Michael Nugent - End Poverty in Zambia
This is the fundraising page for my projects to help alleviate poverty in Zambia.
Together with my Zambian friends and partners, we have worked out a few strategies to help to lift people in Zambia out of poverty. Some of the projects, such as micro-finance small loans for widows to start a small business, have an immediate effect. Some other projects, like building a library and supporting education, are much longer-term plans, but the goal is the same. Let's eradicate poverty and make life better for some of the world's poorest people.
Our existing projects include:
- Micro-finance loans to assist widows establish a small business, so as to escape poverty, permanently.
- Training and support in financial skills, and mentorship and support for those seeking to establish small businesses.
- Supply and distribution of books and teaching materials gathered in Ireland, to schools in Zambia, for which we have already sent three shipping containers with over 20 tons of books in each one.
- We have established and are running two libraries in shipping containers which have been fitted with doors and windows, and we have employed four Zambian teachers as librarians for those libraries.
- We run seminars in Zambia every summer, to provide better training for teachers in Zambia in literacy and the teaching of reading and writing, and in computers.
Our big project for 2023 is that we are seeking to construct a purpose-built and architect-designed public library for Chipulukusu, Zambia. This construction is estimated to cost about €130,000.00. Having sent over three 40-foot shipping containers of books in the last five years (and a fourth one now being loaded in Dublin) this is the logical next step to bringing literacy to this most beautiful part of the world.
Many schools in Chipulukusu have no books, and many schools do not even have secure walls and a roof, so that we cannot safely provide them with books. This library will be a resource for all local schools, as well as those who are not attending a school at all, and will have profound and permanent benefits for the people of Chipulukusu.
Our initial plan was for a 70-seat library, but due to the growing demand for books, now that our books are available in Chipulukusu, we have had to increase the size of the library to accommodate 140 seats. This has increased the cost of the library beyond what we had first anticipated.
As of July 2022, we had €95,001.80 raised for this project. The good news is that after several sizeable donations during the course of the year, at the end of December 2022, we have raised €143,000.00 for the library construction. We have exceeded our goal. The additional money will give us a small cushion against inflation and unexpected costs, and ensure that we can bring this construction to a successful conclusion.
We still need more money to fully furnish and equip this library, but the construction of the library is a huge step. Please donate whatever you can to help us furnish and equip this library, so that we can make the best of it. All donations will be receipted and very gratefully accepted.
We also need funds, urgently to maintain and to develop the other projects which are outlined at the top of this message. Our goal is to raise another €60,000.00 this year.
In August 2022, we led another small, but very effective, team of volunteers to continue the training of Zambian teachers in the Ndola area in literacy, teaching skills and computer skills, so as to make the best use of the books and materials already out there, and also to prepare for this library. It was a very successful trip, with 67 teachers trained in literacy and 80 in computers. No money raised on this page or for these projects was used for the expense of that trip, as all volunteers must cover their own costs, and also contribute to to the projects. We now have the books in place and we have teachers trained in how to use them. All that we need now is our new library.
As of December 2022, we had a formal contractual Memorandum of Understanding concluded with the Zambian Ministry for Education, so that we will build and equip a library building on a site which has been donated by the Zambian Ministry for Education. We have also obtained a building permit (similar to planning permission) for the new library from Ndola City Council. We hope to start the actual construction in February or March of 2023 and to have the library construction finished this year.
We are going back to Zambia in August 2023 with another small group of volunteers to continue the good work of training in literacy, reading, writing and computers. If you would like to volunteer to come to Zambia with us send me an email.
Also, if you have metal racking shelving which we can use in our library, or children's books or school books or laptop computers to offer, please contact us too, as we are now packing another shipping container of these materials to equip this library.
For more information on what I do, visit my webpage at www.mnugentzambia.com or email me at [email redacted]
Michael Nugent
6 Sandford Road
Ranelagh
Dublin 6.
Tel. 00353 1 4974888
