Change begins with having a dream or an idea. It is accomplished with leadership, determination and a loyal community that is eager to join the movement. The grantee projects below demonstrate what occurs when someone becomes proactive about their curiosity and follows their impulse to create rather than being halted by the possibility of failure. Vision holding for others and growing into something more grand begins the moment the seed is planted. Read the projects below to discover the progress that has bloomed.
Trillargento – Sounds Seeds
Trillargento is a non-profit association that dreams of a society in which the study and practice of music is a right for all, an opportunity to train happier and responsible citizens tomorrow. Despite Italy having a very important musical tradition, it is amongst the most backward European countries where music is basically absent from school curriculum. The major part of music training is offered by private music schools, which excludes people who belong to the weakest classes of the society. It is scientifically and pedagogically recognized that the lack of accessible opportunities for musical education represents a lost opportunity to develop skills and fundamental abilities to grow in harmony and integrate as protagonists in the Society.
Inspired by the musical-pedagogical experience of El Sistema, conceived in Venezuela by J. A. Abreu in 1975 and then spread throughout many countries of the world – Trillargento started some years ago in Genoa a complete music program accessible also to children and young people who live in a situation of socio-economic, cultural, psychological, emotional and educational hardship, and/or disability. Today it has an orchestra of 70 children and a choir of 18.
Sound Seeds will help encourage students to remain in the orchestra in the critical transition between childhood and adolescence, setting up an Integrated Evaluation System that strengthens the sense of belonging to the project, enhances merit, promotes the leadership and establishing a virtuous circle between classmates.
Emeka Ulor – Read To Lead Club
In Emeka’s family compound, there is a daily gathering for fellowship at 7:30pm daily. Children are asked to take turns to read passages aloud while an adult explains the teachings. Emeka realized that one child was doing this for a longer time period. After making enquiries, it was revealed that other children were not reading fluently and Emeka decided to help them improve their reading skills by encouraging group reading in their garden.
Most children in rural areas like do not have access to libraries nor have reading clubs. They have challenges in regard to reading and writing when compared with children in urban centres. Read to Lead Club is bridging this gap. It allows children in these communities to develop good reading and writing skills in order to excel in life. This is the first in Emeka’s community and they are excited to see this initiative move to the next level.
The grant from The Pollination Project is quite crucial as it will provide shelves for the mini library, display equipment, suitable sitting, and conducive atmosphere for the children to improve their communication skills.
Bakoma Janet Lokenye – Home Based Care For Elderly Persons
Health Hive Humanitarian Action – HHHA – is a home based care service for elderly persons that provides a primary health care approach. This project seeks to provide proximity health services to elderly persons trapped in the circle of vulnerability due to the ongoing armed conflict in the two English speaking regions of Cameroon. For the past four years they embarked on geriatric services following a health survey, which revealed the non existence of specialized services for the elderly. This situation has been further compounded by the crisis that has led to about 600,000 Internally Displaced Persons.
The majority of those affected are children, women and the elderly. Considering the fact that most of the people in this category are suffering from terminal ailments and that they equally face mobility problems, which has been worsened by the absence of caregivers, our project seeks to rescue these categories of persons who in the African culture are considered as custodians of our tradition.
The seed grant will provide medical assistance to 100 internally displaced elderly men and women who have relocated to Buea municipality in the SW region of Cameroon, and whose health situation has deteriorated due to poor medical attention. The focus will be on measuring their blood pressure levels, blood sugar levels, and their personal hygiene. HHHA shall provide them with essential medication. This project shall be carried out with a team of volunteer doctors and nurses.
Bernardo Rey, Nube Sandoval – CENIT Arte-Natura
For 25 years The Centre for Theatre Research has focused on the creation of programs for social rehabilitation using theater as an instrument for pacification, integration, and resolution of conflicts in zones of war, public schools, jails, and centers of assistance for street children in Colombia. In the last decade they have directed a theater project focusing on psychosocial rehabilitation for refugees victims of torture at the Italian Council for Refugees (CIR) in Rome, gaining the recognition of international awards (Ellen Stewart International Award, NY, 2016, and the “Catarsi-Teatri delle Diversitá ” given by the National Association of Italian Theater Critics, 2017), special mention in the international press, the attention of the universities, and the affirmation of notable personalities in the Italian cultural movement. In the past 3 years they have worked with victims of the Colombian war conflict, creating theater performances result of rehabilitation processes. Right now they are constructing a center of work in the jungles of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, on the Caribbean coast of Colombia.
Anita Eusschen – Action For Animals In Eastern Europe
Anita has been an activist her whole life, and calls herself an earth muffin, a herbivore, a peace, social justice and animal rights activist. Nowadays she is involved in grassroot activism, campaigning and EU lobbying for animal rights and her focus mainly is on two things: uncovering the plight of farm and laboratory animals and inspiring people to take action for animals. Anita is mainly active in eastern European countries, inviting foreign speakers and bringing them to these areas, giving workshops, training and hopefully recruit more people to take action for animals and giving workshops and talks herself. In the last months her main activity has been animal transport and export of animals from the EU to the Middle East by ship, a horror trade for these animals on so-called ships to hell. Bearing witness and seeing the suffering of animals first hand, she really can tell their stories.
In the next months she will travel south-east European countries to meet activists, give workshops and hopefully strengthen activism in Eastern Europe, following colleagues and activists that have been there before.
Daniel Mhangoh – Tailoring Skills For Youth Economic Empowerment In Rumphi
Tailoring Skills for Youth Economic Empowerment in Rumphi aims to address high unemployment among youth, which contributes to the increased engagement they have in crimes and other negative lifestyle choices. Daniel Mhangoh will give vulnerable youth an opportunity to earn income and live a productive lifestyle by training them in tailoring. Daniel shares, “I have been motivated to come up with this project that will significantly help to address the issue of unemployment which produces lethargy among youth.”
Betarice Odero – Coolmax Agencies
Communities have a better chance at connecting with the world when they embrace ICT. The rural community of Maseno, despite being close to a University, is still struggling with this reality. Coolmax, introducing a ‘cool’ way for communities to interact and exchange ideas, is strengthening their capacity through basic training and limited instruction on computer basics as a means of influencing the concept of ICT4Development in rural Kisumu County, Kenya.
