The U Fund!Project
The U Fund project is a non-profit educational sponsorship that aims to connect universities and colleges to sponsor a school in a developing country.
About You
Location
Project Street Address
Project City
Project Province/State
Project Postal/Zip Code
Project Country
Your idea
Field of Work
education
If Field of Work is “other” please define in 1-2 words below
Year project started (or projected start date) (yyyy)
2008
YouTube Upload
Project URL (or link to any media coverage)
What is the primary problem your venture is trying to address and how are you addressing it (or planning to address it)?
UNICEF estimates that there are 158 million children under the age of 15 who are trapped in child labor around the world. Eliminating incentives for children to work is a key component of getting them into school, along with education programs that are free and friendly. When children must work and miss out on educational opportunity, over a period of time they will most like become a part of the cycle of poverty that can and will continue for generations to come if someone does not break the mold.
A major part of the success of this initiative will come as a result of bringing the cost of the schooling, in our case providing a free education through education sponsorship.
Name Your Project
The U Fund!Project
Describe Your Idea
The U Fund project is a non-profit educational sponsorship that aims to connect universities and colleges to sponsor a school in a developing country.
Innovation
Project Description
The U Fund project is a non-profit educational sponsorship that aims to connect universities and colleges to sponsor a school in a developing country.
Unique and different
The uniqueness of the U Fund project is that it not only serves as a bridge to universities and colleges to schools in developing countries, but we are providing a window of opportunity to students that may be interested in the issues our international neighbors are facing due to lack of education, extreme poverty, and exploitation. We will organize campus chapters that will be able to raise funds for the selected schools. This will give students the experience in grassroots funding.
The best part about the funding is that the the campus chapter will actually be able to use the funds that they raised as a scholarship endowment to their selected school, under the name of their choice with their own minimum criteria. Its up to the campus chapter to continue to maintain the endowment. Your scholarship, your criteria, your name, hence U Fund!
Project plan
The project plan for the next six months is to launch a campaign to raise awareness in the surrounding universities and colleges. Since we are located in the heart of Atlanta, GA, a major University and College belt in the Southeastern region, we will have an enormous opportunity to educate, empower, and move students from all over the local area to participate to make an impact in the world. We will also work to connect with schools in selected developing countries and set up a short list for students to select which school they choose to sponsor.
Partnerships
not available right now.
Impact
Impact
The impact will be affordable education for students in the selected schools, and experience, and enlightenment for those who are raising the funds for partnership.
Effectiveness
The project is looking to launch soon. As of right now we are currently working on a trail process with my school (Beulah Heights University). Both students who will help to raise funds and the children who are getting funds for aid will benefit tremendously from this organization.
How do you engage and impact the community?
We will raise awareness within our community and schools about the social issues around the world, helping others to grasp a better understanding of whats going on around the world and what we can do to help. We will also raise the awareness of the importance of education all over the world and the push for universal education.
How do you measure this impact?
This organization looks to impact at least 800 children within at least 3 different countries (projected) in two years after the official launch. We expect an increase of at least 15% in the amount of children who are impacted by the program every year.
Obstacles
Some obstacles will include raising sufficient funds, supplies and ultilities, and advertisement. Another obstacle would be establishing a solid communication with the selected school in the developing country.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
Financing source
(or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)
The initiative will be financed through supporters, and donors who feel a calling to help in the project. The Board members will also serve as an established support system.
Aside from financial sustainability, how do you plan to grow and sustain your project?
We plan to grow and sustain the project by keeping and expanding the amount of support and donors that will account for the 20% of the highest givers, while expanding and growing the 60% of the mid-level donors. We plan to receive a substantial part of its financial support in the form of contributions from publicly supported organizations, from a governmental unit, or from the general public. We will also connect with different social networks such as Facebook and Myspace to give many others the opportunity to support the cause and helping our impact to be a more effective and long-lasting one.
Finance details
(as of right now we are currently in the planning and trail stages, this competition will enable us to launch the initiative to campaign across different universities.)
Creative funding
(as of right now we are currently in the planning and trail stages, this competition will enable us to launch the initiative to campaign across different universities.) One creative way in which we will collect funds is by setting up a comprehensive, and easy to use donation website that will allow campus chapters to easily access a way to donate. We will also provide tools and training to help the students in generating funds.
The will be funding toolkits available on the website as well as forms to download as a funding model. Another creative way that will acquire funds is that we will connect with different social networks such as Facebook and Myspace to give many others the opportunity to support the cause and helping our impact to be a more effective and long-lasting one.
Other non finance needs
This field has not been completed. (83 words or less)
The Story
Motivation
My father once came up to me and said "I want you to be better than me." Looking around at the house the car my brother and sisters outside and my mom talking with the neighbor, i asked him "whats wrong with everything that you have now?" He then said to me that he never was able to finish school in Haiti because of the fact that his family couldn't really afford the education, and pressed him to work to make money for the family at a very young age.
Now after having to face hardships, residency issues, rejection, unemployment, He strives to maintain his 30 years of living and America with his wife (my mother) and five kids (including me I am 21 years old). He recently gained America citizenship status which is something he is truly proud of. He only regret? being able to complete school to have a better education and in his mind, a better job for his family.
Therefore, as someone who stands on top of the shoulders of someone who sacrificed his pursuit of education for financial stability, my hope is that those millions of kids who are, even at this very moment, sacrificing there dreams of education to financially support their family to have the privilage and opportunity to to continue to pursue their dreams; and what better way to do it than to involve College students who are also pursuing their dreams to help them. In the eyes of a child, to see someone who not only cares enough to take your hand and say you can do it in spite of your present circumstance, but who also provides you a way to do it, is a gift they will remember forever.
Awards
This field has not been completed. (83 words or less)
Broader context
This project will not only serve as a means to providing education for children in need, but it will serve as a means for connecting a college student of academics to a real world of social issues, injustice, and development, that will form a better world view to the student to get more involve in changing the world for tommorrow. It will serve as a way to inspire and influence children from all over the world who are connected to this movement to continue to press on and pursue their dreams.
Ongoing
Yes. Absolutely.
What is your age?
21
How did you hear about this competition?
Through Idealist.org
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Comments
Hi Rodney,
Really inspiring work you're planning to launch - can you tell us a bit more about how you are choosing schools in developing countries and how you plan to make schools in developing countries accountable to ensure funding is used appropriately?
Thanks and Goodluck!
Zeba Khan
Ashoka's Youth Venture
I'm glad you ask! This is probably the most difficult aspect of the program, but the opportunity somehow made its way through. The President of the college that i attend happened to start an African Resource Foundation, that actually connects different organization from Africa to the World wide web, including educational institutions. During the beginning stages partnering with schools in developing countries, we will try to connect to a Third Party sponsor to hold accountable and ensure that the funding is used appropiately.
We also plan on taking teams overseas to assess the progress of these institutions. This is all on the planning stages and even now we are currently researching simpler and more accessible ways of actually establishing a partnership with schools overseas. This would take a "bridge" organization, or a Third party organization as stated...But if you have any suggestions or recommendations please feel free to share, because being in the developing stages we really need help in making this idea a reality.
Thanks,
Rodney
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