Just Living? Having a Strong Moral Compass helps!Is your moral compass active?Today’s interconnected, mass social media society is quick to praise or condone actions. Witness the speed with which individual comments or visual images transform into collective opinion or video footage going viral. In one sense this poses an interesting dilemma for the individual – are you ‘with’ or ‘against’ the so-called popular ‘instant wisdom’. Do you stand up for what’s right when unpopular, show commitment to ethical standards and integrity through words and actions. In whose interests do you act and do you take personal accountability and expect the same of others? Is your moral compass active?In recent months, populism seems to have taken root - there is anger, sadness, frustration, mistrust, loss of confidence, etc – over a range of different issues, especially against the ‘the establishment’. This provides fertile ground for politics, business and ‘alternative facts’ to exploit. Images play a powerful role, they ferment passions when you see strife and turmoil in the Middle East or hunger and starvation in Africa or environmental damage from illegal deforestation and burning in Asia or, nearer home, abuse and exploitation of the young and vulnerable. Reputational damage is caused when you see mistreatment of an airline passenger, bloodied and being dragged off an aircraft or car emissions data misused to circumnavigate regulations or when cybercrime results in financial loss or personal information and data hacked into. And add to this continued bribery and corruption across the world between business and politicians. Mixed into this heady cocktail is ‘the media’ – print, sound and visual. Then there is social media, created for and by itself, the consumer digests its own news. Boundaries are weak between what is perception and reality, fact and fiction and news and fake news. Our sensory perceptions are under constant exposure to news, views, e-mails, texts, twitters and whatapps’ - the compass in your mind just whizzing around in no particular direction or purpose!The Third Sector – needs to watch its compass deviation?Back to the individual – he/she enjoys life and works hard (private sector), must pop-in to see his/her local GP (public sector) and is lucky to have an affordable place to stay (for example, housing provided by the third sector). This scenario in unlikely to be rare and is a simplistic illustration of our mixed-use economy. The role played by this third sector, the charitable and voluntary sector, is important. It provides another vital layer of a safety net and contributes to our cohesiveness. This includes a diverse range of organisations from social enterprises, community workshops and clubs/societies to think-tanks, private research initiatives and cooperatives. The notion of community spirit still thrives and in practice, individuals engage with each other in a multitude of ways to commit time and money in giving.From time to time the charity sector comes under the microscope – a well-known and powerful on-line fund platform that facilitates the raising of hundreds of millions of pounds has come in for much criticism over the quantum of fees it generates on donations plus related gift-aid and the transparency over its charges. Its defence might be persuasive – there is no reason why a ‘for-profit’ charity cannot operate as a ‘for-good’, highly professional, reliable and trusted organisation that has a proven track record in enabling a vast range of causes from raising funds. There is mutual dependency at work here – the technology and innovation provided by the talented people who run the platform acts as the ‘generator’ for fund raising that is scalable. But in turn, the platform becomes a ‘taker’, the bigger the volume of funds raised, the greater its fees. The danger for the platform is the perception of greed, arrogance and a sort of monopolistic behaviour arising from its success. If the public believes it is getting a value add service, the relationship will survive but its needs to be wary of the risk of moral hazard, of being seen as ‘taking but not giving’.Transparency is about doing the right thing, being open, accountable and trustworthy. However, it is possible for charities to be smart and business-like whilst retaining core values at the same time.Similarly, certain charities have been fined recently by the regulator responsible for data protection. Breaches have occurred in the buying, selling and sharing of personal information of donors, between charities and third parties. The aim was to exploit (‘data mine’) the valuable information that data analysis can provide of donors’ wealth, preferences and lifestyles, with a view to targeting alternative avenues for further donations. The involvement of third parties is to use technological capabilities that charities do not possess and in return, they are able to further data process the core personal information. The use and abuse of data, be it at work, in cars, on your mobile, tablet or television and the advent of the internet of things, poses interesting challenges. Who or what data really controls your personal moral compass?One Kind Act – a place to rebalance the compass?Well, if you embrace ‘compassion’ and play around with the word, then you can quickly reset your compass! Today it sees everyone is a staff member, an associate, customer, client, buyer, follower, a crowd funder, a whatsapp group member, etc. We are identified by mobile numbers, e-mail addresses, passwords, user ID’s, etc. Somewhere in there is a person, a living being capable of detaching from the omni-channel existence of handhelds and headphones and wanting a connection that makes a difference.OKA is that channel – a conduit to be part of life that makes sense of living, where through your own actions and interactions with fellow like-minded people, you get to build something worthwhile. Your personal compass will guide you to your destination – a cause you want to pursue, an event you want to contribute to, your expertise and time you want to volunteer or simply to give something that makes a difference with someone else’s life compass.Kaushik ShahSupporter of One Kind Act

