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By-Laws, Resolutions, & Constitutional Amendments

The Board of Trustees modified it on 10th of August 2018 at the organization’s office complex at Plot C/R9 McDonald Mall, Arugo Layout, Onitsha-Owerri Road, Imo State, Nigeria, on behalf of the General Assembly who approved the proposed reform to the GCVSI governance structures and empowered the previous composition of Executive Board to make the necessary changes to the GCVSI Constitution and to put this reform into effect. Modification of the Constitution approved by GCVSI in May 2016.

Passed Resolutions & By-Laws

The name of the Organization shall be Geriatric Care and Vulnerable Support Initiative (from now on referred to as " (GCVSI"). GCVSI is a nonprofit, charitable non-governmental membership organization. It is free from any party, political, or religious affiliations and does not discriminate based on race, age, ethnicity, gender, or religion.  

14501 Empanada Dr, apt 1801 Houston Texas 77083 USA, remains the Headquarters while the intended office in Canada shall serve as the international office. GCVSI approves that the office in Nigeria shall serve as the Africa Regional Office at plot C/R9 Mc Donald Mall Onitsha Road Owerri Imo State covering Nigeria and Cameroon. Legal domicile must be obtained in any country GCVSI provides services either by a partnership or outright registration process. 

 GCVSI MISSION 

The Mission of GCVSI is to take research-based health information, healthcare services, plus socio-economic support programs to the doorsteps of the aging and vulnerable population (pregnant women, children under five, and homeless people in communities amongst low-income families. Conduct research aimed at redirecting government policies towards forgotten and abandoned existing realities, focusing on stimulating positive health-seeking behaviors of the underserved, utilizing the principle of Population Health Service (PHS) and Implementation Science in restoring social justice and strengthening the human rights of our thematic population. 

OBJECTIVES 

To achieve its goals, GCVSI will pursue the following objectives: 

  • Influence increased investment in health and social policies by governments, intergovernmental and international development partners, and other relevant stakeholders; 
  • Support governments in developing health and social policies and practices that result in more significant equity in health and social outcomes between members of society; 
  • Improvements in policy and practice of organizations and sectors that influence the determinants of health and social outcomes of populations; 
  • Strong alliances and partnerships among all sectors based on agreed ethical principles, mutual understanding, and respect; 
  • Activities that contribute to the development, translation, and exchange of knowledge and practice that advance the field of health and socio-economic enhancements of people; 
  • The wide dissemination of knowledge to health and social practitioners as well as policymakers, government officials, and other key individuals and organizations; 
  • A potent and universally accessible knowledge base for effective, quality health promotion using implementation science; 
  • Improved mechanisms for the exchange of ideas, experience, and knowledge that promote health and socio-economic wellbeing; 
  • Support national, regional, and global efforts in closing the gaps in critical developmental issues which will enhance greater collaboration; and 
  • Capacity-building opportunities for individuals and institutions to better carry out health promotion and project intervention initiatives and advocacy efforts. 

GOALS 

The GCVSI aims to achieve the following goals: 

  • Greater equity in the health and social inclusion of all age groups in a given population; 
  • Effective collaboration and partnerships to produce optimal and equitable health and social outcomes; 
  • Improving accessible, evidence-based knowledge and practical experience in health and social inclusion of the underserved population through health promotion, disease prevention, and direct provision of healthcare services, including medications;  
  • Excellence in policy and practice for effective, quality health and social inclusion programs;  
  • High-capacity levels in individuals, organizations and policymakers to undertake and develop health and social inclusion activities. 

GCVSI’s core mission lies in taking researched-based health information, healthcare services and making socio-economic case for equitable promotion, development, and implementation of an effective health and socio-economic policies. Our focus is to provide, influence, and facilitate health promotion knowledge, disease prevention strategies, and project implementation. Advocacy is one of the central strategies of GCVSI to accomplish its mission by influencing communities, governments, and the larger society to act.  

  

In pursuing our vision and mission, GCVSI maintains a set of strategic documents that set out the goals and objectives and the means utilized to achieve them.

 

The Organization maintains individual memberships and opens for any individual who meets the inclusion criteria, which are as follows: 

  1. Must accept the vision and mission of GCVSI; 
  2. Must not be convicted by any court of competent jurisdiction globally; 
  3. Must be sane and of right mental state; 
  4. Must abide by GCVSI’s rules and regulations; 
  5. Must not belong to any secret society or curt; 
  6. Must be 18 or above at the time of becoming a member. 

Structure: The governing body of the GCVSI is the General Assembly. The Executive Board consists of a Board of Trustees, Members of Advisory Council, Legal Adviser, and the Executive Director. The management committee maintain the day-by-day activities of GCVSI. The General Assembly is convened by the Board Chairman at least once every year, suitably at the end of the fiscal year. The business of the General Assembly maybe be conducted electronically to ensure broader participation of members, with sufficient time (one week) for members to read, consider, and vote on matters for decision. Membership registration and revalidation is at the rate of US$5 only for members in developing countries and or US$10 for members in developed countries annually. Dues can also apply to members from time to time. 

