Kiva Fellows Blogs - some excellent stuff recently

[Guest]

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[Peter S]

Drew Kinder has excelled again with a report from SAO in Uganda, focussing on Florence Kaluuba and her Mirembe Community College


http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=9970

Two Kiva Friends in particular will have an interest in this, Jill and Glenda, as they participated in this recently repaid loan, and are now rewarded with the finest "impact statement" anyone could possibly hope for.

. . .
The goal of Mirembe School is to equip youth with developmental education for employment and life skills for survival. The students are almost exclusively girls from age 15-19 who have dropped out of school due to pregnancy and have been ostracized by their parents and family.
. . .
Her belief is that no youth is a failure. She provides counseling as well as training. She promotes sexual abstinence to reduce pre-marital sex, unwanted pregnancy and abortion. Students are given information to reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted disease. Florence works hard to restore their spiritual and traditional values.
Florence will not reject a young girl, no matter what her ability to pay
. . .
She borrowed the money to purchase a desktop computer, scanner and copier. The loan payment came out of her paycheck earned the previous week.

Florence reported the computer has been very important to the school. She not only trains students on it, but she also uses it to scan photos and print teaching materials; services which were previously outsourced at a high cost.
Florence has written a book, The Joy of Parenting, the first copy of which was typed, scanned and printed on the new computer. She hopes to publish 3,000-4,000 copies of the book with the help of the Children’s Writers Association. She will keep 1,000 copies for the school and sell the balance to generate income.
. . .
As I said goodbye to Florence, my impression of this soft spoken woman with a soft spot in her heart for defenseless young girls is that she is as tough as nails. Somehow, some way, Florence will find a way to make the Mirembe Youth Development Project and the Mirembe School continue. This is not a woman who takes no for an answer.

Drew's full Dec 11th report is here:
http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/2007/12/11/mikembe-youth-development-project/

[Natasha]

Peter,

Thankyou for sharing this story with us. All I can say is Wow! What a truly amazing and inspirational entrepreneur and what a great report. After reading about the work they do, I hope that I also can particpate in any future loans to the Mirembe School. I wish Florence, her staff and students the very best for the future.

Thanks again,
Natasha

[eliztravels]

My thanks, too, for passing this along.  Got me all teary eyed. 

[Wood Fairy Glenda]

Thanks, Peter, for calling my attention to this blog again- 
Haven't checked it recently.  Yes, I have special interest
in this Ugandan woman.  I tried to meet here when I was in Kampala, but she was at an educational conference or something of the sort.  Did get to see her school, though (it looks much poorer than in the Kiva photo), and have a few photos, including one of the computer and printer she bought with her Kiva loan.  It's incredible what Florence manages to get done in these circumstances. I tried to post my few photos, but they were too large to be accepted on this site (and I still haven't learned how to compress them so they'll fit the format). Sorry.

[KivanSteven]

These are the kind of stories you wish you could donate to directly or do something beyond loaning to insure the success of the school.  Its such a large and vital project it just draws you in.

[Peter S]

Glenda has emailed me for compression some of the photos from her trip to Uganda earlier this year, showing Mirembe Community College, including one of the computer equipment Florence Kaluuba bought with her Kiva loan.

Glenda's descriptions:

1: Mirembe College from its approach up a muddy alley (a less flattering but more realistic photo than the one on the Kiva site)

2: Classroom

3: Bulletin board near entry.  The newspaper clipping tells Florence's story.

4: The "reception desk" and the woman who showed me around in Florence's absence

5: What the Kiva loan bought

And I add, in case anyone can't quite make out the "objectives" statement posted on the wall in photo #4, here is what it says:

      OBJECTIVES

• To support national development by educating the girl child
• To create people with qualifications of immediate and practical use
• To create atmosphere for positive transformation of attitudes of youths
• To empower the youths with appropriate information hence reducing early marriages, pregnancy and HIV/AIDS
• To restore youths hope in life and trust in society
• To bridge the relationship between parents and their daughters

      Our mission
      Transform the youths.  Transform society

[Jill]

        Thanks, Glenda and Peter.  Very very special stuff.
        As I wrote Peter earlier this morning, after I read the blog posting that he, I was quite grateful, turned us on to,
I e-mailed Florence Mirembe, also this morning, saying, among other things, how much we'd love to have her
take a look around the KivaFriends Forum, and better yet, register, participate, and share with us what we know
would be some of her (of what would be, for us incredibly valuable) insights.

        As I told Peter, I won't be holding my breath -- Florence Mirembe has so very many so very much More important things
to do with her time, but wouldn't it be something spectacular....?

       Either way, what a tremendous story.  What an amazing woman.  She seems to represent, sort of,
the epitome and fulfilment of our Lender hopes.

      So, again, Thanks, Peter.  And thanks, Glenda.  And thanks, most of all, Florence Mirembe, for all you have already done
and for all that you are continuing to do, to try to do.

EDIT: And.... another expression of thanks to our man, Peter, for sending me a PM with the heading,
                   FLORENCE, BY ANY OTHER NAME.....              that said, perhaps I might be able to use a bit more sleep*,
because Florence, by any other name....
                   
...would be as sweet
but she's..
Florence Kaluuba
not Florence Mirembe

                                                                                                          Oh my. 
                                                                                                          Say good night, Jill.
                                                                                                          Good night, Jill.
* See, new Addiction thread.
And here, folks, we have a perfect case in point.....
   

[Kay]

Thank you, Peter, for again pointing to the Kiva Fellows Blog (I surely don't visit it often enough), and thank you Glenda and Peter for posting those photos!  They certainly serve to make it all the more "real."

[eliztravels]

My thanks, too,  for the marvellous photos and blog reminder.   

eLiz

[KivanSteven]

Take notice of the 4th photo from Glenda...on the wall is the class schedule for anyone with a little curiosity