MAJORCA TO HELP BUILD NEW VILLAGE FOR POOR IN ETHIOPIA

By Humphrey Carter THIS weekend, 15 of Britain's top 50 richest people will be amongst 70 businesspeople from all over the world playing a charity golf tournament in Majorca. From Palma to Palm Springs and Genova to Hong Kong leading business people and entrepreneurs start flying in to Palma tomorrow for the first IDB Foundation Corporate Golf Challenge to raise at 500'000 euros to help the Majorcan charity Mediterranea build a village, including school and medical centre, for 500 people in Ethiopa. The IDB Foundation was officially founded by the Palma-based leading Scottish entrepreneur Michael Brown this year, but it has been in development for the past few years in memory and honour of his father, the late Ian Downes Brown. Michael explained yesterday that his father died of liver cancer two years ago but before his death made it clear that he wanted to set up a foundation to help educate children. “He and I discussed what he wanted from the foundation at great length and it became clear that he was not thinking as large as I was and the IDB Foundation was eventually set up with the mandate to help under privileged youth and eradicate child poverty across the world,” he said. “The long term aim is to get the world's leading philanthropists together and force governments into properly helping the underprivileged in this world,” he added. “I believe we can really make a difference,” he said. However, to start with, Michael has organised this weekend's Corporate Golf Challenge to raise money for the Mediterranea charity which was founded by Dr Michael Stoma in Portals Nous. Sponsored by leading Spanish savings bank La Caixa and leading companies from across Europe including ADM Securities, Fox Williams, Pritchard Stockbrokers and Big Pictures, the event tees off on Friday night with a cocktail party at the Dorint Hotel. The main golf tournament will be played on Saturday at the Golf de Andratx in Camp de Mar with the gala dinner and charity auction at the Santa Ponsa Hotel later that evening. On Sunday there will be nine-holes of golf played in Camp de Mar. Michael joked yesterday that after years of having made many of his clients a lot of money as a stock options traders “it's time for them to show me the money.” But he is extremely serious about what the foundation is setting out to do as well as keeping the spirit and memory of his father alive: “he was my closest friend.” Dr Michael Stoma, who helped found Mediterranea with the help of Calvia residents in 1999, captured Michael's attention when they first met and he heard about Stoma's plans for the underprivileged in Ethiopia. “Initially he needed 55'000 euros to build a school in Kombolcha, then we discussed a medical centre and finally housing for some 500 people - all this can be done for 500'000 euros and that's what we are going to help Mediterranea do. “I've already been pledged 100'000 from a friend in Los Angeles who can't make it, he has also given a week's holiday at his Phuket Hotel to the auction. “I know we'll raise the money. What is more, this project is not only vital for the people of Kombolacha, but the underprivileged world in general. “This project will be a template which we will be able to take to other countries and, in order to reduce corruption, the idea is to teach and help the locals build their new village, education and medical facilities,” explained Michael Brown. “Apart from 100 percent of the money we raise going to the charities or projects we help, the IDB Foundation will be working at grass roots level and no money will be going to charities who use part of the finance to cover their operational costs and overheads. “We have no overheads, the foundation is run by myself, my lawyer and my wife - so everything will go to the underprivileged,” he stressed. Michael who, despite being resident in Majorca, with 5th Avenue Partners GmbH offices in London and Switzerland, is a Freeman of the City of Glasgow, and has big, long term plans for the IDB Foundation but for now, Michael is concentrating the Foundation's efforts on the Ethiopia project. He has a meeting with the Ethiopian Ambassador to London next month to gain further support for the project. The next confirmed event the foundation will sponsor will be the Prince of Wales Polo Tournament in May next year. All those attending this weekend's charity event in Majorca have to arrive with a teddy bear and a toothbrush. These will be collected and eventually donated to an orphanage somewhere in the underprivileged world.