Minutes:
Kimphee Langano Area Self Help Group (KLASHG)
Committee Meeting Minutes
Meeting Date: 16th July 2009
Venue: Kimphee Langano School
Present: Terri, Tariku, Ukula Nure (new director of the school), Gabre, Butta, Aster (teacher), Abu (new Kebele head), Kedir (new PTA head)
Apologies: Yohannis Negussie
The meeting was conducted in Oromifa, with Tariku translating for Terri.
Terri & Tariku apologized for late start of meeting which was due to delay in the vehicle coming from Arsi to pick Tariku up.
Agenda:
1. The classroom block (30k GBP available, shortfall on cost, community contribution, what & when to build)
2. Update on how the 6 bursary students did this year (from the students themselves if they are available)
3. Completion Reports on desks and bursary proposals
4. Bursaries for the coming year (possible new proposal(s))
5. Bank statement to check the account (Tariku had not yet got the bank statement so this item was eliminated)
6. Committee changes (Terri leaving, Yohannes Assefa joining)
Classroom Block:
Terri summarized that TAS currently has GBP30,000 (about B600,000 at current exchange rate of about B20) for the block; TAS is hoping to raise more.
When we put it out to tender, the min. bid was around B800k.
Terri asked what the community can contribute in terms of labour, materials, finance.
Abu said they can only provide labour force (not materials or money).
(Leman said they need free labour force or materials to make the amount they are offering).
Abu asked what would the labour be e.g. digging the ground?
Terri: would need to agree with the contractor what it was.
Gabre: we can provide any labour.
Tariku: could be mixing sand, carrying materials, preparing the road for transport.
The community reps concluded that:
* they can provide sand for free and make the road to the sand area.
* They will do 3 days digging (for foundations) – providing 30 people for those 3 days
Terri:we note that this is available and we hope there’s enough funds for the contractor to pay for more labour.
Terri: Will Jones will come in October with a visitor, whom he hopes will make a donation.
Re the issue of a 3 or 4 classroom block and when to build:
Last year, there was 105 students in each classroom, this is a problem.
Community happy if building starts asap.
Terri: to ask TAS about the funds – can’t promise to start before September if funds not available. [ACTION - Terri]
Gabre: if funds available, they’re happy as numbers of students will increase this year.
Terri: good to have agreement on what community can contribute, we can go back to the contractors.
Tariku: contractor has agreed for B5000k (this is what we had with the ex. Rate at the time) – if free labour force, he would start with current materials cost. Costs will increase in Sept/Oct. Contractor asked for additional B75,000.
Tariku: to talk to contractor again, with current ex. Rate and labour from community – see what they can do. [ACTION - Tariku]
Update on Bursary Students
Tariku: followed the students, good opportunity but reality was different to when we proposed – food costs & other materials were more expensive, so they had a shortage of money.
Agreed that we will take this into consideration for next year.
Terri: did they do well in school, did it help them?
Abu: families and community and students happy for support. But last payment not being made was a problem.
Terri: apologized for that and stated that last payment will be made.
Asked can we get a short written report from each student (maybe useful for TAS to show donors).
Abu & Tariku to work on this. Tariku can get their report cards. [ACTION – Abu, Tariku]
Terri: this is only so we can see their effort, not to see who’s the top student.
The group tried to work out what the increased costs should be for the coming year. The estimates they came up with are:
Item
Unit Cost per Student (Eth. Birr)
Total Per Student (10 months)
Total for 6 students (Eth. Birr)
School Fees
75
75
450
Uniforms
350 for girl, 430 for boy
2580 (using the 430 cost)
Stationary
516
516
3096
Food
600 per month
6000
36000
Rent
120 per month
1200
7200
Total
49,326
Uniforms breakdown:
The students need a new uniform as they wore last year’s one all the time and it now needs to be replaced.
Item
Estimated Cost
Shirt
40
Jumper
90
Trousers or Skirt
100
Shoes for girl
120
Shoes for boy
200
Total (girl)
350
Total (boy)
430
Stationary breakdown:
Item
Estimated Unit cost
Total
Text books – 8 per student
37 each
296
Exercise books – 12 per student
10 each
120
Misc (pens etc)
100
100
Total:
516
Food:
Initially, the following was assumed per day per student:
Main meal: B15
Breakfast: B8
Supper: B8
Daily total: 31
Multiplying this by 30 days in a month gives B930 per month, which is a lot.
