Annual Report 2013

A year of authentic, effective, empowerment.

Dear Channel friends and family,

I am so happy to be able to write these words to you all today, as Channel Initiative wraps up its inaugural fiscal year, and rings in a New Year together with you all, our community.

Channel began in late 2012, as nothing more than a dream, and a desire to see 'aid' be more than just a way to keep people eking out an existence, but rather as an opportunity to challenge and empower them to do amazing things. A group of friends and counselors believed in my vision, and within only a few months, Channel Initiative was born. In 2013, our mission to serve unreached communities through collaborating with activists, churches, businesses and other charities, so that we can empower local people and communities to create incredible impact in their own nations, began shaping up into a reality in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

There, we work with Panzi Foundation DRC, and our community of international partners, to respond to the urgent need for high quality primary health-care in rural communities that go largely unreached, either because of distance, difficulty or conflict. Our work in the Democratic Republic of Congo goes much deeper than simply improving access to quality health-care though, it is our stand to say that people, everywhere, women, men, poor or wealthy, have a right to life and the opportunities that come with that. It is about using a platform of health, to re-instill hope, claim life, and rebuild peace for and with a people in urgent need of it.

Already, even though we are only finishing up our pilot year, we have learned so much, overcome many challenges, and hit a few roadblocks, but our mission always remains the same, because it is true. It is authentic and if we are to ever achieve that dream of a world free from extreme human suffering, it is necessary.

The pages of this Annual Report, outline just a few of the highlights of 2013, as part of our Build Hope program on the ground in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I hope you enjoy reading it, as much as we enjoyed preparing it!

Thank you for believing in our mission to reach and serve the most vulnerable communities. Thank you for seeing the possibilities and the potential of the women of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Thank you for believing in God's call to us all, to live out a dirty and inconvenient faith that relentlessly seeks after the most in need. Thank you for being ready to be a part of a positive change in the way in which we serve people around the world.

Thank you for being passionate about seeing lives changed for the better. Thank you for seeing what we work for – a world free from extreme human suffering.

Thank you for believing.

Dominique Vidale-PlazaFounder and Chief Executive OfficerChannel Initiative

Dominique Vidale-Plaza

Changes and Developments in 2013

A lot has happened with Channel Initiative, both strategically and operationally in 2013. Beneath is a review of some of the developments that took place this year.

Revised Mission Statement

We made a few minor revisions to our mission statement to better reflect the lessons we have learned, and the organization we are evolving into.

Original Mission Statement:

To respond to the urgent needs of under-served, vulnerable populations worldwide through creating a forum for nonprofit organizations, mission-minded businesses, churches, individuals, and activists around the world to collaborate

and channel resources into creating the most effective, locally-owned solutions to the most pressing needs of the most desperate people worldwide.

Current Mission Statement:

Our mission is to reach and respond to the urgent needs of under-served, vulnerable populations worldwide.

We do this through creating a forum for nonprofit organizations, mission-minded businesses, churches, governments and activists around the world to

collaborate and channel resources into creating the most effective, locally-owned and empowerment-focused solutions to the most pressing needs of the most

at-risk people worldwide.

Here's the rationale behind the minor changes.

1. Governments must be included in processes affecting the development of their nations. While we believe in ground-up impact, and stand by community-development first and foremost, we recognize that governments must necessarily also be a part of the process of developing and empowering communities, if our actions are to be sustainable in the long-term.

2. Empowerment focused solutions. While we have always stood by this ideal, we neglected to explicitly mention it, in the initial version of the mission statement. Throughout this year we have realized the need to place a spotlight on this element of our work. None of our solutions on the ground, should have the potential to foster dependency more so than independence and empowerment.

3. At-risk vs desperate. The word, 'desperate', has negative connotations, it inspires pity more so than mutual respect. That's not the kind of impression we want to give of our colleagues and communities we serve on the ground. They are remarkable, insightful and incredibly resourceful people, who do not need pity, but rather, opportunities to make the most of their potential.

