Academy workshop block and equipment

Overview

A workshop block, tools and equipment so the Academy can teach welding, carpentry, building and engineering to people in recovery and young mothers.

The Academy teaches by doing. This project builds a workshop block with welding, carpentry and building bays and equips it with tools, safety kit and machines so learners can train and produce goods for sale.

USD 0 of USD 142,120 sought

Proposal

1. Executive summary

This project builds and equips the Academy workshop block: bays for welding and metal fabrication, carpentry and joinery, and construction, with a tool store and safety equipment. It lets the Academy teach 120 learners a year in practical trades and gives RootWorks a base to produce goods that pay for training.

2. Background and need

Skills are the way out of unemployment and a return to drugs. Zimbabwe has a large shortage of trained artisans, while many young people leave school with no skill. Trades can be learned in months by people with little schooling, and a tradesperson can earn straight away.

3. Problem statement

The Academy does not yet have enough workshop space or machines to teach practical trades at scale. Learners share too few tools and cannot produce goods for sale, so training is slower and less likely to lead to income.

4. Goal and objectives

Goal: people in recovery and young mothers leave BICA with a trade that earns.

Objectives: (1) build a workshop block of three bays; (2) equip it to trade-test standard; (3) train 120 learners a year; (4) help 70 per cent of graduates into work or business within six months.

5. Who will benefit

120 learners every year, including residents in recovery and young mothers, and the RootWorks businesses they start. Local households and farms will also buy tools and furniture made in the workshop.

6. Approach and activities

We build the block with Academy builders under qualified supervision, equip each bay with the tools in the budget, and appoint qualified trainers. Learners work on real orders from the campus and the community, so training pays for itself and graduates leave with a portfolio.

7. Monitoring, evaluation and learning

Progress is measured against the indicators in the results framework. The project manager keeps a monthly record of activities, spending and results, and reviews it with the Director. Baseline figures are taken in the first month, and the same measures are repeated at the mid-point and at completion. Beneficiaries are asked for their views at least twice a year, and what they say changes the plan.

A short evaluation by someone independent of BICA is carried out at the end, and its findings, including what did not work, are shared with the funder and published on this website.

8. Sustainability and exit

Workshop sales pay for consumables and maintenance. Trainers' salaries are carried by a mix of course fees, sponsorship and RootWorks income, and tools are replaced from a maintenance fund.

9. BICA capacity and governance

BICA, the Binga Institute of Conservation Agriculture, is an institution of Takura Trust, which owns the project and holds it to account. The Trust's board provides oversight, approves budgets and receives quarterly progress and financial reports. On site, the Director leads heads of care, agriculture, the Academy, enterprise, finance and partnerships, with a safeguarding and monitoring officer. A Clinical and Recovery Advisory Panel reviews care protocols and outcomes.

Funds given for this project are restricted: they are recorded in a separate project ledger, spent only against the approved budget, supported by quotations and receipts, and open to independent audit. Funders receive a narrative and financial report each quarter and a final report at completion.

10. Safeguarding and risk management

Everyone who works or volunteers on this project is vetted and signs the BICA safeguarding policy before starting. There is a named safeguarding officer, a confidential way to raise concerns, and a duty to report to the police and the Department of Social Development where required. Children, young mothers and elders are never left alone with an unvetted adult.

The main project risks are listed in the risk register with the action we will take and the person responsible. Risks are reviewed monthly by the project manager and quarterly by the Trust board.

Work plan

Phases

Tasks

Milestones

Budget

Requested from the funder: USD 142,120 (92%). BICA and partners contribute USD 13,080.

When the funds are needed

Results and risks

Results framework

Risks and what we will do

Funding and owner

Project owner

Owner

Takura Trust

Implemented by

Binga Institute of Conservation Agriculture (BICA)

Email

info@bica.org.zw

Telephone

+263774114107

Address

Binga District, Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe

Every funder receives a progress and financial report each quarter. Funds are restricted to this project and tracked in a separate ledger.