Dear GPP Supporters,

Welcome to 2010! Wishing you all the best for a safe and prosperous year ahead.

Safely back in the UK and having had a wonderful two week break in the highlands of Scotland with my beautiful new fiancé Tanyella, I have had some time to reflect on the year that was, and more importantly look ahead to an incredible 2010.

Let me share with you in some detail our plans for the year ahead focusing on a few specific regions- Aus, NZ, UK and USA.

Australia and New Zealand

Having successfully completed the Project Seed & Launch in 2009, including the hugely successful launch tour of Australia and New Zealand, GPP has been given a clear mandate from both our project partners and the Australian public to continue the momentum and generate a grassroots movement in Australia.

Our next chapter, can be divided into three focus areas:

Presentation Reach 

Activator training is focused on achieving three key objectives, to:

·      Train 100 advocates to deliver the GPP presentation in a scalable manner that will activate their grassroots communities.

·      Provide opportunities for community action and provide ongoing support to advocates in this area.

·      Develop training materials to support the ‘Activators’ and activated grassroots communities.

Together with our partners at Opportunity International we are in the process of developing a version of the 1.4 Billion Reasons presentation that is tailored to the corporate sector. We are planning to launch this in May rolling out to boardrooms across Australia.  The presentation focuses on the sustainability of micro-finance and its role in poverty alleviation. 

The objectives of this program are:

·      Inspire youth to take action with our youth focused version of 1.4 Billion Reasons

·      Connect inspired youth who want to create change with existing resources, programs, people and organisations that are already creating change.

Following a successful pilot from October to December 2009, to over 1500 students, we will take the program nation-wide in 2010.

Church Presentation 

 Campaigns

 The Global Poverty Project is currently developing a number of high profile campaign strategies for 2010. 

·      A partnership with News Limited to increase news space on issues of extreme poverty

·      In September the UN will reconvene to review progress on the Millennium Development Goals and outline plans for the future. We will be campaigning to ensure that plans are put in place and poverty remains a high priority issue.

Supporting those who have made a commitment

To support the people we have already presented to and who have made a commitment we are launching a 12 month campaign strategy which will target various issues of extreme poverty, and lead people to action through different tasks – it may be through buying fair trade at Christmas, or signing a petition to increase aid contributions.

The Global Poverty Project is also producing a documentary film for release in 2011. There will be opportunities to invest in the 1.4 Billion Reasons film in the near future.

Following the UK launch in London on February 9^th, we will convene a meeting of the International Secretariat and Global Advisory Activation Panel where we will outline our strategies for branding and sustainable business over the next 12 months.

At the end of February I will be making a particularly special presentation at St Paul’s Cathedral London to a great audience, which will provide an incredible platform from which we can activate country-wide.

After a very successful preview at Donna Karan’s Urban Zen in December hosted by Deborra-lee Furness, Hugh Jackman and Lisa Fox, we have made some strong contacts to pursue activating there towards the end of the year. 

We aim to present 1.4 Billion Reasons across the USA in community groups, businesses, schools, universities and places of worship

Currently we are looking for advisors in the US who can work with the team to tailor the presentation to a US audience.

We are also looking for professional support and philanthropic support form individuals, companies and businesses willing to offer their services pro bono.

We are also planning some exciting work in the Netherlands, Canada, Portugal and Germany throughout the year.

With 2010 being the year of review for the Millennium Development Goals, this year counts more than any other. We can end extreme poverty within a generation, we have the framework and the means, all we need is the will.

Today I invite you to start this year afresh, leave a legacy and make a strong commitment and help end extreme poverty.

Make a New years Resolution today to take action on extreme poverty. Whether you’re going to change your buying habits and only buy fair trade coffee, or whether you’re going to join an advocacy group like Amnesty and write letters to your government representatives on issues of poverty, let 2010 be the year that YOU make a difference.

Every generation is called upon to make its mark on the planet and its people, let this be ours.

Hugh Evans

Founder and CEO

The Global Poverty Project