Celebrating 10 Years 2003-2013

Celebrating 10 Years
2003-2013
Contents
Our Organization
Mission and Vision
Who We Are
How We Work
Our Development Model
Small Communities. Big Impact.
A Focus on Health
Community Participation
Building Capacity
Our Projects
Rural Safe Water Supply Project (RSWSP)
Kayunga County, Uganda
Kabudula Education and Empowerment Project (KEEP)
Kabudula, Malawi
SaludCom
El Páramo, Ecuador
Our Impact
Rural Safe Water Supply Project (RSWSP)
Kayunga County, Uganda
Kabudula Education and Empowerment Project (KEEP)
Kabudula, Malawi
SaludCom
El Páramo, Ecuador
Our History
Our Future
Our Organization
Our Mission
The Minga Foundation partners with individuals and community-based organizations in underserved
communities to improve socioeconomic conditions and health equity. Through collaborative and
respectful partnerships, we build capacity, create and strengthen networks, and provide resources
based on locally-identified needs.
Our goal is to empower those seeking a healthier future for their communities.
Our Vision
We envision a world where all communities have equal opportunities to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.
Who We Are
When our founders first launched a health project in Ecuador, they recognized the potential of personal,
small-scale investments in underserved communities. Finding other like-minded and enthusiastic people
willing to dedicate themselves to these same values, The Minga Foundation was born.
We are a passionate, dedicated, and diverse team. Members of our Board of Directors contribute
experience and education from many backgrounds, including public health, political science, nonprofit
management, business, medicine, anthropology, and engineering. Our diversity allows us to provide
alternative perspectives to the traditional ideas of development, and allow us to apply a more
comprehensive approach to building community capacity. Together with the support of our donors, we
are working to build a healthier future - one community at a time.
Our Board of Directors
Jessica Levy
Tara Hopkins
Dan Kselman
Erin Lunde
Bhuan Agrawal
Karin Friederic
Julie Titus
Jessica Nadolski
Board Members Dan Kselman and Bhuan Agrawal visiting BUVAD
September 2012
How We Work
The Minga Foundation has been successful over the last ten years because of the commitments of
our board, supporters, and partners. Our organization is operated solely by our volunteer Board
of Directors. We believe in our work and each member of the board contributes significantly of their
personal time and resources toward our cause.
Our small organization would not have made it to this point without the loyal and continuing support of our
donors. We take very seriously the faith that our donors place in us and we strive to be good stewards
of every dollar we raise. That is why the vast majority of the support we receive from our donors
directly impacts people in our partner communities. We try to keep our administrative expenses as low as
possible, so we can have the biggest impact.
Finally, the strength of the partnerships we develop and nurture is essential to our success. At
Minga, we are more than just project funders. Our work is rooted in partnership. Our model of
development includes working closely with local organizations, building their capacity, and supporting
projects that make a sustainable impact in the daily lives of community members. We engage with our
partners by not only providing financial and organizational support, but we further invest in our
relationships through on-the-ground site visits and direct interaction with the community.
Our Development Model
Small Communities. Big Impacts
Our model of development begins with the community. When local organizations identify the needs within
their community, they reach out to find the necessary resources to assist and fund their development projects.
Many small communities and small organizations face significant challenges when trying to access the funding
opportunities of larger international development organizations. This is where Minga comes in.
We fill a need by partnering with smaller, underserved communities and organizations that may not have
access to development resources without our help. We work closely with our partners throughout the entire
project, from writing and developing the initial request for support through measuring and monitoring the
project outcomes and social impact. Our support extends far beyond the dollars that we provide to fund a
project.
Library Construction in Kabudula, Malawi
October 2012
In particular, Minga emphasizes Health, Community Participation and Capacity Building.
A Focus on Health
Minga partners with communities and organizations that are working to meet the basic health needs of all
individuals. We believe that addressing the root causes of poor health can not only improve the health of
individuals, but can also be a powerful way to empower a community and lead to long-term and sustainable
community development.
Community Participation
As members of the community, our partners possess the knowledge of what their community needs - what
problems they face, what resources they do not have, and what projects and changes can make the greatest
impact on their lives. All of our project work is directed by our partners to ensure that their on-the-ground
presence not only enables community participation, but is driven by members of the community to fulfill their
most critical health needs. We believe that this community-driven approach empowers underserved
communities to promote continued and sustainable development.
