president shall:

a. Preside at all the meeting and be the custodian of the gavel; b. Meet with executive officers to draw up an agenda before each scheduled national meeting; c. Greet visitors and new members and introduce guest speakers; d. See that each item on the agenda is covered in orderly turn, keeping members to the point, without influencing decisions; e. Be a member of all committees and may participate in the discussions and vote on matters before such committees.

2. Vice President. The Vice President shall be nominated from the duly registered members of the organization and elected on the majority vote of the members present and voting at a General Meeting call for that specific purpose. The 1. Vice-President shall:

a. b. c.

Preside at all meetings in the absence of the President; Assume all duties of the President in her absence; and Meet with the President to draw up an agenda before each meeting.

3. Secretary. The Secretary shall be a person elected from the membership by a majority vote of the members present and voting at a general meeting called for that specific purpose. The Secretary shall: a.

Prepare minutes of all meetings, general and executive, and distribute copies within 7 days of such meeting such meeting to the members of the executive committee and the general meeting; b.

Notify members of time and place of each meeting; c.

Meet the President and Officers at the time of agenda planning and prepare a final copy of the agenda for each meeting; d.

Keep bylaws current for reference; e.

Report recommendations and actions of the Board of Directors or General Meeting as required; f.

Keep a file containing all the minutes of the meetings, also include the committee’s work, the minutes from secretaries, the treasurer’s reports, and a list of the Officers and members; g.

Read the minutes of the last meeting and take the minutes of the meeting being held; and h.

Assist in any assignment deemed necessary to enhance the affairs of the organization.

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Board of Directors

(Execu[ves)

Make final Decsions

President Chief Execu[ve

Vice-President 2nd in Command

This simple Organizational chart follows the rules stipulated in the bylaws enacting the simple chain of command. The Board of Directors also referred to as the Executives make the final decision and the Chief Executive carries out those various duties by delegating what was decided to the various implementers through the given chain of command starting with the Board of DirectorsàPresidentàVicePresidentàTreasureràSecretaryàOther Posts created to implement tasks assigned

Treasurer 3rd in Command

Secretary 4th in Command

Other Posts

Implements 13. Does your organisation engage in any form of strategic planning? Yes/No Please explain: REACH-MI operates under a community orientated approach that is largely conducing of the Marshallese extended family. The planning is often done through meetings and laid out through meeting minutes as reminders as a formality. REACH-MI generally lists set of goals and marks the deadline whether it be weekly, monthly, or annually. These plans are archived in the REACH-MI drop box account and coordinated with the REACH-MI calendar of planned events.

14. Is your organisation currently able to secure funding externally? Yes/ No 15. Please select the funding sources your organisation currently accesses: Membership subscriptions/dues

X

Grants from Government

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X

External donor funding

X

Private donations

X

Philanthropic Foundations

X

Private Sector

Other sources:

REACH-MI members through their own dedication and commitment to

the nuclear issue which is a cross cutting issue that transcends religious, political, and cultural consideration also utilize their own funding from time to time to meet the goals of this Nongovernment organization.

16. Does your organisation practise some level of good financial management? Yes/No Please explain: As a registered corporation and non government organization, REACHMI does annual audits per the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands governing Non-government organizations. It also does monthly, weekly, and daily reconciliations from time to time when needed. The Treasurer maintains a ledger of finances of the organization and keeps adequate and correct accounts, books and records of its transactions and financial activities. All such books and accounts are kept in the possession of the Treasurer and shared amongst REACH-MI members for accountability and transparency purposes through excel spreadsheets. Furthermore, The Board of Directors (Executives) determine the appropriate use of funds provided for the operation of the organization, subject to any direction to the contrary by the General Meeting. All expenditures by the organization are authorized by the President, or in the President’s absence, the Vice President, the Treasurer, and the Secretary. Currently, the organization maintains a bank account at a local bank (e.g. Bank of Marshall Islands) as it is necessary for the purposes of this organization. Monies are drawn from this bank accounts only on the signatures of the President, or in the President’s absence, the Vice President, the Treasurer, and Secretary. More than one signature maybe required for withdrawal for increased accountability, transparency, and financial security purposes.

