Maria Nichola Groves School of Excellence
Feeding Mouths Filling Minds has established a partnership with Humanity Care Liberia we want to bridge the gap by providing quality education to children in rural communities, and eliminating poverty, hunger, and child labour through this program. “Maria Nicholas Groves School of Excellence” aims to enrich the curriculum for these children beyond the four walls of the school.
Feeding Mouths Filling Minds has established a partnership with Humanity Care Liberia we want to bridge the gap by providing quality education to children in rural communities, and eliminating poverty, hunger, and child labour through this program. “Maria Nicholas Groves School of Excellence” aims to enrich the curriculum for these children beyond the four walls of the school.
Our role
The school is not only equipped with classrooms and school materials, our key partner, Strides for Africa, also included a safe water well. Feeding Mouths, Filling Minds developed a school feeding program to advance our mission to eliminate the challenge of finding safe, dependable food and water sources so that children can focus on their future.
While construction is in its final stages, the school currently has 124 students enrolled, and the water well, which was completed in March 2023, now has 376 beneficiaries.
PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
St Jean Bosco Primary School: Water for Schools Project
Located in Kamonyi district, in the southern part of Rwanda, St Jean Bosco Primary School has 1,350 students who are now receiving safe drinking water, which will also allow the school to save a lot on water bills, after all, rainwater is free water!
Water For Schools project
STATUS: Completed
Project cost: $3,328.28
Impact: 1,350 students now have safe drinking water
Located in Kamonyi district, in the southern part of Rwanda, St Jean Bosco Primary School has 1,350 students who are now receiving safe drinking water, which will also allow the school to save a lot on water bills, after all, rainwater is free water!
Water Access Rwanda is a social enterprise with the mission to establish reliable, affordable and convenient water infrastructures across Africa.
Through their new initiative Amazi for Schools™ they are providing their innovative water filtration systems to public schools who otherwise do not have the funds to establish such systems.
our role
Feeding Mouths, Filling Minds together with our strategic partner Strides for Africa, have partnered with Water Access Rwanda St Jean Bosco Primary school.
Full System includes Filtration System & Booster pump. Rainwater collection on each school building, gutters with First Flush Diverter feeding tanks and drinking Station for students. Water Access Rwanda will also provide ongoing service after setup:
Quarterly water quality monitoring, system repairs and cartridge replacement
Annual User survey
WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) training for schools to improve overall safety and protection from Water Borne Diseases.
Live dashboard on the functionality status of each system
Monitoring of filtered water and water quality through a live dashboard
Partner organizations
St Jean Bosco Secondary School: Water For Schools Project
Located in Kamonyi district, in the southern part of Rwanda, St Jean Bosco Secondary School has 2,226 students who are now receiving safe drinking water, which will also allow the school to save a lot on water bills, after all, rainwater is free water!
Water For Schools project
STATUS: Completed
Project cost: $4,226
Impact: 2,226 students now have safe drinking water
Located in Kamonyi district, in the southern part of Rwanda, St Jean Bosco Secondary School has 2,226 students who are now receiving safe drinking water, which will also allow the school to save a lot on water bills, after all, rainwater is free water!
Water Access Rwanda is a social enterprise with the mission to establish reliable, affordable and convenient water infrastructures across Africa.
Through their new initiative Amazi For Schools™ they are providing their innovative water filtration systems to public schools who otherwise do not have the funds to establish such systems.
our role
Feeding Mouths, Filling Minds together with our strategic partner Strides for Africa, have partnered with Water Access Rwanda St Jean Bosco Secondary school.
Full System includes Filtration System & Booster pump. Rainwater collection on each school building, gutters with First Flush Diverter feeding tanks and drinking Station for students. Water Access Rwanda will also provide ongoing service after setup:
Quarterly water quality monitoring, system repairs and cartridge replacement
Annual User survey
WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) training for schools to improve overall safety and protection from Water Borne Diseases.
Live dashboard on the functionality status of each system
Monitoring of filtered water and water quality through a live dashboard
Partner organizations
Koinadugu College: transforming a region through higher education
Feeding Mouths and Filling Minds is partnering with Project 1808 to bring the first higher education institute to the Koinadugu District of Sierra Leone - giving these young people the opportunity of a lifetime.
Status: Fundraising
Fundraising Goal: $85,000
Transforming a region through higher education
Feeding Mouths Filling Minds is contributing to bringing the first higher education institute to the Koinadugu District of Sierra Leone - giving these young people the opportunity of a lifetime.
