2014 ANNUAL REPORT

During 2014 the Kasimu Education Fund (KEF) experienced successes and a catastrophe. The second year (sophomore) class for the Kasimu Secondary School (high school) began classes on September 1.  An additional secondary school building was completed through the continuing support of the Lowney Foundation, One Dollar for Life and the Loyola Foundation. Classrooms in the primary and secondary school received enhanced solar/electric systems to support the newly acquired audio-visual teaching aids. Two new teachers were added to the primary school staff, as a result of scholarships provided by KEF.  A  Malawian graduate of the National Resources College was employed to serve as project manager for a proposed irrigation system to enhance agricultural production and other proposed developments.

Improvements were possible through the continuous, generous assistance of our many supporters.

KEF’s success in providing opportunities to girls and women was recognized when President, Mary Burns was invited in March, by the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women to sponsor and chair a forum at the New York conference on the effectiveness of education to improve the status of women, based upon her successful experience in Malawi, as president of KEF. Examples: Teacher’s college scholarships  50% girls; Secondary school graduates: 35% girls; 2014 secondary school students receiving scholarships: 31% girls. These are programs in which only boys had opportunities prior to KEF support.

The catastrophe we experienced was the death of our founder and president Mary Burns on May 19 as the result of a massive stroke. KEF and the Burns family have committed to complete the KEF project within the next three years as a living memorial to Mary. We have many projects to complete in three years as Mary had proposed.   Successes and future projects are described in this annual report.

Love, light and peace,

Robert Burns, President

KEF SUPPORT OF UNITED NATIONS MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDG)

PREPARED BY MARY BURNS, PRESIDENT – 2014

MDG Goal 1    Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger

KEF started a daily food program for the students and started a micro-loan program to improve the economy of the villages.

MDG Goal 2    Achieve Universal Primary Education

KEF improved the infrastructure of the elementary school, began a preschool and built a secondary school.

MDG Goal 3    Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women

KEF assures that girls and women have equal opportunity to education. Prior to KEF only boys received higher education. In 2014: Teacher college scholarships- 50% girls; secondary school scholarships – 31% girls and secondary school graduates – 35% girls;

MDG Goal 4    Reduce Child Mortality

KEF food program assures that the young students receive extra nourishing food.  Encourages preventative medicine programs.  Started a hand washing program at the school.

MDG GOAL 5  Improve Maternal Health

KEF delivered a “solar suitcase” to the nearby clinic that will improve lighting for surgical procedures and child birth.  This clinic also provides vaccinations, preventive health care, Planned Parenthood and distributes free contraceptives.

MDG Goal 6    Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases. Funded new latrines.

KEF established the hand washing program and education about diseases.

MDG Goal 7    Ensure Environmental Sustainability                                        

KEF provides rocket stoves that use 90 percent less fire wood for cooking and solar electric power to schools.

MDG Goal 8    Develop a Global Partnership for Development.      

KEF partners with other small NGOs working to promote development.  Formed committees in the villages to work together for progress in developing irrigation and year-round crops. The micro/loan program is making an economic difference in the area.  KEF is global!

PROPOSED PROJECTS – 2015

 The KEF Board of Directors and the Burns family have committed to complete the development goals for the Kasimu Schools as a memorial to Mary, who developed them. These goals were consistent with the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. The KEF goals primarily support the villagers to develop a self-sustaining educational system by January, 2018 and which will enable them to maintain the Kasimu education system without the financial support of KEF.

In order to accomplish this goal the following objectives are proposed for 2015.

·         Develop an irrigated agricultural project which will meet the demands of the schools food program and produce additional income to support education. This project will be implemented by the students of the Kasimu Community Day Secondary School (KCDSS) on a six acre plot near the school as part of the agriculture element of their curriculum. A drip-irrigation system is proposed, with water from the nearby small river to make maximum use of water from this limited supply. Where only one crop is produced per year through dependence upon rain, which is increasingly unreliable due to global weather changes, an irrigation system will enable the growth of three crops per year with obvious food security and economic benefits. This will be a demonstration which we believe will be adopted by many of the villagers when the increased production is observed.  Estimated cost to implement this project is: $12,700.

·         Construct six homes for KCDSS teachers. It is proposed that KEF fund the construction of a principal’s home and five duplex teacher’s homes to meet housing needs when all four grades of the school are in operation. Currently there are no available homes for these teachers in the villages, and they must travel over five miles each day to the school. In the rainy season travel to the school is not possible, even with the bicycles which KEF has provided to all teachers. Estimated cost of six homes: $126,000

·         Construct a building to provide science, library/computer, and home economics programs. The ability to provide this curriculum is a requirement of secondary schools which is not available without this additional structure. Estimate cost: $25,100

·         Purchase four rocket stoves. Three rocket stoves used to prepare the daily meal for Kasimu Elementary School students for the past 7 years (800,000 meals provided) must be replaced. These stoves use 90% less wood than traditional cooking methods. A new rocket stove is also needed for the proposed KCDSS daily food program. Estimated cost: $4,000

·         Maintain Education Support: KEF will continue to support the education programs such as:, teacher stipends, teacher aides salaries, preschool teacher salaries, school food program, secondary school scholarships, and other miscellaneous programs which are specified in the attached itemized budget document. 2014 cost: $27,643.