Dear Richard and Alex

I cannot find the business plan and I cannot find the training program. Very hard to work without those

best wishes

Dennis

Dear Dennis,

I was just passing by and saw your post...All pertinent documents (including the operational plan) are in the Resources section of the Adyaka page.

Thanks,

Romina

Thank you Romina, yes, I see it is there now.

Alex, Richard:

I am asking these questions as they seem relevant for anyone considering working with you to seek supporters for the project. The project is quite formidable as it is of one piece, a huge learning process in a short time.

The plan states:

Is it possible to show more clearly who is in charge and what skills they have.

There is reference to 'Board Criteria' but I see no reference to the board itself. My view - and I have seen its effectiveness elsewhere - is that it is essential to establish two I's - identity and integrity - with potential donors. Actually who will be running this, who will manage it.

There is a timeline in the plan, beginning several months ago. Is this being adhered to?

There is a total budget proposed of $US85000 over two years. How is it proposed that the project be supported beyond that?

best wishes

Dennis

Denis

I think most of the points you raise are in mentioned in the Business plan which can be found in th ersouces section of the site . with regard to funding after 3 years that is difficult to answer and i think can only be dealt with once funding has been derived for the first 3 years . it may no tb eperfect but it is at least a start!!

Will you try to do some fund raising using our business plan to guide would be sponsors ?

Richard

Dear Richard

You will appreciate that my request for additional information was based on reading the documents to which you refer me.

My simple answer to your question is no.

I do not believe that at the present time there is a proposal here that can readily presented as a sustainable project to a potential donor. If you look around Nabuur you will see ample evidence of this. It just does not happen with proposals like this.

Can you tell me why you believe, who you believe, would support this at the present time. I ask this in genuine concern to know where and how you believe this proposal can be advanced.

sincerely

Dennis

Dear Dennis

With regard to your email I would comment as follows:

- The key proposal for funding is spelt out in the Business Plan which seeks some £ 66600 spread over 3 years . Yhe operational plan is still in development - thus it might be best to focus on the Business plan
- chapter 4 thereof sets out the corporate governance issues
- the plan was subject to much review and seeemed to get fairly wide support
- I do not pretend to be able to answer how it will be funded after 3 years at this juncture simply because I do not think that it is possible to answer that at the present. Indeed I would be suspicious if that were to be the case as it would probably be unrealistic.
- our hope is that the VTI can develop into a series of micro businesses as referred to in para 6.2 although I acknowledge that this remains to be proven
- nabuur seems to have had enough confidence in th village development to confirm it recently as one of the Pioneer Villages
- It is difficult to state which organisations i think might feel able to invest but we have tried to take an approach with those which we think would be interested in both training and micro business development on a sustainable basis .
- The ideas are those developed locally not from outside the country and contact has been made with local reps of charities etc whose comments we are considering
- investors might be attracted by the opportunity to support local plans for local peopole in a realistic fashion aimed at producing skills to sustain a livelihood in basis skills which can be used to produce products for trade and contribute to continuing sustainability locally .
- what would you like to contribute etc to these ideas ? - all responses will be welcomed which are supportive and can advance our cause .
- Personally i am happy with any ideas to improve our current plans and even more with action by colleagues who feel able to take such tasks forward themselves .
- What we need now is realistic action

Richard :-)

Dear Denis,

I salute upon all the postings u have made in the adyaka village ,However i have also given it a quick glance and i would request you to atleat help us improve on the business plan and the operational which would suit the interest of the potential funders,Over the recent past we have been able to adjust the business plan as was demanded by someof our neighbours.

It is important that nwe do something now to keep faith in the heart of the community as you know this community of adyaka had been over shadowed by difficulties and are now gearing towards success in sustainable livelihood. :-D

As adviced by Thomson ,one of welwisers, we have just apply for funding support from the Americam embassy here in kampala and we have been posted in the list of next year,this also keeps our hope alive and we are also expecting u to do some thing that will help keep our hope alife. :-D

According to the last community meeting at adyaka ,issues were discussed and was resolve that atleat we putin place some small training programme in computer and tailoring with some 10 computers and 10 sewing machines respectively, and now the challenge remains how to get these machines and the source of fund for installation,Denis what is your take on this particular demand of adyakas community?

I will be readily available to work with you in transforming our business plan into a comprehensive one that will suit the interestof the donors just let me know where you need my explanation. :lol:

Blessings,get better not bitter and remember to keep african hope alive ,untill then take action now

Regards
Enon Alex

Hello Alex,

Congratulations! I am so pleased that you applied for funding from the US Ambassador's small grants scheme. We will all keep our fingers crossed for you!

