Moshin Meeting

Here are the business notes I took during my meeting with Moshin:

Questions and Answers:

What are your operating expenses and how much are they?
Answer:
• Office rent = 50,000 USH ($25) / month
• Classroom = 0 USH ($0)
• To pave the dirt floor of the current classroom with cement = 0? (15 bags of cement @ $$$ a bag + 3 trucks of stone @ 100,000 ($50) per truck,
• Classroom + Office maintenance = 30,000 ($15) / month.
• Examinations are 3000,000 USH ($150) per year. They buy these exams from the Uganda National Examination Board. This ensures that students in Moshin’s school receive a qualified, accredited education.
• Food (monthly):
o 100 kilos of maize @ 120,000 USH ($60) / bag (breakfast porridge)
o Sugar sack @ 100,000 USH ($50)
o Charcoal sack (3 / month) @ 27,500 ($18) / bag = 82,500 USH ($41)
o Salt sack @ 15,000 USH ($7.50)

What are your other needs?
Answer:
• Classroom materials (markets, books, paper, chalk, etcetera).
• Furniture (they were recently given 4 long tables and 8 benches to match with the table)

Would your students like T-shirts made in the USA by schoolchildren? Would that be a good holiday gift?
Answer – Yes, because its practical and students will be able to use new shirts. I can give you a CD with our logo on it. On the back you can put the donating school. Students would enjoy that.

What are some other small gift ideas?
Answer:
• Cheap watches @ 1,000 USH each (.50 cents)

Moshins other requests:
• Digital camera

How can we make sure this idea is funneled through Educate!?
Answer: The students can hand out the gifts or assist with various projects (i.e. helping pave the floor of the class room)

What is your biggest challenge?
Answer: Money. We need money and we need to use that money in a way WE see fit. People come here and they want to donate, but they want to donate in a way that they want. People need to give us the resources and let us manage things from there.

What is your vision for the school? In 5 years? In 40 years?
Answer: In 40 years I’d be 69! I’ll be dead! I cannot think that far in advance but my vision for the school is to open up other literacy centers in slums throughout Kampala and Uganda. I also want to open up a health clinic for the children – nothing big just something so we can treat minor diseases and injuries.

How could we give your organization money? Is it an official legal entity?
Answer: Yes of course. It’s an official “community organization” recognized by the Ugandan government. We have a joint bank account set up – that means it requires two people to withdraw money – me and the treasurer. This way one person doesn’t have access to the funds.