We require a Spanish and English speaking social media coordinator to be responsible for maintaining and updating our social media accounts as well as establishing new social media channels to promote the work of Child Action Group (CAG). . We want a volunteer to help us take our social media work to the next level,

CAG supports and speaks out for Colombia's most vulnerable and neglected children and young people aiming to provide them with a decent start in life and a brighter future, by financing projects that supports and improve children’s wellbeing in orphanages and foster homes.

We currently have a Facebook page but are looking for this to be developed further and to maximise the impact and effectiveness it has. We are also planning to start using other social media tools such as Twitter and YouTube as part of the expansion of the organisations work in this area.

Requirements & Commitment:
·      Excellent written/verbal communication skills in both Spanish and English
·      A proactive approach with a real enthusiasm for news media
·      Good understanding of social media – especially Twitter, Facebook and YouTube,  and a natural ability to learn and develop new digital skills
·      Highly motivated with a keen eye for detail and using one’s own initiative is crucial
·      You will be required to dedicate 4 hours per week to this role and attend CAG meetings from time to time.

Your duties would include:
·      Managing content through our social media sites on behalf of CAG
·      Ensuring accounts are updated frequently and that messaging is timely and relevant.
·      Maintain an interactive online presence for us and ensure that we present a personal and professional image
·      Working with our web designer in the development of a newsletter
·      Become an advocate of CAG in social media spaces, engaging in dialogues and answering questions where appropriate
·      Regularly feed back insights gained from social media monitoring, to help develop strategies to increase awareness about CAG


What's in it for you:

• The opportunity to learn new skills and gain new experience through working in newly established charity.
• A great chance to meet new people, both trustees and volunteers alike and able to have a said on the shaping and growth of CAG.
• Training opportunities
• Volunteering in Colombia ( we are not able to finance such visits but could provide accommodation and organise for a visit to take place)
  

If you are interested in this position, please email your CV to info@childactiongroup.org with Social Media Coordinator as the subject.

Child Action Group (CAG) is seeking a volunteer experienced trusts and grants fundraiser to help us secure funding for our future projects.

CAG supports and speaks out for Colombia's most vulnerable and neglected children and young people aiming to provide them with a decent start in life and a brighter future, by financing projects that supports and improve children’s wellbeing in orphanages and foster homes.

Requirements & Commitment:
·        Highly motivated with a keen eye for detail and using one’s own initiative is crucial
·        Excellent written and communication skills.
·        Experience of successfully applying for funding from trusts and grant authorities is essential.
·        You will be require to committed for at least 3 months, 4-6 hours per week and attend CAG meetings from time to time.

Your duties would include:
·        Planning and helping to deliver events to build awareness about CAG.
·        Publicising CAG fundraising events
·        Publicising and singing up sponsors to sponsor a child.
·        Seeking new fundraising opportunities for CAG.
·        Identifying and completing possible award applications to secure diversified funding streams for CAG's work.
·        Liaising with the Board of Trustees and the Social and Digital Media Volunteers about fundraising endeavours.

What's in it for you:
·        Training opportunities
.        The opportunity to learn new skills and gain new experience through working in newly established charity.
.        A great chance to meet new people, both trustees and volunteers alike and able to have a said on the shaping and growth of CAG.
·        Learn/improve your Spanish language skills.
·        Volunteering in Colombia ( we are not able to finance such visits but could provide accommodation and organise for a visit to take place).

If you are interested in this position, please email your CV to info@childactiongroup.org with Volunteer Fundraiser Coordinator as the subject.

Lots of things have happened since we posted our last entry on the blog in January. CAG has been running for over a year now and, just like in 2012, part of our work was focused on setting the charity as an entity, with all the paper work that means. This year we started working in full performance on all the projects and objectives we still have in favour of underprivileged children and teenagers.

Since January, CAG members have been organizing a variety of events and activities, like having a stand at Camden Market for a day, salsa parties or cupcake days at the office. We have also being painting t-shirts with the charity logo, selling second-hand clothes, coffee and marmalade. Thanks to these activities we have been able to accomplish a lot of achievements, such as:

• Starting Gedeon Cofee where some of the Foundation’s young adults do some paid work experience while helping to keep the Foundation working. 
  
• Acting in emergency cases related to power and water cuts by paying outstanding bills. 
  
• Distributing mopes made by the youths in the Foundation to be sold in supermarkets. 
  
• Transporting a big amount of wood to the Foundation in order to build a henhouse.
  
• Sending clothes, shoes, medicines, toys and hygiene products for all the children and teenagers. 
  

But, that is not it!! While writing this post, we are hoping to finish some more projects in the Pereira foundation, which we will keep you updated about.

If you like what we do, these are some ways in which you could support us:

• Sponsor a child. With a small monthly donation you could improve these children quality of life.
  
• Volunteer. If you live in London and you want to take part in this great project don’t hesitate to contact us. The more support, the better. There are plenty of ways you could help, like volunteering for CAG or at Pereira Foundation or helping out in events.
  
• Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter so that you keep updated about last CAG’s news. 
  