I am actually one of the volunteer neighbours of Adyaka, Alex, not just a wellwisher - so remember that I am always available to help you make a success of your project - and quickly too. People loose their sense of enthusiasm, when projects drag on forever - at least I do: so let us act with some speed, Alex!

Perhaps you should also approach all the mobile phone companies in Uganda (who are making so much money from ordinary Ugandans), and ask them to allocate some of their corporate social responsibility budget funds, to your project, when they do their funding of community projects, for next year. Regards to all at Adyaka, Alex. Keep up the good work!

Best wishes,
Kofi.

Dear Alex

I am pleased to hear that you are well listed with the US embassy. I am also pleased to hear of your plan for some basic steps.

I was asking questions with genuine concern to see your projects progress and be sustainable locally. I was doing so while looking over a large number of Nabuur communities. Unfortunately I am not able to be committed as a major contributor here. If you look around Nabuur, you see so many projects which involve the assembly by well intentioned people of large business plans. You will also see that these simply sit waiting... waiting for charitable support which does not come. That is my concern.

with best wishes

Dennis

Dear Alex,

I am excited by the project the village is undertaking. I hope am of some use towards realising it.MY current work involves youth empowerment thorugh mentoring & training ,so i believe I will be able to contribute to the training programme component both by content and also physical training.

So lets rumble on.

Hi Alex

Good luck with your application to the American embassy. Others will run similar grants schemes - I know the British one does - so it may be worth applying to those as well.

Starting on a small scale sounds sensible, then you can grow over time, as you gain experience and (hopefully) identify sources of funding. The only plans I have seen are for the large-scale centre - do you have information about your new, smaller plans too?

Mary

Heelo Alex, Richard and other Neighbours,

I am Claudia Vijge, the Nabuur staff member that is taking over monitor duties from Siegfried, as he is too busy with other things to so.

I have read the discussion and it seems that this discussion is going towards funding. This might be confusion to new neighbours. so I would liek to suggest that this discussion be only about the training programs.

Alex & Richard, what is you aim in this discussion, getting the materials for the training programs or discuss how to implement them.

I looked at the documents in the resource section and noticed in the discussion that you want 10 computers and 10 sewing machines to start a small training.

I do know of a Dutch organisation "gered gereedschap" (which means 'saved tools') that can provide sewing machines for the training program. I have added information about them and a questionnaire that you can fill in to apply for sewing machines. Do you want electric or non-electric machines....this is fairly important, because if you don't have electricity and you get electric machines, there of no use to you and the project!

They also arrange transport to the country where it needs to go. Only you have to pay for the final overland transport I think. If you need help in filling in the questionnaire, let me know! You can use Nabuur as a Dutch reference, including my name.

Secondly a tip for you: It is possible for charities, NGO's and CBO's to get a 'waver of taxes' letter from the government so that you do not have to pay taxes for goods that you receive. Maybe you can check this with the department of customs in your Uganda.

that's it for now

Claudia V.

eng_information gered gereedschap.pdf

eng_questionnaire gered gereedschap.doc

:lol: Dear Claudia

Yes I think that will be very helpful to try to get nonelectric sewing machines in this way . I think what is neede is to ask for a volunteer to take on this project and work with Enon Alex to complete the paper work neccessary .It will also be very helful to wotk with you to do this because of the Netherlands connection .

I shall also mention this in my newsletter.

best wishes

Richard

Hi Richard & Alex,

I will be more than willing to help!
Can you both look through the document and try to fill in what you can. Then I can take a look at it and send it out to Gered Gereedschap.

Can you and Alex fill it in by next week?

Claudia V.

Claudia and Alex

many thanks for providing the information about Gered Gereedschap. I have reviewed the questionnaire which is rather daunting in its requiremnts !! I could provide answers to questions 1, 2, 3,8 and 9 by means of cross referencing my commnets to the Business plan but I think only Alex could answer questions 4, 5, 6, 7.

I wonder if I could ask you if you could call this organisation firstly to check and by providing them with acopy of the business plan ask if our ideas are within their scope of support. The amount of work involved in providing this information is very considerable and I felt that it might be a good idea to test the position in outline informally first . I do not expect them to confirm support formally in this way - only to see if they would encourage a submission from us .

That would be very helpful.

best wishes

Richard