Education provides the key to job security, community growth and individual wellness. However, options are limited for high-performing young people after high school in Kabala, Sierra Leone. The nearest university is hours away - making living at home while attending school impossible. Most families make less than $90/month, and college tuition costs run upwards of $500/semester. In order to pay for room, board and school fees, some young people turn to prostitution just to obtain an education. Others opt to take a low-skill job in Kabala instead of continuing their education.
Establishing the University of Koinadugu in one of the most isolated districts of Sierra Leone, will empower youth and improve community livelihood in the district and country.
Our role
Feeding Mouths, Filling Minds is helping to guide the strategic planning to be sure the project is secure and sustainable for the long term. This means assessing the land in-person with members of our team, carefully selecting trustworthy partners to oversee the development and providing funding.
Project funding covers the cost of:
Main Academic Building
This three-room building is where the majority of classes at Koinadugu College will occur. Construction for the main building began in January 2018.
Endowment Fund
In the spirit of sustainability, we have developed an endowment fund from the onset of creating the college. We have built the college because there are clear immediate needs, yet we are not only thinking about the here and now.
Feeding Mouths, Filling Minds is contributing the initial $10,000 for endowment. The broader Koinadugu College team is establishing the governing guidelines of the endowment and the Board team to make decisions about the underlying investments.
For more information: https://www.uofkoinadugu.com
Partners
School Lunch in Liberia
Feeding Mouths, Filling Minds is helping Humanity Care Liberia who is leading this project on the ground locally. They have donated a plot of land in order to grow crops. Education and interaction with the children of the schools are also a focus of this project.
Gardens Combatting Hunger
STATUS: FUNDRAISING
2020 FUNDRAISING GOAL: $15,000
FMFM's team visited Liberia and met with our partners, Humanity Care Liberia, in January 2017 to learn about the challenges facing schoolchildren in the region. Together, we found that the schools in the region are unable to provide meals to the children during the school day - resulting in hungry children, truancy and shorter school days. Humanity Care Liberia is led by a local couple, with degrees in agriculture and experience working with local communities to teach them about sustainable agriculture. They oversee the development of our garden projects working directly with school leadership and ensure sustainability by educating caretakers, students and teachers about farming and crop-growing techniques.
our role
Feeding Mouths, Filling Minds is raising funds to expand our garden programs to even more schools. This includes covering the cost of getting the plot of land ready for farming, such as:
Fencing to keep the land secure from scavengers
Farming tools such as shovels, buckets, rakes, etc.
Seeds and cassava root yuccas for planting the crop
Farm upkeep and maintenance costs
Our team will continue to work with Humanity Care Liberia to assess the farming options, and will assure that the school children have a chance to learn about the growing process so that they not only benefit nutritionally, but learn something in the process.
Rwandan Orphans Project Rainwater Harvesting
The Rwandan Orphans Project (ROP) is a residential care center in Rwanda that houses up to 100 former street children. Feeding Mouths, Filling Minds is helping ROP to obtain more consistent access to water throughout the year by funding the construction of rainwater collection and storage systems at the center.
Rainwater Harvesting
STATUS: FUNDRAISING
FUNDRAISING GOAL: $2,250
The Rwandan Orphans Project (ROP) is a residential care center in Rwanda that houses up to 100 former street children; and an elementary school that provides completely free education to an additional 120 vulnerable boys and girls from their local community’s poorest families.
Water is a vital resource, but ROP is located in an area of Rwanda that has inconsistent access to it throughout the year - especially during the country’s
two dry seasons, which take up about seven months of the year. Without water, ROP struggles to maintain health, hygiene and provide nutrition to
the children they serve.
our role
Feeding Mouths, Filling Minds is helping ROP to obtain more consistent access to water throughout the year by funding the construction of rainwater collection and storage systems at the center.
Phase I will include construction of a 50,000 liter (approx. 13,200 gallons) sealed underground tank, filter and pump to distribute usable water.
Phase II will include the addition of a center-wide water catchment system to
collect rainwater to fill all of their storage tanks.
Water Wells in Sierra Leone
Feeding Mouths Filling Minds has established a partnership with Project 1808 to give donors and schools the opportunity to build water wells for schools and communities in rural Sierra Leone as part of our Kids for Kids program.
Feeding Mouths Filling Minds has established a partnership with Project 1808 to give donors and schools the opportunity to build water wells for schools and communities in rural Sierra Leone as part of our Kids for Kids program. Making use of local resources to source materials and labor, we'll teach citizens subsistence farming and provide essential supplies.
