There will be more substantial updates to the blog in the near future but until then I wish to draw some attention over next few weeks to some of the informal promotion attempts by supporters of the REMCU effort.They are not official efforts by REMCU itself but a fanbase of well intentioned people trying to spread the word.
The spotlight today is on "Friends of REMCU" which is a group (fan club) on the popular social networking sites of Facebook and Myspace.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10249327916
http://groups.myspace.com/helpafricaradio
"Friends of REMCU" say in the following months they will be making artwork to donate to REMCU to help in fund raising as well as creating slideshows or videos on popular site youtube to increase awarness.
A reminder that every individual can help to increase awarness of REMCU and create thier own fan groups or place links directly to REMCU.ORG on thier myspace or facebook profiles.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Radio E-mail Communication ,proven in the field
Radio E-mail Communication, a reliable technology.
Recently in Africa, "Medical teams International" found that the cell system had failed and was down for several days during a site visit in April 2008.Without communication it would have been impossible for them to organise.
Simply ...communications makes things possible.
A copy of a message sent from a relieved REMCU user to "Medical teams International"
Sorry, we cannot talk over the cell phone, the network system is down. It has been like this since last week. Please be prepared for poor communication with the rest of the world when you get here. However, it is a blessing to have radio e-mail! Otherwise, with the network down we would not be able to communicate at all.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
African Expedition!
A special notice from the REMCU team concerning the latest African Expedition!
"Finally! We're Going back to Zambia!
"Finally! We're Going back to Zambia!
We've decided to take a leap of faith and commit to going back to Zambia in mid August to upgrade and expand our REM system.We don't yet have our budget fully funded, but we feel strongly that we must go during the current dry season.
As plans now stand, Nzola & Rob will leave August 14th, and be away 5, 6, or 7 weeks, depending on how much more funds come in between now and then.
Help us install more systems at medical clinics and high schools!
Please visit the Donations page and donate to REMCU via
http://www.CanadaHelps.org
Please visit the Donations page and donate to REMCU via
http://www.CanadaHelps.org
Sincerely, - Nzola, Rob & Trever
Sunday, May 4, 2008
1st Annual REMCU Flea Market in Review !
1st Annual REMCU Flea Market Summary:
In the last couple of months an official club has formed at Schneider Electric calling themselves the "REMCU Supporters." They were instrumental in providing volunteer effort for the Gospel Choir benefit concert, and in their first attempt at a fund-raiser they ran with a benefit flea market - "Sell your Junk from your Trunk!"
Their plan was to "borrow" the Schneider Electric parking lot, and rent the parking spaces to folks with stuff to sell for those who do not want to go to the effort of running their own garage sale, or who live in an apartment and can not have a garage sale, etc.
For additional revenue the REMCU Supporters decided to run a concession, rent tables, and try to sell some donated books, old CRT computer monitors, and fresh Level Ground coffee from the fair trade coffee organization.
The REMCU directors decided this might be a great opportunity to demonstrate radio email to the public too.
Great effort was made to advertise the sale. Flyers were put up around the three closest communities (Keating, Brentwood Bay , Central Saanich ), email chains started, ads put in the local paper and the three most popular free ad web sites, and even the very popular local radio announcer, Ed Bain of 100.3 The Q, agreed to spread the word.
Unfortunately, the weather forecasters kept changing their minds on what Saturday April 19 would be like, and then it SNOWED!! In Victoria , in April, it snowed. Well, we had to postpone. So volunteers went around all three communities and updated the flyers, called The Q and got the word out again.
Saturday April 26th was beautiful, warm and sunny! We had a few less sellers than originally scheduled, but the buyers kept coming and coming. Buyers, sellers and volunteers alike had a great time.
The food concession was the big money maker (~$325), followed by stall/table rentals (~$275), and books (~$100). On the flip side, nobody wanted a CRT (not a shock), and Level Ground coffee did not sell well at all (a shock, 85 bags left over).
The live demonstration went well and many people emailed themselves over the radio waves from the Schneider parking lot. Donations related to the event are still coming in; more than $200 thus far.
