Happy Holidays From COSAD!
Hello Friend!
Peace and Joy to you and yours in this holiday and the days ahead!
It is one year already since I started sharing with you our exciting mission to create opportunities for vibrant communities in rural Tanzania (See archived newsletters at: www.cosad.org). I am sending my utmost appreciation and sincere thanks to you for your invaluable support and partnership.
Despite the on-going economic turmoil that is affecting us all, COSAD has witness an outstanding growth in its impact and organizational capacity. This is because of your trust in our capacity and sincerity to our mission to build community groups and lift up thousand of individuals and their children to make sure that they too have a more promising and vibrant future.
I am immensely excited about the future. I am excited because of you and the power of our creative partnerships. As the 2009 approaches fast, COSAD has strategically equipped itself to effect even more sustained impacts to the rural communities of Bukoba, Tanzania through unprecedented partnerships we have put together in 2008.
Please allow me to recap to you what we have accomplished together in 2008 and share with you some of the key milestones we are anticipating in 2009.
2008 Development Recap:
· In 2008 alone we developed over 18 partnerships with organizations, foundations, colleges, hospitals and churches including the ERM Foundation (www.erm.com) which has provided grant for construction of community wells and water retention systems for the communities of Izigo near Bukoba; St. Barnabas Church in Calgary, Canada (www.stbarnabas.ca), partnerships, scholarships, Mount Olivet Lutheran Church of Plymouth, Minnesota (www.mtolivet-plymouth.org), benevolent fund for TACE micro-loans; GCN (www.globalcitizens.org), community projects funds and international volunteers; Books for Africa (www.booksforafrica.org), Vermilion Community College (www.vcc.edu), Bemidji North Country Regional Hospital Nurses (www.nchs.com), launched COSAD Foundation- Canada and worked with over 37 families and individuals in Minnesota and Calgary and connected them with families in Bukoba as sponsors of micro projects through One Woman One Goat (OWOG) initiative. You can see more partners at: www.cosad.org .
· Mission, Sustainability and Capacity Building: Because of the professionally and culturally diverse working Board of Directors and highly committed volunteers, we have effectively built COSAD as a mission focused and efficient organization. We have designed and developed a community development model whereby over 95% of funds and resources are absorbed by community programs. The COSAD Four-Stage Development Model through TACE (Tanzania Community Enterprise) Fund places heavy emphasis on cultural and social capital of the local communities thereby avoiding mistakes that come with conventional ‘handouts' approaches. Now, with the help of Harvard Kennedy School's Carl Allen we have incorporated a Logic Model which allows us to leverage our core competency with global partners to become more efficient. We have mapped out our strategic plan of expanding from current pilot projects of 2 community groups to 20 groups and from 100 women/families to 5000 in five years.
· A total of 24 international volunteers traveled and worked with COSAD in Bukoba coming from the USA and Canada. Brendan McNamara's documentary succinctly captures and summarizes the spirit and the significance and the invaluable addition to our communities: Please see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCEcV73LCck&feature=channel_page
· Over 60 goats ($100.00 US dollar per goat) have been donated by individuals from Minnesota and Canada to support OWOG project in Izigo. The project coordinator was sponsored and came to the USA to attend training in Artificial Insemination, and gain exposure about modern dairy goat keeping and management.
· Over 35,000 books have been donated through Books for Africa, SHARE (Shannon After School Reading Exchange) and individuals in Minnesota and New Jersey donating dozens of dictions, encyclopedias, PCs, laptops and even pens, notebooks and pencils ready to be shipped early 2009 to the first ever Bruce Lane Johnson Community Resource and Learning Center and SHARE Branch in Bukoba. See details in the upcoming newsletter including children at our partner church, Mount Olivet in Plymouth who have donated over 650 pencils, dozens of soccer balls, and boxes of school supplies enough for two primary schools!
· Our partner, the McNamara and SHARE, a program founded by high school student, Shannon McNamara, (15 years) have raised over $10,000 and over 6000 books in the month of November 2008.
· Sue Johnson and the Bruce Lane Johnson (BLJ) family and friends have held fundraising event to ship materials and books for the BLJ Center in Bukoba.
