COSAD Connects Bukoba Children with Calfornia Sponsors!

SAIRA YUSUF, A TEN YEAR VOLUNTEER FROM CALIFORNIA TO PROVIDE THREE FULL SCHOLARSHIPS TO KANGABUSHARO CHILDREN

STATEMENT OF APPRECIATION AND PURPOSE FROM COSAD

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SMART P. BAITANI

I believe there are several ways of developing and maintaining sustainable partnerships, both locally and internationally. The story of a young girl, Saira Yusuf---only 10 years old -- who volunteered in Bukoba through a GCN (Global Citizens Network) and COSAD partnership project in August 2009 is an example of one of those partnerships.

For a number of years, COSAD has been using its local partnerships as a launch pad for international partnerships. International volunteers, in partnership with a COSAD community, are provided with a unique opportunity to directly immerse themselves into local communities by sharing and experiencing the real challenges they face. They participate side by side with the community on physical infrastructure projects such as renovating community rooms and building goat pens while at the same time learning firsthand about local life and culture.

Many times, however, volunteers in Bukoba take the relationship to a whole new dimension by making sure that their involvement and support continues beyond the time they spent in the community. Saira Yusuf is one such volunteer.

Saira was one of the members of the GCN volunteer team who came to Bukoba in August 2009 for a two week volunteer program. She was there with her parents Zia and Paru, as well as her younger sister Sanam (age 8). She had been overhearing, and many times actively participating in, conversations we often had about development, the specific project the team was working on, the education process in Tanzania, etc.

Her participation in these conversations allowed her to have a good overview of what the team was trying to accomplish during their stay including why the community center was needed. She asked many tough questions but the biggest one was one for which she decided to come up with a solution for. She wanted to know what happens when a kid passes their exams, is smart enough to continue school but the parents don’t have the money. She had also heard that young people were leaving Kangabusharo because of lack of opportunity and wanted to know who will help the people then.

I replied: “Saira…Money! Money! I need money to send these smart kids to school so they can come back and help their community.”

When she found out how much it costs for a child to go to secondary school for one year ($150), her initial response was, “but I have that much from my allowance. Can I give it to them?” She had a quick discussion with her parents on giving the money, how to help out as well what would happen the following year, etc. and came back to ask me if she could visit the Standard Seven (grade 7) classroom. While walking there, she asked me: “How do I choose the person to sponsor?”

I was quite excited and filled with joy. I said, “Let’s talk more about it with the head teacher before we go the classroom.” In the course of the resulting conversations with the teachers, her parents and me, her initial reaction to help one child for one year evolved into creating a sustained support mechanism that would ensure that the child would be able to continue their education through to secondary school. Before we had even finalized anything, the news had spread throughout the entire village!

She has chosen to sponsor three children who will be selected on merit by written essay, passing of the secondary school exam and maintaining their grades through secondary school. They should also do some volunteer work in the school to help younger children during holidays and breaks.

Saira has various mechanisms she will employ to raise the funds but she is now concerned that there are other children beyond the three she is sponsoring who need help. Thus, for the future she is considering modifying the scholarship program towards a needs-based financial aid program which would serve more children in the community.

To me, this is a very powerful example of sustainable partnership. A volunteer came and engaged first hand with the local community the result of which is a longer-term assistance program that also places emphasis on the active participation and “giving back” by those receiving the assistance. The vested interest of the children receiving the aid, community participation, COSAD involvement and generosity of a younger sponsor who wants to make a difference in a meaningful way make it a true partnership.

How the Saira Yusuf Scholarship Fund works:

1. All students in Standard Seven (final year) at the Primary School level were eligible to participate. Three scholarships will be awarded to cover secondary education for four years.
2. To apply for the scholarship, students had to submit a written essay called: “The Statement of Purpose”. In the essay, he/she had to cover three areas: a) provide a personal history, b) describe their education aspirations c) and identify how their own education would benefit their community.
3. Essays were evaluated by an independent team of teachers (that is, teachers not in the community) identified by COSAD.
4. Ten semi-finalists were selected in the first round to participate in an oral interview from which three finalists were identified. All participating students received a reward from COSAD. The second interview allowed the students a chance to verbally express in more detail their goals and how personal success would benefit the community.
5. Saira Yusuf got to review the translations of the ten best essays to help identify the three finalists.
6. Scholarship will be administered through COSAD-Tanzania Scholarship Fund with an account at CRDB Bank in Bukoba, Tanzania.
7. Fund will be disbursed by term so as to make sure that these students maintain academic excellence.
8. Upon disbursement of funds, students will sign a commitment paper to volunteer in their community during school holidays and to use their knowledge gained in school to solve community problems. To extent possible, students will be encouraged to come back to Kangabusharo as professionals.
9. Students sponsored must submit term examination and general progress reports to their sponsor. Failure to do so may result into the termination of the scholarship.