  

SOURCES OF INCOME: The sources of income shall be the following 

  1. Registration fees; 
  2. Dues; 
  3. Free will donation; 
  4. Grants seeking;  
  5. Provision of consultancy/technical services; 
  6. Leasing of GCVSI owned properties; 
  7. corporate investments; 
  8. corporate donations. 

  

The General Assembly is the ultimate governing body of GCVSI and has all the powers necessary to further GCVSI aims and objectives. The General Assembly administers this responsibility through the Executive Board Members comprising Board of Trustee Members and Members of Advisory Council. 

The General Assembly Does the Following: 

  1. a) receives reports on the activities, membership, finances, and any other significant business of GCVSI;  
  2. b) approves amendments to the Constitution as laid down in Article 10 of the 2016 constitution.

Deliberations of the General Assembly shall be valid at an ordinary and an extraordinary session when a quorum of at least ten percent of the members entitled to vote is either present or represented by proxy. Should it be impracticable to reach a quorum within the space of an hour after the General Assembly has convened, the latter shall be adjourned for 24-hours, and the members present at this adjourned meeting shall constitute the quorum regardless of their number. A consultation by electronic means or post shall be valid if a quorum of at least twenty percent of the member's replies and votes. The decisions of the General Assembly shall be made based on a simple majority of votes cast. Amendment of the Constitution-Approved by GCVSI in 2016. 

The Executive Board shall be composed of Board of Trustees members, Members of Advisory Council who have equal voting rights on all resolutions. The Legal Adviser shall be appointed by the Board Chairman and confirmed by the Executive Board. Henceforth the Executive Board positions shall be the following positions as stated below and are subject to election. Each of the Executive Board Members must be designated to a committee or another padfolio as the need arises. GCVSI shall hire the services of a practicing lawyer with international jurisdiction to represent her in all legal matters. In certain cases, GCVSI may employ the services of a legal practitioner in the country where she conducts businesses, to defend her interest. 

  1. Board Chairman
  2. Board Secretary
  3. Finance Directors / Adviser
  4. Chief Strategist / Research Adviser  
  5. Policy Adviser
  6. Health and Social Services Adviser
  7. Members  

Board Chairman: 

  1. Shall preside the Annual General Assembly meeting;
  2. Shall order and convenes all meetings with approved places and times;
  3. Receives all anticipated resolutions from Executive Board members;
  4. Shall signs all Annual Strategic policy plans or documents;
  5. Shall appoints Legal Adviser in all the Countries GCVSI conducts its operations and refers same to the Executive Board for confirmation;
  6. Shall supervise and ensures compliance of protocol by all Executive Board matters for consideration and approval;
  7. Shall be a signatory to the Organization’s accounts;
  8. Shall be in the custody of the organization seal and other classified documents;
  9. GCVSI Must approve all external partnerships to be entered by GCVSI.
  10. Coordinates all international affairs in collaboration with country representatives;
  11. Shall approve all financial transactions of the Organization;

Board Secretary:

  1. Shall take meanings of Annual General Meetings;
  2. Shall put forward the write up for the convening of all meetings as approved by the Board Chairman;
  3. Shall equally write letters to designated entities as approved by the Executive Board;
  4. Maybe a signatory to the Organization’s accounts;
  5. Shall represent the Organization in external functions as approved by the Executive Board;
  6. The Board Chairman may appoint any of the EBMs to perform any task as deem fit.

Finance Director/ Adviser:

  1. Shall provide financial advice to the Executive Board;
  2. Shall head the committee of internal control and audits;
  3. Maybe a signatory to the Organization’s accounts;
  4. The Board Chairman may appoint any of the EBMs to perform any task as deem fit.

Chief Strategist:

  1. a) Shall head GCVSI strategic development plan at the Executive Board level;
  2. b) Shall advise GCVSI Executive Board on Strategic partnerships;
  3. c) Maybe a signatory to the Organization’s accounts
  4. d) May be appointed by the Board Chairman to perform any task as deem fit.
  5. e) Shall propose policy development plan to the Executive Board;

Policy Adviser

  1. a)         Shall advise GCVSI on policy matters;
  2. b) Shall assist in program development;
  3. c) Shall collaborate with other organizations to promote policy integration;
  4. d) The Board Chairman may appoint any of the EBMs to perform any task as deem fit.

Legal Adviser:

  1. Shall Provide Legal advice to the Executive Board Chairman who will relate to the EBM;
  2. Shall represent GCVSI in any legal issues that may arise within its jurisdiction;
  3. The Board Chairman may appoint any of the EBMs to perform any task as deem fit.