Changes and Developments in 2013 cont'd

Introduction of a new field-site – Walungu

Another development in 2013, was that we decided to include the reinforcement of a health center operated by Panzi Foundation DRC in Mulamba, Walungu, named Centre Hospitalier Mulamba, as part of our core Build Hope program this year.

We uncovered early on this year, that many women from our initial target area – Kilungutwe, Mwenga, would walk to receive care at this health center for many hours. Once they arrived, they would often have to sleep on floors, or two to a bed while they were being treated, then walk or ride a motorcycle back to their homes.

The Centre Hospitalier Mulamba is struggling, with very little capacity to care for the women who come from three different zones to receive the quality care that they strive to offer. The doctors, while extremely capable and willing, struggle without electricity, running water and outdated or insufficient equipment.

As part of our goal to ensure that rural and vulnerable women in Eastern Congo have access to high quality health, both urgently as well as in the long term, we see it necessary to ensure that this existing center is able to effectively serve its clients.

Reinforcing Centre Hospitalier Mulamba in rural Eastern Congo with medical supplies thanks to our partners Maternova Inc and Life for African Mothers.

Adoption of a new approach

It's not quite new, but is more the consolidation of our existing programmatic approach into a scientifically proven design method for programs and concepts known as Human Centered Design.

Human Centered Design evokes all the principles we find critical to our programming, starting with knowing and understanding the needs of communities, their strengths and of course their own ideas and their potential as well.

Human Centered Design – the development of products, programs and solutions that are in line with people's needs, cultures, ideas and capacity and lives has always been at the crux of what we do, so in 2013, we were extremely pleased to begin using the innovative and effective human-centered design approach to guide our work with Build Hope.

A Human Centered Design Approach

Channel Initiative firmly believes that the most effective and sustainable solutions come about through close partnership with local actors and individuals. Past this close partnership, we ensure that all of our solutions are authentic, effective and rooted in long-term empowerment. These are our key takeaways from the human centered design approach.

Human-Centred Design (HCD) is a set of techniques that enables users to create better and more innovative solutions, that may include products, services or programs. The process focuses on human needs and desires and posits that by paying close attention to who people are, we learn their true desires - hence, the Desirability step of the process. Once we know what these true desires are, we can move on to the Feasibility and Viability design steps.

For us at Channel, we focus on three key phases of the HCD approach - Hear, Create and Deliver. We start by conducting interviews, listening and making observations on what the members of the community have to say. This is a continuous process as needs and desires constantly evolve and develop. Field research represents a key component of Channel's work on the ground, and it is this process that ensures that we collect essential and accurate information on the community's needs, how they view them, and what they desire as solutions.

The next step, the Create phase, focuses on making an analysis of our field research, so as to uncover any hidden needs and and recurring themes. From this learning process, we are then able to develop workshops, seminars and community meetings through which we can observe and gain an even more complex understanding of people, their community, culture and how best to serve them.

Finally, we shift to the final phase, Deliver, a step we view as extremely critical, simply because we seek to be an organization that is not only aware of people's needs but one that reaches and responds to them. Channel Initiative delivers solutions that are rooted not only in what people need and desire, but also in their strengths, capacity and visions for their future.

HCD places emphasis on developing long-term solutions, which generally require a longer time frame to implement, to enable local participants and stakeholders to become active actors in the development process. While the process may be longer than traditional development aid approaches, we have already begun to see that it is extremely worthwhile.

As a start-up organization, Channel Initiative values lean practices, so that, even with limited resources, we are able to quickly recognize which solutions work, which do not, and which we need to place emphasis on. We quickly and continuously monitor and evaluate our solutions, so as not to waste any resources and spend more time, on what works on the ground.

Authored by:

Monica ChiriacChannel InitiativeField Support

Build Hope Activities Realized in 2013

This year, 20 traditional birthing attendants in Kilungutwe were trained in clean and safe birth and post partum hemorrhage. These amazing front-line workers were then resourced with clean-birth kits to put into place their new knowledge.

