Open Community Foundation

Vegetables and tree planting make a significant difference to smallholder livelihoods. Vegetable production needs only small area of land, with minimal capital outlay and can provide access to provide an initial step towards establishing an income base for poorer households.

This project will form a large and diverse commodity group and do not have botanical features in common, they generally share similarities in cultivation and planting methods. Vegetables are classified as horticulture, although traders and consumers classify them as fruits. Smallholders will cultivate vegetables incorporated with indigenous trees. This will help smallholders in improving livelihoods while getting foods to eat and surplus for sale.

Trees serve ecological and economic importance at different levels: they mitigate climate change by absorption of gasses (Carbon-dioxide) emitted into atmosphere and release oxygen for human use thus reducing global warming.

Selling of tree products enhance incomes and reduce poverty while contributing to wellbeing of people.

Specific Problem statement

Our community faces different problems that impact life of people and, environment as well. Some of these include poverty, poor health, no access to information, climate change problems such as floods, drought, disease and hunger. At least a number of more than 500 persons from an average number of 100 families or households in a village making up a community, are some of the people affected. Generally many people across the district and the globe suffer since climate is a global problem.

Among the many problems, this project will the fire be focusing at solving challenges associated to hunger, poverty levels and climate change. 

There is malnutrition levels due to poor feeding and poor dietary requirements which can be solved through establishment of vegetable gardens for good health. Selling of tree products and surplus of vegetables (fruits and greens) will enhance incomes thus lessening poverty.

Planting trees, vegetable gardens, establishment of woodlots, trees nurseries serve an ecological role and a commercial purpose. Food (vegetables) to eat and getting woodfuel, timber and other tree products for sell in markets. Households will have incomes through selling the tree products and surplus vegetables in addition to environmental protection.

The project will provide sustainable and living solutions that are tangible and are scalable and verifiable in communities which can be tested and monitored with indicators during and after the implementation of the project. In an effort to meet the project objectives, mission and goal, some of the solutions that will be put in place, will focus at;

1. Transforming the community to adapt a sustainable culture of tree planting for climate change adaption.

2. Building the capacity of at least 100 people (in rural urban communities) directly and more than 100 people indirectly in vegetable gardening incorporated with indigenous trees. This will include giving skills, knowledge and all the techniques needed for a better project results and for the project mission and goals to be achieved

3. Engaging people in dialogues, information access and sharing on issues that affect them. This will enhance and form a platform that focuses at helping each.

The technologies to use;

Locally, the project will employ the traditional ways of implementing the project and use locally available resources in addition to the MIT SOLVE support. We hope that these solutions mentioned, will solve the challenges at a percentage of about 90. 

This project will be directly reaching out to a number of 100 beneficiaries. The target population is the indigenous women, disabled people and youth including young mothers, school dropouts and mature girls).

This population is comprised of vulnerable people who are unemployed, and have left school or, and can not afford to live a full and happy life. They suffer many challenges including domestic violence, no access to information, discrimination, no government support and if it is there, it is not enough, they are over used in domestic work and at times participate in sex for money by men. Yet they are eager, willing and very strong to adopt and embrace a change that positivity affect their lives, and they are desperately need this change.

Open Community Foundation is doing what it can do (within the limited efforts and resources) to reach out to such categories of people by information giving, engaging a very small number of them into vegetable gardening so as to help them do something to support a life. In understanding their needs, challenges and meeting them (needs), a  comprehensive and holistic approach with support is required. 

We believe that the solution will address the needs/challenges by providing access to information by awareness giving, giving knowledge and skills through training, enhancing incomes by sell of vegetables and tree products, meeting dietary supplements and requirements, and general improvement of the life of the said population.

By creating scalable economic opportunities for local communities, that will include tree products and vegetable foods and fruits for market, for food while protecting the environment, as well as regenerative agriculture, well, aligns with thriving and improved lives and ecological aspects by addressing the challenges faced.

The project will ensure that the community target population makes it a culture of Vegetable farming incorporated with indigenous tree planting at a sustainable living. Generally, the solution tackles the challenge of: poverty (economic stimulus), climate change and improving the life of people both in health by eating on organic locally produced vegetables.

The services and products of the similar project are at a Prototype stage. Our venture (project) has started and reached 40 beneficiaries on ground, impacting them with knowledge and skills and producing seeds for other Community people.

The project activities, services and products are more of the same with similar mission and objectives but with a slight change contextual setting and design since this project will include the incorporation of tree planting component.

It was, and still will be the same benefiting Community of Kasese in rural and semi urban areas to take the project but with an extension in number of beneficiaries from 40 to 100, delivered by the same organization (Open Community Foundation).

In this aspect, we have hope and believe that this project will yield more results and change the lives of people.

Vegetables and tree planting for both food and for market project will have a component of building the capacity of people in processing Vegetables to produce Tomato sauce which will be an innovative component under this project.

Farmers of Tomatoes will be empowered and taught or trained to produce tomato sauce to add value to the project. This among other project activities make it very unique and exceptional.

Woodlots establishment to harvest wood fuel in homes, timber for sell and are other ways through which this project is different. All the project deliverables will aim at changing lives of people on a sustainable living.

Currently we have no number of people being served.

The project is anticipated to reach 120 direct people in one year. 

We target to reach out to at at least 1000 people in five years.

Progress of the project will be measured by different indicators such as people's feedbacks, testimonies, photos, videos and establishment of nursery beds and Seedbeds that shall be on ground. 

By compiling all these above among others, this can help to measure the progress of the project.

The team is comprised of 5 members. 

Full time staff 3,

Volunteers 2.

These are the organization staff that will be working on this project.

First of all, the team is made up of indigenous people who have good understanding of the local situation. 

The team leader is Bachelor holder, with post graduate diploma in Environmental Sciences and Agriculture respectively.

The two staff (a female and me) are from the community development background with Bachelor's Degree. 

The other one is a well trained accountant and financial person who has worked with Open Community Foundation for good time and also helping the Community in different projects. 

The other staff is practitioner and graduate (diploma) in Agroforestry, horticulture farming and has worked on different other projects.

I strongly believe that the team is much competent to deliver the project.

Teamwork spirit, refresher training and engagements, taking responsibility and participation in decision making as well as planning together has been a key approach in building a diverse and equitable leadership at our organization. The team engages so much with the Community to get more experiences in leadership as well.

This solution will be coming alongside many other opportunities. Some include the following; networking, mentoring, access to information, other support, meeting international change makers and solvers of different problems. 

On the other hand, we anticipate to have a connection with the SOLVE and other solvers of different challenges have around the world. We hope and strongly believe that problems such as poverty, climate change and poor health as well as malnutrition levels can reduce.

We would love to use the partnership, support and networking for many opportunities such as references, mentoring, fundsraising, information among others.

Open Community Foundation and the community can use this opportunity to link up and interconnect with different organizations that tackle similar challenges/problem.

The MIT faculty or, and initiatives, the Solve Members the receipients of the services of MIT SOLVE. 

it is okay because we live close the refugees. Our community is a host Community for the refugees and in this aspect, they're more likely facing similar challenges.

Yes, we also have programs for women and this project will be engaging more women than me. The women will use the prize to get start up capital I'm their self-help projects at local levels under the guidance and supervision of Open Community Foundation.