Thursday, 29 December 2011
02:11 | 
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Volunteering is one of the various ways one can experience true happiness am sure for me and many others who care for the well being of the human race, I would consider it one of the most modern ways of civilization. I mean civilization is not all about eating well cooked food, driving the best car, wearing the most modern clothes and so much more..... that we refer to " luxurious"
"Who is willing to work for no pay at all?" is the volunteer experience. Giving freely your skills, energy and of course time and dedication. In today's world a volunteer experience is definately important. It is one of the humbling experiences that all the youth in today's world ought to acquire.
Looking around in today's world of unemployment and lack of relevant skills the youth ought to figure out how they should consider gaining experience through volunteering what they theoretically learnt at their various learning institutions.
Various non governmental organisations have come a long way in terms of giving back to the society and involving the youth in development . One such institution is the KiBO foundation in Uganda. I have not yet come across such an organization in East and central Africa, believe me... Yet KiBO is making a lot greater impact, than I may say many other old bearucratic organizations.
Looking around in today's world of unemployment and lack of relevant skills the youth ought to figure out how they should consider gaining experience through volunteering what they theoretically learnt at their various learning institutions.
Various non governmental organisations have come a long way in terms of giving back to the society and involving the youth in development . One such institution is the KiBO foundation in Uganda. I have not yet come across such an organization in East and central Africa, believe me... Yet KiBO is making a lot greater impact, than I may say many other old bearucratic organizations.
Kudos to KiBO foundation. The idea is that the youth know better what is good for them and their respective communities.
KiBO foundation is a non profit making organization that was established in the year 2007. The foundation was set up with an aim to instill the youth with necessary skills in ICT and Leadership.
The word KiBO refers to the highest peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. Therefore KiBO was set up with an aim to propel the youth to great heights. KiBO foundation has two managing directors; Abraham Temu and Judith Butagira-Temu. Beside the two directors the foundation has an accountant(Allen) , receptionist(Diana) two tutors( Jonathan Ebuk and Patricia Ayo) and a librarian( Emmanuel Masaba).
In Kampala, the foundation is situated at Kansanga, a Kampala suburb, Nkuzongere road plot 796 Lujumwa house.
KiBO offers the youth a chance to learn skills in ICT and leadership free of charge, beside learning the youth have the responsibility to give back to the community as the KiBO's mission is "Changing communities and lives one partnership at a time" Basically students undergo a three months course where they learn various computer skills such as typing and computer application packages. After the course they are expected to team up, initiate a project and implement it. The scope of the project aimed at giving back to the community in various ways. To date five groups of youths from Sub-Saharan Africa have had an opportunity to undergo this wonderful program.
Some of the projects that have successfully been run are; The facilitation of Nsambya Babies Home, Mulago Cancer Ward, and Deaf Link Uganda. These projects have depicted the real value of this program, as the turn out to join the upcoming classes has been quite high. This is a clear indicator of the program's impact.
Indeed the KiBO program is a unique one, having undergone it I can tell stories and stories. One most important aspect the youth gain is employability. Youth from Sub-Saharan Africa, where unemployment have with time shot up, should consider undergoing mentorship before they start the search for any job. The reason behind this is that they lack basic professional skills, and to add salt to injury in Africa am sorry to write, the education system is too theoretical than practical.
In the near future the KiBO facilities might be too few to meet the growing demand. What do we do??
In my view the youth should scramble for charity opportunities. One main reason to my view is that, in charity you will experience less discrimination based on your education background, religious, and also nationality.
So far I have participated in quite a number of charity events. Most of these, I still hold quite vivid memories and lessons. Late last year I actively participated in the initiation of the project to raise awareness about the deaf in Uganda. I was elected the vice treasurer of the group but later before the finish line my boss( treasurer) threw in the towel and I therefore became the treasurer. Initiating the project meant a lot of planning and action at the same time. This is where team work and team dynamics was of great essence.
