I hope you would agree that our Mediterranea family have achieved much in just a very few years. Working in five continents with projects as diverse as: providing endoscopes to Cuba; medicine to Congo; supporting the homeless of Mallorca; constructing and supporting schools in Ethiopia; supplying a tractor to an orphanage in Ghana; bringing children from Africa to Son Dureta Hospital for specialist operations; food packs to Mali and Senegalese citizens in Mallorca... the list, as you know, is very long.
Through the efforts of our volunteers and the donations of our members we have treated illnesses, comforted the dying, fed the hungry, clothed, sheltered and educated hundreds of children, saved lives, put smiles on small faces, joy in hearts and given hope where there was none.
In this time we have learned much, established good contacts and built a reputation for being a humanitarian organization that follows through and delivers on our promises. I feel that we are now at a stage, with the experience we have gained and expertise we have acquired, that we can take on more projects and bring support, comfort and hope to even more who are in need.
In order to do this we need to significantly grow our membership. For this reason I am initiating Three King's Day 500!!! I would like us to take our membership to 500 by King's Day (6 Jan 2011). An ambitious goal... yes... but one I'm sure we can achieve.
To succeed in this we will need the commitment and help of every one of our existing members. Each one of us knows well what we have achieved at Mediterranea. Each one of us knows the incredible value of €10 or €20 (approx. $13 or $26) spent in the third world. Each one of us knows how our direct and unencumbered way of working quickly reaches the heart of the problem. Each one of us has our own circle of friends and acquaintances. Each one of us is in the best position to explain what we do and what we can achieve.
I would ask you therefore, over these next few weeks of Christmas and New Year, this time of contemplation and giving, to take the opportunity to speak with friends, tell them what we do and ask them to join us. I'm sure you'd agree that €10 ($13) a month is very little to ask in return for the joy and hope it can bring. If each of us can enlist at least one new member - or even 3 or 4 new members - over this period then we will achieve our goal of 500 members by Three King's Day.
Membership forms can be downloaded and additional information about this newest Three Kings Day 500 Project can be found on these websites:
As a small, close and giving community we have achieved an incredible amount in a very short time. We have changed the lives of thousands of people. Allow us, through this project, to bring help and hope and life to many many more.
Michael Stoma
Giving, gives meaning... and life.
To assist with this project I have included some points below that you might find helpful, entitled "Why Mediterranea?" and have given a few ideas for increasing our membership. At the very end I have attached a link to get to our membership form which new members will need to fill in and return to us. I have added a new box "How did you hear about Mediterranea ?.........." where your friends can enter your name if they wish.
Why Mediterranea?
- Direct Help - we ensure that all money given, 100% reaches and supports our projects directly. We have no staff, no salaries, we run on volunteer power alone. Our volunteers fund themselves and their travel expenses wherever they travel.
- Community based and supported - Mediterranea is centred on Michael and Victoria Stoma's surgery in Portals Nous, Mallorca. We are a small, personal, community organization with members supporting and helping us from mainland Spain and all over the world.
- Personal Feedback - because we are small we are able to give very personal reports on the work we are doing. In our emails and on our blogs you can read personal accounts of visits, feedback and successes. You can see photos and hear directly from the people we are supporting. You can see directly how your support and donations are making huge differences to peoples lives.
- Focused and effective - we are an NGO and because we have no government support we have no constraints or red tape. We are able to act quickly and effectively, going to the heart of the problem. We take on small and medium sized projects, focus our efforts and resources and deliver on our promises.
- €20 a month ($26) - is all it costs to feed, clothe, educate and protect a child in our care.
- Whenever you can, it is best to meet face to face with friends and acquaintances to tell them about what we do and to ask for their support.
- Christmas is a good time to make contact with old friends. Perhaps while catching up with them on email you could tell them about Mediterranea and ask for their support. €10 ($13) is little for us but makes a huge impact in the third world.
- Perhaps give your child or children a membership to Mediterranea as a gift. In this way, introduce them early in their lives to the concept of giving. Allow them to see, nearly firsthand, how others less fortunate live and can be helped. They will receive regular emails and links to our blogs, where they can keep up to date with what we are achieving. They can of course volunteer and help directly, we already have many children and teenagers helping.
Ways to Help
Contact us at Mediterranea via email at anytime:mediterranea.ong@gmail.comThe Mediterranea Organization is based in Portals Nous in Mallorca, Spain. If you wish to collaborate and help support our non-governmental, non-profit organization, volunteer only organization, we offer our download-able form as a Word document here (just click below):
Mediterranea Support & Membership Form (click to download)
Or you can collaborate with us using PayPal
(note: currently info is in Spanish):
