THE TREE
A TIST UGANDA’S PUBLICATION
Volume I. Issue No. 78 June 2016
TIST Uganda June News letter 2016
The TREE is a monthly newsletter Published by TIST Uganda, a project area of The International Small Group and Tree Planting Program.
MISSION STATEMENT:
TIST Uganda is a community initiative dedicated to empowering small groups of subsistence farmers to combat the devastating effects of deforestation, poverty and drought.
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT:
Combining sustainable development with carbon sequestration,TIST supports the reforestation efforts of over 25,000 subsistence farmers. Sales of carbon credits generate participant income while TIST today also addresses Agriculture, HIV/AIDS, Nutrition and Fuel Wood challenges.
ADDRESS:
TIST Uganda. Katungu Hill, Bushenyi Town, P.O. Box 232, Bushenyi, Uganda, East Africa. Website: www.tist.org, info@i4ei.org
In this Issue:
- TIST fiscal year 2015 annual report #2
- Large scale farmers meeting
- Green expansion team
- Come and see seminar
Fruit Trees Nursery Bed For Kyangyenyi Hill Top.
TIST FISCAL YEAR 2015 ANNUAL REPORT #2
OCTOBER 1, 2014 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
To: TIST Participants in India, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
From: Country Coordinators, Leadership Council Members and USA Team
Date: June 2016
This is the 2nd of 3 monthly newsletter articles to inform TIST participants of the operational and financial progress of TIST. This article covers the organizational structure and the Clean Air Action Corporation 2014 audited financial report. The third article will have the 2015 financial report, discussion of an improved payment system, and the future prospects as TIST expands.
Background:
In the first installment of this Annual Report, we discussed the overall results for TIST in the areas of Operations, Marketing, and Finance. This installment will discuss the how TIST is organized from a legal basis and the roles of Clean Air Action Corporation (CAAC) and the Institute for Environmental Innovation (I4EI). We will also review the finance issues by presenting CAAC's fiscal 2014 audited statements.
Corporate Organization of TIST:
TIST (The International Small Group and Tree Planting Program) presently operates in four countries. It started in Tanzania in 1999, and then has spread to: India (2001), Uganda (2003), and Kenya (2005). As you saw in last month's article, TIST now has over 70,000 farmers as participants, over 15 million trees alive, and those trees have sequestered over 2 1/2 million tons of CO2 as they grew. These are impressive results and all of us can be very proud of them. CAAC founded the TIST program as a way to provide farmers who made improvements in their own farms and their own local areas with income from people who benefited by the reductions of CO2 even if they live thousands of kilometers away. That idea is called "Carbon trading". It really is just a way of accounting for the good actions taken by TIST farmers and then encouraging people who want to see more of those good actions to purchase TIST tones. It became evident that there are corporations and organizations that recognized that TIST has the ability to provide many benefits to the farmers beyond just carbon income. They wanted to be able to support the TIST efforts by making donations, paying to plant trees, and providing education for the TIST participants. In order to accomplish these very important benefits for TIST farmers, a public charity called the Institute for Environmental Innovation (I4EI) was set up. I4EI has been successful at getting foundation grants from companies, other foundations, and USAID to help expand the TIST program and to provide additional training and benefits to TIST participants.Today, the operations of TIST has CAAC handling the operations of the business of creating and selling the carbon credits, and I4EI handling the additional programs where sponsors provide grants. USAID has provided 2 grants to I4EI to support activities with TIST KE. They provided money for stoves, biodiversity, health training, improved monitoring, expansion, and improved riparian environments.
Financial Information:
Here is summary financial information from CAAC. Our financial reports are audited each year. The September 30, 2015 audit is not complete yet, but we will publish it in a later newsletter when it becomes available.