· Two-full Nursing Scholarships were provided by our partners, North Country Regional Hospital Nurses in Bemidji and Trinity Women of St Barnabas Church in Calgary. Fundraising continues in Calgary to provide scholarships for other much needed medical personnel in rural communities including MDs and Pharmacist scholarships.
· Through our partner, Mount Olivet, we provided our first TACE (Tanzania Community Enterprise) Micro-loan to Kagondo Choir in Bukoba which is working to produce artifacts as well as training weavers among its members.
· The Land was purchased. The architectural design is ready and the community is enthusiastic for a one-stop COSAD Center for Enterprise and Community Development. Fundraising strategies are being developed to start construction stage-by stage. The center will centrally house all COSAD programs and serve as COSAD World Headquarters!
· COSAD is now in Canada! Thanks to Francesca and Dr Pete Davenport and St. Barnabas Church under the leadership of Rev. Jagdutt Singh for sharing the story of our work in Tanzania with friends. COSAD Foundation- Canada. An example of project in full swing funded by the people of Calgary through COSAD enterprise initiatives while creating a broader holistic and economic impact is "Sewing Singers": Five Sewing machines and materials are already secured to provide to women in community groups/choirs. The project not only will create employment to individuals, but also will serve as an incentive and opportunities to the children of Izigo and Bukoba rural area to attend primary and secondary school by providing uniforms, supplies and school fees to those who lack them.
· Building an informed community through scholarships: Volunteers and COSAD board members who have visited Tanzania have already provided six scholarships to local volunteers and COSAD staff by using their own resources or partnering with friends and using foundations matching grants. Case in point is the most recent scholarship which was generously offered by Wayne and Susan Wilson who teamed up with their friends where Blue Cross/Blue Shield foundation matched their grant to sponsor COSAD local volunteer/staff, Stanley Mugisha to study Computer and Information Management at Nkumba University in Uganda! ). And do you remember Barb Wagner's Tanzania Women Leadership Fund? Even has she was preparing for a complicated back surgery, she called me to her first scholarship to a single mother, Hope Mulinda who tirelessly volunteered with COSAD during summer to study English and Secretarial diploma in Uganda. Hope has agreed to come back and work for her community through COSAD! (See All scholarships in the upcoming newsletter)
2009 in Perspective:
i) February 28th, 2008 at 6.00 PM: COSAD Brings to you "A Night of Inspiration" Annual Benefit Event! This is COSAD unique and unprecedented event! So many exciting programs will take place that night, just to mention a few: The Swahili Choir of Minnesota directed by several prominent East African choir directors will perform (Include ME, by the way, though not prominent but highly passionate choir director!):~. Other goodies include delicious dinner, live and silent auction, meet and talk to COSAD ‘heroes' hard working Board members and recognition of outstanding partners from Canada, TX, NJ to Bemidji Minnesota! For tickets and sponsorship please contact organizing committee Chair, Dr. Natalie Hayes at: nataliehayesmd@yahoo.com or myself at smart@cosad.org
ii) The second micro-loan to community choir to start a goat enterprise farm will be provided. COSAD will buy all goats and expand the OWOG program to other communities.
iii) Through partnership with Books for Africa a container full of books and materials will be shipped to Bukoba. In July 2009, in the inspiring presence of the entire Bruce's family we will officially open The Bruce Lane Johnson Community Resource including its flagship programs including BOW (Books on Wheels)
iv) COSAD- Tanzania will host a total of 50 international volunteers who be visiting and working along side COSAD local volunteers in Bukoba between March-December 2009. We believe this is an invaluable addition to cultural and economic vitality of the region and the country as well as a wonderful way of sharing experiences and values.
v) We will install electricity at Kiteyagwa Primary School, our partner school in Bukoba enabling the BLJ Library and SHARE members to access online resources and making it the first Community Internet Café in the region.
vi) In partnership with ERM Foundation and GCN, we will build over 10 water Retention Systems and a community well in Izigo area providing access to clean water to thousand of people and for the women and their goats in OWOG program to enable them produce enough milk for their families and to sell to the market place.
