charities
The main objectives of the society is to raise money for at least one Omani and one Scottish charity at each of our social events. Some of our Recent benefactors are listed below.
If you know of a charity either in Scotland or Oman that would benefit from a donation from us please email us or sign our guestbook. It's your society - you decide.
Maggie's Centres
At the
2008 Summer Ceilidh we asked Lorna Guckian, the wife of the
Ambassador to the United Kingdom, to
choose a charity that we should donate funds raised on the night to. Her charity of choice is the Maggie Keswick Jencks
Cancer Caring Centres Trust, or more affectionately Maggie's Centres.
A Maggie's Centre is a place anyone affected by cancer can turn to for help. The centres are open to everyone - not just to people who have been diagnosed with cancer, but also to their families, friends and carers.
All our services are free of charge and we work in partnership with local NHS Trusts.
Maggie's programme of support is designed to give people the tools they need to cope with the major upheaval cancer causes in their lives.
Maggie's offers information, psychological and emotional support and practical advice.
Our buildings are positioned close to major cancer treatment centres, within hospital grounds, so that people can find us easily and drop by.
To learn more about Maggie's Cenres and the amazing and unique architecture of each of their buildings please visit their website www.maggiescentres.org.
Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland
Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland aims to improve the quality of life for people in Scotland affected
by chest, heart and stroke illness through medical research, advice and information, and support in the community.
CHSS is one of Scotland's leading medical charities. Coronary heart disease is our biggest killer. Stroke is the main cause of disability in the community. Chest illnesses of various kinds are the biggest single reason for using the health service.
CHSS fund research into all aspects of the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and the social impact of chest, heart and stroke illness. Our current programme is worth more than ?1 million.
CHSS provides care and support throughout Scotland for people affected by these conditions,
including family and other carers.
Please visit the CHSS website for more information about the charity and view the letter we received from CHSS here.
Oman Association for the Disabled
The Oman Association for the Disabled, is a non-profit making organisation registered with the Ministry of Social Development, and runs purely on voluntary basis providing care, services and training to the disabled to make them qualify for job opportunities. In addition it also helps the disabled with aiding means such as wheel chairs including its repairs, hearing aid etc.
For more information about this local charity please visit their website, note this website is presented in Arabic only.
Leprosy Patients at Rustaq
The Caledonian Society of Oman were pleased to donate 1500 OR to help the leprosy patients in Rustaq from proceeds from the recently held Summer Ceilidh 2008.
The main fundraising focus is on the children affected by leprosy in the area. The charity helps to provide their education, clothes, summer courses. They also provide funding for two Indian ladies to visit their families in Hyderabad every 2-3 years.
Also each year money raised through various fundraising activities for the centre is spent on taking the patients gifts at Eid......toys for the children, and clothing, perfume and food items for the adults so that everyone can celebrate the festival.
Here are some photos of the children being supported by the donations from the Cal Soc.
The girls
in the photo to the left are called Aysha and Fatma, and
they are
pictured with their mother, who is a leprosy sufferer.
The
boys are
called Ali and Hussein, and they are pictured with their father
Mohammed Ali (!) who is a leprosy sufferer and their mother who is
not. They now also have a baby sister, Halima.
These families live in the villages of Rustaq and Suwaiq - no longer in the centre at Rustaq. There are currently 21 residents in the centre - male and female, and three families outside the centre who need our support.
If you would like to support the Leprosy Centre with either a cash donation or Eid gift, please contact us and we will liaise directly with the centre.
Alzheimer Scotland
Alzheimer Scotland is Scotland's leading dementia charity. They provide services and campaign actively to help
people with dementia and their families and carers.
They give equal importance to providing services and campaigning and work nationally and locally to raise awareness of dementia and to influence local and national government. The charity also run a national 24 hour freephone Dementia Helpline and provide local services across Scotland.
For more information please visit the Alzheimer Scotland website. On the website much information can be found for people with dementia, carers, family members, professionals, policy-makers, students and anyone who wants to know more.
Children's Holiday Venture
Children's Holiday Venture is a recognised society of Edinburgh University and the UK's only fully
student-run children's charity. They work with 120 children from
socially deprived areas of Edinburgh such as Niddrie, Bingham,
Pilton, Craigmillar, Granton and Muirhouse.
The society, which has been running since 1963, aims to give these children the support, time and most importantly, the fun that they need. We do this by regularly taking the children out swimming with student volunteers as well as on day trips which are intended to be educational and fun.
For more information about the charity, please visit their website.
