[uean]

Personal anecdote: I had lived and worked in southern Uganda with a Canadian organization called Kibaale Children’s Fund (now Kuwasha). One day Bram came by our location. We talked a bit - someone told me he was influential and “worked for google or something” and then I learned his real identity and the software he was a part of. I was just on the brink of beginning a career in IT at the time and later in life as my skills and toolset grew I realized his significance. He never spoke of VIM in person during our time and was an incredibly humble quiet man, dedicating his time to helping children in need through ICCF Holland, which operated out of the same school I was working with as I recall. I found Bram incredibly genuine, and was also highly impressed with the ethics he brought to his efforts in the local work in Uganda (where it is typical to see fundraising dollars sliced and diced with admin-fees - ICCF turned every cent of a dollar back into the community.) He will be missed by many in that part of the world for such a massive impact he was able to have through funds raised through VIM. May he rest in peace.

[tomcam]

> in Uganda (where it is typical to see fundraising dollars sliced and diced with admin-fees - ICCF turned every cent of a dollar back into the community.)

That’s very good to hear. I donated, but not very much – I assumed that their money would end up going to the wrong places. How did Bram manage to avoid this?

[capableweb]

> I assumed that their money would end up going to the wrong places. How did Bram manage to avoid this?

From the LICENSE (https://vimdoc.sourceforge.net/htmldoc/uganda.html#license):

> Compared with other organizations that do child sponsorship the amounts are very low. This is because the money goes directly to the centre. Less than 5% is used for administration. This is possible because this is a small organization that works with volunteers. [...]

> How do you know that the money will be spent right? First of all you have my personal guarantee as the author of Vim. I trust the people that are working at the centre, I know them personally. Further more, the centre has been co-sponsored and inspected by World Vision, Save the Children Fund and is now under the supervision of Pacific Academy Outreach Society. The centre is visited about once a year to check the progress (at our own cost). I have visited the centre myself many times, starting in 1993. The visit reports are on the ICCF web site.

[uean]

I shouldn’t speak for Bram or ICCF but can point you to the financial docs which give a great explanation https://iccf-holland.org/iccf.html

From KCFs perspective where I worked, during my time there, I fundraised my salary (expenses) personally “door to door” to keep any funds donated to the organization going direct to the kids and community. I understood this was the case for others as well. I believe Bram paid for flights out of his own pocket.