Would you like to know how we are saving tonnes of trees with every classroom we build?

We not only looking out for education but also looking after the Ugandan environment and keeping it green as we go.

Thanks to some incredible fundraising from supporters Melinda and Steve Robinson from Australia, we have just purchased two new Interlocking Stabilized Soil Block Machines (ISSB). In simple terms, a manual brick making machine, which will help with all of the building projects that we are involved in.

Traditional methods of brick making in Uganda comprise of taking a clay based mud and making a square block by hand, they are approximately the same size as any other brick elsewhere in the world. The problem is that because they are made by hand they are not a consistent shape, and they come in a variety of sizes. After making the brick they are then put into a pyramid stack with a gap in the middle where a fire is lit, they cover the top with banana leaves and dry grass (a handmade Kiln process). The bricks are then fired for 96 hours – constantly keeping the fire burning with wood, and are left to cool for 4 days. The bricks are then stored for 4 – 6 months before they are used.

This whole process is –

1. Labour intensive,
2. Bad for the environment because of the amount of wood needed to ‘cook’ the bricks,
3. Makes the building process longer and more expensive as the builders use more cement for mortar and rendering because of the imperfections of the bricks.

The new ISSB machine is an old technology that originated in France over 800 years ago. Kenya over the past 25 years have redeveloped the system because the Government has banned the cutting of timber to fire bricks the traditional way, knowing what it was doing to the environment.

Since 1991, Dr Moses Musaazi, an engineer at Makerere University in Kampala, has developed a technique which, by mixing soil and cement and then compressing the dampened mixture in a mould, produces an interlocking block (twice the size of a normal brick) that is stronger and more uniformly shaped than a conventional brick.

Dr Musaazi says: “Cutting down trees for firing bricks is second to charcoal burning in destroying Uganda’s forest cover. The adoption of this technology will dramatically reduce this environmental damage.

We have been looking at these machines for the past 6 years and today we are finally taking delivery of two machines.  The new machines make blocks from a specific soil called murram, cement and water. It takes 2 people to operate and can produce 300 – 400 blocks in an 8 hour day. On top of all that they are also interlocking which saves on cement costs in between bricks. Several teams of Soft Power Builders have been trained in the process in association with The Haileybury Youth Trust.

The benefits of the ISSB bricks:

1.    The making of 3000 ISSB blocks will save 10 tonnes of trees.

2.    The blocks do not need to be fired

3.    Cost saving because of less time needed to make them.

4.    Only one bag of cement is needed to make 150 blocks. (cement is incredibly expensive in Uganda)

5.    They are double the size of a normal fired brick so you only need to use half the number of bricks.

6.    There is no mortar needed between the bricks because of the interlocking system, so mortar is only needed on top and bottom of the brick.

7.    Uniformed shape for every brick, which uses less mortar and render – saves up to 50% compared to using fired bricks.

8.    Are weather resistant and can be used in the construction of septic and water tanks. (There is a curved ISSB machine which can make curved bricks for water tanks)

9.    The bricks are manufactured on site, saving transportation and damage.

10. Bricks are used 4 hours after making them, therefore construction can continue as the bricks are being made.

11. The ISSB system uses Ugandan road base as its main ingredient mixed with cement.

We will be using this type of brick in all buildings and water tanks from now on. This will make construction costs cheaper and the buildings and water tanks stronger. The biggest benefit – all monies fundraised for Soft Power Education will now go further!

Make sure to check the website soon for an update on our new buildings using the new ISSB technology.

Fundraising in Facebook is, admittedly, a lot easier for a person who has numerous friends, relatives, group members or fans. This is a primary consideration as a mechanic in Facebook fundraising. The number of contacts you have truly affects the distribution of your fundraising efforts. However, there are still other things to make sure so that one will be able to fully comply with the mechanics in Facebook fundraising. In doing so, the organizer or fundraiser will be able to convey the right information to people who will shell out help especially if they’re convinced of the spirit of the charity or cause.

When one wants to raise money for a certain group of people, it is important for him to provide the immediate, complete background of the project. This can be done through Facebook Notes that should be posted within the request for funds page. Here, one should provide for the setting, the atmosphere and the primary reasons why the scenario calls for charity from people who have way more than what the recipients may have. Given that the text will be placed in Facebook, which is, of course, a social networking site, the tone of the notes will have to be more personalized rather than formal.

After writing down convincing, sincere-sounding notes, the organizer must provide videos or photos that will serve as testaments to the truth and the immediacy of the cause. All of these visuals, together with the notes, will lure prospective donors into giving.

