A visionary philosophy

Sydney charity Vision 2020 is committed to transparency in its fund raising for the less fortunate

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2020

BY

Syclneysiders have never shied away from lending a helping hand, be it for natural disasters, unforeseen emergencies or when people in distress do not kno,.,, who to tutn to for help. They have reached deep into their pockets and have lent a shoul der whenever they arc called upon to do so.

Foremost among the man)' notfor-profit organisatio n s is Vision 2020, which has an env iable track record. They have organised two charity fondraising events each )'Car since 2007, one an outdoor event, the other an indoor event usually held close to Diwali The organisers have successfully raised well over $130,000 to support over a d ozen projects in South Asia and East Africa.

A small group of committed people initiated Visi on 2020 on the eve of Maham1a Gandhi's birthday in 2002, and reso lved to make a difference to the lives of the Jess formnate in the developing world In the process they found ru1 additional dimension to the ir own lives by raising and funding projects that are a wortl, y cause. All projects funded by them so far have been iclen tilied and suggested by their members and friends. Their team bas carefully scrutinised every project and seen to it chat the funds are used as projected.

In a recent interview with founding member and, until recently, me Presidem of the organ isation, iVlr S. agarajan, he said the voluntary body aimed to have. membership open to anyone who wants co sponsor or make a contribu tion to die betrermem of the community.

The Vis ion 2020 ream choose to m ake their activities complete])' transparent with me objective of ensuring 100 per cent of the charily proceeds go to the projects cbey sponsor Their treasurer explained the prohibitive administrative costs of so m e high profile organis ations were d isappointing members.

Vision 2020 is registered witl1 the Department of G -aming and R acing as an approved charity for fundraising. To ensw·e that they comply with all me reqniremems of a vo lu ntary body, they have appointed an ind ependent auditor who certifies the accounts and works on a voluntary basis like all other members of the team.

The o rganisation is also committed to ensu.ring that all its activicies are free &om any form of discrimination It is free to transcend geographical boundaries Projects chosen for sponso rship are for those definitely in need of help, and the recip ients must be willing co hel p with eva.luacion of how they use the funds until project completion. lt goes without saying that tl,e a cti vities of Vis ion 2020 have gained momentum in che community as tl1ey have an 'open door' policy to new participants, and t hey welcome suggestions from members as long as d1e)' fall in line wi d, the unwritten charter of helpi ng the needy.

Charity work is priniarily based on reason not emotion.

Since Indian origin peop le are the dominant group runong the members, i t is namral that most of the pro jects funded by Vision 2020 are based in India, almough they have also supported die Sahara Children'.s home in Nepal and have extended their assistance to Somalian D isaster Relief wim a contribution of $7200 through the UNHCR Somalia Relief Appeal.

Among the causes that V ision 2020 bas supported are aged care homes, o rphanages and instirucions for the destitute They have also ensured good health care is provided for chil dren with muscular dystrophy and children witl1 cerebral palsy, autism, brain damage or och er mental impairments. It was a policy decision made by Vis io n 2020 to fund one-off infrastructure projects where the organisation could see tangible results and monitor the quality of the project outcome. lt is unsurprising tbat their most recent endeavour was a sterling effort; a "Vis io n Vhlk" in May at Parramatra P ark aimed ro raise $16,000 cowards construction of an eye care vision centre to be underta ken by Nav Bharat Jagriti Ke ndra in Chouparan Block in rural Bihar (details avail able at www.nbjk org).

Wheelc hairs, elecu:iciry generators, disabled- friendly veh icles, building ramps, toilet blocks, cl ass rooms, and hostel buildings are some examples of solid, sustainable projects tliat t hey have funded so far.

There were abour l 70 entliusiastic participan ts and judging by the response, it was another featl1e r in the cap of Vision 2020 whose members and supporters have been involved in charity work for some years now.

Visio n 2020 have also created a new opening for people with a charitable slant. They have introduced a 'Gift Voucher Scheme' whereby willing donors are ab le to buy the vouchers in various denominations from $10 to $ 100. There are several social invitations that specifically suggest charitable donations ro substitute gifts at weddi ngs, anniversaries, birmdays and other spec ial events.

Given the great wor k of V ision 2020, tl1is would seem co be a m ost appropriate alternativ e.

For details v.i sic their webs ite: www vision2020 org.au.