Building Understanding through International Links for Development (BUILD)

Address:

The Upper Office The Dutch Barn Elm Tree Park Manton SN8 1PS Wiltshire

Telephone: (44) 1672 861 001 Email: nick@build-online.org.uk Website: www.build-online.org.uk

Year established: 2002 Number of staff: 3 volunteers Number of members: 25 Annual expenditure: £4,000

Officers (2015):

President: John Whitaker There are also four trustees.

Aims and objectives:

To promote partnerships between communities (schools, colleges, towns, faith groups, local authorities, hospitals, youth organisations, etc) across the Commonwealth.

Main activities:

• Working with Commonwealth diaspora in the UK to build on their links with their countries of origin and provide them with opportunities to engage with policy makers

• Meeting with All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) “Connecting Communities” and Justine Greening to promote partnerships and our publication “Small Investment – Big Return”

• Providing opportunities for visiting Kenyan politicians to meet with the APPG for Kenya as well as with other groups – Westminster Foundation
for Democracy, THET, CLGF, etc – to discuss devolution of the counties in Kenya

• Working with the Somaliland community to gain recognition for Somaliland

• Attending CHOGMs to promote partnerships across the Commonwealth with particular reference to the diaspora

Recent publications:

Voices of the Diaspora – A New Vision Small Investment – Big Returns