Another part of the unique mechanics in Facebook fundraising is transparency. This is so because the site enables the donors to monitor the progress of the fundraiser’s work. More often than not, it is difficult for people to fake the entire fundraising endeavor given that information about the area and the people who will receive the aid is readily available in the Internet. Also, it is unlikely for someone to loot the funds from family, yes? Comprehensive, transparent data can be pasted on the fundraising page. Here, information and monitoring are all in their proper places. This can help the prospective donors understand the objectives and ideas set forth by the fundraiser.

However, one may ask about the financial aspect of the entire thing. How can one be assured that the money will be sent to the organizer or fundraiser safely?

Fortunately, a very efficient and helpful Facebook application called Coinjars (www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=6489937223) can be used. When installed on the fundraising page, the application would allow the donor to send his/her donation and the fundraiser to receive the money online. The Coinjars application is free and the transaction fee between the donor and fundraiser is always free. This is all free of charge. This kind of money transfer is solely within the mechanics in Facebook fundraising. With Facebook, the organizer is assured of a crowd that could relate to him/ her personally in terms of his/ her endeavors. Furthermore, the site provides for means and ways for him to raise those needed funds. On the side of the donor, transparency, information and financial safety are all within his or her reach.

Discover the 7 Secrets to Facebook Fundraising! Get your FREE ebook from www.FacebookFundraisingTips.com and learn how to raise funds legally, safely and quickly using the world’s most popular social networking website, Facebook!

Social Networking Through Facebook

Through Facebook (www.facebook.com), different people worldwide can gain access to their family’s and friend’s user profiles and thus allow them to interact with them through photos, updates, notes etc. Facebook has become very popular in different parts of the world enabling its consumers to reach more than a hundred million (and soon, 500 million!) from its advent in 2004. With its positive growth, users are also becoming advanced in terms of their Facebook application usage. Some are not only using Facebook for the sake of social connection. These people are particularly interested in giving a good cause to different institutions by creating fundraising activities. And with Facebook’s help, their goals will soon be a reality.

Creating a Good Cause Through Facebook

Facebook has become increasingly advanced in terms of its applications. Especially in the field of giving money to help enrich lives through different fundraising activities sponsored by different charitable groups all over the world. If you will browse through Facebook, there are tons of different applications you can choose from which can aid you in getting awareness of what areas in the world would need charitable help especially if you are a volunteer who would like to aid a charitable institution with their fundraising activities.

On the part of those raising funds for a good cause, the Facebook is not just an effective tool to gain many sponsors, but it is also a way to promote awareness of an assigned charity and thus generate funds for it. Of course, it is not just important to connect with different people, post photos and constantly communicate with them about what you do; but it is also important that you are able to choose the right application to match the different requirements of your fund raising activity. This application should be set well inside the fund raising page to let people access it right away whenever they would be interested to donate money. Take note that your fundraising page should be an all-in-one page so that viewers may be able to have a full grasp of what the fundraising activity is all about and thus direct them to a certain application straight inside your page which will manage the funds that will be sent to that particular charitable institution.

One such application that is very effective in raising funds for a certain charity is Coin Jars (http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=6489937223) is a Facebook application which you can use to store money, digitally. The digital money is called iCoins. With an advanced and up-to-date technology of different Internet applications such as this, users are assured that their money is securely kept by a licensed treasury group of the application. The transfer of the digital money is fast, safe and easy which will create a hassle-free transfer of funds from the sponsors to the main fund raising institutions through Facebook. With Coin Jars, you are sure to donate money and receive it just like you are doing a personal transaction. The good thing about this is, you will be able to send cash wherever you are and whenever you are linked to Facebook through the Internet. Moreover, there are no fees involved so the donor is guaranteed that the fundraiser will receive the donation as is and without any deductions.

Indeed, fundraising activities created online are now just at the touch of your fingertips!

Discover the 7 Secrets to Facebook Fundraising! Get your FREE ebook from www.FacebookFundraisingTips.com and learn how to raise funds legally, safely and quickly using the world’s most popular social networking website, Facebook!

What is Fundraising?

Fundraising is a process by which a person or a group of people solicit money for the purposes of charity or other “good cause” type of projects. In fundraising, different sets of activities can be done in order to obtain the desired amount needed for a charitable or institutional project. These activities may be done through sports, seminars, games, contests, and social networking. As mentioned, social networking is a process by which people gathers his or her network where in the selected networks will also create their own which will expand gradually thus enabling awareness. By this, you will not only spread knowledge and word with what you are doing but you will also be able to gain as many friends as possible by sharing the same purpose, and that is, helping other people for a good cause.

