4 legs 4 education
Donation protected
Have you ever thought, that a goat or a pig can become a permanent scholarship for a child? Here in Uganda, they are!
In the parish of Kikooba, in Central Uganda, the most of the people live from what the soil produces for them, enough to eat, but not to generate incomes, everybody grows corps, the market for vegetables is very small. Without incomes, there are no school fees for their children. Here is where our four-legs helpers come! Farming is a profitable activity in the area. For those who can invest on raering animals, they have a good future ahead. And this is what we want to do at Kikooba Infant and Primary School, provide with goats and pigs to our families so we can afford the expenses of maintainning a good community school, paying school fees and who know to where it will take us!
Kikooba Infant and Primary School started in the 90s as an initiative from the neighbours of Kikooba to provide with education to all those orphan children living within the area. The war and HIV left many children with caregivers. They started doing little performances in the schools around, to collect some funds. Since that, they joined Uganda Pioneers Association. This organisation promoted development through youth voluntarism.
They started with one single room, but nowadays more than 300 children attend the school, from baby to primary seven. This growth has been increased mainly in the last years. The goal of the school is still to ensure access to education for the children in the community, nevertheless the economic situation of their families. That is why, nowadays its going through a difficult situation, as the number of children start to be higher than what the school can assume. The educative resources are minimum, mainly only teacher and some chalks can be counted among them.
To make it accessible, the school has the smallest school fees in all the parish. However, there are families which still can’t afford them:
132 children out of 327, 40%, can’t pay the full school fee
87 children out of 327, 27%, can’t pay more than 50% of the school fee
21 children out of 327, 6.5%, can’t pay anything of the school fee
The most of the families in the community are peasants, they grow some local products and rear small animals. The topography and the structure leave the families with small gardens where can’t produce at a big scale. It’s mainly a self-consume activity, it doesn’t leave them incomes for paying school fees, health services… and sometimes, even soap. Rearing animals, though, means an income generating activity, because with a small space, they can grow them easily, being able to sell them in the abundant market for animals in the region. The problem is the capital to buy the first animal to start with.
Nowadays, the main needs/handicaps the school is facing are:
- Teachers’ salaries
- Educative materials
- Health conditions (feeding, light, flooring, and hygiene)
- Infrastructures for growing - when the previous ones are covered
This is where this project starts. The project will, on one hand, create an income generating activity for the school, to provide for the above-mentioned needs, and on the other hand, support those families which can’t contribute right now to the school. It will focus on developing a farming activity by the school, through the families belonging to the school. The school will purchase different animals which will be borrowed to the families. The families will rear them. The first production of the borrowed animal will be given back to the school. The second production will belong to the family, the third production again to the school, and so on… On this way, the school will generate some income besides the school fees, and also the families will have an income source to support their economies, and with the time, being also able to pay the education of their own children, even up to secondary levels.
Ø GENERAL OBJECTIVE
To improve the educational opportunities for the most vulnerable children in the community of Kikooba.
Ø SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
- To create an income generating activity for the school
- To support the school’s financial situation towards the families which cannot pay school fees.
- To support the financial situation of the families in the school
- Promote volunteerism as an engine for community development
Ø OPERATIVE OBJECTIVES
Provide with an animal to the families who cannot pay anything to the school (21 children) within 1 year.
Eliminate the number of families who cannot pay the full school fees within the next 5 years.
Generate in the school an income for the value of the school fees no contributed by the 21 children (4.000.000 UGS, the debit balance of the school), in the first year of the project.
As a community project, it will include the families in all the process, following the guiding principles of the project: Transparency, Accountability, Democracy and Teamwork. There will be different groups taking care of the different animals. They will also take care of the training of the families, monitoring the growth of the animals and looking for the markets.
Financial education is also a problem among Ugandan population: savings and investments, why are they important and how they help on their development. As a preventive measure for the success of the project, we will start the farm by training the families taking part on it. We will organise with them two workshops, one focused on animal rearing, and one focused on financial education.
BUDGET:
As our first goal is in short term (incomes for the first year), we will start the farm mainly with goats. Pigs are more profitable, but in a long term perspective, so we will include some of them for ensuring the sustainability of the project at a long term frame. In these terms, we want to start the farm with 21 goats (20 females and one male). It will mean that in the first year, they will produce 40 goats (if everything goes good), which would have a market value of 4.000.000UGS. One goat can produce twice per year. It will mean that like this, in the first year we will be able to cover the expenses of the families which can’t contribute anything nowadays to the school, but also themselves could start producing their own animals from the first year, and themselves will be able to generate some incomes. Besides, with this starting, by the second year we will be able to provide with animals also for these families who can’t pay the full school fees.