Building Capacity
Our partners are local and they have established relationships that engage the community and foster
community participation. We work to build their capacity, so that they are able to work with their community
to create and strengthen networks, find resources, and address their locally-identified needs. Our goal is to
empower those seeking a healthier future for their communities by sharing knowledge, resources,
and passion to create lasting changes. This is what it means to us at Minga to build capacity. Capacity for
change.
Our Projects
Rural Safe Water Supply Project
Kayunga County, Uganda
Partner:
Butakoola Village Association for Development
Kabudula Education & Empowerment Project
Kabudula, Malawi
Partner:
World Altering Medicine
SaludCom
El Páramo, Ecuador
Partner:
MeHiPro - FHN Ecuador
Rural Safe Water Supply Project (RSWSP)
Kayunga County, Uganda
In 2012, Minga began a new partnership with the Butakoola Village Association for Development (BUVAD) to
provide clean water to residents of Kayunga County, Uganda. In Kayunga, a large portion of water needs are still
satisfied with ground-water sources. Nearly 20 people are admitted to the District Hospital every week suffering
from water related diseases such as malaria, typhoid, and dysentery. Some never recover. In addition, the very
process of gathering ground-water, which often requires walking far from the safety of one’s own village, puts
vulnerable community members (especially women and children) at risk of crime and violence.
To respond to these problems, BUVAD initiated the Rural Communities’ Safe Water Supply Project, whose goal is
to finance and construct 72 borehole water wells in Kayunga County villages. With support from StartFund
(Netherlands) and individual donors, as well as community members who themselves contribute all of the labor to
dig the wells, BUVAD has successfully set up their first four wells: two in Butakoola Village, one in Gaaza Village,
and one in Bwetyaaba Village.
Partnering with BUVAD, Minga supported the construction of three additional wells between August 2012 and
March 2013. In addition to providing the resources necessary for raw materials and engineering, members of the
Minga Board of Directors visited Kayunga in September 2012 to participate in the formation of well management
committees. These committees are charged with overseeing the wells’ maintenance over time, ensuring individual
compliance with consumption and contribution rules, and gathering data on the wells’ use. In supporting these
committees, Minga fulfills its mission of not only providing resources to underserved communities, but also
contributing to the design of governance institutions necessary for our projects’ sustainability in the medium- and
long-term.
Part of Minga’s activities with BUVAD have also included finding additional support for the activities of the RSWSP.
We have helped connect BUVAD to UWASNET, a network of NGOs working in the Ugandan WASH sector. We have
also worked with StartFund to train and equip a mechanic who is able to maintain and repair wells, another
important factor in sustainability for the project.
RSWSP Outcomes
over
3
700
wells installed by the BUVADMinga partnership
students served by the well at
Bwetyaaba Primary School
60
feet are dug by hand
by the community members
receiving each well, as their
contribution to the project
Kabudula Education & Empowerment Project (KEEP)
Kabudula, Malawi
A partnership between Minga and World Altering Medicine (WAM) is helping create a brighter future for
the motivated youth at Kabudula Secondary School in Kabudula, Malawi. Years ago, while working in
Kabudula to improve health care, WAM found that a primary contributor to poor health in the community
was low levels of education. As a result, they founded the Kabudula Education & Empowerment Project
(KEEP). After meeting extensively with teachers, students, community leaders and governmental officials
to determine the best ways to improve education, WAM devised a few solutions. They decided to provide
scholarships for girls and orphans to fight against high drop-out rates, and to build a library to increase
access to books and educational materials.
In early 2013, a library funded by Minga was completed at the Kabudula Secondary School. Following its
construction, the Malawian Ministry of Education provided a large supply of text books and science lab
equipment. Not only are students now able to check out books to read at home for the first time, the
library also provides a safe, supportive after-school study space for students, particularly girls. Minga has
also helped WAM support scholarships per year for 30 girls and orphans currently attending the school. In
the fall of 2013, Minga agreed to fund an additional 10 scholarships to further expand the number of at
risk youth who are able to obtain a high school education. And during the 2013-2014 school year, Minga
aims to further improve the quality of education by funding teacher trainings.
In addition to financial support, Minga provided WAM with technical assistance to strengthen community
engagement in the project, develop evaluation measures for determining project success, and ensure that
the most vulnerable students get the tutoring support they need to succeed on national exams and realize
their dreams of attending university. In the Fall of 2013, the region’s first student to do well enough on the
national exams enrolled at university and is studying to become a teacher. We hope that at the
completion of her studies she will return to Kabudula to work and continue to be a role model for other
young girls in the community.