Try and think, a group of 15 youth seated in a round table trying to brainstorm the best way forward, and each of them has an idea that he or she thinks is best. At this point we had to go by consensus. During this time we had been allocated an abrupt three weeks through which we were expected to initiate the project and fundraise to fund a budget that we had already prepared, We had to work out how to raise ugx972,000. Coming up with fundraising strategies was really a task I mean it was no easy task. Some members thought it was better for us to raise the money by only staging a charity concert, others thought it was best for us to carry out a charity car wash and call it a day, while others thought we had to carry out the two tasks in order to accomplish our goal, ugx 972,000.
With our daily obligations at the foundation to attend regular class instructions in computing ( one of KiBO Foundation's pillars) we thought it was impossible for us to fundraise in three weeks, and of course we suggested a reschedule of the project fundraiser and implementation date. Do you know what this meant? We had programmed our minds that we could not make it within the allocated time. In the nick of time it came to our knowledge that we had to beat that target. Finally, we didn't beat the target.
Luckily the December holidays were approaching and we broke off for two weeks of holidays. During this time, the project committee (Chairman, chairperson, Treasurer, secretary and their assistants) decided to meet and strategize the way forward. It was during this time that we decided to split into smaller groups each consisting of five members. This helped us a lot especially when it came to carrying out specific tasks like marketing. The KiBO tutors also helped us a great deal on how we were to approach the public, how we were to get the best site for a charity concert or a car wash.
After the holidays,we were back to work as usual but this time we had to do it. The experience was really fantastic, since with only a week to prepare, market and sensitize people about our work, we managed to raise ugx 250,000(equivalent to US$125) from the charity car wash.
Most important about the 5Th class first fundraising event, was that we learnt how to attract attention. We had quite a big white piece of cloth at the entrance to the washing bay that read "CHARITY CAR WASH, HELP CREATE AWARENESS ABOUT THE DEAF" in addition Shafic, one of us, in collaboration with Kampala Musical School band, staged quite attracting classical music, you should have been present to see us matching on the busy Ggaba road. We even polished shoes as a means of raising the funds, I just wish you were there, you would have left with a smile on your face and your shoes sparkling, I guarantee you, though for the socks you would have paid a thousand dollars for them to be cleaned!
As VB ( VOLUNTEER BIG), even after KiBO I look out for more charity opportunities. Its really fun.
"Each class is always unique in one way or another" said Mr. Abraham Temu as he briskly took the 5th class through the KiBO program orientation. This sounded vague to us, actually I thought he was more of a very aggressive marketer. True to his words, each of the groups that have to date joined this program has always had a unique experience as well as opportunities. Currently the sixth class is fundraising for a project to facilitate Treasure Life Center youth group in Kamwokya. A comparison of this class and our class makes me envious; this guys are really having fun! That's life.
In my earlier post I mentioned how we managed to initiate the project to raise awareness about the deaf in the society. The main pipeline of our funds were; a charity car wash, a social connections event and donations from friends as well as corporates. Thanks to all who donated and participated, they must be reaping more than the habitual hundred folds. If you didn't please do so for the 6th class, contact me and I will hook you up with them, watch this space!
A target of ugx 972,000 (equivalent of Us$487) seemed to high for us. Within three weeks of hard work we had almost managed to raise all this! However the budget ended up in a slack. With this I imply that we had more than enough money to spend. The slack occurred due to our earlier plan to plaster and varnish the Deaflink Uganda building, but we had to relinquish this plan since all these were not too essential to the deaf youth.
In a short while we were off to spend what we had labored for, this was one of the captivating moments especially for those of us in the 5th class that were privileged to participate in the purchases of what was long awaited. Prior to this we were all accustomed to buying cheap and saving; this is common I know you also do it!! But guess what? We had to spend all the cash! Wow it was quite exciting approaching the cashier and realizing that the treasurer had more than enough money for us to spend, sounds like spend thrifts? This is charity, YOU SPEND ALL YOU RAISE YOU DON'T SAVE!
