I don't know if this is really a strategy, but it payed off in my country. You surely do have some traditional objects -for example, Roumanians have masks - that you may craft during your spare time. Children can be taught to do that and their work may be sold on special websites for charities or to tourists that visit your country. I admit, it is not a substantial contribution, but I assume every dollar is important.

My father works in the domain of marketing, I might just ask him maybe he's got an idea :D

Dear all,

Thank you so much for your great contributions. We're glad in Buterere community.

I would also like to share thanks to all contribitors, especially to Consu, because of the work done quickly, less than two days, great! together we'll make it!

She's offered to translate the Business plan from English to French, too. Yes, your suggestion is very good, because we will need it in french locally,

By the way, both of your contributions about the way to generate income are good. Vincent, can we view the link? I find that your suggestion and comment are great.

Consu, what do you mean by "I don't know if this is really a strategy, but it payed off in my country. You surely do have some traditional objects -for example, Roumanians have masks - that you may craft during your spare time. Children can be taught to do that and their work may be sold on special websites for charities or to tourists that visit your country."???

Thank you very much!

I'm volunteering for an NGO (Save the children) which gathers up quite large sums by selling hand-crafted masks -they are traditional in my country- . Since what we are trying to establish is a social and health centre, children accommodated there could craft traditional objects for your country, selling them to tourists or on websites for charities. Therefore, two problems are solved : the funding problem and the entertaining activities for the little ones. Of course, my idea cannot be put in practice just now, it is a solution after the construction of the building.

I've asked my dad for a few ideas:

- first and foremost, the construction we're attempting to build is more likely to obtain funds if it's going to be easy to maintain. By this I mean that solar panels and eolian energy should replace typical electrical energy. To my mind, solar panels are most indicated since Buterere is in Africa and you've got plenty of sun there. (this would solve the problem of hot water)

- secondly, people living there must provide for themselves: food supplies can be: domestic animals such as hens, pigs etc that can be easily fed by the children or the elders.
Moreover, you can create an artificial lake for fishing, both for the leisure time of tourists as for the centre's needs (tourists will pay, of course, to be able to fish there)

- in addition, you can transform a few chambers of the centre into a profit-source. By establishing a call-centre there, you gain the minimum necessary profit. A call-centre, I should explain, is a part of a company where clients having problems with different objects they have bought from the company, call there for assistance. The strategy is practised by the Canadians and the French till now and I'm confident that if you address a large company, they will offer you this deal. I am aware that this would mean work for the children living there, but it is not physical and it could easily be done by a 14 year old who has to learn only a few pages of instructions for a certain product.
I admit, it hardly fits into a health centre, but it yields results.

That's about all for now, I'll sleep on it, maybe I'll find other ideas.

Chaleureusement,

Consu

Dear Consu and Vincent

Thank you for your ideas, I´m sure that, if we point in developing these, these can work for us!! We´d like to explore some alternatives related to the agriculture too and a better way to use resources there. That´s why we need a leader and a team for taking the responsability of this task, who be in charge of the investigation and feasibility of each alternative given by the neighbours. Who is able to take the responsability of this task? :-)

Please let me know. We can support this work with the students are currently working for our Village.

Warm regards,

Beatriz

Dear Jean

Here are some links to website page for Friends of hospital
KCMC http://kcmc.ngindex.com/
Selian Lutheran Hospital http://selianlh.habari.co.tz/contribute.htm
Haydom Lutheran Hospital http://www.haydom.no/Stiftelsen/index.htm

I hope these links will give you a rough picture how others raise funds

Vincent A

Dear Serna,

Regarding an example of agriculture, I have a live example of an hospital that run/own a farm and the proceeds from agriculture is used to feed patients.
That is Haydom Lutheran Hospital. They have few diary cattle, milk generated is used to feed children admitted with malnitritions problems. They also have a barley/maize farm. They sell Barley to a Brewing company but for maize, they stock it distribute to poor people during dry season.

In order this to work for Buterere, it depends on Location. If Buterere is in town, land is very scarce therefore this plan can not work. If it is located in remote area where land is abundant, then this can work.

In Haydom also they sometime treat poor people and to compensate the cost, they assign piece of work such grass cutting and environment cleaning to their relatives before discharge.