KEEP Outcomes
A new, safe building allowed the
library to grow their collection of
books from around 100 to over
1,000
Minga has committed to funding
40
4-year scholarships to ensure more
students have access to an education
The drop-out rate of students in
the peer counseling group at
Kabudula Secondary School is
0
SaludCom
El Páramo, Ecuador
Project SaludCom is a multi-year collaboration between Nokia, The Minga Foundation, and Fundación
MeHiPro, which helps increase access to health care in rural areas of coastal Ecuador. Using cellular
technology, the project seeks to connect remote communities to the region’s rural health center and to
facilitate the collection of demographic and epidemiological data.
Until recently, difficulties in transportation, lack of cell phone infrastructure, and the remote location of
communities created dangerous and life-threatening barriers to the region’s central health center. To combat
these obstacles, SaludCom has provided training and funding for improved infrastructure (cell phones, cell
phone towers, and a regional ambulance), capacity-building for community health workers and the regional
health committee, and health education to all community members. We have also installed booster
antennas to provide cell phone connectivity in nine communities, enabling community members to call
health center staff to report emergencies and request services via the ambulance, without having to endure
the five-to-ten hour walk to the health center.
The Minga Foundation was originally established in 2003 to support the creation of El Páramo’s health center
with the aim of improving access to health care for individuals in the surrounding remote, rural areas. In that
tradition, we continue to strengthen regional networks so the most marginalized communities can also reap
the benefits of this successful health center. The SaludCom project is made possible with financial support
from the Nokia Corporation.
SaludCom Outcomes
22
180
health promoters have
received Nokia
smartphones to increase
communication with the
health center
patients were assisted
in acute emergencies
because they were
able to communicate
with the health center
Our Impact
While we continue to work with our partners to address local community needs, part of our role in building
capacity is to assist them in developing methods and measures to gauge the impact our work has on their
communities. We work to define metrics and to trace how our projects are having measurable impact.
However, impact is about more than just the numbers. It is about affecting the daily lives of people who want
to build a healthier future for their neighbors, their families, and their children.
Rural Safe Water Supply Project (RSWSP)
Kayunga County, Uganda
Minga and BUVAD are planning to undergo a significant monitoring and evaluation process in 2014, but we still
have a preliminary idea of the impact our wells are having in Kayunga County.




Provided clean, safe drinking water to over 150 families—that’s about 900 people
Community members reporting fewer incidents of water-borne illnesses
Community members reporting safer conditions for collecting water
Community members reporting saving time not having to walk up to 8km to collect water
Read more about our work with BUVAD from their director, Stephen Ssemutumba:
A message from Stephen Ssemutumba, Director of BUVAD, on
Minga’s contributions to the project:
Cardinal significance to The Minga Foundation involvement in the
BUVAD Rural Safe Water Supply Project, has been the increased
participation and involvement of the central government (Kayunga
District Water Office) within the project. Recently, the district authority
has committed the Kayunga Sub County Office water pump repair tools
to the BUVAD Rural Safe water supply project trainee mechanic,
making the project more sustainable. The trained hand pump mechanic
has been another success story by Minga Foundation's involvement in
the project. The training process has been co-funded by Minga
foundation, StartFund Netherlands, BUVAD and the local contribution.
The involvement of The Minga Foundation has also seen BUVAD joining
the Uganda Water and Sanitation Network (UWASNET).
The project has already gained proper foundation for sustainable
management through water user management committees, a trained
and accessible community borehole hand pump mechanic and the
upcoming involvement of Whave Solutions, an organization focused on
ensuring that the boreholes are kept functional while ensuring
community hygiene and sanitation in the project focal areas.
Kabudula Education & Empowerment Project (KEEP)
Kabudula, Malawi
In Kabudula, WAM is closely monitoring how the library is affecting students and teachers at KCDSS. Using
school enrollment data and scores, student logs at the library, student and teacher surveys, and focus groups,
WAM and school administrators will continue to assess and improve the library, so that it continues to serve
the school in the future.