National Association for Cancer Awareness
In many parts of the world cancer is still a taboo and, to a certain
extent, Oman is no different. It was noted that there are gross
limitations on the awareness on cancer in Oman. The concept of
self-examination, early presentation and diagnosis as the corner
stone of successful treatment was not appreciated. So was the
acceptance of certain modalities of patient management.
Click here to read the letter received from The National Association for cancer awareness.
For more information about the charity, please visit their website.
Animal Rescue Centre (ARC) Oman
Mission Statement:
'To promote responsible pet ownership and set up a stray animal
control programme in Oman.'
Animal Rescue Centre (ARC) is a group of Omani Nationals and expatriate volunteers who work with abandoned, stray and injured animals found on the streets of Oman. The aim of this group is to reduce the number of stray cats and dogs by implementing a catch, neuter and release programme as well as building an animal shelter to re-home individual abandoned animals.
Since its formation ARC has re-homed, neutered and treated many animals and with the increase of support it is the intention to offer a variety of web-based resources for the benefit of companion animal owners. This includes guidelines on the benefits of neutering companion animals.
As well as working in these areas, ARC would like to work with Omani Government officials in order to discuss the DEFRA Pet Passport Scheme which will enable expatriates to export their pets and avoid the animal quarantine rule in the UK, and other countries, which deters people from taking their animals with them when they leave Oman. This would reduce the number of strays left to fend for themselves on the streets of Muscat. This programme and the catch, neuter and release programme is already successful in the UAE and Bahrain and other countries.
ARC has long term plans to join the world's united front in helping suffering and abandoned animals and promote Oman as a caring country.
ARC became a member of WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals) in 2006.
Click here to read the letter received from ARC.
ARC's website is currently under construction, a link will follow shortly.
Friends of Raeden
The Raeden Centre is a multi-disciplinary assessment and
treatment centre in Aberdeen for special needs children in the city
and outlying areas. It provides treatment, therapy and education for
children aged 0-5. The local council and NHS Grampian jointly fund
the centre.
The Friends of Raeden is the registered charity which supports the
work of the centre. Over the years their efforts have provided the
centre with many features that are considered luxuries or extras not
funded by the council. They built a hydrotherapy pool at the centre
and the parent accommodation. They are currently funding a music
therapist who is proving to be a valuable member of the staff and
very beneficial to the children.
Click here to read the letter received from The National Association for cancer awareness,
The Anthony Nolan Trust
The UK's most successful bone marrow register.
The Anthony Nolan Trust takes back lives from leukaemia by providing lifesaving donors for patients in need of a bone marrow transplant. Since 1974 they have helped to give over 5,800 children and adults a new chance of life.
For more information about the Anthony Nolan Trust, please visit their website.
The Association of Early Intervention
The association of early intervention for children with special needs serves children from birth to 6 years,
who are at risk or disabled, with a comprehensive early intervention programme that covers social, medical, physical,
academic and therapeutic services; with the objective of having the children enrol in regular schools or minimize
their disabilities to ensure a better quality of life for them and their families. The association also undertakes an
educational and advocacy role to improve societal awareness of people with special needs.
The association was formed on 22nd march 2000 and officially chartered by the ministerial order (144/2000) issued on 20th may 2000 in Muscat.
For more information about the charity, please visit their website.
British Scholarship for Oman
This year, fourteen students have been selected from Oman to begin study in the area of their choice in September this year. As elsewhere in the World, the Chevening programme is funded in a partnership of corporate sponsors with the British foreign ministry. Oman is special in this respect, in that a commercially-sponsored scholarship programme began before Chevening was introduced, run by a voluntary group of Omani and British companies called 'British Scholarships for Oman' or 'BSO'. BSO remains to this day to principal partner for the Chevening Scholarship Award Scheme in Oman. Of the fourteen scholars beginning study this year, half are sponsored by BSO. Recent BSO contributors include: Airwork, Al Kamil Power, BAe Systems, BP Oman, Ernst & Young, CfBT Education Services & Partners, DHL, Denton Wilde Sapte, Gulf Air, HSBC Bank Middle East, Huckle & Partners, KPMG, Hotel Intercontinental Muscat, Muna Noor Incorporated, Premix, Readymix, Shell Oman Marketing Company, Tarmac Alawi and Trowers & Hamlins. Other partners in the Chevening Scheme have included Vosper Thornycroft and British Airways.
The
Caledonian Society of Oman were please to be added to the list of
sponsors for the British Scholarships for Oman scheme by donating
500 OR in February 2008.
Gary Manners, the present chieftain, is pictured on the left presenting a cheque to the president of the British Scholarships for Oman society.
Updated 29 June 2008
