Friends of Ait Abdi

Friends of Ait Abdi 

 

The organization was formally established 29.08.2014 in Norway, and was approved and officially registered in Norwegian Brønnøysund Register Centre as a help organization 18.09.2014.

Before becoming an official organization, Friends of Ait Abdi has existed since 2009 as an informal network for organizing the support of people of Ait Abdi in general, and the children and young people in Ait Abdi especially (see a short history here!)

Object and strategies

The object of the organization is to promote development and social and material conditions of life for children and young people from families settled in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco in general, and children and young people in Ait Abdi especially.

We will work towards this goal by:

• Supporting children and young people’s skills development in and outside schools and universities by providing financial support based on fundraising, sales of materials/publications about the population of Ait Abdi and by conducting research and development projects in and around Ait Abdi
• Disseminating results and experiences from the support, development and research efforts in Ait Abdi as inspiration for similar initiatives in other small Berber villages in Al Haouz.
• Motivating members and populations in Morocco and Scandinavia to give their support in these areas by imparting knowledge about children’s and young people’s everyday life, culture, and their dreams for the future.
• Cooperating with governments and other organizations locally and internationally working for the same purpose as Friends of Ait Abdi.
• Cooperating with the local organizations in Ait Abdi in order to promote various types of support to the population of Ait Abdi in general and the children and young people of Ait Abdi children in particular.

Example of an ongoing activity: Promoting and selling the new book “Sensations of a Berber village – Everyday life in Ait Abdi”.

Friends of Ait Abdi is responsible for allocating the income of the book “Sensations of a Berber village” to the people of Ait Abdi, represented by the elected board of the local association TIDOUKLA in Ait Abdi, in accordance with the statuses of Friends of Ait Abdi.

All income from the book sales, except for postage costs, is transferred to the people of Ait Abdi. So, buying a book to yourself and your friends is not only a gift to yourself and your friend, but also to the children and families in Ait Abdi. To get the book, go here!

You can give your support without a membership!

Of course you can give your support to our work, even if you are not a member:

• If you have some good ideas for how we can work better to reach our goals, please contact the chairman: Pär Nygren, e-mail: perny@online.no

• If you want to give a donation, please use the following bank details:

Name of bank: DNB
Address of Bank: Oslo, Norway
Bank account no: 15035191302 (use this transferring money within Norway)
IBAN: NO1215035191302  (use this when transferring money form outside Norway)
Swift-address (BIC): DNBANOKK (sometimes you need also to use this when transferring money form outside Norway)

Please, insert your name and e-mail address in the filed for messages when transferring the money!

Register as a member!

As a member you will get newsletters, and given the possibility of participate in the work of the organization and influencing its policy and decisions.

Member registration fee is symbolic set at 10 Norwegian kroner. (Of course you can pay more than this amount as a donation.)

All men and women over 16 who are interested in promoting development and social and material conditions of the lives of children and young people from families settled in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, especially children and young Berber people in Ait Abdi, can be members.

To register, please:

Transfer 10 Norwegian kronor (or the same amount in another currency) to the bank account of the organization – for bank details, see above!

Please, insert your name and e-mail address in the filed for messages when transferring the money!

Read the statuses of Friends of Ait Abdi below!

Contact information and organization no

Contact person: Pär Nygren, e-mail: perny@online.no

Address: c/o Nygren, Geitmyrsveien 31 B, 0171 Oslo, Norway

Organization No of Friends of Ait Abdi: 914 174 554

 

Statuses of Friends of Ait Abdi (translated from Norwegian)

Friends of Ait Abdi

 Statutes

(Translated from Norwegian)

 Oslo, Norway

 The organization ”Friends of Ait Abdi” (Org. No. 914 174 554) was established 29.08.2014 as a Norwegian organization.

1 Object of the Association

Friends of Ait Abdi will work to promote development and social and material conditions of life for children and young people from families settled in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco in general, and Berber children and young people in Ait Abdi especially.

We will work towards this goal by:

• Support children and young people’s skills development in and outside schools and universities by providing financial support based on fundraising, sales of materials/publications about the population of Ait Abdi and by conducting research and development projects in and around Ait Abdi
• Disseminate results and experiences from the support, development and research efforts in Ait Abdi as inspiration for similar initiatives in other small Berber villages in Al Haouz.
• Motivate members and populations in Morocco and Scandinavia to give their support in these areas by imparting knowledge about children’s and young people’s everyday life, culture, and their dreams for the future.
• Cooperate with governments and other organizations locally and internationally working for the same purpose as Friends of Ait Abdi.
• Cooperate with the local organizations in Ait Abdi in order to promote various types of support to the population of Ait Abdi in general and the children and young people of Ait Abdi children in particular

2 Membership

All men and women over 16 who are interested in promoting development and social and material conditions of the lives of children and young people from families settled in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, especially children and young Berber people in Ait Abdi.

