Agenda:

1. Election of Chair for the AGM and minute takers
2. Report from the Chair
3. Report from working groups
4. Report from the treasurer
5. Received proposals for debate
6. Approval of budget
7. Election of Executive Committee (EC) and Auditors
8. Any  other business

 

Participants:

Claus Bo Jensen, Ditlev Krause, Joan Løschenkohl, Claus Løschenkohl, Inge Lund, Keld S. Nielsen, Marianne H. Nielsen, Hanne Juul, Sissel Juul, Anders Foghsgaard, Karsten Lund, Karina Ruby, Helga Halck Højsager, Karen Steffensen, Bodil Mathiasen, Laurids Green, Jens Saxtorff, Anne Andersen, Signe Hedegaard, Anders Hedegaard 

1. Election of Chair for the AGM and minute takers.

 

Chairperson Helga Halck Højsager welcomed the participants.

Proposed was as the Chair of the AGM Laurids Green. Proposed were as minute takers Anne Andersen and Anders Foghsgaard and Anders Foghsgaard. Hanne Juul volunteered to help. The proposals were approved by the AGM.

 

Laurids Green concluded that the meeting was settled according to the constitution and thus formed the decisive body of the DLN. 

1. Report from the chair

 

The written annual report 2007/08 was distributed to all members before the meeting. Helga Højsager highlighted some of the points in the report. 

Highlights from the completed project:   

Building capacity of small-scale framers through water harvesting and vegetable production. Partener: RSDA

The project is in general satisfactory, there are only few activities that are delayed and still pending.

DLN never received the base-line study. (It should have been received before the project start).

DLN has not yet received the audited financial report for 2007.

The Advocacy and lobbying workshop has only been introduced. The farmers were not ready to get the education.

According from this the project was a success. Please read the report on the DLN-homepage. 

New projects.

1. Strengthening small scale farmer producer groups in Lesotho. Partner: RSDA

It has three areas of interest: Capacitybuilding, advocacy, revolving fund. The budget is 2.7 million. Maloti. Proposal sent to Projektrådgivningen 1^st April.  

1. TRC

TRC has received a volunteer EA Krogstrup. She has made a survey of living conditions in the areas where the dams have  diminished water supply. She will develop a project proposal to DLN on lobbying the Government to compensate people for missing water. Karsten Lund and Helga Halck Højsager are responsible. 

1. Travel arrangement to Lesotho, October 2008 for maximum 20 persons.

Bodil Mathiasen has in co-operation with the travel agent Unitas planned a tourist trip to Lesotho.

She has made a very interesting detailed programme. The price will be DKR13.175,00. She paid a visit to Lesotho during Easter to survey the possibilities where to stay and what to do. 19 persons  have shown interest and 13 have approved their participation. Information can be found at the homepage.   

4. Tips & Lotto fund

Claus Løchenkohl made a proposal to Tips & Lotto fund. DLN has received kr. 10.000,00. The money is used for production of folders, a printer and ink.   

Other business:   

Executive work

The Executive committee has held 3 meetings during the year. Skype is used for updating executive members. 8 Skype meetings have been held.

The executive and substitutes try to participate in workshops of interest. Anders Foghsgaard participated in 2 meetings in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "NGO-træf 2007" and Education for All (Unesco). 

61 members have paid subscription. If members have not paid subscription for two years they will be deleted from the member list. 

Issues from the executive committee:

Discussion on what does DLN demand from a partner?

Update the project proposal formula.

Be more tough  in future on demanding base-line survey before a project starts. 

Issues for next AGM:

There has been some confusion. Members do not know the difference between Lumela.dk and DLN- homepage. How do DLN solve that problem?

Suggestion: change the regulations from "valid member" to " paying member". 
 

The report from the Executive Committee was approved. 

1. Report from the Working Groups

 

PR-Group:

A new folder has been produced. It was distributed.   

Newsletter is the care of members:

Karsten Lund and Karina Ruby have been responsible for the newsletter. Karsten suggests to change from the tradition of sending 4 newsletters a year. He wants to distribute every time something new is coming up. The AGM agreed on that as a try for the coming year.

The paper version will be sent to members without an e-mail address one more time. Here it will be told that it is the last one and if members still want the newsletter, they should inform about their e-mail address. The newsletter is linked to the homepage. The Executive Committee is responsible for material. 

Karsten Lund has been in charge of the home-page. The homepage is DLN's face to the public. It is important that it is updated. Karsten volunteered to look at the matter before next AGM.   

d.)  Report from the treasurer 

It was done in two parts. 1. The account for DLN and 2. The account for the Project: Building capacity of small-scale framers through water harvesting and vegetable production.   

1. The account for DLN

Income: kr. 19.000

Expenses kr. 44.912

The result of the year:  kr. -25.912

Assets and liabilities kr. 71.346

DLN is by a mistake in the project proposal paying auditing of the ended project. Karen will ask Projectrådgivningen for permission to use some of the not used money on that issue. 

In order to raise the amount of gifts is was suggested that EC applies to "SKAT" making DLN an official help organisation allowing gifts to be deducted before tax.

The account was approved. 

2. The account for the Project: Building capacity of small-scale farmers through water harvesting and vegetable production. 

The account from RSDA has not been revised by the audit.

The last payment to RSDA was made in year 2006. 

      e.)   Received proposals for debate 

The board presented their proposal  : Changing DLN from association ("forening") to development organisation ( "udviklingsorganisation"). After some discussion the board decided to drop this proposal. 
 

1. Approval of budget

 

EC´s suggestion for a new budget 2008 had been sent to all members.

Karen Steffensen presented the budget. In the suggestion from EC the result of 2008 is supposed to end up in zero. It was from the audience, that an application to Tips & Lotto of 35.000 DKK

should be made and included in the new budget. 
 

Then the 2008 budget was approved. 

g.)  Election of members of EC and Auditors 

The term expired for members of the EC, Karen Steffensen and Karina Ruby.

Karen was prepared to stand for re-elections for another period. Karina was not prepared for another period. Anne Andersen was willing to run for election. Karen Steffensen and Anne Andersen were elected for the period 2008 - 2010.

Elections were applauded by the AGM.   

Helga Højsager and Bodil Mathiasen were elected last year and will serve until next AGM (April 2009). 

Signe Hedegaard and Anders Foghsgaard were prepared to stand for elections as substitutes to the EC. They were both elected with Signe Hedegaard as the first substitute. 

Claus Løschenkohl was prepared to stand for election as internal audit, and Claus Bo Jensen accepted to continue the position as alternate. Elections were applauded by the AGM.

The external audit company is still Mortensen & Beierholm. 

Working Groups: 

PR-Group: Karsten Lund 

Tips & Lotto Group:  Claus Løschenkohl. 

h.)  Any other business 

It was agreed that AGM 2009 should take place in Odense. 

Bodil Mathiasen informed about the planned visit to Lesotho in month of October 2008. 

Anne Andersen informed about her recent visit to Lesotho. 

Finally Helga Højsager gave thanks to Laurids Green for his smooth running of the AGM. 
 

First meeting of the newly elected EC 

Succeeding the AGM the EC members met and formed the EC-committee as follows:

Chairperson: Helga Højsager

Treasurer    : Karen Steffensen

1. Secretary: Bodil Mathiasen

2. Secretary: Anne Andersen