vii) We will send the second nursing student to college with full scholarship from St. Barnabas Trinity Women.
viii) A team of medical professionals from HCMC (Hennepin County Medical Center), in Minneapolis, Minnesota under the leadership of Dr. Natalie Hayes will launch the first program of CHAI and train the 10 Community Health Workers (CHWs) from the communities of Kagondo and Izigo.
ix) As you know, COSAD was from recognition of the powers of values and the spirit we saw in the community groups, especially choirs in Tanzania. We call this the power of social capital to community development. In 2009 we will continue to demonstrate this theory of social change: we will put together a group called "IMUKA" Outreach, which will serve as COSAD marketing tool to share with you the work, the values and aspiration of our communities through music.
x) We will continue to partner with government in Tanzania atall levels and CBOs (Community Based Organization) and partner organizations both in the USA and Canada to expand our much needed programs to other communities in our strategic plan.
xi) We will continue working with you, keeping you informed of the impact your generous support at each stage. Most of all we will always cherish and honor the values we share to make this world a more loving and sustainable place for all of us!
xii) THANK YOU and Happy Holiday!
================================================================================
Smart P. Baitani, Executive Director | COSAD, Inc. | Minneapolis | Minnesota
Tel:763.521.0100 | Email: projects@cosad.org | Web: www.cosad.org
Media: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCEcV73LCck
Status: A 501 (C) 3 Nonprofit Organization
Member: Social Enterprise Alliance, USA
Member: Minnesota Council of Nonprofits,USA
Member: Project Management Institute, USA,
Member: The Development Executive Group, USA
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tanzania Offices:
The COSAD Center for Enterprise & Community Development, LTD (The COSAD Center- Tanzania)
P.O. Box 291 | Bukoba | Tanzania | East Africa
Tel: +255.786.024.210 | Email: projects@cosad.org | http://www.cosad.org/
Liaison Office:
COSAD- Tanzania
P. O Box 62026 | Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Tel: 255 754 614 712 | email: tanzania@cosad.org |www.cosad.org
===================================================================================
Sharing Ideas. Providing Solutions. Empowering Communities
Peace and Joy to you and yours in this holiday and the days ahead!
It is one year already since I started sharing with you our exciting mission to create opportunities for vibrant communities in rural Tanzania (See archived newsletters at: www.cosad.org). I am sending my utmost appreciation and sincere thanks to you for your invaluable support and partnership.
Despite the on-going economic turmoil that is affecting us all, COSAD has witness an outstanding growth in its impact and organizational capacity. This is because of your trust in our capacity and sincerity to our mission to build community groups and lift up thousand of individuals and their children to make sure that they too have a more promising and vibrant future.
I am immensely excited about the future. I am excited because of you and the power of our creative partnerships. As the 2009 approaches fast, COSAD has strategically equipped itself to effect even more sustained impacts to the rural communities of Bukoba, Tanzania through unprecedented partnerships we have put together in 2008.
Please allow me to recap to you what we have accomplished together in 2008 and share with you some of the key milestones we are anticipating in 2009.
2008 Development Recap:
· In 2008 alone we developed over 18 partnerships with organizations, foundations, colleges, hospitals and churches including the ERM Foundation (www.erm.com) which has provided grant for construction of community wells and water retention systems for the communities of Izigo near Bukoba; St. Barnabas Church in Calgary, Canada (www.stbarnabas.ca), partnerships, scholarships, Mount Olivet Lutheran Church of Plymouth, Minnesota (www.mtolivet-plymouth.org), benevolent fund for TACE micro-loans; GCN (www.globalcitizens.org), community projects funds and international volunteers; Books for Africa (www.booksforafrica.org), Vermilion Community College (www.vcc.edu), Bemidji North Country Regional Hospital Nurses (www.nchs.com), launched COSAD Foundation- Canada and worked with over 37 families and individuals in Minnesota and Calgary and connected them with families in Bukoba as sponsors of micro projects through One Woman One Goat (OWOG) initiative. You can see more partners at: www.cosad.org .
