Grand proposal

Discuss about The Ali Baba Foundation …………………

Introduction
The Ali Baba Foundation requests the Boston Foundation to consider its plea of $200,000 for the year 2012 so that it can support the initiative of Reducing the Obesity in Boston Area Dorchester community, a project that endeavors to improve reduce obesity amongst the community by educating the community on the importance of eating health foods and therefore improve the wellness of the residents of Boston. The grant applied for will allow the Ali Baba Foundation (ABF) to increase awareness on issues surrounding obesity and how effectively they can be handled by the individuals suffering from obesity so that they can become economically and socially self efficient by engaging in programs and services that will allow them to live independently and therefore become successful contributors their communities. ABF considers this an important program since it aligns itself with Boston Foundation’s priority of increasing the health and the wellness of the Boston residents through encouragement of healthy behaviors among Boston residents and to also increase access to not just food, but healthier foods and physical activities opportunities. Bearing this in mind, we ask the Boston Foundation to  join us in addressing the issue of obesity in Boston.
The eating habits of all age groups have changed with more people being inclined to fast food or junk food which contain a lot of fat sugar sweetened beverages. As a result obesity and obesity related complications have been on the rise in Boston. Physical activity has always been encouraged to reduce obesity but we do believe that encouraging people to engage in healthy eating habits would also result in a reduction of obesity in Boston. Therefore, it is the hope of ABF that increasing awareness in healthy eating amongst Boston residents will result in improving the health and wellness of the Boston community in Dorchester Community.
ABF commends the initiative of the Boston Foundation in promoting health and wellness in Boston and ABF strongly believes that the health and wellness of Boston community can be improved through a joint venture.
Statement of need
lack of physical activity coupled with poor diet have been identified as the main contributors to obesity and obesity related complications[1]. Furthermore, obesity related factors have been ranked second after tobacco as the leading causes of deaths in the Unites States currently[2]. However, obesity and obesity related complications are on cause to overtake tobacco as they are considered to result to 17% of total deaths in the year 2000. The consequences are grim especially to the younger generation who as a result of obesity are expected to have shorter lifespan as compared to their parents[3].
The trend of obesity in Boston is no different from the outlook of obesity trend nationally. 54% of Boston adults are obese. The rate of obesity has increased amongst the Black residents as they have experienced double obesity rates as compared to the white residents[4]. This prevalence has also been noted nationally with the obesity rates being higher amongst the Latin and the Black residents as compared to the White residents. In Boston it has been estimated that nearly 40% of the students in Public Schools (1^st -10^th grade) suffer from obesity[5].
The health consequences related to obesity have got a great impact on the economy as well as the society. Obesity has been viewed by public health experts as a very chronic health problem of the current age. Obesity presents the risk of early death to already productive workers (working adults) through heart complications, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, stroke and specific types of cancers[6]. Obese persons have got a higher percentage of contracting such conditions and it is estimated that the risk of death amongst such individuals is increased by 50%-100%.
Although research show that physical exercise does help in reducing obesity amongst individual, proper diet too is needed to realize the totality of obesity elimination. While eating fatty foods does encourage obesity, research has shown that beverages that are sugar sweetened does contribute majorly to the obesity trends experienced nationally and in Boston too. Most of the fatty foods are consumed as treats, but not so when it comes to beverage drinks. Their consumption is daily at least per person and this has lead to a higher intake of calories on a daily basis. The situation has steadily risen and the daily intake of the sugar-sweetened accounts for almost 10% of the total calories that are consumed in a diet[7]. Currently 80% of the youths consume sugar-sweetened beverages[8]; the number is lower on the adults with 63% of the adults consuming the same drinks[9]. In America today, the consumption of daily calories has increased nearly 300 times more than it was some few decades ago. Sugar-sweetened beverages can be said to contribute to more than half of this increment[10]. The increase in calories has been found by a number of studies to lead to increase in the risk of gaining weight and also the risk of developing type 2 diabetes[11], metabolic syndrome[12] and heart diseases[13]. 