Since Fulcrum Aid’s registration in 2015 it was recognised that the Board was lacking people who had personally experienced poverty. At a board planning day in November 2019 a strategy was established to recruit people who could speak from personal experience about the various forms of extreme inequality that the organisation confronts. We also needed to recruit a Company Secretary and to establish processes to facilitate management tasks and strategic planning. 

In mid 2020 the Board appointed Monica McEvoy as Company Secretary, and Bonny Gibson, Fanita Solomon and Stephen Tongun as Directors. Monica brings a strong drive for social justice, and skills in organisational management. Bonny is an Aboriginal social worker, working with the Stolen Generation. He is also a founder of the Longriders Christian Motorcycle Club. Fanita is also a social worker working with vulnerable and traumatised youth. She has established community-based interventions addressing gender-based violence in her homeland of Tigray, Ethiopia. Stephen is a South Sudanese lawyer who grew up in the vast Kibera slums of Nairobi. As well as his passion for justice and equality Stephen has a love for the arts including acting, theatre and music. 

More recently the board has implemented systems and processes to facilitate the ongoing management and compliance responsibilities and has adopted the Australian Council For International Development (ACFID) Code of Conduct as an aspirational model of best practice. 

After a year that has been very challenging for our governance team, the newly developed board is providing energetic focus as we look to the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Photo: Board planning day selfie. From left: Stephen Tongun, Colin Cargill, Monica McEvoy, Fanita Solomon, Verity Newnham, Bonny Gibson, Steve Blacket.

It’s a confusing time for donors. An explosion of small not-for-profit organisations compete with mega-charities in a rapidly changing industry called international development.

At a recent Fulcrum Aid event I asked people what questions they ask when considering whether to give their time or money to a project or an organisation. Their responses addressed concerns such as:

• How much of the money actually gets there? How much is lost on administration, publicity and travel?
• How can we be confident the project is actually helping to address the root causes of poverty, and not just providing a short-term “band-aid”?
• Will it cause communities to become increasingly dependent on foreign support and undermine local leaders and systems?
• Will the introduction of western ideas and systems damage the local culture and established community leadership?
• Does the organisation use children as a commodity to generate donations?
• Is the dignity of the poor and vulnerable respected?

Friends and supporters of Fulcrum Aid enjoyed a relaxed Sunday afternoon of food, wine and music in the spectacular surrounds of Carclew House as the Fulcrum Aid team shared their vision of a new approach to international development.

The event was organised by Kerry Sanders from SparkBDM with Geoff Payne as MC. William Mude gave an outline of projects in South Sudan and Uganda that empower isolated girls, strengthen health systems and reduce maternal mortality. Shila Phopo’s presentation focused on how “friendship” between international partners can empower disadvantaged communities to address poverty, avoiding the social harm caused by prevalent, paternalistic models of foreign aid.

We are very encouraged by the strong attendance and expressions of support.

Fulcrum Aid is thankful for the support of Millie's Bakery, Olympic Party Hire, Barossa Bottling Services, and Coopers Brewery. 

"We are rich in heart, but poor in pocket." These words were spoken by our friend Vana as we were walking in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh a few years ago.

Happy New Year everyone!

Our dedicated volunteers have kick started 2016 with the organising of a fundraising event.

Fulcrum Aid is ‘Leveraging Love’ with an official launch, Sunday 14th February. The long-term weather forecast promises for a mild summer’s day and we anticipate a wonderful afternoon of storytelling.

Come and experience this opportunity to hear first-hand stories from real people who are effected by poverty and those that have been relieved from poverty through the generous support of others. These stories are chilling and so vital for all to hear.

Be immersed in these stories while enjoying food, wine and entertainment in the peaceful garden surrounds of Carclew House.

Save the date, ask your family and friends, ask your Valentines along … join us by purchasing your tickets through www.ticketebo.com.au/fulcrumaid

When: 2pm – 5pm, Sunday 14^th Feb 2016

Where: Carclew House, 11 Jeffcott Street, North Adelaide SA 5006

Tickets: $10 entry pax available @ www.ticketebo.com.au/fulcrumaid

At an early meeting of the small group that later became the founding Directors of Fulcrum Aid we were discussing our name, mission statement and core values. They asked me what was unique about our work that defined our identity. I fumbled with my words: “In every project the poverty is caused by imbalance – one part of the world has an abundance while others suffer because they don’t have even the basics.” We discussed concepts and images related to addressing extreme inequality such as balance, tipping points and leverage.

One of the group commented “It sounds like we are the fulcrum.” To which I replied “What is a fulcrum?”.

They explained a fulcrum is the tipping point on which a lever is placed, enabling a relatively small effort to move great obstacles. We reflected on the famous quote by Archimedes: “Give me a long enough lever and a fulcrum on which to place it and I will move the world.”

We had found our name.

From memory, my first thought of establishing a new development organisation came to me on a beach in Bangladesh. Cox’s Bazar is said to be the world’s longest beach. It could also be the most crowded. It was November 2012 and I had just completed a very demanding six-month work assignment in South Sudan and was seeking some of the peace and tranquillity normally associated with a two week beach stay. But tranquillity wasn’t so easy to find. Each day I would try to escape the crowds and cameras by taking a long walk. If it really is the world’s longest beach, my emotionally fatigued mind felt in need of the world’s longest beach walk. Past the crowds and cameras and jet-skis and persistent micro-entrepreneurs, beyond the small fishing villages, until the only curious eyes were the cows resting on the beach. Then I would stop, take a long swim in the warm waters of the Bay of Bengal, and sit down with my books.