REMCU really wants to thank everyone who came out - those who came to volunteer, sell, buy, and/or check out the demo. Special thanks to Schneider Electric for their continued support, and to The Q for helping to get the word out.
On a last note, we have lots of coffee for sale! If you would like to support us by buying some please email Trever.Blair@remcu.org and we can make arrangements to get you as much as you want! :)
Start planning now to "Sell your Junk from your Trunk" again next year!
In the last couple of months an official club has formed at Schneider Electric calling themselves the "REMCU Supporters." They were instrumental in providing volunteer effort for the Gospel Choir benefit concert, and in their first attempt at a fund-raiser they ran with a benefit flea market - "Sell your Junk from your Trunk!"
Their plan was to "borrow" the Schneider Electric parking lot, and rent the parking spaces to folks with stuff to sell for those who do not want to go to the effort of running their own garage sale, or who live in an apartment and can not have a garage sale, etc.
For additional revenue the REMCU Supporters decided to run a concession, rent tables, and try to sell some donated books, old CRT computer monitors, and fresh Level Ground coffee from the fair trade coffee organization.
The REMCU directors decided this might be a great opportunity to demonstrate radio email to the public too.
Great effort was made to advertise the sale. Flyers were put up around the three closest communities (Keating, Brentwood Bay , Central Saanich ), email chains started, ads put in the local paper and the three most popular free ad web sites, and even the very popular local radio announcer, Ed Bain of 100.3 The Q, agreed to spread the word.
Unfortunately, the weather forecasters kept changing their minds on what Saturday April 19 would be like, and then it SNOWED!! In Victoria , in April, it snowed. Well, we had to postpone. So volunteers went around all three communities and updated the flyers, called The Q and got the word out again.
Saturday April 26th was beautiful, warm and sunny! We had a few less sellers than originally scheduled, but the buyers kept coming and coming. Buyers, sellers and volunteers alike had a great time.
The food concession was the big money maker (~$325), followed by stall/table rentals (~$275), and books (~$100). On the flip side, nobody wanted a CRT (not a shock), and Level Ground coffee did not sell well at all (a shock, 85 bags left over).
The live demonstration went well and many people emailed themselves over the radio waves from the Schneider parking lot. Donations related to the event are still coming in; more than $200 thus far.
REMCU really wants to thank everyone who came out - those who came to volunteer, sell, buy, and/or check out the demo. Special thanks to Schneider Electric for their continued support, and to The Q for helping to get the word out.
On a last note, we have lots of coffee for sale! If you would like to support us by buying some please email Trever.Blair@remcu.org and we can make arrangements to get you as much as you want! :)
Start planning now to "Sell your Junk from your Trunk" again next year!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Benefit Concert follow up
Thank you for all that attended the March 15th "Eric Dozier and the One Human Family Gospel Choir Benefit Concert" at Lambrick Park Church.
The wildly supportive audience and generous donations made the event an enjoyable success for all those involved.Everyone involved or participated ;we thank you greatly for your continued support!
The event generated over $3000 !
$1,655 net from ticket sales
- $1,267 from donations
- $238 net profit from coffee sales that night
- $54 from sales of "One Human Family Choir" CDs
Many people enthusiastically asked when the next event would be held so we look forward to another OHF benefit concert as soon as possible!
A great thanks to all those that attended and participated ; we look forward to your continued interest !
The wildly supportive audience and generous donations made the event an enjoyable success for all those involved.Everyone involved or participated ;we thank you greatly for your continued support!
The event generated over $3000 !
$1,655 net from ticket sales
- $1,267 from donations
- $238 net profit from coffee sales that night
- $54 from sales of "One Human Family Choir" CDs
Many people enthusiastically asked when the next event would be held so we look forward to another OHF benefit concert as soon as possible!
A great thanks to all those that attended and participated ; we look forward to your continued interest !