30 studies’ meta-analysis on sugar-sweetened beverage from 1966-2005 unraveled that the consumption of such drinks was correlated to obesity and weight gain[14]. Another study also showed that beverages that were sugar sweetened were directly related with changes in weight[15]. The beverages according to another study have been found to cause about one fifth of weight that was gained by Americans from 1977-2007[16]. These evidences serve to show that the problem of weight gain and consequently obesity is related to the type of food that a person takes. Therefore, while exercising does help in curbing the issue, it can be viewed as a secondary mean of addressing the issue. The primary solution that is guaranteed to yield results faster is change of diet.
Organizational Description
            The Ali Baba Foundation (ABF) was founded by two Harvard students in 1994, under their visionary leadership, ABF has got 25 volunteer workers in several departments including leadership, HR, PR, training and education and management. ABF aims to empower and foster elders, children with particular problems, and unaccompanied refugee minor throughout New England and beyond to become economically and socially self sufficient by providing programs and services that enable them to live independently and become successful contributors to their communities.
18 years down the line since its inception, ABF has been involved in many major projects in New England and beyond trying to empower the community in order to meet their full potential. The Foundation has been involved in successful creation of youth empowerment programs throughout the nation and has seen to it that the over 300 programs it has helped create are operational to date through setting up of proper leadership training programs.
Apart from empowering people, ABF has been involved in numerous environmental campaigns that have been fruitful in conservation of the environment. The ABF realizes that the environment is fundamental for proper sustenance of humanity by ensuring that the community has got access to clean water, zero or minimal air or noise pollution and has lobbied some government officials to help in strengthening environmental policies and ensure strict adherence to environmental laws.
The ABF has always relied on donations from its partners and individual contribution to run its operations. This has been the trend apart from when the government subsidizes in our operations especially when the organization is involved in government sponsored programs where the ABF has acted as an overseer especially in the New England region. The success rate of the ABF compared to other foundations is what has kept the donor’s constant supply of grants to the ABF to continue carrying out its activities.
The ABF targets people affected with obesity, the poor people and those who are struggling from drug related problems and refugees as they have been isolated as the most vulnerable people in society. To date ABF has successfully rehabilitated over one million people in its 18 years of existing and with increased donor confidence, the number is expected to double within the next five years.
The ABF has got 25 members who have volunteered full time. 5 of the members have been assigned leadership positions.  5 other people work in the HR department with 5 more working on the PR department. The remaining 10 people are certified trainers ranging from life coaches to psychologist amongst other professionals. Most of ABF’s outdoor activities are made possible through the many volunteers that come to work with the ABF from time to time.
ABF’s board of trustees is overseen by Jawed Ali Sheikh who is the board chairman. Other members of the board include academicians, scientists, lawyers, retired government officials, business people and philanthropists. ABF also has got committees that have been tasked with the responsibility of carrying out strategic planning as well as sourcing of funds for the foundation.
Goals and Objectives
The goal of the ABF is to reduce obesity in Boston’s Dorchester community.
To achieve this goal, ABF has set up some objectives that it aims to achieve by the first six months in order to allow for the institutions set to run themselves. The following objectives have been identified as key in curbing obesity in Boston:
a). To get the beverage companies to sensitize people on the amount of sugar available in their different packaging of their beverage and explaining the recommended daily consumption of the beverage to help curb on their excessive consumption and hence help curbing excess intake of calories.