We want to include the veterinary in the project, to be sure the animals can grow healthy and it doesn’t depend on the capacity of the family to attend them. The project will take 2 years to create enough incomes to cover it’s own expenses and to provide for the school. That’s why we would like to start with capital to ensure the veterinary for these two years.
When the female is sent to the male needs special feeding, that’s why we also include it in the project’s expenses, and, as it happens with the veterinary, the first year needs to be provided. The rest of the time the animals can be fed with all the vegetation around and the peelings produced by the families.
Among administration expenses we consider: commission from the fundraising platform, currency exchange commission and difference on rates, administrative books, printings, phone calls, meetings facilitations, gas for the meetings and interviews, local taxes…
Who is Banesa, manager of the campaign?
My name is Banesa and I am volunteer in the rural community of Kikooba. I came for one-year project with the EU AID Programme, through the NGO MONDO, from Estonia and Uganda Pioneers Assotiation. The community and MONDO started a partnership in 2018, and since that Kikooba receives long-term volunteers, professionals, to support the school and community. This partnership has brought to the school a boarding section equipment, restoring (flooring and plastering) of some classes, a water tank, desks, and a sponsorship programme for 100 children.
I have worked all the project with the board of the school, the head-teacher, and some community leaders, involving them and finding all the challenges the project might bring. Together we have shaped the project, which is detailed described in this document . Personally, I will be during the implementation of the project, and the first running months. But I also leave all the information to the next volunteer taking my place. On this way, if you want, we will be very happy to update you with the evolution of the project, it’s achievements and impact in the community.
And because here in Uganda everybody is very thankful, we want to share with you a little piece of Uganda. We will send to you our traditional songs, dances and tales.
If you want to learn more about Kikooba and the volunteering programe we are doing here:
https://mondo.org.ee/en/countries/uganda/
http://ugandapioneers.org
https://ydelarotxaauganda.wordpress.com
"Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world". - Nelson Mandela
In the parish of Kikooba, in Central Uganda, the most of the people live from what the soil produces for them, enough to eat, but not to generate incomes, everybody grows corps, the market for vegetables is very small. Without incomes, there are no school fees for their children. Here is where our four-legs helpers come! Farming is a profitable activity in the area. For those who can invest on raering animals, they have a good future ahead. And this is what we want to do at Kikooba Infant and Primary School, provide with goats and pigs to our families so we can afford the expenses of maintainning a good community school, paying school fees and who know to where it will take us!
Kikooba Infant and Primary School started in the 90s as an initiative from the neighbours of Kikooba to provide with education to all those orphan children living within the area. The war and HIV left many children with caregivers. They started doing little performances in the schools around, to collect some funds. Since that, they joined Uganda Pioneers Association. This organisation promoted development through youth voluntarism.
They started with one single room, but nowadays more than 300 children attend the school, from baby to primary seven. This growth has been increased mainly in the last years. The goal of the school is still to ensure access to education for the children in the community, nevertheless the economic situation of their families. That is why, nowadays its going through a difficult situation, as the number of children start to be higher than what the school can assume. The educative resources are minimum, mainly only teacher and some chalks can be counted among them.
To make it accessible, the school has the smallest school fees in all the parish. However, there are families which still can’t afford them:
132 children out of 327, 40%, can’t pay the full school fee
87 children out of 327, 27%, can’t pay more than 50% of the school fee
21 children out of 327, 6.5%, can’t pay anything of the school fee
The most of the families in the community are peasants, they grow some local products and rear small animals. The topography and the structure leave the families with small gardens where can’t produce at a big scale. It’s mainly a self-consume activity, it doesn’t leave them incomes for paying school fees, health services… and sometimes, even soap. Rearing animals, though, means an income generating activity, because with a small space, they can grow them easily, being able to sell them in the abundant market for animals in the region. The problem is the capital to buy the first animal to start with.
