February 4, 2010
2009 was the first year
for our students to write the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE).
When the results arrived, the headmistress was delighted. Tekera
Primary was #1 in the sub-county. The students all recorded good
marks and all but one qualified for government assistance. That
being, the basic school fee is paid for at USE (gov't) or government
assisted schools. It appears that almost all the graduating class
will be attending secondary school. We began a student scholarship
programme and the support for it has been fantastic. Now six
students who would not have been able to advance, are able to
continue their studies thanks to six sponsors. In spite of the
strides by the government to make school more accessible, for many
in villages, it is still unaffordable. Unless a student lives near
the school, boarding costs prohibit many village children from
attending. The closest secondary schools are 10 kilometers or more
from Tekera.
The health clinic
continues to be a busy place. More people from places outside our
service area are coming to us. The closest clinics to us are
government clinics and they are constantly out of drugs and often do
not attend to patients. We have attempted to get some assistance
from the district health department but failed. As a result, we lose
about $250. each month.
The craft club had a
very good year. Sales were very good and the Christmas angel
programme was successful. The women began a co-op savings & loan
within the group and it too has proven successful.
A grant from the German
embassy helped build a tree nursery and provide us with seed. The
focus is on pine trees but we also have some eucalyptus and coffee.
There are plans (detailed later) to make this a very good business.
Overall, the farm income
was not as good as we hoped but a great deal was invested and we
expect to reap the profits in 2010. Hopefully, the garden will
provide enough to support the clinic.
Late in 2009, we decided
to get into livestock so now we have three cows. One is still a baby
so she takes all the mother's milk. We still have one providing milk
for the centre. The two plough cows (gelded bulls) all get along
together.
We began taking
volunteers from a volunteer organization and this has proven to be a
very positive step. They provide some funding which offsets some of
the operating costs but they also have been very helpful around the
centre and in the community.
A look back at our
goals and objectives:
GOALS FOR 2009
1. Build a maize
mill. This will encourage the increase of crops by farmers and provide
some employment. It will also be beneficial for the
school as a major market.
2. Build a tree nursery. There is a huge demand for trees in Uganda and
the local area.
The depletion rate is alarming since wood is the major source
for cooking and needed
for charcoal. There are no nurseries in the area and could be
a great opportunity for
development.
3. Obtain funding for a matatu and begin providing affordable public
transportation.
Profits from this would be used for funding the services of
the centre.
4. Obtain at least 20 acres of land for tree planting.
The above are income generating projects to fund all the services and
maintain other services like the boreholes. This will also assist
farmers with their income and opportunities to develop land. The final
step of the community development is education and training to continue
services in the future without the need for foreign funds or personnel.
There will, however, be observers to insure that the systems put in
place are maintained.
5. Expand the medical clinic and dental services.
6. Increase farm gross income to 12 million per year.
7. Obtain funding for deserving students to further their education in
secondary school.
Most families cannot afford the secondary school fees so many children
fail to advance in their studies.
1. We didn't
build the maize mill. After careful consideration, it was decided
that it would not generate enough income to justify the cost. We did
however, purchase a great deal of maize and had it milled, thereby
reducing the cost of the porridge programme.
2. We did build the tree nursery and now we are organizing an
association to assist farmers access trees at no cost. There are
thousands of acres that are sitting idle and can be used. The
problem is the land owners generally do not have enough money to
clear land and buy trees. Because the Norwegian government provided
a huge grant specifically for trees, this can be accessed through an
association. We are in this process for 2010.
3. We failed to raise funds for a matatu. Transportation is still a
difficult situation.
4. So far, we have not been able to find land & there has been no
funds available to purchase.
5. The health clinic is now occupying two rooms, one with beds for
observation and/or IV drips. The dental clinic remains separate and
still operates one day per week.
6. The financial crisis affected everyone. We failed to meet our
target since the hotel business suffered through most of the year.
We anticipate a better 2010.
7. We were very fortunate to obtain six sponsorships. All the
qualifying students that needed help to advance are going to
secondary school. One student that needed help but didn't qualify is
being helped by the secondary school.
Our plan for 2010
is to reduce the need for outside funding to 30% of the overall
budget, continue to pursue reliable transport and complete the
transition of management to the Ugandan staff. Foreign volunteers
will continue to play a role but more in an advisory and support
role rather than the day-to-day decision making. This has been
happening since mid-2009 and should be completed in 2010.