Alternatively, it was discussed that the bursary could cover 2 main meals per week, plus breakfast and supper every day.
Main meal: 2 x B15 x 4 weeks = 120 per month
Breakfast: B8 x 30 days = 240 per month
Supper: B8 x 30 days = 240 per month
Total: B600.
The possibility of having the students hire a sirategna to prepare food was also mentioned.
This total of B600 is provisional, Tariku will investigate further and prepare and submit the proposal for new bursaries for the coming year for these students to continue their high school education. [ACTION - Tariku]
The group would like to also submit a proposal for new bursaries for students ready to move to high school this year.
The process of selecting students for the bursary was discussed:
Ukula: selection must be given to teachers – they know who’s good and who needs (financial) help.
This year, there was disagreement with the students – last year the selection was based on regional exam results. As students knew this, they were preparing for the exam by buying mobiles so they could get answers during the exam. Because of this, we should plan to choose the students in a different way.
This should include looking at students who have good attitude and good behaviour (not those who cheat in the exams) and to target the more needy.
Terri: TAS may prefer us to choose using the exam – no bias as the exam is more objective.
Tariku: agrees with Ukula – go for the good students – who have good grades – let’s weight this and the regional exam performance (Terri: try to account for cheating, those who cheat get mobiles so they are not so needy).
Terri: TAS need to see that it is transparent and doesn’t allow bias.
Ukula: teachers are from different places so they won’t go for friends and will evaluate according to performance.
Terri: let’s do the proposal, then select the students.
Tariku: including at least 2 girls.
Other proposals
Terri asked the group if they have ideas for other proposals to TAS.
First idea:
Gabre: there will a serious problem next year, for the school and teachers – because farmers have not yet sown due to lack of rain.
The community has 2 schools – this one and Meti school. They raised B60,000 to hire more teachers. With this money, they hired 5 teachers at Kimphee Langano school (the government hired 4).
The lack of rain affecting the sewing of crops means that the community will not be able to raise these funds next year.
Terri: TAS does not fund teachers’ salaries.
Second idea:
Gabre: There is a mill house at the school, build by L’Esperance. It’s not functioning now because it needs spare parts. There are 3 men working at it but there’s no payment for them (because it’s not functioning).
When it is working, people from the community bring their grain to be milled – they pay to get flour.
As the mill is owned by the school, the income is of benefit to students – it affects the teaching & learning process because the money can be used to buy books and equipment.
Tariku will work with Gabre to make a proposal for this. [ACTION - Tariku]
100% of the profits go to the school (the workers get paid also) and the community gets a cheap milling service.
Third idea:
Ukula: idea for a nursery project, with plants and fruits. Students can plant and take seedlings home to plant.
Benefits: they plant at home, teach their parents to plant; learning about environment and growing; spreading in the community.
There is a teacher who can work on this.
Tariku translated the questions on the TAS proposal form for the group.
Terri: they could maybe sell fruit and vegetables to the lodge and guests of the lodge.
Desks
It was noted that a completion report needs to be done on the desks that have now been delivered and are in the school. [ACTION – Tariku]
Committee Changes
Terri O’Sullivan is leaving the committee (as she is leaving Ethiopia). As she is currently one of the three signatories on cheques for the KLASHG bank account, it is formally noted that she should be removed as a signatory.
AtoYohannes Assefa, M.D. of Red Jackal Tour Operator (the tour company that Will uses in Ethiopia) is joining the committee and will replace Terri as a signatory on the bank cheques.
Ukula Nure has replaced Mohammed as director of the Kimphee Langano school and therefore replaces him on the committee (noted also that the director before Mohammed was Jamal Hamda).
Tariku will check the association documents to see if anything needs to be updated to reflect the above changes.
Action Items:
Tariku:
1. Talk to Lemani, the contractor, about what the community is willing to contribute and if they are still willing to build, given what we have available with the current exchange rate.
2. Get a short written personal progress report/update from each of the bursary students (with the help of Abu). Scan in and translate into English and send to TAS.
3. Investigate the bursary costs for the coming year, then prepare and submit the proposal for both the existing bursary students and 6 new students.
4. Work with Gabre on Mill House proposal
5. Completion report on desks
Terri:
1. Ask TAS about the funds for the classroom block – can they raise any more before September?
2. Write up initial proposal for nursery – pass to Tariku for more details
