Florence & Mirembe School,,,,Info - History - Pictures - Emails

[Guest]

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[KivanSteven]

The following is going to be my best efforts at condensing the 40+ pages of threads to include strictly information about, or pictures and emails of/from Florence Kaluuba.  The original thread itself is still good inspiring reading and please continue posting to it at the following address where you will find updating information on future fundraising efforts:

http://www.kivafriends.org/index.php/topic,1492.430.html

...but for those KF who have a desire to help and want to familiarize themselves with Florence and the girls at her school, you can find pretty much all the info you need right here within this thread.  I only ask that the thread be used strictly for the purposes in the subject line and that we refrain from discussing Florence within this thread.  I know we dont need any additional threads on the forum, but at least Florence's story can now more easily be referenced and referred to, and in the future, potential contributors can have better organized access to the cause that gets us so very excited and puts us in an even extra giving mood than we already seem to be in. 

If anyone has any additional pictures or info not covered in the following posts, please feel free to submit it here.

Let me also point out that KF, through two separate fundraisers, have raised approximately/nearly $10,000 for Florence over the course of less than 2 full years.  Quite remarkable indeed.  There is absolutely no pressure to join a third fundraiser should one take place--that is not the intention of this thread, but it will hopefully be an inspiration to those who want to know and understand why Florence and the girls she leads are so very dear to us.

Rather than introduce Florence myself, since Jill and Diane would be in a better position to do that than myself, I will post links to Drew Kinder's blogs relating to his Kiva Fellowship in Uganda.  He was incredibly generous, delivering our first contribution to Florence and played a critical critical role in making this all happen the first time around.  His blog posts are very informative and provide a very thorough introduction to the Mirembe Youth Development School and the storyline between KF and Florence.

Following those I will post the link to Florence's actual Kiva loan, along with various documents forwarded to us from this wonderful lady that gave us great insight into the schools needs and progres...which will in turn be followed by all the relevant pictures and emails from the school that I could gather as made available to us through Jill, Diane and Drew.  I hope this is helpful for us all. 

One last tidbit of information mentioned by Jill in the original thread...Mirembe apparently means "peace" in Luganda.

[KivanSteven]

12/11/07 - Intro to Florence Kaluuba and the Mirembe Youth Development School in Uganda
http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/2007/12/11/mikembe-youth-development-project/   


1/30/08 - Presentation of funds to Florence at her school
http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/2008/01/30/kiva-friends-donate-4430-to-mirembe-youth-development-projects/


2/26/08 - Drew Kinder leaves Uganda and offers his gratitude for KF donations toward the end of his blog
http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/2008/02/26/farewell-uganda/ 

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Link to Florence's Kiva loan which began 5/25/07 and was repaid 2 months early on 11/26/07.
http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=9970&_tpos=10&_tpg=1 FLORENCE KIVA LOAN


The loan write up from 2007 states:
"Florence is a 48 year old woman. She started a community training college to offer nursery teaching, computer, and counseling courses to 12 students. The college now has 40 students.

Florence is an innovative and hard-working woman who wishes to borrow funds to renovate the college buildings and purchase a printer. She has 10 years of experience in education. Her dream is to expand the capacity of the college and to publish books.

Florence has 5 children aged between twenty three and twelve. They are all at school."


As you can see there were a few Kiva Friends on this loan to begin with, and WoodFairyGlenda (Glenda) herself can offer a first-hand account of the school since she made a trip to Uganda and had the privilege of seeing the school and learning about it firsthand...Here is the picture included with the Kiva Loan along with a picture of Florence and the computer and printer purchased with her Kiva Loan:

[KivanSteven]

These are Word Documents provided by Florence, depicting various things from objectives, to progressions, to goals, obstacles, budgets, needs, and expectations--some of the most valuable and insightful info we received and will definitely continue to receive from her should we offer further assistance.  These are important reads if you want a strong understanding of the goals and outlook of the school.  If you cannot open the files for some reason and would like the text provided please let me know.  I didnt post the text itself due to the length.

[KivanSteven]

And finally, what we all love, a variety of pictures from the many students to Florence, from Drew and our contributions to the students to the many noticeable school improvements.  They are in no particular order.  Click pics to enlarge.  Take notice of the way they recognize Kiva Friends on their desks and sowing machine tables.

[KivanSteven]

Some of the following pictures also came from Glenda--thanks Glenda!

[KivanSteven]

The following were all the Florence emails posted in the original Florence thread as kindly provided by Jill and Diane over the last 2 years.  I found about 22 in total I believe.  Their order is based on date of posting from earliest to most recent, though most are not dated--most took place from late 2007 through early 2009.  Again, if you find you cannot access the notepad or Word file, let me know and Ill be happy to email it to you or provide the actual text through PM.

[Wood Fairy Glenda]

Thanks for the good work, Steve 
I take great pleasure in re-living the Mirembe School-KF experience and the feeling of community the Kiva Friends had at the time these things were happening! 

