Eco Youths Network (EYN) is a legally registered Community Based Organization with registration number WCBO/25/1110 located in Central Uganda. It aims at promoting sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation through the youths in the districts of Wakiso, Kiboga and Mityana. Several local schools like St. Joseph Academy and Bukomero Highschool joined the EYN to receive advice and support in the establishment of edible gardens and also environmental conservation clubs led by students themselves. They also support ongoing community projects by EYN like seedling raising in their own school gardens – the seedlings are later taken to other schools and local communities for planting.
The EYN is driven by the enthusiasm of its members, especially its founder Pacific Byiringiro, who I have had the pleasure of meeting online on several occasions – his determination to build a long-term sustainable network is truly inspiring! If you are interested to learn more about his work and the EYN, you can check out the posts on Mastodon on either Pacific's personal profile or the EYN page.
Now they are looking for financial support to bring their network on a more stable foundation for long-term operation. Following is their statement on how they want to use the money to drive their project forward.
“To maximise our impact and foster long-term sustainability, we want to buy a 1 acre plot of land that will act as:
1. Workshop field for community members & school students
2. Seedlings raising site
3. Market gardening site
4. Carbon farming site to generate carbon credits for sale
Owning land will provide a suitable agricultural practical ground for these students. Community members of Lunnya, Bukomero & all member communities will voluntarily work at the plot in a Community Supported Agricultural (CSA) model. In return, they get 30% of the harvests and then the 70% is sold to benefit the project actions like garden tools purchase, local transport, etc.
In Uganda, it is very challenging to run a non-profit project without a reliable steady source of income. Owning land permanently as EYN will not only save us from the pressure of renting per month, but will also enable us to grow and sell cash crops like coffee, both locally and internationally. Money received after food and cash crops are sold will be used to support the initiatives of the organisation..
After buying this 1 acre piece of land we will be responsible to pay a tax of UGX32,000 approx 9EUR per year. This is to be paid by the EYN to the district office of the Ministry of Lands with effect from when the ownership transfer is complete. This small sum is a significantly smaller regular financial burden compared to the rent for a small piece of land and it can be easily paid via the available funds described above.
We are blessed that we already have a person interested in selling us the land in a closeby location for a price of UGX 20M and is temporarily putting it off market reserved for EYN to buy. This is only available for four months, starting on 1st November, 2025 after which he will re-put it on the market.”
Target: 5300EUR
The land costs 5100EUR, and then the remaining 200EUR will be used as processing fees.