17. Does your organisation have a designated office space (i.e. a physical office space from which your CSO works)? Yes/No If so, please advise the address for the office: The location of the organization’s principal and registered office shall be in Lojkar Apt B11, Long Island, Majuro Marshall Islands 96960. The name and address of its registered agent is: Rosania A. Bennett P.O Box 84 Majuro, MH 96960

Influencing capacity 18. What work (if any) does your organisation conduct on increasing resilience & sustainability opportunities? Please give some evidence of this. The level of involvement REACH-MI has gotten from the community speaks for itself as given in the Newspaper article given above. Increasing resilience and sustainability opportunities means keeping the momentum going by sharing the stage in our respective endeavors. REACH-MI is a Page 6 of 11 “Expression of Interest to serve as country CSO partners”

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safe haven for nuclear victims to be remembered in our everydays work. Redirecting the focus to a much neglected issue has created increasing resilience and sustainability opportunity in the sense that a greater conscience has taken place as greater sympathy towards this issue has begun to take fruit. Giving back the Marshallese people this piece of history for them to take control of it is already happening as we speak as REACH-MI has pioneered the nuclear issue of the Marshall Islands into the limelight in their respective endeavors as can be seen in the given links below on top of the newpaper article already mentioned. It is these awareness raising that has created a space and opportunity for the Marshallese History to be sustained thereby increasing resiliency in the sense that these people are not forgotten but are remembered in everyday conversations at the forefront of our thinking. http://marshallislandsjournal.com/Journal_WP/?p=3415 https://www.meius.org/nuclear_rememberance_2014nuclear-testing-history/ http://www.mvariety.com/regional-news/82439-new-group-seeks-justice-for-marshall-islandsnuclear-test-victims http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/292694/new-focus-on-marshallislands%27-nuclear-testing-legacy http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/05/27/national/citizens-of-nuclear-bombed-marshallislands-yearn-for-obama-visit/ http://fijione.tv/new-focus-on-marshall-islands-nuclear-testing-legacy/ http://gucaravel.com/the-marshall-islands-fights-back/ https://player.fm/series/nuclear-hotseat-hosted-by-libbe-halevy/marshall-islands-nuclearatrocities-the-united-nations-bomb-ban-treaty-the-human-perspective https://www.events-swiss-ippnw.org/speakers/ http://nuclearhotseat.com/2017/06/21/marshall-islands-nuclear-atrocities-the-united-nationsthe-human-perspective-wdesmond-delatram-of-reach-mi-313/ http://peaceboat.org/english/?page=view&nr=519&type=20&menu=64 http://peaceboat.org/english/?page=view&nr=233&type=21&menu=62 http://peaceboat.org/wordpress/wpcontent/uploads/2016/03/npfree_PPF2016_Profiles_EN_s.pdf http://marshallislandsjournal.com/Journal_WP/?tag=reach-mi http://peaceboat.org/english/?page=view&nr=521&type=20&menu=64 https://www.facebook.com/PresidentOfficeRMI/photos/a.1419759828297091.1073741828.1 418629561743451/1669628879976850/?type=3&theater Page 7 of 11 “Expression of Interest to serve as country CSO partners�

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https://www.nyseikatsu.com/editions/640/html5/index.html http://www.globalresearch.ca/hiroshima-and-nagasaki-our-government-has-neverapologized/5602716 19. Is your organisation committed to increasing representation of women and youth in community consultations? If so, how does your organisation demonstrate this commitment?

Please

give

some

evidence.

The

commitment

to

increasing

representation for women is obvious for REACH-MI as most of the members and officers are female and thus play a huge role in the decision making process. Youths also play a key part in REACH-MI as we have already set up posts for Youth Directors focused on Youth Outreach. Additionally, our logo was done through a logo competition to schools given that REACH-MI wanted to include the youths to take ownership of the nuclear issue being that it is cross cutting and identity driven particularly for people of Marshallese descent. A school competition to select the logo was launched using social media where youths are the most active users as well as using radio which is the most widely used form of media in the Marshall Islands.

REACH-MI’s logo was designed by two high school students. The logo competition was intended for Youth involvement in our quest to draw awareness on the nuclear legacy surrounding the Marshall Islands given that a majority of the population is at 16 years and under at a whopping 46 percent. Hence, a logo competition for all schools was implemented to take this reality into consideration given that Marshall Islands is in fact a nation composed entirely of children/Youth. Our events also cater towards youths as can be seen in the flier given below taken from the REACH-MI facebook

page (page previously mentioned).

See

https://www.facebook.com/REACH.MI80415/?ref=page_internal

20. How often does your organisation engage with national government, be it through consultations, policy advocacy etc.? Please elaborate: REACH-MI since its inception has worked closely with the national government. We have partnered with the National Government in national holidays and events such as Nuclear Victims Day on March 1st .

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We are part of the planning committee that organizes the event. We have also delivered remarks in the national ceremony commemorating that national holiday. REACH-MI has also done various consultation meetings with parliamentary leaders, traditional leaders, church leaders, and members of civil society. Our policy advocacy is also extended internationally as REACH-MI members also serve as advisors from time to time at the Marshall Islands Mission in the United Nations advocating for better policies to our nuclear victims.