· Mission, Sustainability and Capacity Building: Because of the professionally and culturally diverse working Board of Directors and highly committed volunteers, we have effectively built COSAD as a mission focused and efficient organization. We have designed and developed a community development model whereby over 95% of funds and resources are absorbed by community programs. The COSAD Four-Stage Development Model through TACE (Tanzania Community Enterprise) Fund places heavy emphasis on cultural and social capital of the local communities thereby avoiding mistakes that come with conventional ‘handouts' approaches. Now, with the help of Harvard Kennedy School's Carl Allen we have incorporated a Logic Model which allows us to leverage our core competency with global partners to become more efficient. We have mapped out our strategic plan of expanding from current pilot projects of 2 community groups to 20 groups and from 100 women/families to 5000 in five years.
· A total of 24 international volunteers traveled and worked with COSAD in Bukoba coming from the USA and Canada. Brendan McNamara's documentary succinctly captures and summarizes the spirit and the significance and the invaluable addition to our communities: Please see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCEcV73LCck&feature=channel_page
· Over 60 goats ($100.00 US dollar per goat) have been donated by individuals from Minnesota and Canada to support OWOG project in Izigo. The project coordinator was sponsored and came to the USA to attend training in Artificial Insemination, and gain exposure about modern dairy goat keeping and management.
· Over 35,000 books have been donated through Books for Africa, SHARE (Shannon After School Reading Exchange) and individuals in Minnesota and New Jersey donating dozens of dictions, encyclopedias, PCs, laptops and even pens, notebooks and pencils ready to be shipped early 2009 to the first ever Bruce Lane Johnson Community Resource and Learning Center and SHARE Branch in Bukoba. See details in the upcoming newsletter including children at our partner church, Mount Olivet in Plymouth who have donated over 650 pencils, dozens of soccer balls, and boxes of school supplies enough for two primary schools!
· Our partner, the McNamara and SHARE, a program founded by high school student, Shannon McNamara, (15 years) have raised over $10,000 and over 6000 books in the month of November 2008.
· Sue Johnson and the Bruce Lane Johnson (BLJ) family and friends have held fundraising event to ship materials and books for the BLJ Center in Bukoba.
· Two-full Nursing Scholarships were provided by our partners, North Country Regional Hospital Nurses in Bemidji and Trinity Women of St Barnabas Church in Calgary. Fundraising continues in Calgary to provide scholarships for other much needed medical personnel in rural communities including MDs and Pharmacist scholarships.
· Through our partner, Mount Olivet, we provided our first TACE (Tanzania Community Enterprise) Micro-loan to Kagondo Choir in Bukoba which is working to produce artifacts as well as training weavers among its members.
· The Land was purchased. The architectural design is ready and the community is enthusiastic for a one-stop COSAD Center for Enterprise and Community Development. Fundraising strategies are being developed to start construction stage-by stage. The center will centrally house all COSAD programs and serve as COSAD World Headquarters!
· COSAD is now in Canada! Thanks to Francesca and Dr Pete Davenport and St. Barnabas Church under the leadership of Rev. Jagdutt Singh for sharing the story of our work in Tanzania with friends. COSAD Foundation- Canada. An example of project in full swing funded by the people of Calgary through COSAD enterprise initiatives while creating a broader holistic and economic impact is "Sewing Singers": Five Sewing machines and materials are already secured to provide to women in community groups/choirs. The project not only will create employment to individuals, but also will serve as an incentive and opportunities to the children of Izigo and Bukoba rural area to attend primary and secondary school by providing uniforms, supplies and school fees to those who lack them.
