Lotus Outreach is a secular, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the living conditions of vulnerable children and their communities through education and healthcare. We work in some of the most troubled and poverty-stricken parts of the world to protect children and help them build self-reliant and dignified lives. Our primary aim is to prevent child labor and sexual trafficking. Our approach in combating these problems is multi-pronged, with a focus on prevention, rehabilitation, and long-term sustainability.

At present, we fund and manage projects in India and Cambodia. We work to increase school enrollment and improve education standards in rural communities in order to keep children out of quarries and brothels, and in school. We provide non-formal education and counseling to young women who are victims of the commercial sex trade, trafficking or rape. We provide healthcare to vulnerable young women and children. And we inform vulnerable migrant communities about the dangers of trafficking and provide safe places and rehabilitation for those who have already fallen into its tragic grip.

We believe that change must come from within and that is why we partner with community-established grassroots organizations to develop, manage and fund projects. This model allows us to be incredibly efficient. In countries such as Cambodia and India, where the per capita incomes are $380 and $720 respectively, you can imagine how effectively we are able to extend our donor dollars at the grassroots level. In addition, we are a primarily volunteer organization which allows us to keep our administrative costs extremely low.

Our goal in 2008 is to increase fundraising as much as possible, thereby expanding our programs and increasing the number of human lives we can impact. We are looking to overhaul our organizational image and one of the first steps in doing so is creating a new logo. The logo design will provide the backbone for our website design, fundraising materials, and everything in between.

We want this logo to say something about who we are...to capture the attention of our audience...and to represent our mission and values. We would therefore like to invite you to participate in a logo design contest to help us achieve just that! We would like this logo to be camera-ready and convertible to multiple formats - and most importantly, embody the Lotus Outreach vision. The logo should be compelling and hip - think something the younger generation might wear on a t-shirt or hoodie.

Our Board of Directors will make the final selection. They are looking for that "a-ha" moment--they want to see the logo and know right away that this is the perfect image for Lotus Outreach.

What do you get out of this? The feeling knowing you are making a difference and helping a great cause. We are also counting on expanding greatly in the next couple of years, so it wouldn't hurt your portfolio. If you are interested in participating in this contest, please submit your designs to Erika Keaveney at erika@lotusoutreach.org no later than March 15. Please also feel free to email me with any questions.

We can't wait to see your ideas!

Keywords: graphic design, graphic artist.