[Jan & John]

Steve, thanks for an amazing job done in such a short time...

Just looking at those photos again is inspiring...

and Florence is an inspiration in herself.

Jill, the 2 previous fundraisers helped Florence with her budget at the beginning of her year...

Would this be the plan again? to have the funds for her by January??

-jan-

[KivanSteven]

Hey Glenda and Jan--no problem--I think its actually very convenient to have just about all the Florence info together, glad it brought back positive memories for you both 

--but if possible though please use the other Florence thread for any questions or fundraising discussion--otherwise...well, we know how that goes--just dont want two threads with the same discussion, so Jan I posted your question in the original Florence thread for you already--this thread will just be for actual information about or from Florence, such as pictures, emails, or documentation from her--I mean if thats ok with everyone--makes sense to me I think 

...anything else here is perfectly fine, comments and what have you--I figure if and when more pics come in they can be posted with the others pictures, along with any additional documents or emails--that can all be integrated into the first page so any future correspondence or info doesnt become lost in the thread and anytime someone wants to access info about Florence, its all basically right there on page one.

[KivanSteven]

10/26/09

1.  New emails added to the email files - Post #5
2.  Five new pictures added - Post #4
3.  A new budget proposal from Florence - text document (non converted figures) - Post #2

[Diane R]

I received from Florence three brief video clips which I have uploaded and am making available here.  Each of them is only partial, and in all cases they end in mid-sentence and without completed thoughts, but they are worth viewing.  The audio quality is not very good (the third is the least audible), but if you listen carefully you will hear what she is saying.  If desired, I can make a transcript of her words in each and post those either here or on the youtube video page.

In this first clip, Florence describes three special types of students served by Mirembe School: part-time students who are also working, current teachers who want to expand into school administration, and "elderly" students who also want to train to open a nursery.




In the second clip, Florence discusses some of the subjects which are taught to their nursery teacher students.




And finally in the third clip, Florence is addressing the audience at the recent 3rd graduation ceremonies this year, touching on the vision of Mirembe School.




--Diane.

[Diane R]

I have heard again from Florence with a revised budget for the coming year at Mirembe School, along with some updates on students, including several photos and a letter written from one student herself.  I will post them both here and on the fundraising thread, as we are going to start up a fundraising drive for one month only, so as to get the funds to Florence in time for the coming term which starts in February.

Thanks for gathering all of this together, Steven.  (And as usual, clicking an image will open a larger version for you in another window.)

--Diane.

"Christine in class during school practice"



"Real-life experience" from Peninah Ndibogeza
 

[KivanSteven]

From now on this thread will be updated in a progression of events manner--rather than keeping pics with pics and emails with emails--it gets too difficult keeping it that way and the thread isnt set up to work that way- though the page numbers will grow, it wont become excessive or difficult to natigate and it should be easier to follow and to know when new material is posted.

Recent emails from Florence:

(snippet)
Registration for TEEN MOTHER SUPPORT ORG. is in the process. I concieved the idea after realising that 75% of the girls who have benefited from our services are mothers and according to the information they provide is that the majority had their babies during teen age. Through this organisation I will be able to bring many partners on board, hence better exposure and support. . .

The school calendar is as follows: Term one runs through early Feb-May, Term two runs through June -August, Term three runs through September- Decmber.



(new email)
It is always my pleasure to let you know that my family and I are fine .I hope you are fine too. In Uganda it is examination season and primary pupils have just completed the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE), Secondary Schools (High schools) are completing Ordinary Level (O level) and Advanced Level Examinations (A-Level).One of my sons Enoch is completing his papers in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics. Twenty years ago I had a dream of becoming a Doctor to treat people who were in pain. I hated to see sick people, especially when the sickness went on for a long time. I battled with the challenge of being denied the opportunity to try out with the tough subjects I had loved to. Today, I choose to help a small section of vulnerable people in this part of Africa.
   
The girls are preparing to go for holidays and we expect them back on Feb, 1st 2010. However, I will be busy next week with the in-service school teacher’s course for 20 teachers who are teaching without prior training. To remind you a bit these are girls who pay for the services from Mirembe Community College. The schools pay them small allowances which are not enough to support them and for that matter we do not charge them highly.
             
My plan is to establish two more courses; hair dressing and catering courses. Besides helping girls get skills for employment; they can easily attract other girls and women who can pay. I am also happy to let you know that one of our graduates, Zaina, started a mobile catering services and she is working with some of her colleagues former students of Mirembe. She also runs a pre-school and she offers catering services on request. She will be a big inspiration to other girls.
   
I am presenting a proposed budget for the 1st Term 2010 review, comments and consideration.  Convey my sincere thanks to the Kiva friends for their suggestions, additions and comments that I read from Mirembes thread.   

