July 14, 2010

Dear Friends of FACE Africa,

In June 2010, the Chase Community Giving Program invited Facebook users to choose from 500,000 of their favorite small and local charities and to vote for them to win a share of $5 million. The program, in its 2nd year, attracted more than 2.5 million participants who voted and selected the 200 winning charities. The charity with the most votes received $250,000, 4 runners-up each received $100,000 and 195 others received $20,000 each.

I am happy to announce that FACE Africa was among the top 200 and finished in 183rd place! As a result, we will receive $20,000 for our projects in Liberia! Of course we did not do it alone. We received such an outpouring of love and support and want to thank all of the 1,541 voters who took the time to vote. And to all of you who not only voted but dedicated your Facebook statuses and walls, tweeted, called, texted, and emailed your friends and family asking them to vote, we say it again: THANK YOU.

This is the second time our Facebook friends have helped us win critical funding for our efforts in Liberia. Around this time last year, we won a $30,000 a year Trust (for 30 years) from the All for Africa Foundation. While we will not begin receiving our grant until 2012, the cost saving of $30,000 a year from All For Africa will allow us to scale up our efforts and impact even more lives.

I have a trip planned to Liberia on Saturday, July 17th to begin work on a water and sanitation project in partnership with Concern International. Please be sure to get updates by joining our Facebook fan page and and checking our website frequently.

During my trip, I will also be exploring a partnership opportunity with the Liberian Women Sewing Project, a non-profit organization that empowers women in Liberia with the capital and technical assistance they need to operate small and medium sized businesses and in turn become agents of change in their communities.

Your continued support is critical as we grow and work in the coming months and years to help rebuild communities in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

From myself and the entire FACE Africa team, THANK YOU!

Gratefully yours,

Click here for more information about the Chase Community Giving Program and a full list of 200 winners.

P.S.- Congratulations to our coalition partners FeelGood and Youth Action International for placing in the top 200 and earning $20,000 for their life changing work they are doing.

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