Saturday, February 16, 2008
REMCU Benefit Concert - Saturday, 15-March
One Human Family Gospel Choir will present a concert at Lambrick Park Church, Saturday, 15-March at 7:00 PM.
This will be an exciting, uplifting evening; with all proceeds going to REMCU!
See Poster below for ticket information.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
2007 In Review
Dear Donors,
Thank you for your generous contributions in 2007. You helped sustain our communications network in Africa, and prepare for network growth and improvements in 2008 and beyond. For your interest, here is a brief update of 2007 REMCU results.
The network in Africa is now more stable than ever, and is experiencing consistent daily traffic. Partly this is due to better equipment we were able to install this year, but this is also in large part due to the staff of our partner organization, the Zambia Flying Doctor Service (ZFDS). They are becoming very familiar with how to support the system, and regularly monitor its status.
As one might anticipate, there is quite a variation in use of the system - some remote sites are using it daily and receiving great value; some have left their system idle. We are working with ZFDS to encourage the low use sites to take advantage of the system, and trying to understand how we can make this tool more valuable for them.
On the technology front, we have made some inroads that will improve the offering we can deliver to the remote communities. We continue to focus on reliability and total cost of ownership. During our upcoming 2008 trip we plan to implement some of the new alternatives. We are very confident in them because we have tested them in our now-very-well-equipped development/test facility in Victoria, and across the continent of North America with new REMCU supporters.
Humanitarian communications opportunities continue to far out number our ability to assist. Throughout 2007 we had many inquiries from other organizations that were hoping we could help. We are working with a few that we feel we are a good match to best collaborate with at this time, but we are keen on growing our capacity to become more responsive.
2007 was our first full year as a stand-alone registered charity in Canada. There was a lot of work just to run the organization and meet our legal/fiscal requirements, and a lot to learn in the process. Thanks to the help of friends, family and new partners we have a foundation for future success and efficiency.
Thank you again for your support! Please visit our web site (www.remcu.org), and particularly the “blog” (web log); we will be using this more as we start to achieve more milestones in 2008. We are very excited about what is possible to achieve; with your continued support we most surely will increase the positive impact we are having!
Sincerely,
Nzola Swasisa, Rob Porter, Trever Blair
Thank you for your generous contributions in 2007. You helped sustain our communications network in Africa, and prepare for network growth and improvements in 2008 and beyond. For your interest, here is a brief update of 2007 REMCU results.
The network in Africa is now more stable than ever, and is experiencing consistent daily traffic. Partly this is due to better equipment we were able to install this year, but this is also in large part due to the staff of our partner organization, the Zambia Flying Doctor Service (ZFDS). They are becoming very familiar with how to support the system, and regularly monitor its status.
As one might anticipate, there is quite a variation in use of the system - some remote sites are using it daily and receiving great value; some have left their system idle. We are working with ZFDS to encourage the low use sites to take advantage of the system, and trying to understand how we can make this tool more valuable for them.
On the technology front, we have made some inroads that will improve the offering we can deliver to the remote communities. We continue to focus on reliability and total cost of ownership. During our upcoming 2008 trip we plan to implement some of the new alternatives. We are very confident in them because we have tested them in our now-very-well-equipped development/test facility in Victoria, and across the continent of North America with new REMCU supporters.
Humanitarian communications opportunities continue to far out number our ability to assist. Throughout 2007 we had many inquiries from other organizations that were hoping we could help. We are working with a few that we feel we are a good match to best collaborate with at this time, but we are keen on growing our capacity to become more responsive.
2007 was our first full year as a stand-alone registered charity in Canada. There was a lot of work just to run the organization and meet our legal/fiscal requirements, and a lot to learn in the process. Thanks to the help of friends, family and new partners we have a foundation for future success and efficiency.
Thank you again for your support! Please visit our web site (www.remcu.org), and particularly the “blog” (web log); we will be using this more as we start to achieve more milestones in 2008. We are very excited about what is possible to achieve; with your continued support we most surely will increase the positive impact we are having!
Sincerely,
Nzola Swasisa, Rob Porter, Trever Blair
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