I am always impressed by how much WYDG has achieved with limited outside financial support. Instead of sitting back and waiting for someone to give you lots of money and do everything for you, your members get on and do things for themselves :) Many other Nabuur projects should learn from your example.

Good luck in the competition!

Mary

A big hello and Congratulations on your Briquette compacting idea!!! I am sure you will win one of the grants - it is a brilliant idea and a wonderful money maker for sure. Can't wait to hear -
Regards

Ginger

Mary said it all. Keep up the good work. The use of solar lighting [lamps] is a growing small entrepreneurship buiness in Africa. You might want to consider that now or in the future.

One of the 10 finalist in the CNN grants was the young man from Kenya in the busines. He has an NGO. Copy and paste these into the internet.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/02/11/cnnheroes.wadongo/index.html

http://sustainabledevelopmentforall.org/index.php?option=com_content&vie...

Several other villages need this info but how to get it to them.

Solar electricity panels: Light homes, classrooms, etc. Can power radios, TVs, computers, etc. Use to recharge batteries. http://biodesign.webeden.co.uk; Graham Knight [English & French] ; waame.sn/ (french); Haiti - vssnet.org/index.html; Benin - gawa.nu/stories/story_solar.htm; http://ntong-benin.ifrance.com/ (french); Malawi - http://solar-aid.org/, for videos click on 'Solar videos'; Kenya - kcyp.net; Blog at solar-aid.org/?gclid=CKac4bfh3YkCFQnoEAodlVQSFA; idrc.ca/en/ev-111741-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html; Ghana - graphicghana.info/article.asp%3Fartid%3D14797+ghana+CASOLS&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=5; californiasolarcenter.org/ssh.html; youtube.com/watch?v=B8zEBrH2bPU; youtube.com/watch?v=i6htYGp1rus; californiasolarcenter.org/ssh.html for schools;

Ken

Hi Mary, Ginger, and Ken

Thank you all for your encouragement. We are still waiting for the final results from the panelists following a visit to our existing projects and interviews to the current and proposed beneficiaries of the proposed project.

Regards,
Emmanuel

Hi Emmanuel,

How are you? Any news from the youth entrepreneurship competition?

Greetings from snowy Berlin,
Maria

Hi All,

Following the site visit to Wakitaka by Youth Entrepreneurship Facility (YEF) and ILO, the group was advised to scale up the existing tailoring project since the number of youth involved was big yet the facilities were limited. The youth were therefore advised to submit in another business plan on tailoring instead of briquette making. This was due to the fact that briquette making is more attractive in urban and peri-urban centers yet Wakitaka is a village.

We are therefore waiting for an exhibition (i.e. show case) that will take place in January, 2011.

Regards,
Emmanuel

Hi Neighbors,

I bring to you good news that Wakitaka is one of the youth organizations that have been officially invited for the showcase which will take place starting 30th January-1st February, 2011 in Kampala. The showcase is about the grant competition that Wakitaka youth have been involved in since September, 2010. Out of hundreds of organizations that have been involved, Wakitaka is among the ten remaining organizations in the country!! The youth are finally going to showcase their idea of briquette making business as a move to address youth unemployment in the country.

However, we will need volunteers on Nabuur.com to urgently help organize some useful documents that can be used in the showcase. It can be posters, leaflets, brochures, videos, organize youth stories (experiences) about the projects etc (A list of items that may be required is attached). We would really appreciate if this is provided as soon as possible perhaps before mid next week.

Regards,
Emmanuel

Materials to showcase.doc