OUR ROLE
FMFM and its partner organizations work with schools and organizations in the United States who want to take on a fundraising project abroad but are not sure where to start. We work with groups - like high school history classes, Girl Scout troops and churches - to identify the location for well they're going to fund. We work with Live Life Liberia to set up the resources and benefactors. Together, we work together to make a big impact in a short period of time.
If you're interested in funding a well-building project in Sierra Leone, please contact us for more information.
our partners
Water Wells in Liberia
Feeding Mouths Filling Minds has established a partnership with Live Life Liberia to give donors and schools the opportunity to build water wells for schools and communities in rural Liberia as part of our Kids for Kids program.
Feeding Mouths Filling Minds has established a partnership with Live Life Liberia to give donors and schools the opportunity to build water wells for schools and communities in rural Liberia as part of our Kids for Kids program. Making use of local resources to source materials and labor, we'll teach Liberian citizens subsistence farming and provide essential supplies.
Our role
FMFM and its partner organizations work with schools and organizations in the United States who want to take on a fundraising project abroad but are not sure where to start. We work with groups - like high school history classes, Girl Scout troops and churches - to identify the location for well they're going to fund. We work with Live Life Liberia to set up the resources and benefactors. Together, we work together to make a big impact in a short period of time.
If you're interested in funding a well-building project in Liberia, please contact us for more information.
PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
Live Life Liberia
Huruma Children's Home Protein & Composting
In 2012, FMFM helped with funding supplies for gardens at Huruma Childrens Home.
Huruma Children's Home is an orphanage located in the Olkeri Village, near Ngong Town in Kenya. This is, unfortunately, an area of the world where poverty, poor health, HIV/AIDS and massive unemployment are major challenges for citizens - with many children orphaned at young ages, or families that do not have the means to provide and care for them. At Huruma, they care for more than 150 orphaned children ranging from newborn to 18 years of age - providing them with shelter, food and an education. Additionally, they provide an education for 100+ additional children from the local village - which includes a much-needed meal during the day that they otherwise may not receive.
Keeping this many mouths fed on a daily basis is costly. To manage these costs, the children's diets are mostly starch-based, with very little protein or other micronutrients. As a result, the children can have higher rates of malnutrition; stunted physical and cognitive growth; and/or experience reduced energy, immunity and concentration.
our role
With the help of many generous donors and volunteers, we raised more than $4,000 to assist with our project. A group of seven self-funded volunteers traveled to Ngong, Kenya in November 2012 and accomplished the following:
- Purchased 100 chickens to provide eggs and increase Huruma's protein sources
- Built a compost bin and helped the leaders at Huruma to understand how it’ll improve their soil for growing vegetables
- Donated laptops and jump drives to children's University students
- Traveled to Nacchu, the 5-acre lot that was recently gifted to Hurma, and scoped it out for future projects and learned about Mama Zipporah’s vision for the land
- Shared and explained a report on their current soil
the outcome
FMFM knew that with small changes, like introducing protein and vegetables into the children's starch-rich diet, we could make a dramatic effect on cognition and behavior.
We helped Huruma "feed mouths" by providing the means for a more balanced diet; and "fill minds" by providing computers that would enable and further learning.
““I was so impressed by the progress that Mama Zipporah has made since my last trip to Huruma. The garden, greenhouse, use of methane gasses, and the boys new dorm blew me away. Most of all the happiness and joy that I saw in the children inspires me to be a better person and to be more appreciative of the many blessings in my life.”
“I was very impressed by the warmth and hospitality from all the children and staff. The spirit of Huruma is very strong and Mama Zipporah’s vision and energy for all the children is amazing.”
Waukesha Community Garden
FMFM established a community garden for families from Safe Babies, Healthy Families; Waukesha Community Health Center; and Good Samaritan Church.
Providing Nutrition to Families in Need
Poverty exists in even the most well-to-do areas. While Waukesha is the most affluent county in Wisconsin, nearly 6 percent of the population is living below the poverty line. Healthy food options often cost more and require more time to make. Safe Babies, Healthy Families; Waukesha Community Health Center; and Good Samaritan Church wanted to help local, low-income families make healthier food choices for themselves and their children. By exposing children to healthy nutrition and teaching them to grow their own food, they are more more productive and healthier — creating a domino effect of healthier choices and families.