21. Is your organisation committed to improving “Public Financial Managementii” accountability & transparency standards; development planning and budget monitoring? If so, please indicate how it demonstrated this in the last 2 years: Our organization abides by the laws of the Republic of the Marshall Islands which require financial accountability in the form of annual audits. Additionally, we do financial reports and submit written copies of it to all our donors to ensure transparency and accountability. Setting these standards and making it known through action demonstrates REACH-MI’s ongoing intent and commitment to develop better budget monitoring so as to include it in any developmental planning in our collective goals and objectives.

22. Is Policy influencing a key focus of your organisation? Yes/No 23. If your answer to 22 above is Yes, what are your organisations key advocacy objectives: Our main focus at REACH-MI is the outsanding nuclear issues affecting the Marshallese people and we at REACH-MI lobby our representatives in parliament from time to time to meet the demands of nuclear victims through fairer representation of this nuclear legacy through national recognition and priority. Our main focus has always been that the nuclear issues in the Marshall Islands receive priority particularly the victims who need their voices heard. REACH-MI holds the belief that the "RMI nuclear legacy is a crosscutting national matter of importance and priority, whose impact affects all people and island communities and thus transcends all political, social, religious, and cultural considerations." Our primary purpose is to "nurture a greater nation-wide awareness of the nuclear legacy through dissemination of information, public education forums, workshops and seminars, debates and discussions."A central and integral part of REACH-MI’s goal is to inform and educate the Marshallese and American publics on the nuclear legacy, and to seek their mutual understanding and support. Our aim is to encourage Marshallese and American citizens and communities to jointly collaborate in cultivating an environment conducive for RMI to secure some modicum of Page 9 of 11 “Expression of Interest to serve as country CSO partners”

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justice from the United States on the outstanding and unresolved nuclear issues. We hope to achieve our goals through people to people contacts, dialogue and sharing of information. It is our intention to seek and enlist the support of interested non-governmental and grassroot organizations and the general public in the United States and around the world. Our objectives and goals are simple. We spread awareness on nuclear issues starting with Marshallese local communites and then expanded globally. We created partnerships to collaborate and explore ways in addressing unresolved nuclear issues; and to seek mutual understanding and support on RMI problems and needs. We try and achieve our goals through word of mouth, person to person contacts, dialogue, and sharing of information. It is our intention to seek and enlist the support of interested non-government parties, grassroots organizations, the general public of the United States and around world hence why we are expressing our interest to serve as country CSO partners. Additionally, we lobby day and night to have the voices of the nuclear victims be heard in any political discussion so as to prioritize their special needs as it is a special responsibility needing of our collective affection and understanding.

24. Are you a part of any social accountability networkiii (either at the national, regional or global level)? Yes/No 25. If you answered Yes to 24, please give some evidence of this and explain how you link up this work on social accountability with your members: REACH-MI does reports to the national government from time to time updating them on REACH-MI events. One such event was the Nuclear Summit in Oregon, USA. We submit not only written and financial reports to the National Government but also verbal reports through meetings. We also extend the same courtesy to all our donors who have collaborated with us thus far in all our events. Additionally, we also do press releases, radio announcements, and email and update all relevant stakehodlers from time to time to be as transparent and accountable as possible attaching necessary documentations as maybe deemed necessary. As part of being accountable regionally and globally, we also provide transparency through our social media facebook page on facebook.

26. Declaration: I confirm that I am appropriately knowledgeable about my organisation to provide this information and all information given is accurate.

CSO contact name & position:

Desmond Narain Doulatram REACH-MI

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Research

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Email address:

desmonddoulatram@gmail.com

Telephone #:

415-290-4060

Postal address:

P.O. Box 477

Facsimile #: N/A

Majuro MH 96960 Signature of contact person:

Desmond Narain Doulatram (Serves as E-

Signature) Please ensure that a completed Expression of Interest form (with supporting documents) is sent through to: avakatale@oxfampacific.org by mid-day Monday 17th July 2017 (12:00pm Fiji time).

i

NGO: Non-Governmental Organisation, CSO: Civil Society Organisation. Both acronyms NGO and CSO are used interchangeably for the same type of body. ii PFM is ‘the system by which financial resources are planning, directed & controlled to enable & influence the efficient & effective delivery of public service goals’ (Extracted from the report ‘Deepening democracy in Myanmar’ available at https://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/file_attachments/dp-deepening-democracymyanmar-300915-en.pdf ) iii Social accountability networks are networks that “involves organized and capable citizen groups engaging government and other duty bearers in a constructive and sustained manner to hold the latter accountable for their actions and performance.” http://www.ansa-eap.net/learning-inaction/collaborative-learning/mainstreaming-social-accountability-in-oxfams-regional-changestrategies-in-east-asia/

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