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Since its inception in 2003 Positive Planet has worked in partnership with the communities that it serves. Never a charity in the traditional sense, our modest successes have been made possible because of the hard work and dedication of teachers, school administrators and parents who share our vision of a quality education for every child. Building sustainable change in schools that are terribly under resourced is not easy. It requires new ways of thinking. We believe that supporting the capacity of our Ugandan partners to generate the resources is an important component in helping us achieve our goals.
The Poultry Project
We estimate that 80% of the students we serve do not eat lunch on a regular basis. In February of 2010 Positive Planet initiated what we believe will be a sustainable poultry business in partnership with a privately owned farm located in the Masaka District of Uganda. Egg Module, a non-profit project that is focused on providing NGO's (Non-Governmental/Non-Profit Organizations), MFI's (Micro Finance Organizations) and Social Entrepreneurs with the tools to develop and manage small scale poultry operations in the developing world, has provided us with invaluable technical support and oversight of our business operations. We have begun with a pilot program of 3600 chickens. The goal of this project is to build a successful, profitable business, the profits of which will be used to help support a school lunch program at the St. Andrews Matale Hill Primary School in Kalisizo.
Brick By Brick
Improving the physical infrastructure of our schools has been a core activity of Positive Planet since our inception. We have built school buildings, rainwater harvesting tanks, and sanitation facilities. Interlocking Stabilized Soil Bricks (ISSB) is an appropriate technology that utilizes environmentally friendly building materials and construction methods. Instead of oven-fired brick which is the most common method used in East Africa, ISSB are produced using an elegantly simple and relatively inexpensive device that uses pressure to fabricate bricks of varying shapes and sizes. The fact that interlocking bricks can be made in this fashion, dramatically reduces the need for cement, thus lowering the cost, as well as the need for wood as fuel, saving trees and reducing the terrible problem of deforestation which is ubiquitous throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Positive Planet proposes establishing small-scale masonry businesses, focusing on the manufacture of rainwater harvesting tanks as well as school construction. Partnering with the local NGO COWESER (Community Welfare Services), we will identify current masons and train them in the use of this technology. Positive Planet will purchase the brick presses, which cost approximately $1400-$1600 per press and sponsor a training of local masons. Our plan is to recoup our initial investment, plus generate a small profit, by repayment from our participating new businesses in cash or bricks, which will be utilized to support our multiple programs. Investment in the local community can lead to income for small business, and the construction of much needed schools and rainwater tanks in a way that does not harm the environment.
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