September 2024 Newsletter | | |
Two numbers to keep track of: 470 and 2.9 million. Those are the number of projects TGUP has completed (470) and the number of people (2.9 million) they will help over their duration. See the details here. This is working.
A new model for development assistance?
TGUP’s practice has been to invest in a single project at a time. We build a classroom. Later, if the need is justified, we might add a playground, a science lab, a latrine…
We recently completed a test of a different model: investing in several small projects at a time. We call it, “Adopt a Village.” We did it in partnership with the Melissa Prandi Children Foundation, of Marin, CA. The adopted village was Kinawah Aidah, in Uganda.
About the village
| | |
The village has a population of 90,000. Almost a third of those—30%—are under the age of 18. Literacy is poor: 60% of the community reads at a 5th grade level; the rest, not at all. About 70% of eligible students complete primary school. Only 30% complete secondary school. TGUP’s Uganda partner, the Nsawo Community Development Project, works with the village in a variety of mentoring roles. It carried out this test.
| | |
About the Project
We committed to this suite of projects for the whole community:
- Water project
- Ovens for vocational center
- Sewing machines for vocational center
- Micro Loan for Women’s Club
- Garden of Eatin’ horticultural classes
-
Save a Girl ™ hygiene kits
- School supplies for 437 students
The cost of all the projects, combined, was only $11,000. This is less than a single classroom that TGUP typically builds.
So, what happened?
| | The water project purchased, installed, and plumbed a 1,000-liter water storage tank. It will provide water for drinking, washing, and for the school’s garden. All of the school’s 347 students and 21 staff will be directly helped by the project. More than 1,500 from the community will be indirectly helped. Over the 10-year duration of the project, more than 7,400 people will be helped. | | | | | We installed two small-scale commercial ovens to allow the vocational center to train students in baking skills and provide nutritious baked goods to help feed the school’s students. More than 125 students per year will be directly helped through the vocational training program. More than 1,300 students and community members will benefit from lower-cost, nutritious food provided. Over the life of the ovens, it is estimated that 4,500 people will be helped. | | |
We purchased four commercial sewing machines to train seamstresses at the school’s vocational center. Also included were materials to allow the students to begin making uniforms, linens, dresses, and other common textile products in demand in the community. More than 100 students will be trained on the sewing machines per year. Another 560 will benefit indirectly from the products produced. This delivers 2,400 beneficiaries over the duration of the project.
| |
| |
| A $1,000 micro-loan was granted to the Unique Women Club to foster entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency. The funds were used to purchase 10 goats which will be raised for milk, breeding, and meat. The loans will be repaid every four months and recycled into a constantly expanding fund able to help still more women. Over the life of the loan, it is expected that 350 people will be benefitted. It might be more, as loans are repaid and recycled. | | All of the school’s children will be trained in the Garden of Eatin’ horticultural practices. The school’s garden space is being used as the teaching space. The vegetables grown will help feed the children at the school. Additionally, the skills will be taken home in a structured program so the children might help better feed their own families. We estimate that over the life of the project, more than 7,800 people will be helped. | | | |
Most readers know TGUP’s Save a Girl ™ (SaG) washable, reusable sanitary kits. They help a girl manage her period so she can attend school every day of the month. We gave 200 SaG kits to the school’s girls. Properly cared for, a SaG kit lasts for three years. Documented results in other settings include improved attendance, higher test scores, higher graduation rates, and reduced pregnancies. And, benefits extend beyond the recipient girl, because the kit saves the family from having to purchase commercial hygiene supplies. More than 1,000 people are expected to benefit.
| | The final sub-project was to purchase school supplies for all of the school’s 347 children. These included notebooks for writing, pencils, pens, erasers, and other basic supplies to aid in learning. Believe it or not, such essential supplies are often not available for children in many African schools. It is expected that the supplies will last one year, so a total of 347 children will be benefitted. | | | |
Summary of Results
Again, the total cost of all of these projects was $11,000. Here is the summary of the outcomes:
| | A total of almost 24,000 people will be helped by the project, at a cost of $.46 (46 cents) per person. That is an astonishingly low amount to help a single person. At this point, we consider the effort a huge success. | | |
Discussion: Why a Village?
We chose the level of a village because it increases the collaborative potential among a close-knit group of people, all of whom are at a similar level of development, and all struggling to grow. Knowing each other and knowing each other’s plight, they are more likely to help each other.
| |
Also, recipients will all encounter multiple avenues of help when we’re working at this higher level. A student who is helped by having water in the school will also be helped by having vocational training in sewing, or baking. All will be helped by leaning new horticultural skills.
This recalls a lesson from high school biology: it takes eight different amino acids to form a protein. Similarly, without all basic infrastructure in place, individual pieces are not catalytic. It doesn’t matter if you have vocational training but no water. It doesn’t help if you have water and vocational training but the girls miss a week of school every month.
So, the strategy is to increase the density of help, the cross-pollination of elements, and the reciprocal capacity of individuals in a common setting to help each other. The bet is that this will improve the enduring outcomes for the entire village.
We are now assembling a second suite of projects, to help a second village. To see the details, click here. And, if you would like to Adopt a Village, or even just help with part of one, click here.
We will report back to you as we monitor the progress. In the meantime, thank you for supporting this incredibly important work.
TGUP
| | |
The Global Uplift Project
tgup.org
100% of all donations are tax deductible
| | | | |
