Newsletter: Update on Three Development Projects

During his last visit to Burundi, John McCready made onsite visits to all five of the projects funded by the Student Grants Program of the Haley McCready Outreach and Development Fund.  A previous Newsletter reported on the field visits to the first two development projects that were funded after the first Call for Proposals.  This Newsletter reports on the field visits to the next three projects that were funded from the second Call for Proposals.

Improved Food Security at Kabezi, Project Managers, Marie Nadège Twagirayezu and Anicet Nyandwi

This well-conceived project is making very good progress.  The project is distributing goats, providing training on growing crops and building an association.

Anicet and Association President
Anicet and Association President

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ten goats have been distributed to the five original women.  Now, there are 14 kids and kids will be distributed to another group of women.

Feeding the Kids
Feeding the Kids

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To improve the soil and improve the yield from the crops, the project is teaching the women about composting.

Compost Pits
Compost Pits

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The project has a demonstration site to teach the women about growing crops. The project purchased and distributed seed for growing beans, corn and soybeans.  At time of the field visit, the beans were doing very well.

Beans and Association Members
Beans and Association Members

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To extend the development benefits and sustain the project long into the future, the project is building an association.  As the project distributed goats and seeds to the origninal five association members, the members are expected to distribute kids and seeds to new association members who agree to join the association and support the association’s cooperative development purposes.  In this way, the project promotes a Chain of Community Solidarity.

Welding Workshop at Buterere, Project Manager, Kilongo Banyakwa, Project Secretary, Henry Milenge

At the beginning of this year, the welding project had to move from its first location because of rent increases.  The project is set up in a nearby second location and it has resumed functioning.  The project makes windows and doors, undertakes welding jobs and trains volunteers to become welders.

Welding Door
Welding Door

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The project employs two welders and trains two volunteers from the surrounding poor neighborhood.  Two young men have been trained to be welders and two more more men have started training. 

Grinding Door
Grinding Door

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the day of the field visit, one of the welders and the first two trainees were away working on a welding job that had been secured.  The first two trainees were finished with their training and a graduation ceremony was scheduled for the end of February.

The Project Manager, Kilongo Banyakwa, is doing the marketing for the project.  To sustain itself, the project needs to obtain orders and make sales.  Following the field visit, the project reported that some doors were sold through one of the markets. Whereas the project can make a number of doors and windows each month, it only needs to sell two doors to cover its costs.

Farming Goats at Gatwe, Project Manager, Jean Claude Ngendakumana

Thanks to Wenceslas Nahimana, a field visit was made to this remote upcountry project.  This project is working with six widows.  It is teaching the women about nutrition and composting.  The project will be assisting the women in planting crops.  In anticipation of distributing goats, the project manager bought six female goats.  At the time of the field visit, one of the goats had already produced a kid.

You Bet I'm Cute
You Bet I’m Cute

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The project recently purchased a male goat and distributed an adult female goat to each of the six widows.  The goats will have kids and the widows are expected to distribute kids on to other widows.

Mum Feeding Kid
Mum Feeding Kid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the field visit, the project manager, Jean Claude Ngendakumana, and the fund founder, John McCready, were reflecting on the fact that their grandfathers, Matayo Myiruko (still alive and well) and John Wesley Haley, had worked together many years ago.  Now, some time later, the grandsons, both with first name John, are working together.

Jean and John
Jean and John