Training Days II

Meaningful Volunteer recently conducted training on Natural Family Planning at the San Augustin Training Center. Ms. Mitos Rivera of International Reproductive Health (IRH) was invited to conduct the said event.

The event was part of Meaningful Volunteer's Project Lifecycle program which aims to put cheap and affordable contraceptives in the hands of rural Filipinas.  

The objective of this seminar is to educate the Barangay Health Workers (BHW) on the SDM (Standard Days Method) Beads as a natural method of family planning to a level where they feel confident to help educate others.  Each BHW will receive certification and access to further support services.

A total of forty one (41) BHWs were trained. They came from the barangays of Poblacion, Dona Juana, Binongaan, Lusong, and Cagboaya. Alicia Grant, a volunteer from Australia did the preparation and realization of the activity.

This is the second such training event that Meaningful Volunteer has conducted.  

Volunteer Coordinator Position Now Open for Applications

Note: Applications for this position are now closed.

Meaningful Volunteer is delighted to announce that applications for the new Volunteer Coordinator position are now open.

You can download the full job description from here.

The successful applicant will:

• Respond to all incoming email from potential volunteers into a timely and professional manor.
   
• Enter all relevant contact information into Meaningful Volunteer's online VRM (Volunteer Relationship Management) system.
   
• Assist the volunteer in any way they can

The job will initially be voluntary and require about 5 hours of work a week.  The position will become a paid position as the organization grows.

Meaningful Volunteer employs on the basis of skill.  No distinction will be made for gender, age, ethnicity, religious affiliation, or sexual orientation. 

Applications close of the 12th of February 2010.

Please send a covering email about why you want the position to malcolm@meaningfulvolunteer.org

Generator Donated

The Ugandan branch of Meaningful Volunteer has been fighting a seemingly unending power problems now for four weeks.  As a result, many of our programs have been stalled and unable to get going. 

Two lovely ladies - one in Korea (via way of the States) and one in Canada - should great generosity and purchased a petrol generator for Meaningful Volunteer in Uganda.

All the staff and volunteers in Uganda are very grateful to these kind women as it allows us to get our programs underway and have a real and meaningful impact on the community.

Buyaya Census Completed

 

A critical part of empowering a community is to know as much as you can about the community.

With this is mind, Meaningful Volunteer conducted a census for every house in the targeted parish of Buyaya in the province of Sironko.  238 households were surveyed.  In addition, Meaningful Volunteer carried out an educational survey of 332 people.

The educational survey serves two purposes:

1. Allows us to gage educational levels and target students to join our literacy and computer programs
    
2. Provides a control group.
   Every student that joins our literacy program will take the same educational survey.  In twelve months time or so, we will conduct a similar educational survey.  We will them compare students who are part of our program with students who are not part of our program.  If the students in our programs are doing significantly better than those who are not, then we know that we are doing something right.

Selected highlights from the census and educational surveys include:

• Uganda has two educational policies called UPE and USE.  These stand for Universal Primary Education and Universal Secondary Education respectively.  These - in theory - guarantee all children a primary and secondary education.  
  
  This appears to be working in Buyaya at the primary level (with 393 students enrolled), but not at the secondary level (with 54 students enrolled).
   
• Most students under nine cannot read a single letter.
   
• Most students under fifteen struggle to read simple triplet words.  (Triplet words have a consonant, then a vowel, then another consonant.  Words like cat, dog, man and tap are all triplets).
   
• The reading levels further deteriorate when silent-e words (cape, Kate, Dave, cute and so on) and consonant blend words (blue, king, snow, gloves and so on) are added.
   
• The students who could read still performed very poorly on English comprehension tests.
   
• The average age for males in 19.5, and the average age for females is 20.5.
   
• Malaria accounted for 53% of all deaths and HIV accounted for 15% of all deaths.
   
• There is an average of 4.9 residents per household
   
• Chickens (4.18/household) and goats (1.18/household) form the bulk of livestock.
   
• Almost all residents are sustenance farmers with beans, maize, and cassava forming the bulk of the crops.
   
• 35% of residents farm coffee as a cash crop.
   
• Residents spend an average of 1 hour and 49 minutes collecting water from the sole bore-hole well, and 1 hour and 27 minutes from the various wells around the parish.
   
• 11% of children are orphans
   
• HIV rates are hard to determine because of the stigma of associated with HIV+ people.

District Manager of Uganda Announced

In its ongoing campaign to empower local people around the world, Meaningful Volunteer is delighted to announce the appointment of Scarlet Nabwire Waduwa as the new district manager of Uganda.

