Donated Goods
And Collaborations
While most donors support T.H.R.I.V.E. Foundation’s work with St. Maria Gorretti School and the surrounding community via tax deductible financial donations, some have chosen to donate goods.
The Foundation sponsored a clothing and linen drive for both the day and boarding students living on campus. This drive took place in Sept., 2023. The timing was intentional: with summer over, we sought gently used summer clothing that children had outgrown and families would be happy to donate. (Since SMG is located almost right on the equator, summer clothing is ideal year round.)
The response was tremendous!
Towels, fresh linens, and medical equipment – just a portion of the donated haul
A veritable mountain of clothing, bed sheets, and towels were collected. Some donors contributed newly purchased goods, others added items like teaching aids, maps, and school supplies. The icing on the cake were the deflated soccer balls for the bigger children, and playground balls for the smaller children, contributed by other donors. When it was all packed up, it filled 13 large wardrobe sized moving boxes!
DONATIONS RECEIVED
The children were very happy as the clothing was distributed. They were pleased to show off their new outfits.
Many children were thrilled with new reading material!
FEMININE HYGIENE
Another welcomed donation was the distribution of reusable menstrual pads to 200 of the girls at the school and women in the village, provided by Wells of Life. WOL also instructed the girls in good hygiene practices. This gift can literally be transformative for girls’ lives, since many girls drop out of school because of days of instruction missed each month that stifle their education.
In collaboration with
T.H.R.I.V.E. Foundation also teamed up with Project C.U.R.E. https://projectcure.org/ This nonprofit collects medical equipment and supplies from hospitals and other healthcare organizations, and distributes these goods to health centers and other health workers, such as school nurses, in emerging markets. SMG does not have a school nurse, but with 600 youngsters who get bumps and scrapes, there is need for simple supplies to tend to them. Project C.U.R.E. provided SMG with a school kit that will find plenty of use.
In collaboration with
More recently, SMG benefited from donations of hundreds of toothbrushes for the children, as well as an electric keyboard, some recorders for music instruction, and several laptop computers. All of these donated goods are treasured by the students and staff at the school.
Young women of SMG receiving their new menstrual pads
COLLABORATIONS
“If you want to go far, go together.”
– African Proverb
One of the underlying tenets of T.H.R.I.V.E. Foundation is collaboration with effective partners to accomplish mutual goals. We consciously seek organizations and entities that have specialized skills and knowledge in particular areas of focus that overlap with either specific needs the Foundation wants to address, or areas of interest going forward. The rationale behind this strategy is twofold:
Although the missions of the potential partners and T.H.R.I.V.E. Foundation may differ, both organizations share common goals.
If the missions of the potential partners and T.H.R.I.V.E. Foundation are the same, the objective is to share experiences so that both organizations can learn from each other, and incorporate best practices while avoiding mistakes. We also seek opportunities in which working jointly is more effective than working alone.
Ideally, with successful collaboration, both parties benefit.
To date, T.H.R.I.V.E. Foundation’s most notable collaboration has been with Wells of Life. This nonprofit’s mission is to provide rural Ugandans access to safe, clean water through the installation or restoration of sustainable borehole water wells, and WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) educational programs.
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Farming underway with freshly accessed water; an inscription on the well
While this mission is clearly different from T.H.R.I.V.E. Foundation’s mission focused on education and practical training for children and adults, there was a clear overlap between the two organizations: access to fresh water, and WASH education. Wells of Life can provide both, and the Foundation sought these for SMG and the village.
Both organizations worked together to accomplish the goals both sought. Wells of Life drilled its deepest well ever (out of 1,000 drilled), and on the second try, struck a life-changing, gushing aquifer! What an incredible blessing in this dry region! Indications are that with proper maintenance and management, this reservoir should provide water indefinitely. This is truly a transformative development for the school, and hopefully the community.