OUR ROLE
FMFM established a community garden for families from Safe Babies, Healthy Families; Waukesha Community Health Center; and Good Samaritan Church.
- Donated Supplies: Materials for raised beds, fertilizer, seed, gardening tools
- Total Raised: $1,000
THE OUTCOME
A total of nine children and six adults who are all living well beyond the poverty level cooperatively plant, care for and harvest the garden. Together they grow tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, peppers, cucumbers and onions to nourish their children through this sustainable food source. The land will serve families in need for years to come, and the lessons will be shared with future generations.
Casa Guatemala Food & Waste Development
In 2011, a team of 11 self-funded FMFM volunteers traveled to Guatemala with supplies, donations and their sleeves rolled up, ready for some VERY hard labor. The FMFM team helped build a slaughterhouse.
Despite the strong tourism draw to historical Mayan ruins and sacred sites, today’s Mayan communities don’t benefit. Most live in villages without water and electricity — in poverty. Casa Guatemala provides care and education for up to 300 children who mostly come from the surrounding Mayan villages. They were born into extreme poverty and many of them don’t have access to education. With Casa Guatemala, these children have a safe, loving home; proper nutrition and healthcare; and are receiving a solid education. FMFM decided to support the effort that gives these children a chance to break the cycle of poverty in their Mayan communities.
OUR ROLE
In 2011, a team of 11 self-funded FMFM volunteers traveled to Guatemala with supplies, donations and their sleeves rolled up, ready for some VERY hard labor. The FMFM team helped build a slaughterhouse. Our volunteers hauled rock and sand to the slaughterhouse structure and then mixed and poured the cement for the new facility.
- Donated Supplies: Basic medication, vitamins, shoes and clothing
- Volunteer Projects: Built new foundation for slaughterhouse
- Total Raised: $850
THE OUTCOME
Casa Guatemala needed to put more funding toward education, health and everyday care. Feeding Mouths, Filling minds helped create more renewable resources. We helped build a new slaughterhouse that has a safe and sustainable waste runoff system. The runoff water is used to produce methane gas, which becomes an energy source for needs like cooking. The leftover food waste is turned into compost and returned back to the pigpens as swine feed or compost for crops — completing the cycle of sustainability.
WHAT OUR FRIENDS HAVE TO SAY
“We were so happy to have your group with us. It wasn’t a glamorous job, but it had to be done they really stepped up to the plate.”
— Heather Graham, Director of Communications & Fund Development, Casa Guatemala
“It was hot and muggy, and filling sandbags with wet sand was hard work. But I soon discovered that I was having so much fun.”
— Mary, FMFM Volunteer
“Truly a rewarding and life-changing experience to be part of the sustainability project at Casa Guatemala.”
— Lisa, FMFM Volunteer
“I was filling sandbags when a young girl walked barefoot into the sand pile, picked up a shovel and began filling my sandbag. She smiled a beautiful smile.”
— Pat, FMFM Volunteer
“This was truly an eye-opening experience for me.”
— Steve, FMFM Volunteer
“Working with FMFM is really an opportunity to be the change that you want to see in the world, all by helping one child at a time.”
— Katie, FMFM Volunteer
Youth Outreach Services Urban Garden
learning opportunities & nutrition in an urban food desert
Youth Outreach Service (YOS) is a social services agency on the west side of Chicago that works with at-risk youth to help them reach their full potential. The children they serve are faced with challenges such as homelessness, violence, mental health, substance abuse, juvenile justice and family conflict, among other things.
Their location in the Chicago suburb of Austin was built on a lot that sat vacant for years - and had become a dumping ground for garbage and a welcome home for the local rats. YOS wanted to clean up their location's image as well as find a way to build bridges with the local community.
OUR ROLE
The new YOS location's community was a "food desert" - an urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food. We worked with YOS to provide a vision for what the lot could become - a community garden managed by their children, but for the benefit of the Austin neighborhood, too. The City of Chicago issued YOS a $3,000 grant that covered the cost of clearing the trash-strewn vacant lot and the purchase of new, suitable soil.
FMFM funded the seeding of the urban garden - donating $3,000 to get it started and more thereafter for maintenance and upkeep. Additionally, a group of FMFM volunteers helped to plant and work the gardens to get things started.
Donated Supplies: Materials for raised beds, fertilizer, seed, gardening tools
Total Raised: $4,455 toward raised bed and garden restoration projects
the result
This garden, maintained by the children that YOS serves, now enables the neighborhood's access to produce and other nutritious food. The youth take charge of the garden's maintenance and eventually would like to add a spot for a beehive and small livestock, and host a farmer's market where they can sell what they grow. The learning opportunities for these at-risk youth are endless.