"Big things come in small packages" You could tell this during the project implementation day. The jolly faces of the deaf youth spoke volumes. The joy of a brand new white board, a T.V set (21 inches), a DVD player(an original sign language translated version of 'THE SECRET'), flip charts, markers and exercise books. All carefully selected to meet their most urgent needs. However, the climax of the day was the ugx 200(equivalent of US$0.1) that we handed over to the Ms. Nassozi( Deaf Link Uganda director) as the remainder of all the expenditure.
It is crucial however to note that all these did not happen in 'ideal situations'. I mean it is better said than done. When we set out to do things most often we expect perfect and favorable conditions, correct me if am wrong, only to find out that we have to overcome challenges, defeat name them! This is the true meaning of success, success is overcoming, beating the odds. Lucky enough as members of the 5th class, we did not at any time sit down and say," Oh God we can't just do this, its rainy!" we worked through the challenges and won in the spirit of yes we can..
"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race" Calvin Coolidge. In a short while we were off to spend what we had labored for, this was one of the captivating moments especially for those of us in the 5th class that were privileged to participate in the purchases of what was long awaited. Prior to this we were all accustomed to buying cheap and saving; this is common I know you also do it!! But guess what? We had to spend all the cash! Wow it was quite exciting approaching the cashier and realizing that the treasurer had more than enough money for us to spend, sounds like spend thrifts? This is charity, YOU SPEND ALL YOU RAISE YOU DON'T SAVE!
"Big things come in small packages" You could tell this during the project implementation day. The jolly faces of the deaf youth spoke volumes. The joy of a brand new white board, a T.V set (21 inches), a DVD player(an original sign language translated version of 'THE SECRET'), flip charts, markers and exercise books. All carefully selected to meet their most urgent needs. However, the climax of the day was the ugx 200(equivalent of US$0.1) that we handed over to the Ms. Nassozi( Deaf Link Uganda director) as the remainder of all the expenditure.
It is crucial however to note that all these did not happen in 'ideal situations'. I mean it is better said than done. When we set out to do things most often we expect perfect and favorable conditions, correct me if am wrong, only to find out that we have to overcome challenges, defeat name them! This is the true meaning of success, success is overcoming, beating the odds. Lucky enough as members of the 5th class, we did not at any time sit down and say," Oh God we can't just do this, its rainy!" we worked through the challenges and won in the spirit of yes we can..
Emerson once said “nothing is ever accomplished without enthusiasm and the more enthusiasm the better. Besides waiting to start anything is always wrong. Get it going now, once you break the inertia and start it rolling, an idea takes on a life of its own and starts going into areas you never dreamed it would fit in; it creates opportunities; it bowls over barriers and leapfrogs objections and overwhelms logic.” I thought I would illustrate Emerson’s words better but one man once said “the words speak themselves” hope you have been to Africa and met street dwellers who pretend to understand this language that they say ‘came by ship’. Any way that’s how they eke out a living, forgive me for story telling, back to business now.
I once asked myself, ‘how did I come to know KiBO foundation’, if you are an avid reader of my posts you will bear me witness that it was a process, and life is all about processes by the way, nothing is “boom” and if it is, then try and question the “boom” I don’t mind a recap if this is the first time you are enjoying this blog. Sometimes back I was so much possessed with some micro finance ideas; in fact I had laid down a model that would replicate that of the famous Nobel peace prize winner Prof Yunus of Bangladesh. My hypothesis was to come up with a program that could offer free entrepreneurial skills to traders in Kampala. I remember sitting in my room every day for a fortnight struggling to come up with a pleasing proposal that could see all the micro finance institutions scramble for it and of course me! They say (I won’t tell you who in particular) “the hardest part when chewing a piece of meat is near the bone” Hahaha I had managed to chew all the tendons by developing a fantastic proposal but the meat adjacent to the bone was rocky and bloody leave alone being hard.
