OUR WORK
Donate

PROGRAMS

PUBLIC-PRIVATE-PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION EQUITY - PPP4EE

Public-Private-Partnership for Education Prosperity – PPP4EE-2033 Public-Private-Partnership for Education Equity (PPP4EE) aims to coordinate and procure the host of necessary resources to provide quality and equitable primary and secondary school education and vocational training in Nigeria. 

Framework

The major challenge institutions of learning face in the 21st Century is how to best prepare students for a rapidly changing technology-driven global economy. The informed consensus on tackling the problem is by investing in educators, ensuring that teachers are able to acquire the skills and knowledge including the tools and resources needed to produce globally competitive students and professionals. To this end, teachers’ training is the core priority of our intervention scheme, in concert with the student-teacher ratio vis-a-vis class size. An important component of our framework is to build on the existing education infrastructure in Nigeria and collaborate with public-private stakeholders and the grassroots community (parents, students, teachers) to ensure the program’s success. 

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM

a) Computer Literacy

The topics covered here will introduce you to a similar set of topics about computers. When you finish, you’ll be just as prepared to “drive” a computer, as you were to drive a car when you finished Driver’s Ed. Scary thought, isn’t it? That clearly means you will need lots of practice with a skilled “driver” in the passenger’s seat before you can be considered “safe on the road!” But we can get you started! You’ll understand the basic ideas behind computers, some of the ills that affect computers, and some of the basic safety measures to take to keep your computer healthy. You’ll gain some knowledge of how we got to today’s computers and what lies ahead. It will be great!

The Computer Basics unit does not require you to touch a computer, except to read the lessons. Other lesson units guide you in actually using a computer, starting with Working with Windows

b) Writing and Reading Club (Find Content)

Students will read, speak, write, listen, and think about literature and respond through journal entries, group discussions, book talks, and literature circles. Writing assignments will be in response to literature with one research project involving an investigation of reading and writing in the workplace. How to Implement a Reading & Writing Workshop

read more

c) Farm to School

Farm to school programs in k-12 schools and early care and education sites engage young people in hands-on learning and empower school nutrition professionals to source and promote healthy, local food for school meal programs. Program design differs by location but may include procuring and promoting local foods, cultivating school gardens, and engaging students in agriculture, food, health, and nutrition education.

The New York State Farm-to-School Program was created to connect schools with local farms and food producers to strengthen local agriculture, improve student health, and promote regional food systems awareness.

The Department provides financial assistance to New York State schools through New York State’s Farm-to-School program. It also provides technical and promotional assistance to schools, farms, distributors and other supporting organizations to bring more local, nutritious, seasonally-varied meals to New York students.

Free Farming Course for High School Students & Professional Development for Teachers

This summer, thanks to funding from a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, Greenfield Community College is offering a 3-credit hands-on Sustainable Farming Skills course free to rising and graduating high school seniors and a free 15-hour curriculum development workshop on Sustainable Food Production for high school teachers. The course and workshop are part of the ENGAGE (Educational Networks for Growing an AGricultural Economy) project geared toward helping area high school students develop sustainable agriculture and leadership skills and pursue further education and employment in agriculture. The free professional development workshop for high school teachers will help them bring enhanced sustainable agriculture skills and curriculum components to their classrooms.
Kyle Bostrom, owner of Bostrom Farm in Greenfield, will teach the new 3-credit “Introduction to Sustainable Farming Skills” course during GCC’s Summer Session II in July and August. The course will meet at GCC and Bostrom Farm. Also in July and August, Deb Habib, Executive Director of Seeds of Solidarity Education Center in Orange, will deliver the 15-hour professional development points (PDPs) “Developing Curriculum in Sustainable Food Production” workshop for high school teachers. The workshop will be held at GCC’s campus, utilizing the permaculture garden, organic vegetable garden, and near zero-net energy greenhouse. Teachers participating in the workshop will revise existing or develop new curricula or projects focused on sustainable organic agriculture and food system topics of their choice.
Up to ten students and recent graduates from any high school will study alongside ten GCC students in the Sustainable Farming Skills course. Up to sixteen Grade 9-12 teachers of any subject may attend the free professional development workshop and each will receive a $50 stipend. The funding for ENGAGE comes from a USDA Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grant (SPECA).
GCC’s Farm and Food Systems Program Coordinator Abrah Dresdale said, “One of the grant’s goals is to engage with high school students so they know studying sustainable agriculture is an option at GCC. We want parents and teachers to know about the Sustainable Farming Skills course open to high school students to take for free in Summer 2015 and 2016. And, we encourage high school teachers to pursue this free professional development opportunity to learn about organic gardening, permaculture, and sustainable agriculture. The training is designed to help teachers integrate sustainable food production practices and principles into their high school curriculum so that students will be exposed to and inspired about regenerative agriculture earlier in their academic careers.”
Deb Habib said, “There are numerous and creative ways for teachers of all subjects to integrate sustainable agriculture and food system topics into the academic curriculum and school culture. High school educators can enrich their own work and teaching through this course, and are key to reaching students to inspire them to forge resilient, healthy lives and communities.”
Kyle Bostrom said, “Agriculture is a viable industry that is growing and becoming more important to our food security, supply, and the overall economy. Agriculture needs trained and educated people to grow and support the industry. The introductory skills course will be an on-the-ground, hands-on approach to small scale production agriculture. It also will include content on the ecological and economic aspects of farming.”
Peter Rosnick, Director of SAGE – Sustainable Agriculture and Green Energy Education Center at GCC, said, “The overall goal served by this grant is for students to matriculate in Farm and Food Systems program, complete a degree at GCC, and then go on to a four-year college in sustainable agriculture. GCC has articulation agreements with Green Mountain College in Vermont and University of Massachusetts Amherst and there are many other bachelor’s degree programs in food farming in the Northeast.”
For the Introduction to Sustainable Farming Skills course, interested high school students/graduates should send a personal recommendation from their Guidance Counselor to Corrin Meise-Munns at meisemunnsc@gcc.mass.edu, and fill out paperwork at: https://www.gcc.mass.edu/admissions/early-entrants/ or call GCC admissions at 413-775-1800.
For information about the Curriculum Workshop, contact: Deb Habib at deb@seedsofsolidarity.org. To apply for the workshop, contact: Karen Chastney at 413-775-1661 about Course # WFD 690-2 or visit: https://www.gcc.mass.edu/creditfree/