• Spread the word. Help us to be known by other people. 
  

We have just started a new year with great enthusiasm, and renewed energy and with the hope that this year we can achieve many positive things for the children and adolescents that we work for from the Pereira Foundation.
Yesterday we had our first meeting of the year in which we begin to plan our first events and activities, and also talk about the possible visits to the Foundation and volunteers.

The following is a preview of what we talked about:
· The Charity Gala, that we were unable to hold in December last year, is now scheduled for next spring. The exact date is still to be confirmed, but is something that we are already working on and that will inform you of as soon as we know. What we are sure about, is that it will be an event not to be missed, in which every penny raised will go to the children’s foundation.
· We are Colombians and Spaniards and that means that we like to party! So it’s very likely that we will organize another a party, as always for charitable aims.
· In the forthcoming months we will again begin to participate in street markets in which, as previously, we will sell our typical products (crafts, jams, coffee, clothing and second-hand goods) and also a novelty: hand painted children’s T-shirts with the CAG logo.

Happy 2013 to everyone. CAG hopes that all your wishes are fulfilled and that you will be able to witness us accomplishing all our plans, and more. 

On the evening of the 13th of November, the “Charity Awards 2013” event was celebrated in the Royal College of Physicians, promoted by CAF (Charity Aid Foundation). The objective of this event was to inform the different charity members who were there about what the awards for the best charities consist of and also about what CAF does. There were some very interesting presentations done by the people representing the two charities that won this award in 2011 and 2012. They spoke about the importance of an effective communication when showing the volunteers and donors the results that their contributions have. They also talked about how innovation can help projects to have a bigger impact with fewer resources, and about the current economic situation in which crisis and government economic cuts have important repercussions.
Maria Lastra and I, Patricia Ibañez, gathered a lot of useful information that will help CAG to keep on improving and to achieve bigger objectives, always remaining transparent in what we do and making sure that every single penny donated goes directly to the Pereira Foundation. 

Last weekend CAG had a stall at the Lambeth Country Show which was held in Brockwell Park in South London. This annual event, which is a highlight in the social calendar of the area was attended by thousands of visitors. the primary purpose of the Lambeth Country Show is to promote natural and organic products from the English countryside ranging from flowers, fruit and vegetables, arts and crafts made wih natural products and even live animals.   

During the two day festival, CAG had a vibrant stall selling homemade jams and conserves, delicious Columbian coffee, exquisite vinagrettes and sald dressings and artisan jewellry made of natural plant seeds from South America and rejuvenating ayurvedic Indian herbal teas . To cap all of this, we had a volunteer offering face painting on Saturday for the younger visitors and fortune telling for the adults?? 

As is always the case with these activities, all the money raised will go directly to the Pereira Foundation to help the children of the Orphanage.

Thank you  for Xavier’s and Carme’s collaboration that they shared with us on their Facebook page, thank you for the interest that so many people close to us have shown in this project, thank you to all the friends and relatives that have not hesitated in distributing information about CAG to others and thank you for the willingness shown by people who want to help us…. To all of you THANK YOU for ensuring that in one week the CAG Facebook page has been visited 646 times… in just one week! This is amazing and gives us the impulse to forge forward with this wonderful and important project for so many children there in Pereira.

Last Sunday 22nd of July we decided to sell clothes and second hand articles in Pimlico market again in order to raise money for our dear children. The situation demanded it: Last week we were informed that the electricity supply had been cut off due to unpaid bills. Our colleagues from ‘Amigos en Acción por Colombia’ went to talk to the Electricity company but that wasn't successful. That's why we put on our best smiles and prepared ourselves to sell all kinds of toys, clothes, computer accessories, perfumes, books and more. The sun accompanied us and also our favourite clients shown up – children asking their mothers to buy them something!
Money collected: £72,85.

Yesterday Sunday 9th of July, Xavier and Carme, also known as the couple from lavueltaalmundo.net, visited The Centre in Pereira where they met its Director, the children and adolescents and the volunteers who help out there. The Director, Rubiela, told them many stories about the children who are there, as well as the poor state in which many of them arrived there, (malnourished, with psychological damage due to the conditions in which they had been living or things that they had been forced to do, sick and desperately in need of love and protection…). Xavier and Carme were very emotional listening to these stories and were shocked by the precarious lives that they lived. We are sure that this is only the beginning of the story as there is still so much to do. In the meantime here is a photograph taken from their Facebook 

Yesterday CAG members went to the Pimlico Car Boot Sale. Due to the bad weather not many people showed up in the market but anyways our second time in a Car Boot Market was a very productive experience. Some people shown interest in our NGO and what we do. It was nice to share some time with other people selling stuff as well. But the best part is that towards the end of the day, Jorge (our president) talk to some of the stall sellers and he was told that they'd donate to CAG all the not sold items. That's how we ended up with perfumes, nice clothes, a pair of ice skates, useful stuff that we can use for next time such as bags, fabrics, a chair... we couldn't believe it! The sun didn't shine much but we left the place with a smile on our faces. Definitely this won't be our first and last time in the Pimlico Car Boot Sale.