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Projects we are currently funding.
Tokeya Rancheria - Cuyama Valley, CA
Supporting Native American Elder Develop a Healing Oasis
We are supporting Maxiwo, a non-federally recognized Native American, to implement his vision for a Healing Oasis Retreat Center and eventually Green Architecture University on the 60 acre property he stewards in the Cuyama Valley, East of Santa Barbara, California.
The Tokeya Rancheria land sits amongst large carrot farms and pistachio and olive orchards and seasonal rivers. The expansive valley also is home to other large ranches. A community in the making.
There are multiple structures that are falling apart that need refurbishment. The site is home to pigs, goats, a horse, dogs, chickens and white reindeer.
Maxiwo has a vision to bring unity to all people and his way of doing so is by creating a space where all feel welcome to come and heal, learn and grow.
Springboard Connectivity is raising funds to support Maxiwo in bringing his visions to life. We will organize, bring volunteers to and host work days to clean up the land, plant multiple fruit trees, help Maxiwo start multiple businesses over time, hire permaculture experts to help create a site design including water systems and living spaces that are in harmony with the surrounding. Please reach out if you want to participate in work days, retreats, earth works, donate trees and plants, and if you want to live here to help Maxiwo. Maxiwo needs people living with him to help transform the land into a thriving community of people, plants and animals. Springboard Connectivity intends to offer a monthly stipend to any souls who want to come live at Maxiwo’s land and support this vision.
Action items for the project that will require funding are:
- Clean and repair existing structures
- Develop a full-site permaculture design plan
- Get a Starlink satellite for Wi-Fi
- Create fencing for gardens and animals
- Install rainwater catchment on some of the structures and fix the well pump.
- Develop business for site to make an income that will support the longevity of the project
- Applying for University Status
Village Empowerment and Transformation Organization (VETO) - Malaha, Kenya
A comprehensive project to transform a struggling village with little opportunity and prosperity into a thriving, off-grid community that will support the communities around it. We are supporting them by providing a a well or borehole that will serve the 2000+ members of this village. The well will enable them to start a tree nursery and other agriculture businesses that will nourish themselves and their larger community. Bringing the trees back will restore the water cycle overall. In addition and along side of the well install here, Springboard Connectivity is actively working to educate the community of Malaha on how to properly prepare and manage the land so that when the water does arrive, the land will be ready to receive it in the most optimal ways. We also provide guidance and mentoring in stewarding newly establishing Community Based Organization (CBO). We provide educational opportunities and community connections so that these people are empowered to make real their hopes and dreams.
Our second well / borehole project is for the town of Kirindo near Mbita, Homa Bay, Kenya. The lack of water/drought has caused plants and animals to die, such as Debrah’s donkey that she uses to go fetch water from the lake or river. Along with a well, Debrah has requested water catchment, school fees, seeds to diversify her farm for more resiliency. See our Water Page to understand more about how we encourage these processes.
School Fees and Educational Opportunities
We have met many young people across Africa who don’t have the money to pay for school fees. As you may have seen in the based on a true story Netflix movie, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, not everyone gets to go to school like in America where public school is a baseline need that is offered. We are currently fundraising for school fees for these students. Oliver, our project manager in Kenya, had reported that there is 80% unemployment in his area, causing young kids to become depressed or get into mischief, and women are sold for cattle instead of getting an education. Education is one of the foundational instruments that allows a society to function and thrive. All youth must have access to education in order to become creators, innovators and thinkers that can solve the problems of our world. We are supporting youth to get the education they need in various ways by purchasing online courses for them to watch, giving them school fees and more. Click here to see who is ready to receive their school fees!
Organic Food Kenya CBO
Paul Otieno, who we met through Water Stories Might Network, was instrumental in helping us decide if drilling a well/borehole was even a sustainable solution or not for those in need of water. He has been leading community farm projects for years with Kotieno Community Farm. He has requested $5,000 for supplies to continue his efforts of “creating a positive feedback loop to eradicate poverty, promote environmental regeneration, and heal malnutrition. Since founding, the project has created an organic farm that provides fresh fruits and vegetables to volunteers, and a tree nursery with over 1,000 trees that support the ecosystem.”
Holistic Organic Farms & Tree Nurseries
Through Facebook and Water Stories Mighty Network, we have met Moses Owino, who now collaborates on the WSS Food and Water Security Team. Moses and his brother, Ken, run a family farm called Manwar Seedling Orchard. Manwar Farm currently has a fruit tree seedling nursery, which is partnered with non-profit, Fruity Schools Africa, supplying them with 1,000 fruit trees a month. They grow organic greens and peppers, have an expert poultry farm and hatchery, a pond with fish, they keep bees and have a vermiculture set up. They make organic fertilizer and also have a well which supplies water to their community. Their needs are important to us, because if we help them grow, they can serve their community in more impactful ways. They are currently in need of two solar water pumps and Springboard Connectivity would be delighted to supply this for them. We also intend to help them find markets for their honey and other food products. We are also going to support them in sharing their knowledge with the world, so more farmers can learn their organic and humane poultry raising ways. The video on the right is Moses sharing how to graft an avocado tree, a skill that is very valuable in this farming world.
There are many farmers and across Kenya who are ready to expand, such as Owuor, of Katala Green Organic Community, who would like to support those in his communities with supplying jobs, he would like to afford to pay people to work in his tree nursery. He sees this as helping his community as a whole to prosper. We are funding the leads of these types of projects which will rapidly empower people and transform the landscape with more greenery and food producing plants.
Seeds for the farm, projector, laptop, networking, option to expand farm to another site.
Two solar water pumps, shade cloth, building materials, business support, website support, helping to find an online market for their food products.
Technology Infrastructure
Springboard Connectivity provides refurbished laptops and smartphones as well as Wi-Fi connection and plans to those constituents who will use them to actively participate in climate crisis solutions. We partner with Power Pak, who sends a solar kit to those who live in a location with no access to electricity for every two units sold. These solar kits enable them to efficiently charge the technology we provide. Other solar infrastructure we provide are solar coolers and ovens. These are wonderful because they help preserve food longer and help constituents cook without working to make a fire or inhaling the smoke.
1 Solar Oven, 1 Solar Backpack, 1 Small Home Solar Panel & Battery, 2 Projectors, 2 Laptops, Power Converters
Smart Phones, More Laptops, Solar Panels, Projectors, Solar Powered, Water Pumps, Complete Village Solar System, Best Technologies for Food & Seed Storage.