Share your ideas for income-generating activities at the school
Status: 
Step:
3
Both women and men in the Maria Mother of Charity Relief Home are actively working on a gardening project. They have already cultivated a good portion of land and they are waiting for their seedlings to be ready. This project shall help in the sustenance of the school.
I have ever said our income generation activity is limited and this results in the teachers' salaries being months behind. With this in mind, we are seeking an easier way of adding to our income that will enable us contribute to the well being of the school with a small investment. If you know of successful activities we might consider, or have examples of what has worked in other areas, please share them so that we can evaluate and consider all options.
Project: MMCRHI-ZAMBIA
Hi,
There are limited options for generation of income from the gardening project, and you will need to focus only on growing seasonal vegetables, which can be sold in the local markets. These vegetables will fetch returns in the short-term.
In addition, you can also grow fruit trees around the boundary of the plot, by selecting varieties which grow well in the local climate and do not need much maintenance. These trees can fetch returns in the medium to long-term.
You will need to find methods of minimizing all expenses, and for this you will need to specify all heads of expenditure, and then find methods of reducing expenses against each head.
You will need to find methods of maximizing the profits by maximizing the area under cultivation, getting good quality seeds, working for higher yields, avoiding waste, finding good markets for profitable sales, etc.
Vijai
Hi Vijai,
You are welcome to my village. Thank you for your advice on the gardening, fruit trees, maximisation of land use, maximisation of profits and minimising expenses.
Contribute as much to this project. We need your expertise in order to stabilise.
Welcome
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Framar School of Excellence, Kasama, Zambia
Hi Mary,
I have recently posted on another village on nabuur about an alternate green technology product - the 'gobar gas plant'. This is an environmentally friendly product which converts faecal matter to fertilizer, and also produces methane gas as a by-product. This gas can be used for cooking etc.
A basic schematic diagram and explanation of how the gobar gas system works can be seen on the following site -
http://www.childhaven.ca/gobar.htm
This is a cost-effective solution and will have the following advantages for your gardening project :
- a gobar gas plant can be made at the site of the gardening project at very low cost, and does not occupy much space.
- this plant will produce organic fertilizer which will eliminate or considerably reduce the expenses on fertilizers for the gardening project.
- the input for the gobar gas plant will be faecal matter from humans or animals, which will be free and can be piped through the toilets etc in the school or nearby areas. This will also keep the environment clean.
- a bi-product of the gobar gas plant will be methane gas which can be used for cooking at the community level.
- the use of organic fertilizer will ensure better fertility of the soil on a long-term basis, and this is expected to translate into higher crop yields, which will mean more earnings.
Vijai
Hai Vijai
I totally believe your idea of using the gobar gas plant. I only have a problem of who can help us start it at our site. I will try to search someone who may help in achieving this wonderful idea in our village.
Please keep helping us with innovations of advancing our projects for the common good of a vulnerable soul out there.
Thanks
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Framar School of Excellence, Kasama, Zambia
Dear Mary,
I support Vijai suggestion. Please utilise the garden by growing seasonal vegetables including cabbages, egg plants, among others. Consider planting mangoes or avocadoes or guavas around the garden as adviced.
Otherwise thanks for keeping the village live.
Marsha Denis
Hai Marsha.
Good to hear from you. Yes. You are right and I am trying my level best to get the village involved in intensive gardening as the first aid to our problems at the school.
Thanks
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Framar School of Excellence, Kasama, Zambia
hai mary,
do you have a culture of handling human waste in your community? this might be an important issue to address. in addition you may want to introduce ecosan technology in the school and use it to sensitise students, teachers and their parents on the value and uses of human waste including urine.
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Local representative
Bweyogerere
Grassroots Partenrships Enhance Sustainable Development
Hey Walude. Good to hear from you. I believe Bweyogerere is doing fine.
My dear brother, human waste is regarded the waste filthy matter in my society as though it does not come out of man. This is why there should be alot of sensitization of this new idealogy to my village before it takes off.
You are right that the school should also be sensitized about the importance of human waste on gardening so that we can greatly benefit from it.
We should learn from what others are benefiting from for our betterment.
Thankyou dear brother
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Framar School of Excellence, Kasama, Zambia
Hello,
You can take grain seeds, these are a bit cheaper then other seeds or maize.
You can also plant olive trees. These trees wil give you olives, oil and shelter
for the sun. And it's a healthy product, you can buy these trees ans plant them. If the
trees are big you can take the seeds and plant them again. You don't need to buy them.
I hope it will work!!!!!!!!!
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Kind regards,
Nila
Yes I agree that as much as ecosan technology can be good if its products are put to appropriate use, but if in your society human wastes are a no go area as far as producing food is concerned, find other possible alternatives. My input here is that you should endeavor to keep your final product Organic. That is what matters most, even for the health of your members. Compost manure could work better here for instance.
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Patrick Jude Mugisha
Local Representative Ibanda, Mbarara