Zimbabwe Benefit Foundation - Agriculture, Education and Training Project Proposal

8/8/2019 Zimbabwe Benefit Foundation - Agriculture, Education and Training Project Proposal

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ZBFAn Overview

The Zimbabwe Benefit Foundation (ZBF) was established in 2004 against the

backdrop of a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe.

For the past two years ZBFs main project focus was the Helping Hands seed

pack project. This initiative provided seed inputs to over 30,000 small scale

subsistence farmers in Zimbabwe.

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In September 2009 ZBF launched an

emergency school fee appeal. In the past year

ZBF has paid for more than 50 children to

attend school across the country.

In 2011 ZBF will utilise its experience in these

fields to combine its work in agriculture and

education, providing tailor made assistance toten primary schools in Zimbabwe.


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Location

ZBF is going to be working with ten rural

primary schools in the Manicaland province

of Zimbabwe. Manicaland is an agriculturally

rich and fertile province although is

underfunded in terms of international donor support.

Primary schools were selected according to the following criteria:

A minimum of 50% of the children at the school unable to pay school fees

The presence of an adequate water source to facilitate an agricultural project Agriculture is being taught in the schools

There is a committed leadership team in a strong and willing community

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The ZBF Project

The ZBF project will comprise of two main components: the payment of school

fees and the provision of agricultural inputs to ten primary schools in Zimbabwe.

In a country with a 95% unemployment rate the majority of parents in Zimbabwe

are unable to pay for their childrens school fees. This means that every day, despite

a government directive, many children are turned away from school anddenied a basic education.

ZBF plans to address this issue by paying for

childrens school fees thereby enabling them to

attend school.

By working in ten schools this will provide access

to education for thousands of children in

Zimbabwe

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School FeesFor children of primary school age in Zimbabwe the cost of school fees is

just $10 per term, or$30 for the year.

In each school, ZBF hopes to cover a minimum of 15% of childrens fees,

subject to funding. Ideally we would like to pay for all children at each of

the schools we are working with.

The average primary school in Zimbabwe has around 500 students. To pay

for every single student to attend school for one year it would cost $15,000 /

9,225

[It costs 9,954 to send a child for one term at Eton]

Therefore to pay for all children at ten primary schools

to attend school for the entire year would cost

$150,000 / 92,250

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What school fees could doThe money received from school fees mean everything to schools in Zimbabwe. This is because it is the

only form of income they receive. By paying a child's fees a donor is therefore achieving three things:- Getting a child into education

- Providing essential education resources in that school

- Improving the quality of teaching in that school

Getting a child into education

To ensure each child paid for is identified & in school, ZBF will carry out the following checks:- ZBF UK & Zimbabwe Project managers will meet with Headmaster, Senior teachers, the School

development committee (made up of elected parents) to identify the children being supported

- A list will be drawn up of those children who are receiving school fee support

- A letter will be sent to their parents informing them of this support

- The ZBF project manager will check weekly that all children paid for are in school

In addition, in the short term, this is what payment of school fees could achieve:

Allow children to experience one of their most basic rights: an education

Increase gender equality and improve female education

Reduce the occurrence of child labour

Improve the chances of future generations Zimbabwe

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What school fees could doProviding essential education resources in that school

The money received for school fees can be used by beneficiary schools to begin to address the huge lack ofresources that challenge learning everyday. This will work as follows:

- Money for school fees per school will be calculated on a term by term basis

- Consultations between ZBF staff, teachers and the SDC will take place to discuss what the prioritiesare in terms of materials required by schools

- ZBF will then facilitate the purchase of the identified items

Therefore the 20 it costs to send a child to year will in the end purchase 50 pencils, 5boxes of chalk or1new desk for a school in Zimbabwe.

Improving the quality of teaching in that school

As the enrollment increases at the ten schools

ZBF is working with, the Ministry of Education

will be notified by the school. Once notified they will

send more teachers to the school who will be of a better

standard as is the procedure in Zimbabwe.

This means by getting more children into school there

will be a better student to teacher ration and that the

standard of teaching across the whole school should improve.

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The ZBF Project

The second part of the ZBF project will providethe schools themselves with agricultural inputsand training. Each school will receive a tailormade programme incorporating the followingelements:

Training: Children, staff and members of thesurrounding community will be selected andtrained in best agricultural practice.

Support: Sufficient seed inputs & farming toolswill be supplied to each school so that they cangrow enough food to provide a meal for everychild, every day.

Empowerment: Each school will grow a cashcrop which can be sold to raise much neededcapital for the school and ensure their self-sufficiency in the future. 8


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TrainingISSUE

Agricultural curriculum

Impractical methods

Underfunded

Unemployment

PROPOSAL

ZBF plans to increase the skills of agricultural teachers in schools by providingthem with specialist training in best farming practice.

In doing so, ZBF wants to:

* Ensure schools are capable of making the most of agricultural inputs they receive

* Enhance teachers ability to train others at schools and in the community

* Engage and educate children in farming practice

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TrainingSOLUTION

ZBF is working with the leading agricultural training providers in Zimbabwe,

Foundations for Farming who have developed a teacher specific training

programme to educate teachers in the most efficient farming methods.

Two teachers from every school supported by ZBF will attend at three day

workshop at the Foundations for Farming headquarters in Harare.

Once trained, teachers will return to schools and establish demonstration plots.

These 6mx6m areas of land will be used in providing practical education to

each child of the most effective farming methods.

An FFF representative will visit each school once every 3 months to assess theeffectiveness of the project & provide additional season specific training. In

addition, monthly training sessions will be organised at each school by all

selected teachers which members of the surrounding community can attend in

order to increase their knowledge and enhance their skills.

