Friends of FELICA

The Friends of FELICA is an informal group of people assisting FELICA in the mobilisation of resources. We are mostly based on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, but some are in other parts of the UK, in Germany and Switzerland. The Friends of FELICA group was formed in 2005 by Nicole Fraser after a chance meeting with Dr Loua in Guinea. Nicole was visiting Guinea quite frequently as technical advisor to the National AIDS Programme. She had been given some donation money by a Helston based school, to be handed over to a deserving African child charity. In Guinea, FELICA was recommended as the ideal recipient by several work colleagues of Nicole’s, and this is how this partnership began. Since then, the Friends of FELICA have put on several successful fundraising events, such as the St. Keverne Africa Day 2005 and the African Family Fun Day 2006. In August 2006, the Child Sponsorship Initiative was launched.

To date, £9,100 have been sent to FELICA, and the funds have given tremendous results. Hundreds of destitute children have been able to go to school and receive supplementary nutrition and medical care. Losses to fund administration are at only 1.5% (bank transfer charges). Please note that the Friends of FELICA are not registered as a UK charity because fundraising for an existing registered charity (FELICA) does not provide sufficient reason to get registered with the UK charity commission.

Nicole continues to visit Felica when in Guinea for other work. Talking to FELICA beneficiaries and the wider community shows, how much FELICA is appreciated and a life line for families living in absolute poverty. Some of the activities FELICA implements are documented in a short film which was co-sponsored by the Friends of FELICA.

In 2007, the Friends of FELICA helped Dr Loua to secure funding from UK’s Kitchen Table Charities Trust which will enable FELICA to provide community-based orphan care for 180 orphans and vulnerable children in the Guinea Forest Region, the area hardest hit by HIV/AIDS.

The Friends of FELICA hope to play an important role in fundraising for the orphan reception centre FELICA is envisaging to build in the near future

“You are enabling Saly to benefit from her basic human rights”  Dr Loua to a child sponsor