Community Innovation resource centre

Since we started the campaign for fundraising for the resource Centre, I have been reflecting and evaluating the love, generosity, knowledge, advice and guidance support you rendered to us to start the community resource Centre. I again thought of finding appropriate words to say thank you but failed, but I would only say thank you very much for what you have done for us so far, the community is very grateful with all what you have done.

Allow us to wish you and your families a very wonderful Easter season.

We are so excited to have the doors of the Resource Centre open and farmers, students and community members going through computer literacy courses. But we lack the consistent funding to fill the modems to connect the Internet and internet services in the resource centre for the entire community.

 The center was launched on 20/12/2012 and is doing well with a lot of challenges. It is a multi-purpose Centre where information is generated, disseminated, managed and shared. It is a place of reference and referral whose main target is the local community, researchers, and government and non-government organizations.

It is equipped with 5 computers though to serve the community we need at least 10 computers. We recruited 10 students and 5 farmers on full scholarship and are training to be computer literate and will be graduating at the end of April 2013.We have registered 45 youth and 20 farmer who want to become computer literate but without more funding to facilitate the centre, we cannot go ahead with the programme, therefore we are soon to be stuck. 

Achievements

1. The community has responded well to the opening of the resource center and more and more people are coming to the center to get first class services offered by the resource center.
2. We are training 15 people to become computer literate and they have started to learn to use computers in their day to day lives. They have learnt to use both software and hardware and how to use IT to earn a living.
3. Students are now able to use computers with relative ease as opposed to when the center started the computer training.

Challenges 

Since the time we opened up the resource center, we met a lot of challenges. These ranged from financial to every day challenges that arise from change of environment.

1. Our main objective of starting the resource Centre was to provide internet services to the community to save them from moving 60 kilometers to the capital city to access such services, we also need regular funding to fill the modems for access but we have run out of fund.
2. We lack money to facilitate the volunteer resource Centre attendants (2 people) and to service the equipment at the Centre (computers and printers) every month.
3. One of the toughest the staff face is transport to the center. They have to walk a very long distance (more than 16 km to and fro) every day to be able to deliver the services to the students. This distance most times took a toll on their bodies daily as they had to adjust to walking almost a third of the day and we do not have the money to rent for them a nearby room where they can stay.

Due to the above mentioned challenges, we have decided   launch a second campaign to solicit more fund and to recruit at least 50 recurring donors by 31^st 15th 2013 who can give $10 or $ 25 or more every month through GlobalGiving so that we can meet some of the above mentioned challenges. It will be an exciting day - we can have consistent Internet and know that the Community Innovation Resource Centre can be open every day to provide services to the community. 

We are so thankful for your support. So thankful! Your  donation is so exciting to the whole community each time we receive it. I want to humbly ask you if you would be able to donate to us more and also become our recurring donor and again help us to recruit 2 or more donors who are your friend and willing to help people in great need like us so that we can achieve our objectives.

That is why we are launching another campaign to get 50 recurring donors by 15^th April 2013 who can donate to the Centre at least $10, $25, $50, $100 or more per month or once, get more computer, get a photocopying machine and 2 bicycles for the volunteers. These donations will help us to connect to the Internet, service computers every month, and ensure our resource Centre tutors (attendants) can be there every day, in order to serve our community diligently.

We want you to join the struggle to make the Kikandwa community computer literate and also help us to sustain our services. Please write me back with questions or responses. I would love to stay in contact, send photos, and send our financial plans if you would like to see as our partner.

Thanks AGAIN FOR YOUR GREAT LOVE YOU HAVE SHOWN US.

The whole of the future is built in global partnerships and we are so honored to have this relationship.

http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/community-innovation-resource-centre/

Items which are urgently needed per year for the resource Centre to be fully operational.

Item

  Subtotal per year

Cost of internet setup

$900

Cost of internet services

$1800

Allowances for the computer trainer

$2400

Cost of electricity

$600

Cost of stationery, computer repairs, printer and photocopier maintenance

$3600

Binding machine

$200

Radio and television

$950

Daily newspapers both English and local languages

$720

Educational magazines and books

$750

Purchasing of 4 new computers

$2000

Deficit from expenditures

$155

Transport (2 bicycles)

$300

Grand total

$14,375

Best regards from

Kaganga John

Links:

• The Million Person Project!
• Our Project Page