Scarlet joins Eden Navia (of the Philippines) as international district managers.

Exciting the Community

On the 3rd of December 2009, Meaningful Volunteer organized a community meeting for the residents of Buyaya.  It was widely advertised in the parish and 146 residents attended. 

During the meeting - Malcolm Trevena (founder of Meaningful Volunteer) - outlined the plans that Meaningful Volunteer has for the community.  He talked about the English literacy programs, the computer programs, the livelihood programs, the water bore-hole initiatives, the plans for building a school/orphanage, and a lot more.

The community responded very positively and asked numerous questions.

The English and computer programs are set to launch on the 14th of December.

RYE School Classes Up and Going in Uganda

After many trials and tribulations (including the ongoing saga of failing to get electricity for six weeks...), the RYE School classes are up and going in Uganda!

We have a literacy class for ten-year old children (all who at present can't read a single letter), an adult literacy class and a computer studies class that make use of the newly released computer study lesson plans.

Numerous studies have shown that a full stomach is one of the most critical factors in a good education.  You just can't learn when you're hungry.  With this in mind, all of the RYE School classes begin with a nutrious snack.

Target District Identified

Meaningful Volunteer has been working hard to identify the areas of Uganda where its programs will be most effective.  We've traveled far and wide to places such as Kampala, Jinja, Mukono, Miytana, Iganga, Mblae and Sironko.

We have settled on the Sironko region.  As per our project plan, we had a specific set of criteria that we were looking for.  Sironko meets the criteria in the following ways:

• Reliable Electricity
  The area has quite reliable electricity and is usually on for most of the day.  The area is perfect for solar areas and this may be looked at in the future for the dormitory
   
• Access to the Internet
  There is a new product in Uganda called MTN Mobile Internet.  This product can access the internet wherever there is a cell phone signal.  This product will be used extensively.  There are also internet shops in the nearby township of Mbale.
   
• A short trip to townships
  Mbale is one of the bigger cities in Uganda and is about 30 minutes away via public transport.  This is less than ideal.
   
• Accommodation
  Meaningful Volunteer has identifies a house in the district that will serve both as a dormitory for volunteers and an office for Meaningful Volunteer.  It has three bedrooms, a living area, an outside kitchen, and four small rooms out back that can serve as bedrooms.
   
• Educational Facilities
  It is suspected that the illiteracy rates are very high in the area.  Meaningful Volunteer will be conducted surveys to confirm this observation.  The schools are scattered.  The community has been kind enough to offer us some land to build both an orphanage and a school on the land.
   
• Great need and great locals
  Sironko was formally part of the Mbale, but has recently broken away and formed its own district.  It is often ignored by international NGO (non-government organizations) and to some extent by its own national government.  As a result, the poverty levels are very high.  We have already met many HIV+ groups and have already heard many heart-breaking stories.  Meaningful Volunteer will conduct a census of our targeted village to get a better understanding of the needs of the community.

The Meaningful Shop Launches

Meaningful Volunteer is delighted to announce the launch of its Meaningful Shop website.

What is the Meaningful Shop?  The Meaningful Shop is a 100% non-profit website that supports developing communities inmany ways. 

• An online presence for craft groups around the world
  We already have two craft groups join our shop.  Grassroots Uganda and the Payawpao Orchids (based in the Philippines).  You can log in now and buy many beautiful crafts from these groups including: necklaces, earrings, bags, key rings, bowls, handbags... The list goes on!  And what's best is that 100% of the profits are returned to the ladies!
   
• Child Sponsorship
  You can also sponsor children via the Meaningful Shop.  At the moment, we have 139 Filipino children who need your help with school fees, school supplies, lunch programs and clothing.  As Meaningful Volunteer expands into the Mbale region of Uganda, Ugandan children and customized sponsorship options will be added. 
   
• Sponsor Community Workers
  The developing world is awash with community workers (read volunteers) who work tirelessly in their communities for little or no reward.  Barangay (village) healthcare workers in the Philippines are a good example.  We think these people are wonderful and deserve all the help they can get.  The Meaningful shop allows for sponsorship options such as food packs and piggery projects.  More workers will be added in Uganda.
   
• Projects
  Meaningful Volunteer is involved in many projects around the world: Some big, some small.  The Meaningful Shop is a way for us to gather funds for these projects.  We currently have school projects in the Philippines and Uganda, as well a married couple in the Philippines suffering under the burden of gangrenous debt.
   
