For image credits see below*. Click on the images to see them full size on Flickr.

Why do we need your donation now?

In 2011, less than £10,000 in public donations helped us raise nearly £1,000,000 for our first trial in Zambia. We have no paid staff, no building and very low core costs. That’s why your donation can achieve such a lot. We have literally moved corporate ‘mountains’ – almost entirely on volunteer effort.

So – a million pounds! Isn’t ColaLife now a wealthy charity? No: the funding we have raised for the trial is ‘ring fenced’ for work in Zambia: to pay for implementation (mainly by local partners), for ‘social marketing’ – getting our message across to mothers and carers, and for rigorous monitoring and evaluation of the trial.

The ‘behind the scenes’ work in the UK is unfunded, yet is absolutely vital for our future success and sustainability. We need YOUR donation to support income generation and fund-raising for the next steps, and to help ensure we establish ColaLife on a firm footing, in its first years as a UK registered charity.

What will your donation be used for?

We use donations to pay for protoyping and procuring AidPods and contents, for materials, communications, volunteer travel costs and to support our wider fund-raising efforts. As we operate mainly online, we don’t pay rent, or salaries. But we sometimes have to pay for professional fees we need to run the organisation (the ones we can’t get for free!).

What will we achieve with your donation?

First, we campaigned to get Coca-Cola’s attention (done!) and then to get their engagement (done!), then to put together an international partnership (done!). That partnership in Zambia has now begun an independently evaluated trial of the ColaLife concept. We now at the point where we can say each AidPod needs a subsidy of around $1. But the trial will give confirm those answers. And your money will go towards developing and testing of one of the most exciting ideas to combat child mortality in many, many years. An idea that has captured the enthusiasm of thousands of people across the globe including some of the most respected names in public health, logistics and overseas development.

Thanks for reading this and considering a donation. You can donate online here www.charitygiving.co.uk/donate/colalife/ or you can send donations to:

ColaLife
18a Regents Place
Rugby
CV21 2PN
UK

Please make your cheques payable to: ColaLife. If you are a UK tax payer and would like us to reclaim the tax you’ve paid on the money you are donating please download and complete this Gift Aid Declaration Form (PDF 299 KB) and send it with your cheque.

* Image credits from left to right: Ellie Stoneley | The Guardian | Tim Dench | Tim Dench | Tim Dench | Sam Berry
Image content from left to right: Madagascan child with AidPod | Empty medicine store in Katine, Uganda | Tanzanian children with AidPod | Coca-Cola crate with AidPod | Emptying social products from an AidPod