Restoration Project Resource Center

May 23, 2021

Dear Partner,

Thank you for your continued support towards our Restoration Project Resource Center. This enables us to continue to change lives despite the impacts of the pandemic. Because of your support, we can continue to provide services to our women.

Although the pandemic tried to stifle delivery of our services, but we are swimming out of the deep sea! One thing was certain, we did not hold back services instead, we added classes that we thought would improve the economic status of the populations we serve. This would have been impossible without your support. Since our last report in January, we have added one more class- social media marketing – to our skills development classes. This class will enable our program participants receive skills that they can apply to their other skills to work in that area. We are also investing in paid internships, certification exams and financial assistance for those who must pay for applications for programs that will enhance their economic status- job marketability, training, and apprenticeship. All the above cost more money besides paying our instructors to teach these classes.

In the past, we have seen program participants learn more and receive hands-on experience which translates into better understanding of the skills received during their training under RPI. For example, participants say the skills they received from the computer/Microsoft office training were useful for understanding the coding and data entry class; help those who are working menial jobs to be able to fill out simple online applications, type their resumes, etc., with little or no assistance. We know that our business coaching class has given those intending to start a small business better understand and evaluate their goals for owning a small business and what it would entail to run one.

Our next class, Data Entry class, will take place in June and a paid internship follows immediately after in July. Other classes will be being in August, September, and October. We will not only be paying 5 instructors to teach the 7 classes, but we will also be giving stipend to 10 individuals for participating in internships which are considered an extension of the class, as well as certification exams for 20 students in Data Entry, Python Essential (coding) and Microsoft Office.

Your financial support as our partners and supporters will guarantee sustainability of these programs. So please continue to partner with us and give to this good work so that we can continue to impact our community, and change lives of individuals that systems do not often capture in their intervention processes.

We would love to continue to hear words like our past graduates shared with us…
“the way they help for people for better job and opportunity”, “it is free and they teach u a lot about coding and python”, and “the way of teaching and the environment was comfortable”

Like we always say, there is power in numbers! We want you to know that we value your support, they mean a lot to us and the population we serve. We are very sincere when we say we cannot do this work without you!

Please continue to help change the lives of girls and women one person at a time. A little drop of water indeed makes a mighty ocean! We are inspired to do this work because we can count on you. Thank you for your commitment.

Help share our work on your social media platforms, and support our Project at:
https://www.globalgiving.org/dy/v2/pe/project-edit/edit-page-1.html?project.projId=31361

Like us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/restorationpi/

Twitter at: https://twitter.com/restorproject

THANK YOU for your support. For questions, contact me at eookupa@restorationpi.org.

Sincerely,

Edith Okupa

January 21, 2021

Dear Partner,

As always, we are grateful for your support towards our Restoration Project Resource Center. Because of your partnership and support, despite the impacts of the pandemic, we were able to continue to provide services.

We would be remised to say that the pandemic did not affect delivery of our services. But your support enabled us devise alternative ways of reaching our constituents. Instead of in-person classes, we resorted to online. So all our classes were delivered via ZOOM. At first, it looked far-reaching and impossible, especially with the computer hardware/software and internet requirements. Although a lot of program participants could not take the classes, but we had a sizeable number that completed classes in Computer/Microsoft Office, Financial Literacy, Data Entry, Coding (Python), and Business Coaching (ongoing). A total of 24 program participants graduated in December of 2020. Of these, 4 people took part in our paid internship program where they were given opportunity to increase their speed in data entry, work in an actual office setting and learn more about corporate work. After one month of internship, each of them received a $200 stipend from us as an incentive for completion of the data entry class and the internship. One of the interns was hired by our corporate partners after the completion of the internship. We also had a virtual graduation ceremony to celebrate our program graduates. Some of our board members, all classes instructors and some of the program graduates were in attendance. It was an emotional even, hearing the graduates express their satisfaction about the classes and their gratitude for being given the opportunity to learn even in these precarious times.

We are excited to share some comments of graduates. We would attached a screen shot graduation attendees if they did not have their names on it. However, some comments from end of class surveys:

When asked to state 3 things that you liked most about the class and why?

(1)  “the way they help for people for better job and opportunity”,

(2)  “it is free and they teach u a lot about coding and python”, and

(3)  “the way of teaching and the environment was comfortable”

When asked: Do you have any comments/suggestion to help improve this class?

“Everything was perfect and good but the class was short. It is better if we continue the class”.

As is our tradition, we take these suggestions seriously. We are planning to increase the duration of our classes, and or have them in two or three parts. This will require more funding. We hope that when the time comes, we can count on you, our partner, for that additional support.

Remember, there is power in numbers! Your support helps our community who is already disenfranchised and lacks the ability to compete with other members of society for the limited economic resources, which is made even more difficult to reach because of the COVID-19 pandemic, build the courage to compete keenly for economic resources.

The value of the skills we impact is far-reaching. Lives of girls and women are being changed. Although, the number may be a fraction of those that need help, but we believe that one girl/women at a time is enough to reach the entire community. When we lift-up one, she lifts-up another, and so on, we would reach many. Please help us make a difference in these lives!

Help share our work on your social media platforms, and support our Project at:
https://www.globalgiving.org/dy/v2/pe/project-edit/edit-page-1.html?project.projId=31361

Like us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/restorationpi/

Twitter at: https://twitter.com/restorproject

THANK YOU for your support. For questions, contact me at eookupa@restorationpi.org.