Free Farming Course for High School Students & Professional Development for Teachers

COMMUNITY ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT

a) Women Sewing Cooperative

It is now a common discourse that supporting gender equality is a precondition for advancing development and reducing poverty, and empowering women contributes to the health and productivity of whole families and communities.
After holding a meeting in early 2022 with the community leaders and the women’s small business association, it was agreed that the Beyond Remittance Group would support a women’s run food catering and tailoring business to assist and grow the women owned businesses and energize the local economy.
BRG’s role in this project include the following activities:
  • Procure sewing machines
  • Capacity training of cooperative members in accounting and bookkeeping skills
  • Capacity training provided on sewing skills
  • Connecting the Cooperative members to the wholesale market in Nigeria
  • Formalizing and register the cooperative
The objectives of this project were to:
  • Increase general well being of target groups families through increased income
  • Empower women within the community
  • Effect gendered perceptions on women within the workforce
  • Improve nutritional intake with access to more food choices

BRG will support the cooperative for 5 five years and handover to the female cooperative members thereafter.

b) Farmers Cooperative

In the West, a cooperative is a favored choice for farmers market owners who value a community-oriented approach and want to share the decision-making process. Cooperatives are owned by and operated for the benefit of the people who use them. Cooperatives begin with a community of people coming together around a shared goal-such as consumers who want access to more fresh and local foods. Farmers and other local vendors who want to market and sell their products together, or a combination of both. Across the country, farmers markets are supporting small farms and businesses, increasing access to fresh foods, and meeting a host of other community needs.
The objectives of this project were to:
  • Increase general well being of farmers, their families and the community at large
  • Energize the local economy and increased income for farmers
  • Assist farmers in getting their goods to the main market for added value so they can get more money for their goods
BRG’s role in this project include the following activities:
  • Provide technical training and logistic support to set up and operate the cooperative
  • Invest in buying and and transporting the produce to the market, connecting farmers to consumers
  • Ensuring access to locally produced staples and nutritious fresh fruits and vegetables

COMMUNITY ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT

BRIC is a group of Africans in the diaspora who share the view that sustainable development can be best achieved by investing directly in the people. BRIC members are committed to redirecting 1% of the diaspora remittance into Africa’s economy, creating knowledge based jobs and real and lasting economic growth.

The goal of the initiative is to raise $1million by March 2023 to demonstrate that the diaspora has the ability and financial wherewithal to move beyond sending home cash and ready to invest in the people. Remittance flows to sub-Saharan Africa were recorded to be $48 billion in 2019 but the true total is likely to be significantly larger. Nigeria alone received about half of total remittance flows to sub-Saharan Africa. Redirecting 1% of the diaspora ($48 billion) annual remittance will yield $480 million in FDI. The proposed $1million by BRIC is a drop in the bucket but we need to begin to fill that bucket.