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ISSUE

Long days

Long distances

Staying at home

Lack of finances

PROPOSAL

ZBF wants to assist schools in cultivating nutrition gardens onsite so that a mealcan be provided to every child, every day. In doing so ZBF wants to:

* Give schools the capacity to grow enough food to feed all students each day

* Reduce student hunger from the classroom and improve learning

* Improve school attendance by providing a meal

Support & Nutrition

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Support & Nutrition

SOLUTION

As part of the training they receive at Foundations for Farming,teachers will learn how to establish a nutrition garden. This willbe set up in advance of the school year beginning in January.

This plot will be around a hectare depending on the size of theschool and the number of students. The main crop grown will beMaize, the staple food source in Zimbabwe. In addition a greenvegetable such as rape will be grown to provide addednutritional value.

ZBF will identify the requirements of each school & will provide

the seed inputs, farming tools and fertiliser necessary to set up asuccessful & functioning garden. A copy of the UNs FAOmanual Setting up and running a school garden will bedistributed to each school.

Each school will be provided with the basic cooking equipment

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ISSUE Lack of materials

School fees

Sustainability

Limited government funding

PROPOSAL

ZBF is going to work with schools to establish agriculturally focused income

generating projects. In doing so ZBF will:* Create a guaranteed source of income for schools in a challenging environmentthat can replace over time the need to charge school fees

* Enable the purchase of much needed materials

* Educate children about the power & opportunities of income generation

Empowerment

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EmpowermentSOLUTION

In December and January consultations will be heldbetween the schools and ZBF to identify the mostappropriate income generating project accounting forthe variables of available space, expertise andlocation.

In advance of the school year commencing, ZBF willprovide all necessary farming inputs, tools andassistance to establish the project. Subsequently theZBF consultant will visit each empowerment plotonce a week to monitor progress

ZBF will assist schools in identifying a target market

for their produce & facilitate the relationship with theconsumer, ensuring that schools are getting the bestdeal

ZBF will then work with schools to prioritise need &ensure that monies earned from the projects are spenton the areas of most pressing need

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Every school will have..

A demonstration plot

measuring 6 x 6

A nutrition garden of about 1 hectare

where maize is grown

A market garden where a cash

crop is grown to generate

income for the school

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BudgetTRAINING

Total for off site training: $3960 / 2,500Total for on-site training: $12,000 / 7,500

Total training cost per school $1,560 / 960

Total training cost for a year $15,960 / 10,000

SUPPORT & NUTRITION

Agricultural & farming inputs - Total per school $2,500 / 1,540

Agricultural & farming inputsTotal $25,000 / 15,400

Cooking equipment - Total per school $225 / 140

Cooking equipmentTotal $2,250 / 1,400

Total nutrition cost per year per school $2,725 / 1,675

Total nutrition cost for a year $ 27,250 / 16,750

EMPOWERMENT

Total per school $900 / 550

Total $9,000 / 5,500

Fund of $300 per school to facilitate additional income generating activities in the surrounding communities utilising schools

as the centres of the community. Total for all schools: $3,000

Total empowerment cost per school per year $1,200 / 750

Total empowerment cost per year $12,000 / 7,500

Total cost of implementing a ZBF agriculture project per school per year 3,385

Total cost of implementing a ZBF agriculture project in ten schools 34,250 16


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The Total CostThe cost of assisting a school for a year

Total cost of implementing a ZBF agriculture project 3,385

Total cost of paying all school fees (approximately) 9,225

Total cost of assisting a school for a year 12,610

The total cost of assisting ten schools for a yearTotal cost of implementing a ZBF agriculture project 34,250

Total cost of paying all school fees (approximately) 92,250

Total cost of assisting ten school for a year 126,500

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If ZBF is able to raise 126,500 we willbe able to provide the support outlined

in this proposal to ten primary schools

this year in Zimbabwe.


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Implementation

Due to the scale of this project and the expertise required, ZBF is going to appoint

a new full time project consultant. This individual will be responsible for the

implementation, monitoring and development of the project.

In addition, the ZBF Programmes Manager from London will travel to Zimbabwe

to co-ordinate and oversee the initial stage of the project. They will spend a day at

each school at the start of the school year in January 2011 reporting on the

establishment of the various agricultural projects & delivering the payment of

school fees. This is in order to provide additional security & accountability.

In Zimbabwe there are 5,575 primary schools. In the province of Manicaland there

over 1,000. Over the course of the first year the ZBF project consultant will work to

identify a further 10-20 schools which subject to funding could be assisted in 2012.

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The Three Year Plan..

ZBF would like to see a three year engagement plan with each school. This is inorder to develop a strong working relationship & achieve real and lasting impact.

Financially the amount required to support each school will decrease with each

year of involvement. This will be the result of several factors.

1. Many of the basic materials provided in the first year will not need to be re-provided

(farming tools, cooking equipment etc)2. The income earned from the income generating projects will be providing materials

to the school that will over time reduce the need for school fees.

Year One - 12,610

Year Two - 10,000

Year Three - 7,000

In the fourth year we would like to withdraw leaving the schools efficient & empowered.19


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ZBF

A monthly direct debit of 20 will get 12 childrenback into school

See 10 children through 5 years of primary school for1000

Make a commitment to sponsor a whole class of40 children for 5 years of primary

school with a one-off donation of4,000

Sponsor a whole school of250 children for5 years of primary school for25,000

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Zimbabwe Benefit Foundation - Agriculture, Education and Training Project Proposal

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