History

FOAG Facts (November 2010)

• FOAG was started in 1981 and has been working in Uganda since January, 1984.
• It is supporting 13 small projects, solely in Uganda,  today (see below)
• Its committee, based in Worcestershire, is 16 strong
• It now has a London committee which is 5 strong
• It has an Associate Membership of 600 individuals/families + 100 corporate members
• It raises around £100,000 per annum through its supporters
• At least 2 committee members visit every project at least once a year
• It has one paid administrator who logs 8 hours per week
• It works directly with each project in Uganda i.e. via no other agency/organisation

 

 

 How Did FOAG begin?

In September 1981 a group of 6 Worcestershire farmers met at the home of David & Di Harper.

 

As friends they shared a concern at the dreadful news which was being televised night after night from Ethiopia where drought and political instability had combined to produce starvation, suffering and death on a catastrophic scale.

 

As farmers they were also all too aware that, here in Europe, plans were afoot to scale back food production because of over-supply.   These plans were put in to effect 10 years later and British farmers became obligated to withdraw 10% of their arable land from cereal production annually.

 

In the light of this paradox where, on the one hand, a dearth of basic cereals in one part of the world was in contrast to an excess in another part,  the Farmers Overseas Action Group of Worcestershire was formed (FOAG).   The group quickly expanded to 12 or so like-minded families and began meeting once every two months.  Various speakers from different aid agencies were invited to these meetings with the aim of enlarging our awareness of agricultural need beyond our own local horizons. 

 

In early 1983 we hosted a Ugandan speaker who was temporarily living and studying in London. He talked of how Uganda had suffered under the Amin years and how conditions had worsened following the restoration of Milton Obote to power in 1981.  He concluded his talk with a challenge to the group to consider visiting Uganda to see the desperate need for themselves.

 

In January 1984 David Harper and Malcolm Rankin responded to that challenge with a visit to Uganda where they discovered overwhelming need in every area.  It became obvious that mere ‘awareness’ was not enough – action was needed if FOAG was going to live up to its name.  And so began a gradual process of raising funds to support small-scale projects in Uganda – at first purely agricultural and, later, medical and educational.   

 

We quickly established one important principle and that was to decide that at least two of the FOAG group would visit each project in Uganda each year. Through the experience of seeing so much aid go astray because of lack of oversight and blind trust we became convinced that the best aid a group like FOAG can give is to first of all purchase a couple of air tickets and turn up on site.That principle has been adhered to through the years and, since 1984, not a single year has passed without at least one FOAG visit to each involvement there. 

 

Today, in 2010, FOAG is financially assisting 13 projects in Uganda.  We prefer to link with a project and stay with it as long as necessary rather than hop about spreading ourselves so thinly that no lasting impact is made. Our average income is around £100,000 per annum of which approximately 25% comes from ‘corporate’ supporters, Rotary Clubs, churches etc. etc., and the rest from our Associate Membership who now number over 600 across the UK.  Every supporter receives a newsletter twice a year with up-to-date news of each project.

 

 

 

FOAG were honored to be visited my Conservative MP Harriet Baldwin and Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell to tell them about our achievments and how small charities can benefit from goverment support.