Dear {firstName}

• Big news.  We’re half way to School 30. Help us make the target.

I am pleased to tell you that not only have we recently opened School 28 on Bhola Island, funding for School 29 has been committed through the wonderful fund raising efforts of Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar in Melbourne. In addition, we are half way to getting School 30 off the ground and hope you can help us make it happen.

At present, it’s wet season and we are in the planning phase to raise funds for School 30. The next few months gives us time to sort out any building issues, so it’s full steam ahead from September. 

• School 30 will be located at the northern part of New Huzrigons.

Just a little background…New Huzrigons is an area of Bhola Island, Bangladesh with a lot of small subsistence farms and day labourers. Most of the farming is done without irrigation as it is too far to bring the water through in the quantities needed for the process. Fishing is limited as it is too far to walk to the river. The area has no electricity and no facilities in general – the school will be the first facility the area has at all.

The community has requested a school as it will be a great step forward for this very poor, rural area. They sent in a letter backed by 180 of the local people. As most could not sign their names, they put their thumbprints on the document.

• Most importantly, the land has already been donated!   A local landowner is transferring the land now. We just need more funds to build it.

As you know, we are a small charity that operates on the proverbial shoestring and we keep costs to a bare minimum. For $6,500 we can build School 30….another $6,500 keeps it running for a whole year, covers the teachers' salaries and all ongoing costs.  Any donation helps and you and your friends can now give online at:  http://www.fredhyde.org/tmpdonate/donate1.php  Or call 1300 731 916.  (By the way, donations are tax deductible.)

• Do you have any bright ideas for fund raising?

 How about holding a school concert, cake drive, fashion show or auction night?  Perhaps you could get together with your neighbours for a garage sale and donate the proceeds to CO-ID.  Every donation can help to get School 30 up and running sooner, rather than later.

• Tell more friends about CO-ID.  Simply forward this email.

The more, the merrier as they say. Please forward this email to as many people as possible and add your personal comments to the email.  Your endorsement will mean a lot to people who have not heard about CO-ID before. This will help promote all the good work being carried out by the team on Bhola Island and make a huge difference to the children and people living there.

For now, best regards