· Building an informed community through scholarships: Volunteers and COSAD board members who have visited Tanzania have already provided six scholarships to local volunteers and COSAD staff by using their own resources or partnering with friends and using foundations matching grants. Case in point is the most recent scholarship which was generously offered by Wayne and Susan Wilson who teamed up with their friends where Blue Cross/Blue Shield foundation matched their grant to sponsor COSAD local volunteer/staff, Stanley Mugisha to study Computer and Information Management at Nkumba University in Uganda! ). And do you remember Barb Wagner's Tanzania Women Leadership Fund? Even has she was preparing for a complicated back surgery, she called me to her first scholarship to a single mother, Hope Mulinda who tirelessly volunteered with COSAD during summer to study English and Secretarial diploma in Uganda. Hope has agreed to come back and work for her community through COSAD! (See All scholarships in the upcoming newsletter)
2009 in Perspective:
i) February 28th, 2008 at 6.00 PM: COSAD Brings to you "A Night of Inspiration" Annual Benefit Event! This is COSAD unique and unprecedented event! So many exciting programs will take place that night, just to mention a few: The Swahili Choir of Minnesota directed by several prominent East African choir directors will perform (Include ME, by the way, though not prominent but highly passionate choir director!):~. Other goodies include delicious dinner, live and silent auction, meet and talk to COSAD ‘heroes' hard working Board members and recognition of outstanding partners from Canada, TX, NJ to Bemidji Minnesota! For tickets and sponsorship please contact organizing committee Chair, Dr. Natalie Hayes at: nataliehayesmd@yahoo.com or myself at smart@cosad.org
ii) The second micro-loan to community choir to start a goat enterprise farm will be provided. COSAD will buy all goats and expand the OWOG program to other communities.
iii) Through partnership with Books for Africa a container full of books and materials will be shipped to Bukoba. In July 2009, in the inspiring presence of the entire Bruce's family we will officially open The Bruce Lane Johnson Community Resource including its flagship programs including BOW (Books on Wheels)
iv) COSAD- Tanzania will host a total of 50 international volunteers who be visiting and working along side COSAD local volunteers in Bukoba between March-December 2009. We believe this is an invaluable addition to cultural and economic vitality of the region and the country as well as a wonderful way of sharing experiences and values.
v) We will install electricity at Kiteyagwa Primary School, our partner school in Bukoba enabling the BLJ Library and SHARE members to access online resources and making it the first Community Internet Café in the region.
vi) In partnership with ERM Foundation and GCN, we will build over 10 water Retention Systems and a community well in Izigo area providing access to clean water to thousand of people and for the women and their goats in OWOG program to enable them produce enough milk for their families and to sell to the market place.
vii) We will send the second nursing student to college with full scholarship from St. Barnabas Trinity Women.
viii) A team of medical professionals from HCMC (Hennepin County Medical Center), in Minneapolis, Minnesota under the leadership of Dr. Natalie Hayes will launch the first program of CHAI and train the 10 Community Health Workers (CHWs) from the communities of Kagondo and Izigo.
ix) As you know, COSAD was from recognition of the powers of values and the spirit we saw in the community groups, especially choirs in Tanzania. We call this the power of social capital to community development. In 2009 we will continue to demonstrate this theory of social change: we will put together a group called "IMUKA" Outreach, which will serve as COSAD marketing tool to share with you the work, the values and aspiration of our communities through music.
x) We will continue to partner with government in Tanzania atall levels and CBOs (Community Based Organization) and partner organizations both in the USA and Canada to expand our much needed programs to other communities in our strategic plan.
xi) We will continue working with you, keeping you informed of the impact your generous support at each stage. Most of all we will always cherish and honor the values we share to make this world a more loving and sustainable place for all of us!
xii) THANK YOU and Happy Holiday!
================================================================================
Smart P. Baitani, Executive Director | COSAD, Inc. | Minneapolis | Minnesota
Tel:763.521.0100 | Email: projects@cosad.org | Web: www.cosad.org
Media: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCEcV73LCck
Status: A 501 (C) 3 Nonprofit Organization
Member: Social Enterprise Alliance, USA
Member: Minnesota Council of Nonprofits,USA
Member: Project Management Institute, USA,
Member: The Development Executive Group, USA
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tanzania Offices:
The COSAD Center for Enterprise & Community Development, LTD (The COSAD Center- Tanzania)
P.O. Box 291 | Bukoba | Tanzania | East Africa
Tel: +255.786.024.210 | Email: projects@cosad.org | http://www.cosad.org/
Liaison Office:
COSAD- Tanzania
P. O Box 62026 | Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Tel: 255 754 614 712 | email: tanzania@cosad.org |www.cosad.org
===================================================================================
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