Projects
All of our projects have one aim: to create and raise ongoing funding for the school. Since the children’s families have little or no money to contribute (or they don’t have parents, as many are orphaned), we have started following projects to make money so we can pay our teachers and support the school’s needs.
While donations are always much appreciated, we aim to support ourselves with a sustainable income from within. On our land we can nurture these projects to raise the money to build our school. Volunteers are welcome to to participate in developing these projects, or to contribute any ideas for new ones.
Agriculture and farming
Dairy
We have two cows that we acquired through generous donations from two of our recent volunteers: Luisa from Sweden and Calum from England. Right now the cows are very important for us as we sell their milk to the local dairy Co-op, which goes directly to paying our teachers.
Volunteers with experience in dairy farming and yoghurt and cheese making are needed.
Vegetable and fruits
What began as a small family farm is now the biggest key to funding our project from within. Covering 3 acres, we are cultivating a food forest of indigenous vegetables, including maize, kale, moringa, carrots, watermelon, sunflower, papaya, avocado, banana, orange, guava, cassava, potato, and sweet potato. These vegetables are sold at the market to obtain some money for the school.
One of our biggest challenges is maintaining our farm, as it is only tended to by the Ouma family and our volunteers, as we have no additional funding to hire any farm staff. All friends and willing workers are welcome to come lend a hand.
Rabbit and chicken rearing
We have one rabbit hutch and one chicken coop. The animals that we raise are eventually sold at the local market and the funds are used to maintain the school. Volunteers may help care for the animals or build more enclosures for them, as the populations are expanding.
Odienya Women's Micro-finance Group
This group focuses on teaching the women of the community about micro-finance and entrepreneurialism. Its members range in age from young adults to the elderly, a large percentage of whom are widows seeking to secure stable income through business endeavors. Many members of this group have already established successful small businesses within the village as a result of this program.
Volunteers are welcome to join this group to learn, exchange ideas, or coordinate workshops. This group currently meets each Monday evening.