For More Information, Partnerships or Support, Please contact us: Smart P. Baitani, Executive Director

COSAD, Inc. 4624 Hillsboro Avenue North Minneapolis Minnesota 55428
Tel: 612.227.0065 Email: smart@cosad.org Website: www.cosad.org
COSAD Mission:
To build partnerships that create community development through the support
of projects involving micro-enterprise, health, education and culture.
COSAD Vision:
Empowering Tanzanians to get out of poverty, one community at a time.

No Money No Growth!

The Role of Capital in Community Enterprise Development

Summer Reflection From Smart P. Baitani, COSAD Inc.

October 2009

Last summer, when I visited New York, Sean McNamara, founder of Intrade.com and a COSAD Board member and chair of the Board’s executive committee gave me a copy of a book which I consider to be one of the most relevant books about Africa called “Dead Aid”. For some of us who have been who have been consumed with an insatiable desired to promote the book clearly provides a key answer to a fundamental question: “How do we turn our chronically-depressed communities into an inspiring miracle of dazzling economic growth?”

Answer: “The determination of Africans, and genuine partnership between Africa and the rest of the world, is the basis for growth and development”.

When I think of the best example of self-determination of the people of Bukoba, what comes to mind are a handful of hard working young entrepreneurs who put in over 70 hours a week to support their families and make a difference in the communities. What would be a genuine partnership to such persons?

Most people we are supporting in Bukoba, Tanzania are talented, entrepreneurial, and creative. Their values and dedication to community and family are the same as ours. They just need to be connected to the global community and supported by people like us. Tanzania is endowed with vast resources and strategically located to potentially become the hub of economic success.

Yet these hard working young men and women are among the 2.5 billion people in the world who have no access to financial services. Library of evidences have shown that better access to financial services can fuel economic growth through increased investment in small and medium enterprises.

Working men and women, like Habakkuk Ngaihywa, a iron window maker and Grace Kahindoa, owner of a tailoring shop (who will train the “Sewing Singers”), are among the members of the 26 community groups which are a part of COSAD’s TACE (Tanzania Community Enterprise Initiative). In the last 5 years since these groups were first identified, only two groups have been given a $1000 each as part of the Mount Olivet’s annual benevolent fund. In other words, it will take over 20 years to give each group a $1000.00. For a person like Habakkuk who badly needed investment capital of around $25,000.00 to buy equipment , the $1000 per group is only a skin dip experiment, in his own words, designed to “make us feel good without solving the fundamental problem” of creating sustainable solutions to poverty.

TACE is an innovative market-based micro-enterprise model, which focuses on harnessing the social capital of community groups to build successful businesses toward sustainable economic development. Identifying the values and the strengths in the group as well as well as the potential its members is critical, but is only half of the equation. Providing tools, in terms of capital, training and market access is another part of the equation. The later requires a genuine partner beyond COSAD.

The partnership between RISE (Resources and Innovations for Social Entrepreneurs) and COSAD’s TACE is another testimony of creative partnership which will provide unprecedented access to innovative financial services to thousands of hardworking Tanzanians. RISE was designed to provide a more robust financial services that put into consideration critical business paths to growth and sustainability, including: cultural knowledge, marketing, business management training and great application of financial technology.

The RISE Fund seeks to accomplish to fundamental goals. These include:

a) connect successful local businesses with no access to growth capital with Social Capital Ventures whose principal business is to make loans to support mission-oriented, socially conscience, community-based projects, and

b) assist loan recipients with marketing and business strategies and supervise the Social Capital micro-loans under condition of preferential hiring of marginalized groups, as part of onsite TACE training to become future business owners themselves.

For More Information, Partnerships or Support, Please contact us:

Smart P. Baitani, Executive Director

COSAD, Inc. 4624 Hillsboro Avenue North Minneapolis Minnesota 55428

Tel: 612.227.0065 Email: smart@cosad.org Website: www.cosad.org

COSAD Mission:

To build partnerships that create community development through the support of projects involving micro-enterprise, health, education and culture.

COSAD Vision:

Empowering Tanzanians to get out of poverty, one community at a time.