Your friend,
Florence

[KivanSteven]

Another recent email:


I read the mails with lots of joy.  Greetings from Kampala-Uganda.  I am happy to be reading the remarks and suggestions made by the Kiva friends.What your are doing for me and the girls can not be compared to anything easy.  The sugestions  made by the Kiva friends are very encouragig.You  have bullt a lot of confidence in me during this time the new students have started coming to make  inquiries  about next years programs.   In case of any clarification or additional pictures I am ready to send more.
 
Convey my gratitude to the Kiva friends that responded to our requests.

[KivanSteven]

Late 2009 email replies from Florence:



Hello Diane,
Greetings form my family, the girls and myself. It is rainy and harvesting season as well. I reside near a market and I am privileged to be accessing fresh fruits and vegetables from the villages. Most of the foods we eat is brought from the villages to the city. Heavy vehicles,ferry foods, vegetables and fruits and business people make their sales throughout the nights till morning. The trick is if you want to buy cheap vegetables and fruits you go to market very early in the morning to compete with the market vendors.

I am happy to hear that our friends from abroad are responding positively to request for great intervention. I was prompted to propose the establishment of the catering and hairdressing courses because some people in the community have  shown interest in the two courses, secondly, two organisations have approached us with interest in sponsoring the girls in the two areas of of vocational training.

Currently,the school stiil depends mainly on the following
-  membership fee
-  sale of gowns and uniforms
-  sale of crafts
 - Contribution from a few of the pre-school children
-  contribution from students on  in-service courses

I would love to see graduates from tailoring and hair dressing go away with a  machine and perhaps a drier respectively,to enable them start their own small scale business. I am selling the idea to organizations in my community so that the first beneficiaries make returns which we can recycle to the next one. I am sure this will work out sometime next year.

I am of the opinion that the idea of dropping one course will be determined by the support we may get next year. We may have to start small by using the locally made ovens to bake and sell  the products in order to raise funds for other utilities.

We are still finding out other alternatives for other projects that could support the institution in future and as soon we conclude I will let you know.
 
Convey my greetings to the Kiva friends. Assure them that their intervention in to the development of Mirembe school is evident in the increase of the the number of students that we shall graduate in the month of August.

Florence.







On Christmas day, i had a wonderful time with my family.
In my community, people usually celebrate Christmas with a lot of feasting!
They treasure feasting more than Christmas cards and sms messages.
I read the messages and the development of the fund raising and i was very happy.
Thank you so much for your time, care and love.Convey my gratitude to all Kiva friends for their donations.
I wish you and all Kiva friends a happy New year.
                            Your friend,
Florence   



“… I am very happy to read about the comments that the Kiva friends are making about me and the works of my hands. As a counselor these comments can add, not only joy to my life, but also prolonging my life span. As for the donations I  promise not to let down the Kiva friends. I will make sure the impact for their input is evident (in) my output…”

[KivanSteven]

From this point begins 2010 correspondence, pictures, videos, and further fundraising efforts that kicked off Spring 2011.


Lets start with some YOUTUBE Videos!

[KivanSteven]

Emails from Florence shared by Diane, Jill, and Ulrike from early 2010 - April 2011.  Much thanks to you ladies for your time, diligence, and commitment to Florence and KF, along with much gratitude to Florence for opening up her life and her self to what were once a bunch of generous strangers.

Some of it might be difficult to follow and understand only because the context in which the information was discussed is not also provided, but the emails bring Florence to life, and are a great means of introduction to both she and her mission.  There is a tremendous amount of information relating to the school and much insight can be derived from it.  Any pictures mentioned in the emails can be viewed within this post (a few would not save correctly if you notice a couple missing).  Enjoy!

[KivanSteven]

2011 Salon Start-Up Fund Detailed within the attached file, followed by photos of some hair-do's!

(the fund info can be found in that almost hard to spot link just before the pics)

[KivanSteven]

KIVA - MIREMBE LENDING TEAM

http://www.kiva.org/team/mirembe_cc


Become a member of this special group at Kiva.org through the link above, and make loans in the name of Florence and Mirembe College for the world to see!

[KivanSteven]

Florence's reply dated 4/26, upon learning that Kiva Friends, in their third Mirembe School fundraiser, had raised more than enough funds to support her salon start up proposal budget:


"It's wow wow on my side. I am pleasing to learn that you and the Kiva friends have already raised more than what we presented for the start up salons. This kind of spirit does not only encourage me to work hard but also gives me ao opportunity to plan for the projects of the school effectively. Thank you so much Diane. Thank you so much Kiva Friends. Sometimes I would pretend to be happy at what people in Uganda would call "selling my wisdom" when I shared my knowledge with some organisations about the importance of helping young people start income generating activities. I feel very happy at Kiva's intervention in this project. I will not let you down.
 
. . . I would like to wish you and all Kiva friends a happy Easter season. "
 
Florence.