Geldof Clinton Join Forces For African Education Project Message Board and Comments

Mr. Bob Geldof: I am contacting you for support of an education and economic improvement project in Manyesa, Malawi, Africa. We also have a volunteer supporter in Blantyre who could provide further information regarding our operations. His name is Augustine Mulomole who is a journalist with Capital Radio in Blantyre, phone number 011-265-9 924-719. KASIMU EDUCATION FUND The Kasimu Education Fund (KEF) was founded 2 1/2 years ago to enhance education for the children at the Kasimu Grammar School in Manyesa, Malawi. Our plan is to upgrade the infrastructure of the school within 5 years and to assist the eight villages served by the school to be economically self sufficient within 10 years. We are being successful in our first phase by providing a daily food program for 1,100 students, providing 30 high school scholarships, training new teachers, building four new school buildings, providing text books and uniforms, among other supporting tasks. This has all been accomplished through the support of village head men and parents who made 160,000 bricks for the most recently constructed school building. Our funding has come from about 180 small donors in the San Francisco Bay Area. We have no employees or overhead. We are all volunteers and overhead costs are paid by the board of directors. ALL DONATIONS GO DIRECTLY TO THE KASIMU SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY. We are now entering our second phase of long term development of the local economy for about 225 farmers. The nine village headmen have developed an economic plan to attain self sufficiency which involves raisiing chickens, goats, planting fruit trees,and implementing a self sustaining maize program. All of these would be financed and managed as micro-finance projects. We currently have one of the villagers being trained by FINCA to manage the micro-finance programs. In addition to micro-financed projects there are programs which will need to be financed by grants. They are: building water cisterns, digging wells and installing windmills. We are seeking grants in the total amount of $200,000 to fund the micro-finance projects and the three capital improvement tasks (wells, cisterns & windmills). Our current funding sources are insufficient to accomplish this second phase, although we have pr oven to be very efficient and effective in the use of the $80,000 we can received in our first 2 1/2 years (all small donors of $100 to $300). Can your ogranization assist us in this effort? It is predicted that severe food shortages will occur in this South-Eastern portion of Malawi this fall unless immediately action is taken to improve agricultural production this summer. Sincerely, Robert B. Burns, Treasurer Kasimu Education Fund 1667 Springer Road Mountain View, CA 94040 650-968-0723 website: kefmalawi.com KEF is a nonprofit 501c3 EIN #01-0864883