Here is what they have learned about the library’s impact so far:
 The majority of students surveyed use the library at least twice per week to read and take out books
 Three times as many girls, and 50% more boys, passed the national exams in 2013 as compared to 2012
 High school enrollment rates increased, meaning more youth in the area are receiving a secondary
education
 The Ministry of Education has hired an additional teacher at KCDSS to accommodate increased




enrollment
The first student ever admitted to college from KCDSS is now studying to become a teacher
The library space is temporarily housing a science lab, the school’s next infrastructure priority
The students and teachers now have access to the internet, made available by donated computers
housed in the library
Two computer instructors have been trained and are employed by the school
Hear from the students at KCDSS how they
use the new library:
Raphael
I read many things, especially science. I
have improved my English.
Averis
I have borrowed a book recently about
Physical Science. I learned about matter.
Chifundo
I like the Life Skills books, because they
help me learn to solve problems.
William
I like to borrow the Literature and English
textbooks. I can learn many things about
literature, like how to summarize a passage.
Francis
I learned how to write an essay.
KEEP Scholars
SaludCom
El Páramo, Ecuador
As SaludCom nears its completion, the unique collaboration has accomplished many objectives: (1) the
provision of cell phones and prepaid cards to health promoters, medical staff, and health committee members;
(2) the installation of antennas in four remote communities to improve cell phone signal and connectivity; and
(3) the improvement of the health center's ambulance and general infrastructure.
As a result of these improvements in the communities of El Páramo, there will be many lasting impacts for the
health center and their continuing efforts to improve health care in the region:
Improved access to health care in emergency situations: With instant communication between the health center
and community, 180 patients have been assisted during acute emergencies. In most cases, the ambulance reached
people and transported them quickly to the nearest hospital; in least 20% of these cases, lives were saved.
Efficient response during acute emergencies: Direct communication with the sick or injured also allowed the
health center to gather the information necessary to prepare for more effective emergency responses. For
example, health center staff could anticipate whether health emergencies could be treated locally or, if not, they
were able to inquire about staffing and services at regional health care facilities and alert relevant health providers.
Collection of quality health and socio-demographic data: The project has access to reliable health and sociodemographic data that will be used to improve planning and decision-making,, and to reach out to government
offices to advocate for better social services for the region. For example, more reliable census data will allow
community leaders to request appropriate quantities of vaccinations for each community.
Launch of a new anti-parasite campaign: Through SaludCom, health promoters conducted a short survey about
access to and use of safe water in their communities and results were correlated with health center analyses of
stool samples from children. Together, these data are helping the health team target their activities more
effectively to each community’s needs: they can decide which anti-parasitic medications to administer in each
community and which education and prevention strategies are most appropriate.
Increased childhood vaccination: Nokia’s smart phones and the health promoter network are also being used to
monitor and promote childhood vaccination. The auxiliary nurse at the health center tracks the immunizations of
all children who use the health center for their vaccinations. Using the smart phones, she reminds parents when
their children’s next doses are due.
Reinforcing Health Promoters
At the community level, the first contact for health services
are health promoters, local people who are trained and
equipped by the health center to provide first aid and health
education. Through SaludCom, twenty two health promoters
were trained to use smart phones not only for
communication, but also to collect socio-demographic and
health related data in their communities. The Nokia Data
Gathering platform allowed them to create and administer
surveys, and to send data to a central server. This additional
training gave health promoters a new set of skills and highly
valued responsibilities which, in turn, strengthened their
commitment to the health center and increased their visibility
and status as valuable health facilitators in their communities.
Our History
The Roots of Change in Ecuador
The Minga Foundation was first established to support a comprehensive health project in a remote, tropical region of
northwest Ecuador. Initially, Minga collaborated with partner nonprofit organizations in the United Kingdom and Germany
to provide capacity building and financial assistance to MeHiPro - FHN Ecuador, which manages the health center, El
Subcentro de Salud de La Y del Páramo (Subcentro), and its various outreach programs.
Since opening in 2001, the Subcentro has been providing primary health care and outreach services to the growing
population that lives in the 26 communities of the El Páramo region, approximately 7,000 inhabitants. Prior to our
involvement, the nearest health facility was located two hours away from the central community and up to 13 hours away
from more remote communities. In order to guarantee the long-term sustainability of the health center, a unique fourway agreement was developed, linking international organizations, local communities, the regional hospital, and the
Ecuadorian Ministry of Health (MOH). Today, the MOH supplies the health center with basic medication, equipment and
vaccines, as well as a doctor, nurse, dentist, and OB-GYN to serve as resident staff. Building local capacity has been a
consistent goal of our work in Ecuador.
