We are inspired to do better by the story of these orphans. The @Nkosoinitiative will bring lasting change into their lives in the now and the future.
Project Name: Nkoso Initiative (2019-2024). ‘Nkosoↄ’ is an Akan word which means ‘to progress’ or ‘to advance’.
Project Category: Charity/Orphanage Project, Youth Empowerment, Provision of Quality Education, Community Development
The Nkoso Initiative is a Nongovernmental (NGO) initiative with a youth empowerment and poverty eradication agenda. We are bringing meaning into the lives of the 100s of orphans living in the underprivileged rural community of Trotor in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The project is creating opportunities through job creation and training in the agriculture value chain as well as creating market linkages – to both local and international markets.
The direct beneficiaries of the project are the Trotor orphanage (as an institution) and the youthful occupants of the orphanage (as individuals). The Trotor community is a secondary beneficiary.
The Baptist School Complex and Orphanage (BASCO), also known as the Trotor orphanage was established some twenty three (23) years ago with about twenty (20) orphans. Today, almost a third (36) of its population of 120 is in their youth (between 17 to 24 years) with no concrete engagement. Try as it may, the management of the orphanage is not able to meet the needs of all its occupants.
With the help of some donors, the Trotor orphanage built a school (basic to junior secondary level) which is highly patronized by the community. However, parents are unable to pay fees because of their low and sporadic incomes earned largely through farming on a subsistence level. The orphanage therefore meets the educational needs of the entire community at its own cost. The institution is operated by volunteer teachers who are not always available. These are real challenges which affect the output of pupils.
Hence, the Trotor orphanage needs a sustainable stream of income to enable them;
1) Cater for the basic needs of the orphanage
2) Engage and pay trained teachers for the school
3) Improve the quality of education through adequate materials and
4) To cater for the tertiary educational needs of those who made it through high school.
5) Also, the project is empowering those who didn’t choose formal education with training and employment in the agriculture value chain.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Eight (8) acres
(3.24 hectares) of land is being cultivated with pepper/chilli and ginger. There is inelastic demand for pepper – it is required in every meal. Ghanaians love spicy, but Togolese love it even spicier and therefore pay better for it. We have already established contact with our market.
Land preparation for the first season (Jan - April) has commenced and should be completed by end of January, 2019. Willing youth from the orphanage will own portions of the farm. The project will lay irrigation lines for the entire expanse and supply farm inputs (seedlings and fertilizer) for the entire project. The Farm Manager will train, supervise and ensure the success of the respective blocks owned and managed by the orphans. The extension officer of the District Assembly and the Project Director will pay weekly monitoring visits and ensure good yields.
At the end of the season, the project will buy produce from the block farms and process it. This creates employment for the orphans working on the project and creates a steady source of income for them. Pepper will be processed into powdered form and sold.
After the end of the season, 20% of the profit goes to the orphanage and the rest reinvested into the project.
The project requires certain capital expenditure for effective ex*****on. We need your donation in order to procure and set up these necessary elements for a successful project. These are outlined below;
1) A Mechanized borehole: ensures continuous water supply
2) Irrigation lines and pump
3) A Bin dryer: for appropriately drying the pepper in a hygienic environment.
4) A Grater: grinding dried pepper into powdered form
5) Funds to rehabilitate existing structure into a warehouse and processing/packaging room
6) Farming/processing Implements: cutlasses, hoes, rakes, boots, gloves, mattock, spraying machine, spade, knives, plastic pan, ladles, nose masks, hand gloves, head nets, water reservoirs etc.
7) Measuring Scale: ensure appropriate weight in packaging
PROOF OF CONCEPT
The @NkosoInitiative1 is a joint project with the Trotor Orphanage. The project team is providing leadership, innovation and some funds for project efficiency and success. The orphanage and the Trotor community made land available for the project. It’s our plan to expand the farm size to at least 15 acres (6ha) by January, 2020.
Farming is the dominant activity in the community. The Trotor orphanage itself has operated some farms including a palm plantation. Since 2012, the project team has been in constant touch with the orphanage and is therefore familiar with the peculiarities on the ground. This project is not a trial. It is a progressive approach to solving the present handicaps in agriculture within the community. The listed requirements above are absolutely necessary if the objectives of the project will be met. The project team has a collective experience of over 35 years with expertise in banking, agronomy, marketing, human resource, urban planning, ICT, project management and psychology. The Project Director recently completed training in Rural Revitalization at the Weitz Center for Sustainable Development in Israel.
GRATITUDE FOR YOUR SUPPORT
We are putting in our all to ensure the success of this project. We need you to partner with us. Send in your support today.
By this, we make contributions to the achievement of SDGs, 1(zero poverty), 2 (zero hunger), & 4 (Quality education for all) by 2030. As project Director, i assure you that your donation/funds would be maximized and every cent accounted for. Your donation today would put smiles on many faces for years to come.
Your donation will make our vision of providing economic empowerment for these orphans possible. Together we can make the world a better place; let’s live beyond our selves. #LeadingChangeTogether! #CreatingOpportunities
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fb.me/Nkosoinitiative1,
Twitter: @Nkosoinitiative,
Instagram: @Nkosoinitiative1
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