Namlo - Past, Present & Future
Dear Namlo supporter,
I apologize for the lengthy note, but here’s some of the things we accomplished in 2016 - and what we’ll be doing in 2017:
Building a temporary learning center in Raghu to serve 200+ students while their school is being rebuilt this year by Namlo. This year we will be building schools in Raghu and Arunodaya. These are new community partnerships!
- Providing dozen scholarships for students in Tanahu and Sindhupalchowk districts. We take them all the way to a college education.
- Supporting the dissemination of greenhouses in Nepal that are helping families earn $20 per month income from the production and local sale of tomatoes. This year we’ll double the number of greenhouses in Dhuskun.
- Stimulating entrepreneurship through our livestock program in Dhuskun, initially with goats provided to 55 women, a further distribution of 40 goat kids to more families. This year we’ll help 50 more women. The growing demand for vet services is keeping a para veterinarian employed. Women who own the male breeders are also earning money providing services. This year we’ll be monitoring the sale of the goats as they mature to see the women reach the target of increasing their incomes by 20%
- Building sustainability through the Namlo/EWB water program in Sabhung, where water user fees have enabled 116 participating households to collect $5,000 to date and use the funds to maintain the system as well as providing $3,000 in microloans in the community. This project employs one full-time person supported by the community with funds raise. By the end of the year, Namlo/EWB will disengage and the system will be managed by the water users committee who have proven themselves capable through many technical trials.
- The Sabhung Cooperative membership is now at 61 women and 10 men who have provided almost $7,000 in loans to members for microenterprise activities. The coop employs one full time staff person from funds raised by the community. The number of weavers in the cooperative is increasing as a result of securing contracts from two major handicraft shops in Kathmandu. For 2017, we’ll be improving quality, quantity and building a business plan to enable the women weavers to operate on an economically sustainable basis.
- The community of Dhuskun completed the massive retaining wall to protect women’s cooperative
- Data collected from OrganiCasa owners documented in the Cumulative Greenhouse Production Report for 2016 show us that the introduction of low-cost greenhouses in these areas is improving agricultural production and dietary diversity, in a manner that is immediate and offering long-term solutions to poor nutrition. http://wp.me/p55TIy-A7 greenhouses are also generating revenue to measurably improve incomes with the average of a 20% increase to annual incomes. In 2016, Thirty-four families bringing the total number of families to 60 (+-250 people). 20% of greenhouse sales were to women. Namlo response to demand has brought it to a total of 18 communities.
- During 2016, 67,253 lbs. of vegetables have been produced at a total value of over $11,554 for an average of 1,564 lbs. produced per person with a value of $275 per person. What’s important to note is that these figures only represent forty-five of the current families, due to the fact that new families have not been generating data from harvests by the end of the year.
- One farmer in Las Calabazas earned over $8,500 in a three-month period by growing and transplanting 13,000 green pepper seedlings, to irrigated fields. Since the start of the project, the average family has harvested 186 lbs., consumed 105 lbs. and sold 82 lbs. worth. With our initial goal being to improve the dietary diversity of families, we are pleased to see that families are eating the majority of the vegetables, and selling afterward.
- A healthy indicator of the acceptability of the OrganiCasa greenhouse has been the continuous demand as evidenced by a waiting list of 20 – 40 families on an ongoing basis.
And now for the future: I’ll be stepping down as executive director to bring Lorena Garcia. Lorena brings with her extensive experience in non-profit organizational development. She has expanded organizations through strategic fundraising, communications, and program development. She believes that the most effective solutions for communities in need are the solutions that come from those directly affected. I’ve enjoyed working for Namlo for the past 3+ years, and am confident that I’m leaving it in capable hands. Lorena will need your help - the two schools we’ll be building cost over $100,000, and every donation is needed to help give a safe, secure environment for a kid in Nepal. We’re also in danger of losing the Nicaragua program if more funds can’t be secured immediately. So do what you can to help. These are great programs, with solid impact.
Thanks so much for your support!
Keith Frausto
Executive Director
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