Welcome to our quarterly newsletter, keeping you informed of all our activities over the last few months.
Spring 2019
Firefly International Newsletter
In the Spring Newsletter:
Firefly at 20 Celebrations
The Ellie Maxwell Award
Projects Update
Fundraising Events
Firefly at 20 - a celebration of 20 years.
A wonderful celebration of Firefly and it's founder Ellie Maxwell
A full house in the wonderful Playfair Library
Inspirational speakers, artists and music
Over £8500 raised for our partners in Syria, Turkey and Bosnia
Thanks to the 250 supporters who gathered to celebrate Firefly at 20. Nine Edinburgh student volunteers helped organise the event, which brought together past and present volunteers and our Bosnian director, Gordana. Firefly relies on volunteers; and our new volunteering partnership with Edinburgh University has proved very successful this year.
Artist Bruce Munro kindly donated his light installation Fireflies which lit up the Old Quad and Derek Robertson's showed his poignant artwork linking animal and human migration.
There was haunting Balkan music from Kuchke and inspiring words from Marjorie Lotfi Gill and Dan Gorman.
Young activist Amal Azzudin was the keynote speaker and her words really hit home, describing her experience of what it's like to live as a refugee in the UK.
Ben Maxwell launched the Ellie Maxwell Award which will be given to an Edinburgh student pioneering work in the charitable sector at the end of May.
An amazing night and thanks to everyone who worked so hard and for free to make it all possible.
Hands Up if you'd like an Update from our Projects
We support locally led projects in Bosnia, Turkey and Syria
We reach 1000 children every month
Creative science learning that builds future life skills
Arts education that grows tolerance
£1 per month/child for our summer programme in Turkey and Northern Syrian camps
Small but perfectly formed
We enable our partners through funding and organisational support in Bosnia, Turkey and Syria. Our key aim is to deliver quality learning opportunities to children and young people in a safe environment which help to build skills to improve their future prospects. Your donations really do go directly to our partners as we have very low administration and fundraising costs.
You can read more about our projects and fundraising events on our website here
IMAN TAJIK - PHOTOGRAPHER
Iman Tajik Photos for Sale
Young Iranian artist Iman Tajik showed some of his photos at Firefly at 20. These powerful photographs were from a series he made as a refugee in the Calais Jungle and are for sale.
He has kindly agreed to give a substantial percentage of the proceeds of any work sold to Firefly.
Please contact diana@fireflyinternational.org for further information.
This weekend a team is attempting to walk Hadrian's Wall in 3 days to raise money for Firefly and to highlight the notion of borders in relation to war and displacement.