“The garden is supporting 90 children; but the impact it will have on the community is what’s driving me.”
Cameroon Food & Water Project
Feeding Mouths, Filling Minds was part of a larger, two-phase initiative with like-minded organizations to provide computers and training; farm animals; water and sanitation systems; and documentation and research of the projects.
FOOD & WATER SECURITY
Poverty in West Africa is crippling families, preventing many parents from feeding their children and providing them with school supplies. Because Social Services don’t exist in Cameroon, families and organizations, like The Tertiary Sisters, don’t receive any government support. The Tertiary Sisters manage an elementary school and high school with housing for nearly 700 students, a bush farm, and a medical clinic and rehabilitation center that serves more than 1,000 patients annually. Feeding Mouths, Filling Minds was part of a larger initiative to provide computers and training; farm animals; water and sanitation systems; and documentation and research of the projects.
OUR ROLE
Feeding Mouths, Filling Minds was part of a larger, two-phase initiative with like-minded organizations to provide computers and training; farm animals; water and sanitation systems; and documentation and research of the projects.
Huruma Children's Home Farm Pond
FMFM's role is to provide Mama Zipporah's team with the financial resources it needs to research, plan and develop an alternative water source: a farm pond.
RAINWATER HARVESTING & SUSTAINABLE FARMING
PROJECT STATUS: BUILD & FUNDRAISING
FUNDS RAISED TO-DATE: $10,000
TOTAL FUNDRAISING GOAL: $15,000
Huruma Children's Home is a children's orphanage located on the undulating slopes of the beautiful Ngong Hills which is about 25km from Nairobi, the capital of Kenya in East Africa. This is, unfortunately, also a relatively poor area where most people have to struggle every day to make ends meet. Poverty, poor health, HIV/AIDS and massive unemployment are the main challenges people meet. Many children are orphans or live in families that are not able to care for them.
“All of the households around here walk about 17 kilometers (10 miles) each way to fetch water. For these women and children, it takes like the whole day just to fetch water. They don’t have time to concentrate on other issues that would uplift their standard of living. ”
During a recent visit to Kenya, the FMFM team learned that the children's home founder, Mama Zipporah, was gifted a plot of land in the community of Ndeiya.
FMFM worked with Mama Zipporha to create a vision for the land's future - sustainable farming. This would provide the children of Huruma with a reliable and cost-effective food source. But farming requires water. And the land is located near the Great Rift Valley - an area so dry that digging a well was not an option.
OUR ROLE
FMFM's role is to provide Mama Zipporah's team with the financial resources it needs to research, plan and develop an alternative water source: a farm pond.
Project funding covers the cost of the following:
Excavation of the 120-square meters of farm pond (completed)
Construction of silt trap and other masonry works (completed)
Dam liner, ultraviolet resistance plastic (completed)
Metallic roofing structure (fundraising)
Shade-net roofing material (fundraising)
Establishment of drip irrigation systems (fundraising)
Technical support and training (ongoing)
Provisional for survey and design (ongoing)
Additionally, FMFM volunteers from the United States traveled to the farm plot's land in 2012 and 2015. Our work there included:
Meeting with local engineers and project partners to review project plans, finances and progress
Hauling boulders for farm pond walls
Installation of pond liners
Masonry work on farm pond walls
“This project will cut the cost of food production. It will also provide an opportunity for our kids to learn about rainwater harvesting. We are raising these children to be productive citizens of our nation. Going forward, this will be a learning center for the entire community. ”
THE OUTCOME
This project affects Huruma Children's Home and the Ndeiya community in several ways.
It will provide the community with broader possibilities for food and water and set an example of access to water in the semi-arid land.
It will allow Mama Zipporah (the orphanage founder) to develop sustainable food systems for feeding her 160+ children.
Over time, it can serve as a catalyst for Ndeiya’s children to have access to food, increase school attendance, and hopefully, break the poverty cycle.
Once the water and food systems are developed, children will not have to turn to medial work to help the family survive. This will also serve as a best practice and collaboration that can be scaled throughout Kenya and other countries
PARTNERS
“On behalf of Huruma Trust Fund, and Mama Zipporah, I would like to say thank you so, so much. The community has been very, very impressed. They are saying that a bright star has come to our community, and suddenly, everything seems to be opening up.”