115 women from Kilungutwe, were also educated in reproductive health this year. This group of women learned about menstrual hygiene, birth-spacing and infection prevention, both for themselves and for their children and families as well. They were then resourced with our Building Moms kits, which included, sanitary pads, Neosporin, and Cycle Beads.

Build Hope Activities Realized in 2013 cont'd

1 critical health-center facility was reinforced with solar equipment,medical supplies and life-saving medication for post-partum hemorrhage cases. We were pleased to support this center in being able to care for the many women they serve each month, who come from near and far.

36 more local women, seamstresses and artisans were empowered with education on family-planning, the importance of pre-natal care and breastfeeding. This group of women was then resourced with a wide range of supplies, including clean birth kits, reusable sanitary pads, and Neosporin.

2013 Investment Accountability

A breakdown of our expenditure in 2013

Special Note

Channel Initiative finds it imperative to be transparent in the way in which we classify our expenses. We want you to know what we are classifying as “direct expenditure”.

Direct expenses refers to any expenses directly attributable to the development and implementation of the Build Hope program in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This includes, e.g. in-country travel, stipends for in-country team-members, the purchase and transportation of supplies, investments into our partner organizations, training supplies and wages for local part-time staff members.

We view indirect expenditure to be as important to the fulfillment of our mission as direct expenditure. Without our indirect expenses, much of the work that we do on the ground, would not be able to take place. Indirect expenditure includes our US operations expenses, e.g. travel, web-hosting, campaign costs, State requirements, the purchase of equipment, and stipends for US based team-members.

Prudence

It is one of our core values to view your donations to Channel Initiative as investments, of which we must prudently steward in order to create the most impact on the ground. We seek to be cost-effective in everything that we do, both in the field and in the US, and perform due diligence in all of our of our purchases regardless of amount.

Direct Expenses ($10,724)

Indirect Expenses ($4,965)

Finance Fees ($395)

2013 Investment Accountability cont'd

Gifts in Kind Received

We understand that for many of our community members, the best way to ensure accountability, is to invest supplies, services and other gifts in kind, rather than making cash contributions. We value these gifts in kind, as they are critical to our empowerment work on the ground.

Here's a list of all the gifts in kind Channel Initiative received in 2013:

NeosporinReusable Sanitary PadsFamily-planning cycle bead devicesMisoprostolBandages Baby clothingBlood pressure monitoring equipmentSolar SuitcaseClean Birth KitsEmergency dressing Assorted medical equipmentTraining filmsAirfareBaggage transportation costsWeb-hostingDesign services

For privacy purposes, we have not listed the members of our community who were responsible for these gifts in kind. For further clarification, please feel free to send an inquiry to our Director of Engagement: Kirthi Jayakumar at kjayakumar@channelinitiative.org.

Dear Channel community,

As Channel Initiative begins a new year, we are absolutely certain that everything we were able to achieve in 2013, would not have been a reality without the support of you all, the members of our community from around the world.

Channel Initiative began as a simple dream, and has now become something much more, much bigger than us all. From a vision that was more of a haze inside our heads, we began a volley of emails that travelled across the world in nanoseconds, daily, until we were able to translate ideas, into words, and finally, actions.

This past year, our journey together has been filled with exciting and special moments – whether it was in seeing new mothers and their babies cooing and crawling around them, or survivors of sexual violence singing and dancing, or in spontaneous meetings in train stations with our partners, to receive medication that would undoubtedly save lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In all of our moments, our gratitude has known no bounds: to the Lord who is the force behind all the work we do, to the many people He has brought our way to make this vision into a reality, and to our amazing community of supporters and well-wishers.

We value your contributions, your support, your feedback and your comradery.

We look forward to another year of chasing this audacious dream of a world free from extreme human suffering with you all.

Sincerely,

Kirthi JayakumarChannel InitiativeDirector of Engagement