b). To get hospitals teach the community the dangers of excessive intake of calories on a medical perspective to avoid speculation and to strengthen the mission of the campaign which is to reduce obesity in Boston Area of Dorchester community.
c). To engage nutritionists to explain the benefits of healthy feeding habits. The nutritionists will also help in advising the community on what foods to avoid and ways of including balanced diets in their daily needs. Additionally they will help with proper identification of individual obese patients and also potential obese patients based on their feeding habits. After assessing the situation of individuals, the nutritionists will then embark on a vigorous process of helping the affected individuals get access to proper diets that will help them in reduction of weight.  The nutritionist will also help in formulating proper diet for the already rehabilitated individuals to help them avoid obesity.

d). To involve policy makers in formulating policies that will help in discouraging some beverages that are known to have a high quantity of sugar of the shelves of school canteens as well as from the vending machines found in schools. This way, the youth in school will have reduced access to the beverages and eventually a reduction in obesity amongst youths in schools.
f). To involve the media in advertising the effects of consumption of too much calories whether in the beverage drinks or through eating of fatty foods so that the public can get a graphical representation of the looming threat that the whole nation and Boston faces. It has always been know that people tend to remember well crafted advertisement, therefore by use of powerful and educative advertisements, the public is expected to deter from the craze.
Project Description
The target audience will not be discriminated. The target is to reduce obesity in Boston Dorchester community and the therefore the main targets are the people suffering from obesity, however, individuals who would want to know what to do to avoid obesity will also be attended to and taught in different classes. The economical class being served will also not be discriminated as the problem is prevalent in all social classes. Moreover, gender will not be discriminated because the problems are not gender sensitive as it is common in all genders.
The personnel involved in the project will include the 25 members that the foundation has at its disposal at the moment. The five members in the leadership positions will be engaged in overseeing the daily operations during the whole exercise. The other division which have got five members each, I.e. the PR and HR departments will also use their numbers with no increment of staff required. The remaining ten members i.e. the foundation’s trainers will be used too. The selection is based on the fact that the employees have got a wealth of experience in handling such programs that the foundation has always handled. Therefore time to train new staff will be phased out. However, due to the great number of people anticipated, the foundation will have to hire ten more trainers to handle the different classes that will be offered. Moreover, due to the nature of the problem involved, the foundation will be forced to hire more professional experts on the subject.  Therefore the foundation will hire doctors, nutritionists and psychologists to help with the mission.
The programs will run in a certain order so that the intended results are achieved. After securing the funds, the foundation will take use one month to carry out organizational plans as well as sensitizing people about the proposed project in the area.
Afterwards, the foundation will embark on a six months program of setting up of classes and the programs mechanic into practice. The first six months will be used as the base of setting a program that will last not only during the program but for years to come till the problem is completely solved.
These processes will include recruiting the first ten professionals who are going to be tasked with running of the program after ABF has finished its mandate of setting up the correct foundations to be followed in addressing obesity issues in the area. The programs set will run from morning (8 am) till evening (5am) during weekdays and take break during the weekends. The venues to be used will include churches, hospitals and schools as well occasional mobile clinics so that all people in the area can be reached. The classes will run for one hour per class and they will be presided by two teachers per class. The classes will take thirty minutes break after every two classes to allow the trainers relax. The classes will be separated according to genders to enhance gender privacy and more openness amongst the ‘students’. Additionally the classes will be divided into classes for the obese and classes for the general public who may wish to amass information on proper dieting in order to avoid obesity. The classes will be arranged in to one hour classes to avoid fatiguing the ‘students’ and to allow them to return to their daily chores without taking up to much of their time.
Anticipated outcomes
By the end of the program, it is anticipated that most of the people will have acquired more knowledge about obesity. It is expected that the people affected by obesity will come in large numbers and be educated on the issues affecting them and how best they can manage their weight and eventually loose the excess weight by embracing better dieting patterns. It is anticipated that the beverage companies will be actively involved in the programs in a bid to eradicate the obesity problem in the area. Additionally the policy makers are expected to have introduced measures that will help in addressing the issue that is claiming the lives of people yet it can be avoided. It is anticipated that by the end of the program, most people will have had information concerning obesity and therefore the number is expected to decrease. Furthermore, it is anticipated that people will change their eating habits.
Budget and funding
The amount being requested is $200,000. The amount will be used to add up to the goal of $1 million dollars, a figure that was arrived at after careful evaluation of the situation and the amount of professionalism required to solve the problem of obesity in Boston area of Dorchester community. The budget requirements have been met more than halfway with the collected amount standing at $700,000. An additional $100,000 has been pledged by Mr. King Adams a philanthropist within the foundation and is due in two weeks time. Therefore, the outstanding sum of $200,000 is the only barrier between ABF and eradication of obesity in Boston. The foundation has got a record of handling large amount of funds. Last year the foundation had a budget of $5 Million. 74% of this amount went to program services while the remaining 26% went to operating costs. The organization’s support during that year came from membership contribution (66%), foundation grants (22%) and government grants (0.01%) and the bequests (4.4%). Therefore, ABF has got a strong foundation of proper finance management. Most of the funds will go into program costs (70%) while the remaining 30% will go to operating costs.
Conclusion
With the required funding, the foundation will eradicate or keep obesity at the minimum in Boston’s Dorchester community. A donation of $200,000 will therefore help the foundation help Boston and Boston Foundation to realize the dream of keeping obesity at bay.

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