Vincent A

Dear Vincent

Your ideas are excellent and I think these could help us to get incomes. I was talking with Jean about this issue and he´s going to post a comment explaining you about the location of Buterere, but according with his explanation, it´d be possible. We actually have a new neighbour who is an expert in Agriculture, Adedoyin Olusina. I´m going to ask him to help us investigating deeply your ideas and the other from other neighbours, and determine the feasibilty in Butere.

Please feel free of giving us another ideas you have, these´ll be valuable for our Village. :-)

Warm regards,

Beatriz

Dear Vincent, Consu and Serna,
Thank you for all comments posted. I’ve been very busy these days.

I would like to post comments about Vincent’s contribution.
Vincent would need to know whether Buterere is in Urban or Rural area:
Buterere community is in urban area, but if you arrived there it does not seem as an urban community. It seems to be a rural area. Even if you ask people how is Buterere they tell you that it is an rural community, because is built in traditional strategies, no modern house there, most houses are built in the bricks not cooked, without cement covered others built with wood with roofs out of grass. Buterere is also know as a rural community because of the standard of living of the population there: many people are mostly alliterated, with not good appearance (Healthy), only hoping to live by agriculture labour, small trades and other hands activities to find daily foods for the families. Also their behaviour makes them be ranged in the categories of rural citizen. The majority of their occupation is agriculture. Therefore this alternative for Income is important

In addition,, BUTERERE is qualified by people a semi-urban or rural community, (even if it is in urban communes) because it is the one community which has many poor people, who are /or was sometimes neglected, discriminated and violated in BURUNDIANS Society or tribes /race . Those people are called ABATWA (the pigmies). They live in their places, in the traditional houses, recently, they had no right to share any material or foods with other persons, but nowadays, they are being civilized, there in our BUTERERE Community.

For these reason, I see that we can take our poor community as a rural one, and at my side, I see that nothing can stop us to do things as you suggested if it is applicable.

And thank you for raising this question Vincent, this problem was the one which pushed me to stand up and take action to work on behalf of Buterere, and I am sure together we’ll make it because we are all concerned!!!!

Waiting now to read from you all.
J.Cl.K

Dear Jean

Thank you for this important information, now I am getting the picture of Buterere. The hospital which use agriculture as an alternative source of revenue in my country is located in remote area and the hospital was planned before settlement of people therefore it has a big land. May be if you can tell us where your planning to construct Medical Centre, do you have enough idle land to allow agriculture activities?. Do depend 100% on rainy or you have irrigation system in place?

Dear Vincent,

Thank you for this annimited forum! Lands are in plenty in the community, and in rural areas,too. I think that there are no problems if a Health centre is placed far from a field of Farming or if they are approximatly.Are these true?

About having a land: I have asked someone who have a big land in a rural community if lands are available, and accoundingly to his comments it seems that we can have a land for a litly doller (which can not be considered as payment of a land because it is a larg land). About rains: Currently in Burundi we're facing climate change effects, which means that we can not believe totally on the rains.

Greetings to Buterere Community. To see the growth and the sucesss of this community I have decided and discussed you need a simple and a good web site that will help raise funds for Buterere Community. And how will this be impletemented. I have taken this task to design the web site for Buterere C'nity. This can be decided by the neigbours on what and how the web site will go. The template will follow next for comments... on it. I like all neighbours of Buterere to co-operate to make a succesful story and for all. I will need you suggestions on the task as well, in Unity We Stand

Dear Tindogo

Thank you for your help and commitment with this task. I´d like the other neighbours join us in order to help us with all the ideas can contribute to make this task successfull.

Best regards,

Beatriz

Dear Beatriz,
I had worked for nabuur one and half year ago as a facilitator.I am intrested in your work and want to help as a neighbour.Can you please explain the task on which you are working.
with regards
seema

Dear Seema,

Thank you for joinning us at BUTERERE home page.
I would like to welcome you and reply to your question and the Facilitator will complete me.

Currently we are active working on the 4 tasks:

1. To review the budget
2. To draft a Project proposal for Buterere Community
3. To writte a latet of Intent to be submited by 24th, December,at Global Health Leadership Awards, and an other for Gates Foundation b
4. We are welcoming ideas of a good alternative Income for Buterere Community, strategies to attract income for Buterere community,and If you have ideas of a good income project that can be run in Butere, you are welcome to post a message and share ideas with us.

Hope that I replied the half of your good question, Beatriz or other will complete me, and we wait to collaborate to look for solution on behalf of people in the Community.

Thanks