3 Voting rights and eligibility

All members have voting rights and are normally eligible for election to the Board after having been member of the organization for at least two years. In certain situations, the meeting can waive this requirement.

4 Subscription

Member registration fee is basically symbolic set at 10 Norwegian kroner. Member registration fee may be changed by the Annual Meeting and is payable in advance. Members who owe dues for more than a year has no voting right or other rights, and may be excluded by the board as a member. If a member is excluded, it cannot be taken up as a member again until outstanding fees are paid.

5 The remuneration of the members of the board

Board work is voluntary and not remunerated.

6 Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Annual Meeting, which is held every year in the month of May, is the highest authority. The Board convenes for the Annual General Meeting with at least one month’s notice directly to the members. Proposals to be considered at the annual meeting shall be sent to the Board no later than two weeks before the annual meeting. Complete agenda must be available to members at least one week before the annual meeting.

All members have access to the annual meeting. The Board may invite other people and the media to be present.

Annual Meeting is quorate with the number of voting members in attendance. No more than one vote. Voting may be by proxy.

At the annual meeting cannot treat proposal to amend the bylaws that are not listed on the agenda later than one week before the AGM. Other issues can be discussed and resolved if 2/3 of the audience demands it. Such determination can only be taken in conjunction with the approval of the agenda.

7 Management of Annual Meeting

The elected chairperson chairs annual meetings. The conductor does not need to be a member of the association.

8 Voting at AGM

Unless otherwise specified a valid decision is made with trailing majority of the votes cast. Blank votes shall be regarded as not having been made.

Election of Directors shall be by ballot if there is more than one proposal. Only proposed candidates can be listed on the ballot. Should the same voting elect more than one candidate, ballots must contain all candidates that shall be selected by the voting. Ballots that are blank or that contain no candidates or other candidates than the ones who are to be elected, does not count, and votes are considered as not having been made.

When an elections, in which a candidate does not achieve more than half of the listed voters, it should be conducted a bounded new election between the two candidates who received the most votes. Does this new election results in equality of votes lot decides the election.

9 Annual meeting tasks

The Annual Meeting shall:

1 Manage Friends of Ait Abdis´ annual report

2 Manage Friends of Ait Abdis´ accounting

3 Manage received proposals

4 Fix /change fees

5 Decide the budget of Friends of Ait Abdi

6 Select:

1. a) Leader
2. b) Board members

10 Extraordinary General Meetings

Extraordinary General Meetings shall be held when the Board decides or at least a third of the members with right to vote do so.

The rules for notice of the meeting are the same as for regular annual meetings, with at least 14 days notice.

An Extraordinary General Assembly may only consider and take decisions in the cases announced in the notice.

11 The Board

Friends of Ait Abdi is managed by the Board, which is the highest authority between annual meetings.

The Board consists of a chairperson and three members. At least one member shall represent the people of Ait Abdi and at least one member shall represent Lillehammer University College. The Board is elected for two years, with the possibility of reelection. It is desirable that the board is replaced only with less than three members at a time, so that continuity is ensured.

The Board shall:

1. Implement annual meeting regulations.
2. Appoint committees and individuals as needed for specific tasks and work instructions for them.
3. Prioritize and trigger the use of funds and other resources related to the support given to the people of Ait Abdi after obtaining the wishes and priorities of the people of Ait Abdi in general and especially the local organization Tidoukla
4. Manage and perform the necessary economy of Friends of Ait Abdi in accordance with the current instructions and regulations.
5. Represent Friends of Ait Abdi externally.

The Board shall meet when the Chairman calls for it or a majority of the board members so request.

The Board constitutes a quorum when a majority of its members are present. Resolutions are passed by a majority of the votes cast. In case of a tied vote, the Chairman’s vote counts double.

12 groups / departments

Friends of Ait Abdi can create local branches and/or groups. These can be managed by appointed trustees or elected boards. The annual meeting or the board determines the creation of local associations / groups, and how these should be organized and managed.

Friends of Ait Abdi have the responsibility for the financial obligations of the local associations/groups, but local associations / groups cannot enter into agreements or represent Friends of Ait Abdi externally without board approval.

13 The statuses of the association

Amendments to these statuses can only be amended by an ordinary or an extraordinary general meeting having this subject on the agenda, and it requires two-thirds majority of the votes cast.

14 Resolution (§ 14 can not be changed.)

Resolution of Friends of Ait Abdi can only be processed at the annual meeting. If a resolution is passed by at least two-thirds majority, it must be convened by an extraordinary general meeting three months later. For the resolution to be valid it must be re-adopted by two-thirds majority.

Association with other organizations is not considered resolution of Friends of Ait Abdi. Decision on the association and the necessary changes in statutes relating thereto is made ​​in accordance with the provisions amending the statutes, cf. § 13.