Drumroll Please.....We are proud winners as Charity Startup of The Year at the Asian Voice Charity Awards powered by Charity ClarityPlease find below the link to the Charity Clarity webpage which has the article featuring One Kind Act.  Read the full update here: http://www.charityclarity.org.uk/2017/07/one-kind-act-joyful-giving/To see Previous Winners, click here p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Arial; color: #232323; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} Charities all around Britain do great work every day. The Asian Voice Charity Awards powered by Charity Clarity are not only about charities which seek to solve the most pressing social issues of our time both in Britain and globally, but also for those that seek to innovate and strive for excellence and whose success is judged by their end results. These Awards offer a priceless leg-up to organisations that are delivering practical solutions to present-day problems.The ceremony will be held at Hilton on Park Lane, 19th May 2017 and the award we have been nominated for is Charity Startup of The Year and is similar to Charity of the Year, but specifically for charities that have been operational for three years or less.See our nomination here: http://asianvoicecharityawards.com/2017-winners-shortlist/This would not have been possible without the hard work and support from the One Kind Act community of volunteers. We'll keep you posted on all the latest news and updates....Watch this space...

In March 2017, OKA committee member and Associate, Mona Bhogal, hosted a dinner at the excellent Connoisseur restaurant in Harrow to express appreciation to Sponsors whose support has been invaluable. Representatives of Causes OKA support were also invited to speak about where the money donated was being used.  Sponsors hence discovered, through first-hand accounts, exactly where their money was going and what it was being used for.The evening was deeply appreciated by all in attendance with feedback being overwhelmingly positive:"Many were very much interested in knowing about our charity. It was nice. We really enjoyed the food.Thank you all again for inviting us and for agreeing to help us again.""It was really great to meet more of the OKA team as well as sponsors and charity representatives - a room full of very inspiring people. And of course the food was delicious too!""It was really great to meet some of OKA's sponsors and supporters- as ever, I was touched by everyone's warmth and kindness and inspired by the strides OKA is making and great causes you're supporting.""You made us feel so welcome and so valued. That is a gift in itself and, may I say, One Kind Act. We're so honoured to be working with you."The Sponsors loved the informal evening which gave a chance to mingle. They felt meeting the representatives of Causes supported made their donations alive and real. It really hit home how OKA puts money to use helping a wide variety of needy Causes and bringing tangible improvements in the level of happiness around the world.  In addition, our patron Mark Ramprakash being in attendance, led to much light hearted banter about cricket and dancing!This was the first dinner to thank our Sponsors and OKA aims to make it a regular annual event.   

On a rainy afternoon in March, OKA hosted the local OAPs tea party at the home of chairman Shamit and his wife Rena . A group of ladies, aged 80 to almost 100, arrived with gleeful anticipation and healthy enthusiasm. Enjoying the ambience of a warm inviting home, they began to relax, eat, drink and entertain us.Most of these ladies live alone and have isolated lives. These monthly tea parties are often the only outings they have which they look forward to so much, just the anticipation of the next one brings a reason to live. So many stories and experiences from the past were told. These held us spellbound and they loved having an avid audience.It was sad to hear their stories of the loneliness of elderly at Christmas. Having nobody to share the festivities with was hard and even though food was provided for the day , they missed human company. Accessing groups that the elderly could contact at these times is difficult in an age of social media where the elderly rely on more conventional methods. Well done to Roshan and her team for coordinating this tea party group and organising drivers, who are unpaid volunteers, to bring these lovely ladies to the hosts house. Can't wait to see these lovely ladies again. 

Dear friends and family.It has been 1 year since my near fatal illness and I now realise how lucky I am to be here and be able to tell you my story. I won’t lie.....it has been a very tough year. I also know I still have many hurdles to cross and don´t know what my future holds, but I am being positive.What I do know is that I am fortunate to have had the excellent care from professionals, family and friends. I was told I had less than 50% chance of surviving. However I am here and fighting to get better.I also now know that there are other people around the word who would not have the means to get any support or care. They may not have the opportunity to tell their story.I want to do something to help those who have no help, no family, and no roof over their heads, no access to medical help and perhaps very little chance of survival at time of real crisis.So today, I am requesting you to help me with my appeal to donate monthly to One Kind Act, a charity which I am involved in, our objective is to raise funds and provide help and support, ensuring it all reaches the people and places it needs to, without any unnecessary waste, red tape or delays.Together we can make a difference, give that person a rightful chance to live, to get better, to smile and to have hope.Please become a monthly donor today - as little as £5 or £10 per month can make that big difference to someone not as fortunate as us. So please go and donate on the One Kind Act website at https://onekindact.org/donateAlisha Malhotra