I remember quite vividly how some ‘dude’ told me after my meeting with him.” Thank you, this is a good idea and I will discuss it with my boss, could you also send me a soft copy of the work via my email address?” Right away I knew that was a stale deal. That very week while still trying to sell my idea I found posters all over Kansanga. The KiBO 4th class was advertising calling upon the public to turn up for a car wash in great numbers. That was the beginning of a journey I LOVE TO HAVE BEEN PART OF. After the KiBO program I have been through lots of opportunities, as Emerson said break the inertia and start rolling.
Let’s love what we do, if you don’t love what you do or where you work look for a means of doing so. I once hated an apartment that I once lived that was two years ago, guess what today I believe that was the best I have ever lived in.
Would you mind to know what I do? Watch out my next post I will tell you what I do, what I aspire to be and lots more, If I delay to put it up I don’t mind you giving me a shout via my email address (paulnjuguna87@gmail.com).
If someone asked you ‘what makes you tick?’ what would be your answer? I mean we live in a world where some of us are into drug addiction, homosexuality and whole lot more vices. In a way that makes them tick and 'survive' mind you not in a jungle. I believe each of us has got something that makes us endure. I recently watched one of Joyce Meyer’s evangelical broadcasts and there is a sentence she said that really got me moving, ‘be a prisoner of hope’ just think about it… Being a prisoner of hope probably in a maximum security prison of hope. A few days ago I also watched one of the recent unfolding episodes of the famous ‘Prison break’ I got startled when ‘Sarah’ told ‘Teabag’ that she had known what had made him tick (live without medication) when he was in prison together with his accomplices in crime (Lincoln Barrows, Michael and the rest) I just won’t tell you what Teabag did to Sarah for that comment, get your own copy and watch hehehe.
If you asked me what makes me tick, I would probably prepare a podcast about it. I joined university two years ago and throughout this time I have come to appreciate the various developments that I have been through. Currently I work with Worldwide Logistics (One of the leading freight firms in East Africa) as a Sales and Marketing officer. Before joining WWL I had a chance to work in charity at KiBO Foundation. The package at KiBO is a whole lot enormous that this space is inadequate for me to elaborate all what I did with KiBO. It is through KiBO that I came to know how to blog as well as the essence of blogging and therefore am also a renowned blogger. If you asked me, I would tell you “I love what I have been through” Of course there is a reason as to why the bat prefers an upside down posture.
In a nut shell, having the right experience in the long term makes me tick, at the end of a busy day I know I spent a couple of minutes with the director of a large company and probably I learnt from his or her negotiation skills. That’s a lesson to me. A new day into my daily hustles? Am wiser.
It is until you recognize what drives you that you will be able to capitalize on your strengths. So what makes you tick? Please share this post with 5 of your friends, hope you don’t ask for a reward. Why don't you also leave a comment of what makes you tick? Lets build the Volunteer For A Cause community, isn't it?
If you asked me what makes me tick, I would probably prepare a podcast about it. I joined university two years ago and throughout this time I have come to appreciate the various developments that I have been through. Currently I work with Worldwide Logistics (One of the leading freight firms in East Africa) as a Sales and Marketing officer. Before joining WWL I had a chance to work in charity at KiBO Foundation. The package at KiBO is a whole lot enormous that this space is inadequate for me to elaborate all what I did with KiBO. It is through KiBO that I came to know how to blog as well as the essence of blogging and therefore am also a renowned blogger. If you asked me, I would tell you “I love what I have been through” Of course there is a reason as to why the bat prefers an upside down posture.
In a nut shell, having the right experience in the long term makes me tick, at the end of a busy day I know I spent a couple of minutes with the director of a large company and probably I learnt from his or her negotiation skills. That’s a lesson to me. A new day into my daily hustles? Am wiser.
It is until you recognize what drives you that you will be able to capitalize on your strengths. So what makes you tick? Please share this post with 5 of your friends, hope you don’t ask for a reward. Why don't you also leave a comment of what makes you tick? Lets build the Volunteer For A Cause community, isn't it?
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