Nowadays, the main needs/handicaps the school is facing are:
- Teachers’ salaries
- Educative materials
- Health conditions (feeding, light, flooring, and hygiene)
- Infrastructures for growing - when the previous ones are covered
This is where this project starts. The project will, on one hand, create an income generating activity for the school, to provide for the above-mentioned needs, and on the other hand, support those families which can’t contribute right now to the school. It will focus on developing a farming activity by the school, through the families belonging to the school. The school will purchase different animals which will be borrowed to the families. The families will rear them. The first production of the borrowed animal will be given back to the school. The second production will belong to the family, the third production again to the school, and so on… On this way, the school will generate some income besides the school fees, and also the families will have an income source to support their economies, and with the time, being also able to pay the education of their own children, even up to secondary levels.
Ø GENERAL OBJECTIVE
To improve the educational opportunities for the most vulnerable children in the community of Kikooba.
Ø SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
- To create an income generating activity for the school
- To support the school’s financial situation towards the families which cannot pay school fees.
- To support the financial situation of the families in the school
- Promote volunteerism as an engine for community development
Ø OPERATIVE OBJECTIVES
Provide with an animal to the families who cannot pay anything to the school (21 children) within 1 year.
Eliminate the number of families who cannot pay the full school fees within the next 5 years.
Generate in the school an income for the value of the school fees no contributed by the 21 children (4.000.000 UGS, the debit balance of the school), in the first year of the project.
As a community project, it will include the families in all the process, following the guiding principles of the project: Transparency, Accountability, Democracy and Teamwork. There will be different groups taking care of the different animals. They will also take care of the training of the families, monitoring the growth of the animals and looking for the markets.
Financial education is also a problem among Ugandan population: savings and investments, why are they important and how they help on their development. As a preventive measure for the success of the project, we will start the farm by training the families taking part on it. We will organise with them two workshops, one focused on animal rearing, and one focused on financial education.
BUDGET:
As our first goal is in short term (incomes for the first year), we will start the farm mainly with goats. Pigs are more profitable, but in a long term perspective, so we will include some of them for ensuring the sustainability of the project at a long term frame. In these terms, we want to start the farm with 21 goats (20 females and one male). It will mean that in the first year, they will produce 40 goats (if everything goes good), which would have a market value of 4.000.000UGS. One goat can produce twice per year. It will mean that like this, in the first year we will be able to cover the expenses of the families which can’t contribute anything nowadays to the school, but also themselves could start producing their own animals from the first year, and themselves will be able to generate some incomes. Besides, with this starting, by the second year we will be able to provide with animals also for these families who can’t pay the full school fees.
We want to include the veterinary in the project, to be sure the animals can grow healthy and it doesn’t depend on the capacity of the family to attend them. The project will take 2 years to create enough incomes to cover it’s own expenses and to provide for the school. That’s why we would like to start with capital to ensure the veterinary for these two years.
When the female is sent to the male needs special feeding, that’s why we also include it in the project’s expenses, and, as it happens with the veterinary, the first year needs to be provided. The rest of the time the animals can be fed with all the vegetation around and the peelings produced by the families.
Among administration expenses we consider: commission from the fundraising platform, currency exchange commission and difference on rates, administrative books, printings, phone calls, meetings facilitations, gas for the meetings and interviews, local taxes…
Who is Banesa, manager of the campaign?
My name is Banesa and I am volunteer in the rural community of Kikooba. I came for one-year project with the EU AID Programme, through the NGO MONDO, from Estonia and Uganda Pioneers Assotiation. The community and MONDO started a partnership in 2018, and since that Kikooba receives long-term volunteers, professionals, to support the school and community. This partnership has brought to the school a boarding section equipment, restoring (flooring and plastering) of some classes, a water tank, desks, and a sponsorship programme for 100 children.
I have worked all the project with the board of the school, the head-teacher, and some community leaders, involving them and finding all the challenges the project might bring. Together we have shaped the project, which is detailed described in this document . Personally, I will be during the implementation of the project, and the first running months. But I also leave all the information to the next volunteer taking my place. On this way, if you want, we will be very happy to update you with the evolution of the project, it’s achievements and impact in the community.
And because here in Uganda everybody is very thankful, we want to share with you a little piece of Uganda. We will send to you our traditional songs, dances and tales.
If you want to learn more about Kikooba and the volunteering programe we are doing here:
https://mondo.org.ee/en/countries/uganda/
http://ugandapioneers.org
https://ydelarotxaauganda.wordpress.com
"Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world". - Nelson Mandela
Organizer
Banesa Cisneros Rodriguez
Organizer
Pamplona
