Summary of Buiga Sunrise CBO
Working Together to Improve Quality of Life for Everyone
What is a Community Based Organization?
Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) are nonprofit organizations that work at the community level to provide services to local people, with the goal of improving a community’s health and well-being. A CBO may have a formal structure or may be a united group of concerned citizens.
CBOs are about people working together to lift themselves up and find collective solutions. A helping hand is greatly appreciated, but long-term donor reliance creates a crutch that ultimately erodes a community’s ability to sustain itself. CBOs cultivate a “growth mindset” that empowers local people to harness their own skills and resources; to demonstrate they are qualified, resourceful and capable of promoting their own positive changes.
Mission of Buiga Sunrise CBO
The mission of Buiga Sunrise CBO is to uplift the living standard of local people by bringing them together to engage, collaborate and empower one another, in order to establish a vibrant community and ensure a brighter future for the next generation.
Operational model of Buiga Sunrise CBO
Buiga Sunrise CBO is focused on creating value for its beneficiaries. The services offered are essential to everyday life and the wellbeing of the collective community. Considering that local people are the direct beneficiaries they are also the ones who are actively involved in ensuring its long-term success through fundraising, resource management, cooperative activities and advocacy. Since society is ever-changing the programs are also continuously evolving to meet emerging needs in a locally sustainable way.
Programs under the CBO umbrella include
· Buiga Sunrise School
· Grace Family Health Centre
· Gentle Hearts Maternity
· Access Knowledge Africa
Role of the CBO Founders
The Founders of the CBO are the ones who determine its mission and decide on its model of operation. They submit the CBO’s constitution, work plan and budgets as part of the legal operational requirements. They are also the ones to write the policies and procedures, and appointment a management team for effective administration. The Founders provide high level oversight to steer the organization and ensure the CBO maintains its charitable mission.
Role of the CBO Management Team
An administrative structure must be in place to run the CBO effectively and is a legal requirement for maintaining CBO status. The role of the management team is to
Utilize various assessment tool (including observations, surveys, community mapping, public meetings and individual interviews) to gather information and identify needs in the community.
Create goals and implement strategies to address community needs.
Raise awareness and mobilize both local and international resources in support of the CBO’s activities.
Network and build partnerships to benefit the CBO and further it’s mission.
Advocate for the CBO and it’s beneficiaries.
Institute a financial management system to ensure accountability, transparency and efficiency in handling funds.
Monitor and evaluate activities to measure impact and track progress.
Share information and provide regular reports and updates to all stakeholders and donors.
How do community members play a role in the CBO?
The role of the community is to nominate and elect a board of representatives to ensure the founders and the management team take notice of community concerns. The annual general meeting (AGM) serves as a platform where local people have an opportunity to voice their ideas and identify their needs. The main tasks of the community are
Galvanize people to help implement activities planned by the management team
Raise community awareness and help mobilize local resources to further the mission of the CBO
Assist with community surveys and evaluations to better understand local needs and measure impact
There are many ways for community members to directly contribute to the CBO and get involved in an empowered way
Planning community fundraisers: Local people who benefit from the services provided by the CBO, help to shoulder the responsibility of ongoing expenses. Local fundraisers show that the people in the community value the services of the CBO and wish to keep the project active and vibrant.
Launching community awareness campaigns: Community members help increase public knowledge of the CBO’s activities by inviting friends and neighbors to utilize the services that are available.
Participating in scheduled workdays: Beneficiaries are expected to get hands-on and contribute to maintenance of the school and clinic and assist with upkeep of the income generating project. This reduces operational cost and increases local revenue to keep tuition and clinic fees low for everyone.
Paying subsidized school and clinic fees: Sunrise School offers low-cost tuition for high quality education, in a holistic, child-friendly environment. Most of the services at Grace Family Clinic are either free or very low cost. Tuition and clinic rates are capped to ensure equal access, but they are not free – community members who benefit from services are expected to contribute. There are 28 staff members and more than 350 children to feed at Sunrise School. Grace Family Clinic has medical staff to pay and a compound to maintain. International donations help to subsidize fees by funding renovations, construction, playground equipment, water systems, procurement of medical equipment and other special projects. Local collections pay for most of the day-to-day expenses including the majority of salaries.
Attending skilling workshops provided by the CBO: Women and youth are invited to learn valuable new skills and personally empower themselves to overcome financial barriers to improve their living conditions.
Enrolling in behavior change sessions: Behavior change workshops support people in adopting positive habits so they can live a better life and contribute to their communities in more meaningful ways.
Hosting staff appreciation days: The CBO staff work daily to provide quality services to the community. Staff appreciation days show that people value their contributions and creates a sense of shared responsibility.
Contributing to the community suggestion box: People don’t have to wait until the annual general meeting to make suggestions. A community collections box allows individuals to contribute helpful ideas to improve the CBO in viable and sustainable ways.
Roles and responsibilities of the CBO Board
Board members are nominated and democratically elected by the community at the annual general meeting (AGM). Board members serve for two years and can be elected for a maximum of two consecutive terms. The Board does not make executive decisions or contribute to day-to day operations; they meet 4x per year to provide oversight and assist with strategizing.
Duties of the board include
Advocating for the CBO by raising awareness about its mission and activities
Acting as ambassadors and utilizing personal assets (knowledge, skill, expertise) to strengthen the CBO
Assisting with fundraising and mobilizing local resources to support the needs of the CBO
Leading with integrity and enthusiasm as positive role models for the community
Staying up to date with issues and trends that affect the CBO
Participating in community projects and workshops planned by the CBO
Scheduling annual general meetings and mobilizing people to attend and speak up
Assisting management with collecting data to help determine local needs and assess project impact
Assisting with annual program budgets and reviewing financial statements provided by the CBO accountant
Ensuring the CBO complies with all governing documents, bylaws, regulations, MOUS and agreements