There were innumerable factors contributing to the success of the One Kind Act Launch Party of February 2016. But, no doubt, one of the resounding elements was the auction that raised substantial amount of monies through the kind donations of many of the guests. One such guest was Mr Aalok Soni who won his bid for having the OKA Team host a cocktail and dinner party for 24 for his friends and family in the comfort of his own home.This event was agreed to take place on 14th May 2016 and it was with some trepidation that at the beginning of May, the OKA team began to make preparations. Whilst we knew we had to fulfil this obligation, we all felt a little out of our depth, as none of us were known professionals in the field of hospitality. Nevertheless, hearts and minds came together, the menu was elaborately assembled, the site was visited, the uniforms were agreed and the cocktail recipes were well 'tried and tested' beforehand. So, with considerable pre-planning and preparation, when it came to the long-awaited evening, the OKA team delivered what can only be described as a first-class, professional, and efficient culinary and cocktail experience for its 24 guests. It took 8 committee lady members in the kitchen and 4 male counterparts at the bar to present a catering delight of an assortment of mouth-watering canapés, main dishes and desserts, accompanied by copious amount of cocktails and beverages. The food and drinks were in abundance, the conversation flowing, the mood light, accentuated by a fabulous live singer to help dance the night away. Aalok Soni made a heart-warming speech in support of and thanks to OKA. This generated further kind donations of £600 donated  by the guests over and above the £800 donated for the dinner by Aalok Soni and a general uplifted feeling by all OKA committee members of a job well done. 

It was with some alarm and disbelief I read an article in the papers about the squandering of aid by the British government.According to The Times, aid "consultants" are often earning up to £120,000 a year including perks.  Individual staff in the poorest parts of Asia and Africa earn unto £1000 per day simply for spending UK's aid budget.Why is this happening?UK has a commitment to spend a certain proportion of its GDP on international aid.As this has risen, the budget has increased which has led to a spending frenzy.  It is a lucrative business for aid consultancy firms.Move over bankers, charity now has its own share of fat cats.It is sickening to imagine money sincerely donated for starving villagers, children's education, earthquake victims, innocent victims of war going towards the champagne quaffing lifestyle of a consultant.Where does that leave us?It was with respect and comfort I observed the integrity and refreshing antidote of One Kind Act.  All administration costs are covered by the trustees.  All services and time are given voluntarily.  Minimal costs aside, almost all of the money donated reaches that hungry four year old African child who has walked five miles for his only meal of the day, that isolated disabled woman in need of a wheelchair, the earnest orphanages carving out a future for  the children no one else wants, the albino child with a witch doctor's £15,000 reward on her headThere are no fat cats, no consultants, no expensive meetings with "blue sky thinking".Instead there is an intention to find those that have fallen through the net of these larger charity organisations: the bewildered, the lost, the despairing, the destitute.OKA aims not simply to give a hand-out but a hand-up. It gives opportunity and hope for a future that is dignified - a basic right all humans should have.

Mark Ramprakash is best known for his formidable and extraordinary talents as a cricketer.  He started playing cricket for Middlesex at the tender age of 17, proceeding to captain England Under-19. He moved on to the senior stage representing England. Whilst his Test career was cut short by the vagaries of the Selection Committee, he remained a prolific player for Middlesex and Surrey. At county level he was regarded as the top player in the country making over 100 first class centuries. He has recently become the batting coach for the successful England Test Team that won back the Ashes in Summer 2015. In 2006 he showcased another talent contesting in BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.  The reserved, enigmatic man of cricket took England by storm shimmying and strutting in slinky unbuttoned shirts to finally win series championship.  He modestly put it down to discipline in training that was ingrained in sportsmen. Brought up in Harrow, educated at Gayton High School and then Harrow Weald Sixth Form College, Mark's earliest memories are of his father bowling a plastic ball to his plastic bat.  At a young age he excelled at both football and cricket, playing for Watford FC.  It is cricket's gain that he eventually chose a career in the sport.  Mark was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to sport. OKA is delighted and honoured to have him as a patron of the charity.