Fundraising has been done in several parts of the world to help different people especially the less fortunate ones. But of course, it is not just limited to that. Fund raising can also be done to raise a good amount of money for construction of residential, commercial and institutional buildings or it can also be for the purposes of education, recreation and others. But the most important is, it is for a good cause.

Fundraising Through Facebook

Already mentioned above, fundraising can be done through social networking. In this way, you can use Facebook to do this. To begin with, Facebook is a social networking site that enables different users around the world to connect with their friends, family and other people through the use of the Internet specifically with the interactive and useful applications of Facebook. Because of its growing trend, Facebook has now become a social utility tool that does not only create bridges with different people but it has also paved the way for different charitable institutions to raise funds through their assigned “ebooks” in the Internet.

Indeed, Facebook’s importance has increased positively because of this. On the other hand, because of the presence of these “good cause” type of applications such as Coinjars (www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=6489937223) , more and more people are getting hooked with Facebook enabling them to trust it in spreading their good word to everyone else linked there.

To have a good kick off with your fundraising activity, it is very much important to create an informative and well-versed Fundraising Page that will point out what the fundraising is for. Try to avoid using Groups since this has a cap of 5000 users only.

Now for your fundraising Page, first and foremost, choose words that are not too trying hard to catch people’s attention. It should be done in an appropriate manner with a good approach. Write your “come on” as a well said social intention coupled with the right words for the main cause of the activity. You may also add pictures to support your statements. In this way, you will not only entice users to join your group and help raise funds but you will also allow them to help you get more ideas with your fundraising activity. The more informative and more social the approach of your Facebook pages pertaining to your fundraising activity, the more that you will get hold of interested people to help you.

You must also use an efficient, legal Facebook application that lets you send and receive money within the website without any fees at all. Take for instance Coinjars (http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=6489937223) which lets the fundraiser receive money as is (meaning if the donor sends ten dollars, the money arrives without any deductions at all!) and the donor send the donation without any additional fees.

Indeed, with Facebook, you will be able to not only socially connect with people, but enrich lives and before you know it, you’ve already gained a good social network particularly for those who have a charitable cause in the society.

Discover the 7 Secrets to Facebook Fundraising! Get your FREE ebook from www.FacebookFundraisingTips.com and learn how to raise funds legally, safely and quickly using the world’s most popular social networking website, Facebook!

Among the many social networking websites mushrooming everywhere in the Internet, Facebook remains one of the leaders. Ever since it started operations in February of 2004, members have grown from a handful of Harvard students to over one hundred million and growing. In fact, it is expected that this number will even grow to up to five hundred million members in just a few years’ time. A leading cause of this high patronage is the nature of the site itself. It is a free-access website that earns on mass advertising, downloads and relationships nurtured right within the network. Given this popularity and membership, Facebook is among the most effective means of getting known worldwide. However, this doesn’t stop there since other ventures like blogging, photo sharing and even business networking can also be accommodated within the website.

Among Facebook’s latest features is the capability and platform for budding fundraisers to raise money for causes, charities, individuals and other advocacies right within the website. One can say that the site is opening its doors to Facebook fundraising services and projects. Given the capacity, reach and popularity of the site, Facebook fundraising, indeed, is highly possible and can surely revolutionize the way help each other.

To those who have undergone fundraising projects, the difficulty of the task is not alien to them. There are so many things to consider and so many venues to tap before one gets an ample amount of money for the cause or the charity. There are even instances when the fundraiser will need some uncalled for capital or mobilization fees. Take for example a group of individuals come up with a fundraising project for a depressed part of their community. This project will have to go through planning of activities that will lure people into shedding a little of their extra money. This will then have to be prepared for and executed. What’s worse is that the entire thing won’t ensure the organizers that the response will be anywhere near the expected output.

Fortunately, there is a possible solution to this. Ideas for charity fundraising may no longer remain as ideas. With Facebook fundraising, it’s a simple matter of one, information; two, people; and three, the power of the Internet.

Just by using the popular social networking website’s features, fundraisers can create a Facebook Page for their cause or project, include as much information about the project as possible, add as many friends, family and other probable donors and add efficient Facebook applications such as Coinjars (www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=6489937223) which the fundraiser can use in order to redeem the raised money. What’s so great about fundraising in Facebook is the fact that there are literally hundreds of millions of possible donors to a cause, project or advocacy. This means that the “market” is there. All it takes are the right Facebook money applications, a very easy to follow system that just about any fundraiser can do and a lot of sincerity and passion.

Facebook fundraising is truly an easier way for people to raise money in this truly high-tech world.

Discover the 7 Secrets to Facebook Fundraising! Get your FREE ebook from www.FacebookFundraisingTips.com and learn how to raise funds legally, safely and quickly using the world’s most popular social networking website, Facebook!