The Adanacs Lacross Team Wish Buyaya a Merry Christmas

The U14 Coquitlam Adanacs lacrosse team recently raised $500 for a milking cow for Meaningful Volunteer's solar powered school in Uganda.

The shelter has been built for the cow, and we just days away from purchasing the cow.

The cow will be a high quality hybrid breed and provide many nutrients for the students at the school, including the upcoming preschool program.  The cow will be called "Adanac".

During some recent games, the team posed for some pictures to wish the village a merry Christmas.

These pictures will sent and shown to the people in Buyaya.

Happy Birthday to Andy Manley

A big Happy Birthday goes out to Andy Manley from the whole team here at Meaningful Volunteer!

Who is Andy Manley?

Andy Manley is a wonderful human being who we all miss dearly. Andy died tragically in a house explosion in November of 2010.  

Andy dreamed of being a teacher and was actively pursuing his goals before he passed away.  Andy's death has not been in vain as even in death, he has succeeded in educating the less fortunate.

In September 2011, a solar powered school called School For Andy was built in the small rural parish of Buyaya in eastern Uganda.  The school was built in his honour. 

The school is being used for:

• Computer classes
• Tailoring classes
• Malaria education and training
• An upcoming preschool program

Since its initial construction, Andy's School has grown and grown thanks to individuals, families, groups, and school classes from all over the world. An edible school yard has been grown, a cow shelter constructed for the soon-to-be-purchased milking cow, and a rain-fed water system will be installed soon.

Andy may have passed away, but his legacy lives on. You're a great man Andy, and we miss you dearly. 

Penny War for School for Andy

Brodhead Middle School will be holding a "penny war" the week of January 9-13 in hopes of raising the funds needed to supply School for Andy with a rain-fed water system. 

This system will collect water from the roof, funnel it into guttering, and then into a large storage tank in order to provide the school with much needed water. 

Grade levels at BMS will compete against one another by adding pennies to their jars, while putting silver coins in other grade level jars. Pennies will count as positive points, while silver coins will subtract. The grade level with the most pennies will be the winner. 

By working together, one penny at a time, BMS is collecting change to make a change at School for Andy. 

Every penny truly does count! 

 

Cow Shelter Under Way in Uganda

Construction of the cow shelter is under way at Meaningful Volunteer's solar powered school in Buyaya, Uganda.

The shelter will be used to house the cow that the U14 Coquitlam Adanac lacrosse team fund raised for. The Adanac team spent a Saturday collecting bottles and taking them to a local recycling plant in exchange for money.

The cow will be used to provide milk to the school classes, including the upcoming preschool.

Big thanks to all our Volunteers on International Volunteer Day

December 5th marks International Volunteer Day, and Meaningful Volunteer wants to send a massive amount of appreciation and admiration to all our volunteers that have made a meaningful difference around the world.

Over the past year we have built schools, distributed mosquito nets, established a fair trade label, educated many children and adults, sponsored children, established a fair trade coffee partnership, helped with female reproductive rights, and countless other gains.

2012 looks to be another exciting year with another solar powered school to be built, most likely in Nepal.

Big props to all our international volunteers!

This is also a good chance to thank our wonderful international staff, none of whom get paid.

Much love and respect to all of the following:

• Meran Rogers for being the first point of contact for our volunteers
• Anne Eichmeyer for helping with our marketing
• Megin Alvarez for countless hours behind the scenes
• Raymund Villanueva for giving us a push when needed

And let's not forget our paid staff in the Philippines and Uganda who make all this possible.

• Eden Navia for running things in the Philippines
• Esther Nabukonde for running things in Uganda
• William Gidudu for taking care of the school in Uganda
• Edith Namataka for running the Mama Pamba program
• And Mary Wenyisa for cooking such delicious meals in Uganda and picking up countless volunteers

Meaningful Volunteer Receives Grant to Build Another School for Andy

Meaningful Volunteer is very pleased to announce that we have received a very generous grant to build another solar powered school in memory of Andy Manley.

The money is donated with love from the Manley family in honour of their son Andy and grandson Mason McPherson.

Andy passed away in November 2010 in a tragic house explosion, while Mason was born with a congenital heart defect – HLHS – and passed away before his third birthday.

We are humbled and honoured to receive such a generous grant.

The money will be used to build School For Andy II in Nepal. Check out this blog for information about the challenges we face in getting this school done.

A special thanks to Melissa Wood - a former volunteer of ours - for helping to organize this

If you interested in helping us build this school in Uganda, please contact us at schoolforandy@meaningfulvolunteer.org

Meaningful Volunteer at the Fair Trade Vancouver Gala

Meaningful Volunteer was at the recent fair trade gala organized by Fair Trade Vancouver.

Meaningful Volunteer staff members Malcolm Trevena, Megin Alvarez, and Anne Eichmeyer were all at the event.  Anne and here partner Robbie travelled all the way from Tacoma Washington to help out.

Items were sold from the following Meaningful Volunteer initiatives: 

• Grassroots Uganda
• Mama Pamba
• The Payawpao Orchids
• School For Andy Coffee

Yoga bags for Mama Pamba

The Mama Pamba group has been working hard on a new range of Yoga Bags that they hope to export to markets in North America.

The bags were made with the assistance of a volunteer from Germany called Julien.

Mama Pamba is a fair trade group located in the small rural parish of Buyaya in Eastern Uganda.

For enquires about the yoga bag, please contact us at mamapamba@meaningfulvolunteer.org.

Meaningful Volunteer at the Fair Trade Gala in Vancouver

Meaningful Volunteer cordially invites you to attend the Fair Trade Gala on December 3rd.  

We will be joining with an array of local businesses and non-profits offering beautiful hand made goods from artisans producers around the world.  We will be personally offering items from Grassroots Uganda and Mama Pamba (both based in Uganda) and the Payawpao Orchids (based in the Philippines).

This is a great oppurtunity to get your shopping done early knowing your gifts this year will were ethically sourced and traded - it's like giving twice.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

When: December 3rd from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Where: Cantu Building, Kingsway and 10th, Vancouver (see map).

 

Bottle Drive to Purchase a Cow For Uganda

Meaningful Volunteer together with the U14 Coquitlam Adanac's team successfully held a bottle drive fundraiser for the purchase of a cow for Meaningful Volunteer's solar powered school in Uganda.

Over $900 was raised. Some of this will go towards the purchase of the cow and some of the money will go towards team funds.

The cow is part of Meaningful Volunteer's effort to make its school in Uganda as sustainable as possible. The cow should provide about 30 litres of milk in Uganda. Together with the edible school yard, this should provide the students with nutritious school lunches.