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Our New Partners
This year, Minga received applications from over 40 community organizations working to build healthier and more equitable communities. Although we're still finishing our multi-stage selection process, we're excited to announce three new partners!
Carrazedo, Brazil
- Since October, we've been working with the community of Carrazedo in Northeast Brazil to construct a clean water system and renovate an açai orchard, which will provide an economic alternative to logging. Carrazedo has hit the ground running! Each family is donating their time for two weeks of collective work, and they've already leveraged Minga funds to gain support from the Mayor's Office and the Ministry of Agriculture. Learn more below.
In lieu of funding, Minga is providing targeted
capacity-building to two other initiatives:
Nancholi Youth, Malawi
- Operating in the Nancholi Community in Malawi, "NAYO" promotes and protects high living standards for youth and people living with HIV. Our support will enhance youth-friendly health education, HIV testing and recreational activities to improve the physical and mental health of youth throughout the region.
Solar Village, India
- Solar Village Project distributes solar power systems to households and schools in rural villages--currently in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, India, with plans to expand to Senegal. The solar power systems provide homes and schools with safe, bright lights and electrical power outlets.
Minga would like to thank all project applicants for their time and their important and inspiring work.
Watch these partnerships develop by following us on Facebook and at www.mingafoundation.org.
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Clean Water is Flowing
Carrazedo: Minga is spreading our impact to new parts of the world! We're excited to support clean water and an ecologically sustainable, community-owned business in a former slave community in Carrazedo, Brazil. Carrazedo is a small and very remote riverside community of quilombola people, or descendants of runaway African slaves. After two centuries of isolation, discrimination, and government neglect, they face extraordinary challenges to their health and well-being. The community has prioritized two key projects: a treated drinking water system so the community's 60 households no longer have to rely on a polluted river for drinking, cooking, and bathing, and the renovation of an açai orchard so that community members can enjoy improved nutrition and an economic alternative to rainforest logging. Efforts to get clean water into the community have been stalled for years, but the water will start flowing soon!
Carrazedo hasn't worked with outside agencies in over a decade, and they never thought a partnership like this was possible, but they've already made amazing strides. The water project began this week, following a model of community labor (minga, or mutirao in Portuguese). They've also used this project to leverage donations of money, fuel, and technical experts from local government agencies. If all goes well they'll be able to use açai profits to support their own future development projects. Most importantly, we're helping them establish a community organization so they can access other funds in the future.
This has been a truly heart-warming experience. We're thrilled about this chance to work with a community that is just beginning to organize to improve their well-being and protect their most valuable natural resources. Obrigado (thank you) for all of your support thus far!
The photos in this newsletter -- all provided by our Carrazedo partners -- capture the challenging, mutual labor being carried out by the community.
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Assessing the Impact of Water Wells in Uganda
In August, the BUVAD team gathered data to assess the impact of our wells in communities of Kayunga District. They interviewed families, school children and well management committees in nine different communities, and are now analyzing and interpreting the data. We helped train the team in interviewing and survey techniques, as well as data analysis, skills they will need to expand their impact. Thus far, their first experience with assessment has been a great success! Minga will continue to collaborate with BUVAD to analyze their data and share conclusions with community members and potential supporters. Stay tuned for more on their research findings!
For more Minga updates, keep up with us on Facebook.
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