• Support Volunteer Programs
  Wanna help out Meaningful Volunteer, but just can't make the commitment to travel to a developing country?  Then check out the options on the Meaningful Shop website for ways that you can help.

All of us here at Meaningful Volunteer are excited about the Meaningful Shop.  So, log on, check out the myriad of meaningful options we have on offer and be safe in the knowledge that anything you do on the Meaningful Shop will have a positive impact on developing countries.

Mangrove Nursery Lessons

Meaningful Volunteer and CERV Philippines runs a mangrove nursery in the Barangay of Cabolutan – just off the main road between Long Beach and San Agustin on the way to the Cabolutan Elementary School. Currently there are about
5,000 Rhizophora seddlings (propagules) waiting to be planted. But as we don’t know where to plant them yet, they need constant maintenance and monitoring in the nursery. This document provides volunteers some general information on the nursery, the tasks that have to be done, the problems we are facing and the lessons learned from previous failures.

What has to be done in the nursery?

• Water the seedlings!
  Especially during dry season and periods with alack of rain the plants should get water at least twice, better three times a week.
   
• Clean up and keep weed away!
  Weed is a constant problem that can only be solved by picking it out of the mangrove cups regularly. They extract the nutrients from the soil and grow faster and even bigger than the actual mangrove seedlings.
   
• Look for diseases!
  Some mangroves are affected by diseases you can easily spot on the propagules. Separate these seedlings from the rest, clean them and monitor them regularly.
   
• Separate seedlings turning black!
  Propagules that lost all their leaves and start to turn black also need to be separated from the healthy seedlings. Small ants colonize them and live in the inside of these dying mangroves. However, when the propagules are still green, there is a little chance for them to recover.

The obvious reason for a mangrove nursery is to get the seedlings being planted when they are big enough. There is no reason to keep them in the nursery for too long. They will even stop growing at a certain point due to bad conditions (lack of sunlight, small cups). But mangroves cannot be planted anywhere on the shoreline – this is especially true for Rhizophora. More things have to be done outside the nursery:

• Find appropriate planting sites!
  This is a difficult task and needs a lot of time, monitoring and measurement. Find out about the specific needs for this Rhizophora species and look for places on the shoreline with the best conditions for the seedlings (soil, low tide and
  high tide etc.) before planting them.

• Talk to people!
  Some locals are very interested and even enthusiastic about mangrove reforestation projects. They might also suggest planting sites. Tell them about the problems to face and have a look at the planting site before offering seedlings for planting.
   

What are the problems we face?

• Mangrove seedlings stop growing
  The small cups prevent the seedlings from growing further. Propagules in bigger cups grow faster and higher at the same time. More and more seedlings even die! They lose all their leaves and start to turn black. They might develop new leaves, but ants obviously claim these struggling mangrove seedlings as their habitat.
   
• Where to plant the mangroves?
  Still it is hard to find out the best places to plant the seedlings with the appropriate conditions for Rhizophara. The Carmen Marine Sanctuary is an example for a badly chosen planting site. Most seedlings already died, the still existing ones struggle to survive.
   
• Concentration on planting
  Although planting mangrove seedlings is obviously a major step in every mangrove reforestation project, it is not the only one. Mangrove seedlings are requested for planting from time to time, but without knowing the planting site, constant monitoring and protection of the planting site as well as the communities’ active involvement it is just a question of time until when these seedlings will be washed away by the sea or die like most of them before.

• Lack of community involvement
  This is actually the most important point to keep in mind: Involve locals! Whatever you do, you do it for the coastal communities in San Agustin. There is no reason for not involving them in every stage of mangrove reforestation. Especially students are excited to learn more about mangroves and will be happy to support you. Measuring, monitoring,planting, cleaning up – get people involved andexplain why it has to be done! This will also raise
  awareness for the mangrove ecosystem.
   

What lessons can be learned?
 

Based on our experience from the work in and outside the mangrove nursery there are many lessons that have been learned already. There will be more to come as volunteers will experience new problems and learn about various other important aspects.

Here are some points to keep in mind:

• The bigger the cup, the better will the mangroves grow!
• The nursery needs constant maintenance (think of weeds, diseases, mangroves turning black)!
• The seedlings need a lot of sunlight to grow and should be watered regularly!
• Rhizophora needs certain conditions to grow up. Seedlings cannot be planted anywhere!
• Planting of seedlings without further monitoring is waste of time and resources!
• The community needs to be involved in every single step of the project!
   

11 Oct 2009