The Dwon Madiki Partnership (DMP) is a partnership between student members of Invisible Conflicts (IC) at Loyola University Chicago and primary students and families in Lacor, Uganda. The name Dwon Madiki translates to “voices of tomorrow” in Lacor’s native language, Acholi.

Recognizing that all children have a right to a prosperous education, Invisible Conflicts raises about $17,000 per year to fund the education of twenty Ugandan students from vulnerable backgrounds. We pay for tuition and school supplies for each student through secondary school at multiple boarding and day schools in northern Uganda.

Lacor is located outside of Gulu, a trading and transportation hub of northern Uganda. Lacor was the epicenter of a conflict between the government and the Lord’s Resistance Army, which began in 1986 and roughly ended in 2006.

In efforts to make funding more sustainable within the community of Lacor, we are pursuing an income generating agricultural project on an already purchased plot of land.

Problem

Currently, the sole financial sponsors for the Dwon Madiki Partnership (DMP) is a student organization at Loyola University Chicago entitled Invisible Conflicts. We raise upwards of $12,000 annually through benefit concerts, jewelry sales, bake sales, the annual IC Plunge, and other initiatives. However, we recognize the volatility of our funding sources and are looking for more sustainable, long-term funding sources that will secure the future of DMP and allow the organization to grow. We have created two separate projects that would allow for the organization's growth: 1. Agricultural project: We hope to develop a sustainable agriculture project on a previously purchased plot of land which would allow community members to use a grinding mill. The run off from the grinding mill would then be used to feed pigs in the piggery which would then be sold for profit. Young girls will be given the chance to do internships at the mill. They will gain life experience that has otherwise not been afforded to them. Children will learn how to raise pigs for income, and, upon completion of the program, they will receive a pig to jump-start their income earning, giving them the tools and resources they need to succeed. This will provide a helpful and facilitative introduction into the life of adulthood by allowing them to manage their own income. 2. Micro-enterprise Jewelry Business: Utilizing the unique expertise of our on-site contact, Ocitti David Okech, we will purchase hand-crafted goods from several female entrepreneurs to promote a diversified local economy. The funds we raise from the subsequent sale of these crafts within the United States will be used to fund projects of the Dwon Madiki Partnership, a Ugandan Community Based Organization which has provided education to twenty-war affected children in the less developed North for six years. In addition, profits generated from the sale of goods would contribute toward an agricultural development project on a previously purchased plot of land, thus leading the organization to further sustainability.

Solution

The beneficiaries of the Dwon Madiki Partnership has been integral to the project since its development in 2006. We make summer trips to visit the sponsored children, their families and guardians in efforts to not only form relationships, but to ensure our funds are serving the beneficiaries to their fullest potential. DMP has three governing bodies: the Ugandan Board of Directors, the DMP US Members, and the Guardian's Association. The Guardian's Association consists of the guardians of the children, many of whom are elderly women respected in the community. The governing bodies must vote in quarum for all changes to the constitution and strategic plans.

Marketplace

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