G-2872

The Karat School Project

Description

Financing

Documents

Photos

History Logs

Project Description

Region: Africa

Country: USA

Location: Los Altos

Total Budget: $55,257

Area of Focus: Community economic development


Project Description:

The non-profit Karat School (KSP) is located in Yopougon, Abidjan, an impoverished area of the Ivory Coast of Africa. The Karat School provides an eclectic curriculum of diverse, culturally-relevant education to students 5-12 years of age. Because hungry bellies cannot learn, students are served two warm meals a day. Providing food for the students is the second largest cost of the school. In a country that is 51% illiterate, The Karat School provides a safe place where students can come to learn and be fed every day of the week. The funds of the Karat School Girl's Educational Incentive and Women's Farming Program will allow 21 additional girls to enroll in the Karat School and will continue to provide school meals and materials, uniforms, shoes and medical costs. At the same time, mothers of these daughters will be empowered to improve their financial situation by receiving training in land management and local sustainable farming as well as the opportunity to rent land. The crops these women produce will be divided to promote women's financial independence and security for their families, provide a consistent source of nutritional food for the school, and generate additional nutrition for the surrounding communities. This program also aims to incentivize other mothers in the community to enroll their daughters in school as a means to be welcomed into the farming program and improve their well-being.

Needs and Goals:

1) Need: Two out of three girls are not enrolled in school. Females are valued less than

males in this culture. They are sent out in the streets by their families as better

income generators.

Goal: Provide an alternative source of income previously supplied by daughters allowing

them to pursue an education.

2) Need: Girls tend to marry and are pregnant in their teens leading to an increase in

mother and child mortality rates.

Goal: Girls that stay in school tend to marry and have children later, decreasing the

mortality risk. They tend to have smaller families and educate their children.

3) Need: This is a patriarchal society with little economic and societal power given to

women.

Goal: Empower women to provide for their families through farming training, renting land,

producing their crops to share, feeding their families and and selling

their produce in the market. Having mothers who have income and can reinvest

in their children's education will enable the Karat School to welcome new girls and

widen their impact.

3) Need: Food scarcity: 46.3% of the population earns less than $1.90/day for an average

family size of 8. Not having enough to eat is a reality.

Goals: Students are served two warm meals a day and two snacks. Food is the second

largest cost of the Karat School. The women's farming program will reduce the

food costs at the Karat School by generating a consistent and sustainable source

of nutritious food for the Karat School, their families and their community.

4) Need: Illiteracy: 51% of the population is illiterate

Goal: Provide access to education to both mothers and their daughters.

Funding:

1) Education of 21 additional girls in the Karat School providing uniforms and shoes,

school materials (books, pens, papers, curriculum purchases), two warm meals and two

snacks/day.

2) Stipends: 7 women each growing cycle (6 months) will receive a monthly stipend for 6

months to help care for their families while working on the farm. There will be three

growing cycles (21 mothers total).

3) Stipends: 2 women graduates will receive a monthly stipend for 6 months if they train the

next cohort of women farmers (6 women total).

4) Land rental: One land rental per 7 women for 6 months x three growing cycles.

5) Agro-cultural specialist: Hired from a local agricultural expertise company Calivoire.

The cost of this specialist should decrease as women graduates train the next cohort

of women in farming practices.

6) Crop cost: Rice and seasonal vegetables. This cost should decrease as seeds are utilized

from previous growing seasons.

7) Tractor, plow and fertilizer cost.

Timeline: Fall 2022-Winter 2023.

The Los Altos Rotary Club will be monitoring and reporting the success of this project by:

1) Tracking new female student enrollment

2) Tracking number of mothers receiving farming skills.

3) Measuring improvement in student and mother literacy comprehension measured by basic

reading and writing competency exercises.

4) Tracking women graduates of the farming program and continuation of farming practices and

improved income and well being.

It is our hope that we can send a group of Rotarians to visit the Karat School and see the women's farming program in action. The founder Evelyne Keomian, is from the Ivory Coast and lives in Palo Alto. She visits the Ivory Coast 2x year and is more than willing to take a group of Rotarians.

