Project I

Hi, friends! 

First, I want to thank you all for the sweet comments on my blog.  They have been a great encouragement to me.  

I want to take this opportunity to inform you of one of our projects we have been assigned for the summer.  The staff has given us two main projects.  The first is the Zawadi Point System, which I am dedicating this post to.  

The Zawadi System is a point system that circulates around the CYEC, through all the children and each department.  It has been in place in the past, but failed for several reasons.  We have spent the first few weeks here remodeling the system.  We have studied the reasons it failed before, we have had countless meetings with various staff members, and we have determined the goals and functions of the system.  After nearly 3 weeks of work, the system is finally in place.  This project has been my baby, and I am one proud mama!  :)  We have created and implemented a program that will change the way the CYEC operates.  

Essentially, the Zawadi System is a mini-economy, central to the CYEC.  Rather than being based on currency or money, it is formed around the use of "Zawadi Points."  Each child has an account.  When there is work to be done, staff members can submit job requests, which are then posted bi-weekly on the center's announcement board. The children can look at the job postings and decide if they would like to apply for anything.  If so, they must take the initiative to go apply for the job with the person who requested help.  After they have completed the work, they are paid in Zawadi Points, which can be redeemed in the Zawadi Shop.  We actually spent our first few days here completely remodeling a building into a cute, fun “general store” type shop.  We cleaned the building floor to ceiling, painted child-friendly murals on the wall, and sorted through donations.  The store is filled with toys, books, school supplies, personal hygiene items, clothes, and shoes. 

The Zawadi System has two main functions:

1.     Practicality.  The children now have a place where they can purchase items for themselves, whether they be essential to daily needs, or fun (i.e. books and toys).

2.     Teaches lifeskills.  The staff wants to implement the idea that nothing in life comes for free.  The youth at the center live and eat for free, and they are getting very accustomed to being given everything.  They are not learning how to be accountable for themselves.  As we know, freebies can be very debilitating for people.  These children need a movement from dependency to self-sufficiency.  This system will require the kids to save their money and create personal budgets.  It will also teach them the concept of working toward a goal .  For example, if they see a nice shirt that they want to purchase from the shop, they must properly allocate their money so they can still purchase the essentials (weekly soap, toothpaste, etc.) and still have enough money left over for their “splurge” purchase. 

One of the challenges we predict is the lack of consistent donations and/or support for the shop.  Some items (i.e. soap, toothpaste) are already in the center’s budget.  However, nearly every other item in the shop (toys, books, clothes, shoes) come solely from donors, either international or local.  During the summer months, there is an abundance of donations from all the volunteers (like us) who bring extra stuff over.  But during the “off season” there is no continuity or stability, which is very concerning.  If we want the children to stay motivated to work, the shop needs to be full of items that are worth working for. 

I am so very excited about this project.  It has the potential to make a huge difference in the lives of these children. We will spend the next few weeks implementing all the last-minute details, and working on the loopholes, which are appearing daily.  We are on somewhat of a trial-and-error basis these first few weeks.  We want to make this system the very best it can be for everyone involved.

thanks for reading,

-br         

In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.  Proverbs 14:23