A key part of the project’s success in El Páramo is the recruitment and training of community health workers. In 2001, one
man and one woman from each village in the region were selected by their community to serve as health workers and to
attend monthly workshops on health-related topics, such as first-aid,
malaria testing, reproductive health, medicinal plants, prevention of
gastrointestinal illness, and more. The community health workers
provide a crucial link between the health center and the surrounding
communities. They continue to provide basic health services,
disseminate health information and collect regional health and
census data (most recently, they are doing so through the use of
Nokia Smartphones).
In addition to training Community Health Workers and improving
the management skills of the local Health Committee, three local
residents have obtained formal training as laboratory technicians
and nurses. As part of the Subcentro project, health center staff,
community health workers, and volunteers have also developed and
implemented a host of related initiatives, including vaccination
campaigns, family planning and domestic violence workshops, first
aid training, waste management projects, a medicinal plant garden,
educational projects, and building he first regional library. In the
span of ten years, malaria – which was once a leading cause of
mortality – has now been eradicated in El Páramo.
As further indication of success, men, women, and children are
receiving their full suite of vaccinations, women are fighting to
assert their right to live a life free of violence, and rates of
contraceptive use have increased significantly within households
throughout the region. With the Subcentro’s history of success and
its local management model well-established, the Minga Foundation
turned its attention to developing partnerships with other
underserved communities.
Board Members and Co-Founders Jessica Levy and
Karin Friederic in El Páramo
Our Future
The Next 10 Years
As we grow as an organization, we will continue to assist communities who, without our help,
may not have access to the funding and resources they seek. In 2012, The Minga Foundation
solicited requests for new projects for the first time. Through our selection process, we
identified and began working with our current partners in Uganda and Malawi. Throughout
2013, we worked with our partners to successfully manage these projects, build their
organizational capacity, and begin developing metrics to evaluate the success of the projects .
We will continue to work with our partners in Uganda and Malawi, to ensure project
completion. As our involvement in these two projects matures we will evaluate if there is a
need for Minga’s continued involvement in these projects and communities prior to soliciting
future projects. Like our work in Ecuador, we want to ensure the sustainability and success of
our projects, and partners, before taking on new ventures. Stay tuned in 2014 as we continue
to pave our road to building a healthier future.
A Special Thanks
The Minga Foundation would like to thank the following people for their contributions to Minga over the last ten
years. Your support (both financial and emotional!) has meant the world to us and has made all of our work
possible. Thank you for giving us, and our partners, the opportunity to do work that not only makes a difference,
but that we cherish.
Caryl Barnes
Jeff and Cindy Bergstrand
Alethea Senour Bielik
Dan Bish
Geraldene Bish
Marilyn and Pat Breitling
Claire Brothers
Sandra Brown
Yvonne Caan
Frank Connolly and Joe Bessler
Jason Cross
Roy Cross
Marc-Antoine Demers
Jim and Dawn Dolan
Ngoei Enying
Peter Fischler
Scott Fagan
Klaus Friederic
Lilian Friederic
Steve and Robin Gausebeck
Naomi and Richard Geller
Gwen Gentile
Richard Gil
Jadranka Glavic
Viola Glenn
Anita and Julius Goldhar
Rhonda Gonzalez
Tracy Gray-Barkan
Sarah Greenberg and Kevin Bergman
David Hamsher
Mary Harding
Jared Hestetune
Shyn Yee Ho
The Hopkins Family
Angela Howard
Solveig Kim
Tom and Claudia Kselman
Elizabeth and Mark Levy
Rachel Levy
Rick Lund
Nick and Angie Lunde
Peter Lunde and Sarah Wallace
Aldo Martinez
Lucas Merino
Mary Beth Mills
Alli Q Neiman
Matt Nisonger
Sheryl and Fred Nix
Gabriela Ordonez
Joanna Ortega
Christopher Pelligrini
Jeff Pierce
Terrence Quah
Richard and Linda Reich
Maira Rodriguez
Felix Savin
Shannon Lyons Schnuck
Andrew Seaman
Amanda Shields
Gale and Glen Stipes
Sharon Su
Jason Tay
Nick Titus
Brian Ward
Joyce Wegs
Marisa and David Wolfson