However, the Executive Board members may seek reelection for life. The particulars of the Advisory Council Members shall not be submitted to government agencies during registration of GCVSI; however, they shall enjoy the same privileges as the Board of Trustees members and shall be informed and expected to join in board meetings stipulated by the GCVSI 2016 Constitution as amended. Members of the Advisory Council expect to provide their wealth of experiences, expertise, and contributions towards the growth of GCVSI as the need arises. Meanwhile, the Organization shall only be financially committed to providing approved honoraria/allowances as program activities, training, conferences, and board meetings; hence their services are on pro-bono bases as captured GCVSI 2016 Constitution as amended.

The Executive Board Members will be elected at GCVSI Annual General Meeting as laid down in Article 4 of GCVSI 2016 constitution as amended on the 10th of August 2018, will govern the General Assembly of GCVSI. The entire Board of Trustees members agreed in a unanimous resolution that technocrat should be appointed to join the Executive Board as Members of Advisory Council, who shall enjoy equal privileges as the Board of Trustees Member with the exception of not forwarding their particulars to the government agencies during registration. Consequently, the said resolution was unanimously approved by the General Assembly at the Annual General Meeting, recommending that the board chairman should appoint some technocrats into the Executive Board level. 

A member ceases to function at the Executive Board level if they are involved in the following 

  1. If a court of competent jurisdiction convicts them in any part of the world; 
  2. If they are declared bankruptcy; 
  3. If they become mentally or physically incapacitated; 
  4. If they can no longer perform or has been found wanting by a two-third simple majority of the Executive Board Members hence his/her sack shall be recommended to the Executive Board Chairman for necessary actions; 
  5. If they decide to resign from being an Executive Board member. 

The Executive Board common seal and all other classified documents shall be in the custody of the Board Chairman who shall produce them when needed meanwhile, all documents executed by GCVSI shall be signed by the designated Executive Board Member as the case may be and sealed with GCVSI common seal as laid down in GCVSI 2016 constitution as amended. 

The Executive Board common seal and all other classified documents shall be in the custody of the Board Chairman who shall produce them when needed meanwhile, all documents executed by the GCVSI shall be signed by the designated Executive Board Member as the case may be and sealed with GCVSI common seal as laid down in GCVSI 2016 constitution as amended. 

GCVSI has a well-developed fund disbursement mechanism as presented in a resolution in the 2016 Annual General Meeting; hence the following resolutions are considered as bylaws;

  1. GCVSI shall maintain a current account with commercial banks in the United States, Canada, and Nigeria. Meanwhile, GCVSI shall only make payments into the accounts of partner organizations and not to individual accounts holders to conduct businesses on behave of GCVSI. Hence GCVSI holds accounts with the following banks: Morgen Chase bank USA Fidelity bank, and Guaranty Trust bank Nigeria. Meanwhile, the account with a Canadian bank is on its way.
  2. GCVSI appointed Lilly Mbinglo, CPA, MBA, of The Ark NPS http://www.thearknonprofitsolutions.com/an Expert Strategist and Tax Consultant to represent GCVSI in all tax management in the United State of America. A tax consultant shall be appointed subsequently to manage tax affairs in Canada.  
  3.  JEFEX Consultant Ltd, a chartered accounting firm at plot C/R 9 Mc Donald Mall Onitsha Owerri Road Imo State, Nigeria, was appointed and has since carried out all tax filing and external accounts auditing laid down in Article 9 of GCVSI 2016 constitution as amended.
  4.  In the event of a grant project, the management team cannot withdraw more than $20,000.00 without the approval of the Executive Board through the chairman.
  5. Grants programs must be administered by trained financial experts according to the grant provisions.
  6. The management team must ensure accurate financial documentation and report to the Executive Board Members.
  7. All receipts and payments made must be documented and presented to the Executive Board auditing committee for proper accountability if they so wish.
  8. Annual declaration of all incomes and filing for the annual tax must be complied with as part of demonstrating transparency and accountability at all levels.

Approvals of funds in GCVSI are solely the function of the Executive Board under the leadership of the Board Chairman and recommendations of the finance Advisors and other Executive Board members. The management committee reports the daily running of all organizational affairs to the Executive Board through a bi-annual reporting system or at least annually, as agreed with the Executive Board members. 

The amendment of various provisions of the GCVSI Constitution follows relevant constitutional provisions as recommended by the 2016 Annual General Meeting. After due consideration of all the resolutions at the Executive Board level and due deliberations, it is presented at the Annual General Meeting for approved by 2/3 majority as By-Laws. The approved resolutions shall be submitted to the various government agencies for approval as stipulated by the laws of the respective countries, where GCVSI is operational with a physical presence. It is worthy of note that the registration and operation of GCVSI in the United States of America followed the provisions of the recommendations of the 2016 constitution as amended. 

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