The roof is getting framed up and the students are pitching in to help put up a new roof over a classroom at the Njinikejem School in Camerooon.  This project was funded through our 10-Cent Project Solution Program by students from I.S.218 middle school.  More classroom space with a new roof means a safe and dry area for education to continue.

Joe spoke to three second grade classes at The Bradford School who will be helping raise funds for a water tank project in Uganda.  For those who have been following our progress in 2012, TPS has funded two water tanks for the Kasinde and Nymiyaga Schools as one of our yearly projects (check out all the details on that project HERE).  The Bradford School students have stepped up to help fund a third water tank, this one at the Kitagyenda Primary School.

The students have been learning about the importance of water in our world including the water cycle, water pollution and water scarcity.  To culminate their lessons, they will be partaking in a Water-Thon to help raise money for the water tank project.  The students will be walking short laps while carrying a one gallon jug of water and get sponsors to support them for every lap they walk.  100% of the proceeds will be going to The Project Solution to fund the water tank.

We have just finalized our seventh project and we are happy to announce our second partnership with the non-profit, Citta.  Citta has recently been working to help three schools located in the Limi Valley in Nepal.  The region is quite remote and the schools are situated in a trans-Himalayan valley.  They have several major needs but at the forefront is the importance of a bathroom for the students.  We will be providing the funding to construct a bathroom facility similar to some of our past projects.

The students of I.S.218 in New York presented a check to Joe for $800.00 as part of their fundraiser this year for The 10-Cent Project Solution program.  One hundred percent of the money will be going to Cameroon to help the Njinikejem School with some roofing they need for a new classroom space that they are currently working on.  Many thanks go out to the Student Government at I.S.218 who helped organize the fundraising efforts over the last few months.

New classroom under construction in Cameroon

The logistics for projects like this are not easy, but many of the local people are working to support this important effort for the school.

The last steps with this project will be the final setup of the tank with fresh water and to start providing meals as part of the morning feeding program.

The Nyamiyaga Primary School is the site of our second water tank installation in Uganda.  Just as with the first tank, the water will be used primarily for the morning porridge program run by the Mpambara-Cox Foundation.

The Mpambara-Cox Foundation will be running their daily, 10:30am Porridge Program with the nearly 500 students to bring them a daily meal.

Following this installation, there is still one more tank to be set up for the Nyamiyaga School.  This will serve another 500 students.

Our partner organization, The Mpambara-Cox Foundation sent us a photograph from the Kasinde Primary School in Uganda where one of the water tanks will be installed.  Shown in the photo above are some of the children who will benefit from having the water tanks installed to be used for their daily food program.  The children are standing on the approximate spot of their future water tank.

Our sixth project is underway!  Partnering with the Mpambara Cox Foundation, we will be funding the purchase and installation of a rainwater catchment and purification system at the Kasinde and Nyamiyaga Schools in Uganda.  The primary purpose of the water will be for use in their 10:30 Porridge Program.  This is a school feeding program that provides a daily meal to children served at 10:30am, Monday through Friday. The focus is on providing nutrition and giving the children an incentive to come to school and to maintain regular attendance. The porridge is prepared and served at government aided schools located in rural locations where most families live on less than $1 a day.

A Collaboration with the Community
Providing clean drinking water and a meal every school day, has several major impacts on the students and community.  At a basic level, we all understand the value of having education available to children.  Ensuring that students go to school often and stick with their eduction is essential to the long term impact it can have on a community.  Having a food program such as this, helps ensure that the students will attend school regularly.  In addition, Mpambara Cox Foundation has built ties with several local communities and their leaders to expand the program into more and more schools.  They also have a “Link Coordinator” for each school who manages the operation by creating a local committee of parents.  As of July 2011, the program has been feeding 1300 school children in 4 different schools, employing 9 cooking staff.  The porridge is also made from locally grown maize.

Check back for continued updates as the team in Uganda get work started.

In 2011, the students at St. Hope Leadership Academy collected change, ran a bake sale and one student even donated his penny jar from home to help the students in El Salvador!