Summary
Malaika Kids is for the majority of their expenses depending on donors from abroad. They would love to develop their own sources of income and be able to cover the kids’ educational and other living costs themselves, because they expect that foreign funding will nog last forever. Their plan is to become more independent through the creation of social enterprises. These projects will generate income for their work and teach the kids valuable skills for when they grow up and leave Malaika Kids.
Tips and lessons learned
Lesson learned
a. We learned that it is easy to manage this kind of project as challenges are limited.
b. Keeping more chickens and fish will have more economic benefits than keeping a few chickens like we did.
Challenges we encountered
a. Some chickens died from diseases. So we were unable to sell as we expected.
b. During summer rains, the water reservoir flooded; as a result some fish escaped so we got less fish.
c. We have a very small chicken shed. This in future shall limit the growth of the project.
d. We got chickens and fish without initial capital for acquiring feeds and medications. So we really struggled to cover these expenses.
Tips to share
We have already learnt that we are able to overcome challenges. We would love to do more next year. So we will seek more donations to extend the chicken shed, get more chickens and fish and initial capital for feeds. That way we can do more and get more of the kids' requirements, but most importantly strengthen our self-sustainability programme.
Review by Wilde Ganzen Foundation
This is a very special example as it does not speak of fundraising for a project, but for an entire programme. The organisation, Malaika Kids, aims at self-sustainability and manages this through social enterprise and local fundraising. They are supported by related charities in The Netherlands, United Kingdom and United States, with funds and volunteers. Most of you will be working on a smaller scale. But even then it is worth considering whether part of the income that your organisation needs cannot simply be earned through an income-generating activity.
Details
Short description of the organisation the funds were raised for
Malaika Kids strives to give the most vulnerable and orphaned children in Tanzania a sustainable future. Their parents may have died from HIV/AIDS or other diseases, or these children may have been abused, abandoned or found themselves homeless in large families where there are simply too many mouths to feed.
Children are first taken in at the reception home being a centre receiving kids. Where possible children are reunited with extended family members and supported under our relative support programme performing outreach service with monthly food packages, educational material and health insurance. For children that we cannot trace any family members, we offer them a home at the children’s village, where they can feel safe, eat regular meals and just be children again and strive to educate them to become responsible citizens capable of supporting themselves in the future. Our children’s village consists of 8 family houses. 5 boys and 5 girls live in a family with a mother.
All these kids go to school. We have kids in class at the village. We have other kids in primary and secondary schools. Our intention is to send them to different colleges and universities if possible. We are currently depending on donors from abroad. We would love to develop our own sources of income and become independent so as to cover for these kids’ educational and other living costs, in case external donations come to an end.
For that matter, Malaika Orphanage Foundation is intending to start different income-generating projects to cover some of the expenses.
Short description of the project or programme the funds were raised for
For a long time Malaika Orphanage Foundation Tanzania has been striving to get local sources of income so as to reduce dependence on external aids. This is also associated with our commitment to raise our kids to develop a spirit of hard working and self-reliance so that they can hold their own, once they have graduated from our care.
One day we got a donation from a well-wisher who visited us at the children’s village. This person decided to give us 20 local chickens to keep in a small chicken shed we have. This good Samaritan also provided 100 catfish to keep in a small water reservoir we have at the village.
Summary of fundraising action
Self-sustainability is one of our original tenets – with the aim to make Malaika Kids more self-reliant and locally supported, which we see as necessary for the longer term. We are therefore positioning Malaika Kids as a social enterprise, where an initial investment can produce an income stream and other benefits, including lifeskills for the children.
About 90% of our annual expenditure comes from good friends in the Netherlands, United Kingdom and USA. Malaika is aware that these donations will one day come to an end. For that matter Malaika has initiated small projects that bring income. They include farming and livestock keeping. Plants grown include but are not limited to cassava, pineapple, cashews and greens to mention a few.
We have currently started keeping chickens and fish on a very small scale. The findings we made show that local chickens and fish (catfish) are in high demand. They are sold at a good price with good returns. If we manage to expand these projects we shall start making money and reduce dependence on external donations. More than that, our kids shall gain skills to keep animals and thus be able to do the same when they have graduated from Malaika care.
Objectives
1. To get enough food for the kids at the village.
2. Sell the products and get income.
Targeted donors
Local volunteers, friends and visitors
Results
| Cost/benefit |
National currency (TZS |
Euro |
| Total amount raised |
300,000 |
105 |
| (-) Total amount invested |
0 |
0 |
| Net amount raised |
300,000 |
105 |
Accounting details
Income: TZS 1,420,000. This was collected by selling eggs, live chickens and fish.
We paid TZS 620,000 for feeds (fish and chicken) and medications/vaccine for chickens.
Result comments
1. Kids were able to get new skills on how to keep fish and chickens.
2. We got manure from chickens for our gardens.
3. Kids got protein from eating chickens and fish.
Description of preparatory work
Before we received 20 chickens and 100 catfish, we cleaned the water reservoir we have as well as a small chicken shed found here at the village.
Our plan was to not hire another person to supervise the project, so our farm supervisor, being assisted by the kids, did the job.
Description of implementation
It was not easy to mobilise funds for the other necessary resources, especially feeds. So we had to purchase fish and chicken feeds. We supplemented the chicken feed with food waste and leftovers to save costs.
Follow up: Donor appreciation and acknowledgement
We really appreciate our good friend who gave us chickens and fish. We were able to multiply his donation and make a profit.
Plans to repeat the action
Yes indeed. However, we would love to get more donations so as to extend the infrastructure and get more fish and chickens.
