Friends World Committee for Consultation - Global Fundraising Campaign
Funds raised in EMES, as of 1 May 2024, €44,413
Photo at right is Friends at the last FWCC WPM in Pisac, Peru in 2016
Greetings from FWCC Europe and Middle East Section! Please join us on a special campaign to make the next World Plenary Meeting (WPM) the most inclusive gathering of Quakers ever. It will be held in August 2024 in South Africa.
As you know, WPMs are really important to strengthen our global family of Quakers and each Plenary has been deeply enriching. Now organised less frequently, cutting down on expense and travel, we want to ensure that the WPM in South Africa is genuinely open to all Friends from across the world, whatever their personal circumstances. (You can learn more about the WPM here.)
This is the first time a WPM will be held as a blended event so we are determined to ensure that a much greater number of Friends across the globe, no matter their financial circumstances, can either attend in person or join for at least part of the event online. To achieve this all five FWCC offices are running a joint FWCC Global Fundraising Campaign, a central focus of which will be to create a World Plenary Travel and Digital Transformation Fund of £144,000. We see this appeal as an opportunity for Friends to share some of their wealth, perhaps gained through unfair historical privilege, with others who do not have so much.
In EMES, we are committed to raise €35,000/£30,000 during 2023. This will go towards the two key ways of ensuring inclusion:- First, it will support the travel costs of Friends from the global south, who would otherwise not be able to go, to be part of the 270 Friends who will be in South Africa. This will ensure that the “in person” part of the Gathering is genuinely representative of all Friends and not just for those who can afford it.
- Secondly, we are raising funds, similar to our own Digital Equality Fund, to help many more Friends worldwide to join the WPM digitally. Many Friends in the global south do not have the financial resources or equipment to make such digital connection possible. It is essential that this gap is closed, and that we financially support this too.
We are writing to ask if you or your meeting are able to make a contribution to the fund (in addition to your usual contribution towards EMES work if you make one), and help us achieve our target by December 2023. We encourage you to share this letter with Friends in your meeting or Quaker community and consider holding a collection – please let us know if you would like us to try to arrange for a speaker at your meeting to help with the fundraising campaign.
Please visit our donation page to make your contribution today
When making a payment please use the reference: GFC2023
If you would like an acknowledgement of your payment please contact Michael Eccles