Primary Host Partner

District: 9101

Rotary Club of: Abidjan Les Perles

Primary Contact: Lucie Valet

Email: lucievalet.lega@gmail.com

Primary International Partner

District: 5170

Rotary Club of: Los Altos

Primary Contact: Sherry Auerbach

Email: briancomet@aol.com

Project Status

Paid
This project is "Paid". This means the funds have been received and the project is being implemented.

Project listed for the 2021-22 Rotary Year.

The TRF Grant application number is #2123687.

Proposed Financing

Existing Contributions Towards This Project

Date

Cash

DDF

Total

District 5170 DDF

15-Jan-22

-

$16,762

$16,762

Beverly Hills (5280)

8-Mar-22

$2,500

$0

$2,500

Santa Monica (5280)

11-Mar-22

$2,000

$0

$2,000

Reno (5190)

15-Mar-22

$2,600

$2,600

$5,200

Kapaa (5000)

15-Mar-22

$1,000

$0

$1,000

Prior Lake (5960)

15-Mar-22

$1,000

$0

$1,000

Cupertino (5170)

15-Mar-22

$4,000

$0

$4,000

Oakland (5170)

15-Mar-22

$5,000

$0

$5,000

Fort Collins (5440)

18-Mar-22

$506

$1,000

$1,506

Amount Requested from The Rotary Foundation

-

$16,289

$16,289

Total

$55,257

Note: as of July 1, 2015 there is a 5% additional support fee for cash contributions. This fee does not appear in the financials above because it does not apply if the funds are sent directly to the project account (without going through TRF, and therefore without Paul Harris credit). Clubs sending their cash contribution to TRF must be aware they will have to send an additional 5%.

Project Supporting Documents


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Project Photos


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History Log Entries

15-Jan-22

System Entry

System Entry: Creation of project page.

25-Jan-22

System Entry

System Entry: Pledge of $2,530 with $1,000 DDF by Francis Spriggs of the Rotary Club of Arlington Great Southwest, District 5790.

8-Mar-22

System Entry

System Entry: Pledge of $2,500 by Alissa Roston of the Rotary Club of Beverly Hills, District 5280.

11-Mar-22

by Sherry Auerbach

System Entry: Pledge of $2,000 by Karim Jaude of the Rotary Club of Santa Monica, District 5280.

11-Mar-22

by Sherry Auerbach

System Entry: Project is now "Fully Pledged".

15-Mar-22

by Sherry Auerbach

System Entry: Pledge of $2,600 with $2,600 DDF by Dave Gallagher of the Rotary Club of Reno, District 5190.

15-Mar-22

by Sherry Auerbach

System Entry: Pledge of $1,000 by Jakki Nelson of the Rotary Club of Kapaa, District 5000.

15-Mar-22

by Sherry Auerbach

System Entry: Pledge of $1,000 by Rick Olson of the Rotary Club of Prior Lake, District 5960.

15-Mar-22

by Sherry Auerbach

System Entry: Pledge of $4,000 by Chuck Harper of the Rotary Club of Cupertino, District 5170.

15-Mar-22

by Sherry Auerbach

System Entry: Pledge of $5,000 by Barbara Beery of the Rotary Club of Oakland, District 5170.

18-Mar-22

by Sherry Auerbach

System Entry: Pledge of $500 with $1,000 DDF by Robin Steele of the Rotary Club of Fort Collins, District 5440.

21-Mar-22

by Robin Steele

System Entry: Project reverted to "Published".

6-Apr-22

by Sherry Auerbach

System Entry: Project is now "Fully Pledged".

2-Jul-22

by Sherry Auerbach

System Entry: Application Sent to The Rotary Foundation through Member Access.

3-May-23

by Sherry Auerbach

System Entry: Application approved by The Rotary Foundation.

3-May-23

by Sherry Auerbach

System Entry: Payment has been issued by The Rotary Foundation.

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