Clean Air Action Financial Statements (Audited) September 30, 2014 Profit and Loss Statement Balance Sheet
Income Assets Carbon Credit Sales 1,463,057 Cash 25,029 Other 5,031 VERs (Carbon Credits) 815,130 Total Income 1,468,088 Work in Progress 584,963 TIST Program 494,942 Equipment 1,027 Total Assets 1,921,091 Expenses Liabilities Cost of Credits 722,379 Current 422,323 Operating Expenses 622,483 Stockholders’ Equity 1,498,768 Total Expenses 1,344,862 Profit 123,226 Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity 1,921,091 During FY 2015, I4EI underwent a detailed "End of Award" audit for the Global Development Alliance award from USAID. This award was from March 5, 2009 until March 5, 2014. We were very proud of the operational results of that award - there were dramatically more benefits to the TIST farmers than had been promised at the beginning of the award, and all of the critical goals were exceeded - sometimes by two or three times! The audit was very detailed and very professional. The Auditors found areas where the proper procedures had not been followed, and a few where items had been entered incorrectly. They also identified areas where the TIST program could be strengthened by making changes and improvements. In fact, one of their suggestions was that we do an "Annual Report" - and you can see that we are starting it now! Most importantly, we are pleased to report that it was a "clean" audit, and showed that all of the USAID, I4EI, and CAAC funds had been properly spent and accounted for. In the last 6 months of FY2015 we discovered that the voucher system that is used to pay the TIST Small Groups was overpaying many groups due to mistakes made by Quantifiers, and some issues in the database. With cash flow tight, continuing to overpay was causing problems. The USAID audit had identified some errors on how the database was affecting our financial statements. The database was working extremely well for the trees and the CO2 tones because safeguards had been developed due to the 23 successful Verifications. Each country staff and the US Team began to evaluate what was happening on the Small Group payment. The errors have delayed the payments for many of the Small Groups.
Outlook for 2016 and Beyond:
2016 is starting off well. Over 200,000 tones of Kenya "Gold" tones have been verified already, and more in Kenya, Uganda and India are being prepared for Verification. The recent Verifications have shown even greater benefits to the TIST farmers, and faster sequestration of CO2 than expected. The operations are running well, with Quantification errors being corrected and delayed Quantifications being caught up. Successful completion of the USAID Audit has freed up a substantial amount of Administrative and Marketing staff time to work on Verifications, payment issues, and marketing. The new approach of expansion is going extremely well. For the customers of TIST India, and for the two companies paying for Cluster expansion, the results are well ahead of our obligations. Marketing opportunities are increasing, and with the larger inventories, there is more flexibility to sell more tones, even at a discount, and still increase the profits to TIST and the TIST farmers. With this improved operational, marketing and policy situation, CAAC is beginning to look for investment funds to allow even more rapid expansion. As all of the TIST participants know, the number of farmers who want to join TIST is much bigger than we have been able to accommodate. With the serious challenges of Climate Change, one of the most important actions that humans can take is to be planting trees - on farms, in riparian areas, in forests and in cities. TIST is a world leader in accomplishing those important actions at low cost. Organizations and companies in the countries where we operate are approaching us to help them achieve their tree planting and poverty reduction goals.
LARGE SCALE FARMERS MEETING
By Enoch Tumwebaze
The large-scale farmers meeting took place in Kabale on 2nd May 2016, in Kanungu it happened on 6th May 2016 and in Bushenyi the meeting took place on 8th May 2016. In all these meetings, farmers interacted with CAAC President, Ben Henneke, who was the main facilitator. Mr. Henneke explained very well to farmers the benefits of TIST and its activities to their well-being. The importance of the large-scale farmers was to tell them to keep their trees alive for 30 years because the trees planted give the entire world clean air. The farmers were told that they were in the carbon business since their groves have already been Validated and Verified for the carbon business on the world market. They cannot cut down the tress because this will affect them and TIST as a Company. Ben added that the trees taking in carbon dioxide in turn are giving us oxygen, which is supporting mankind in a good environment in all activities and technologies. Ben explained the carbon business to farmers:
CARBON BUSINESS
- Decide to join TIST Small Group
- Plant trees
- Sign the GHG contract agreement
- Trees eat carbon dioxide
- Baseline of trees and quantification
- PDD results (Preparation and documentation of the quantification results)
- Third party Validation and Verification of the PDD (Project Documentation) ¾ Verifiers agree with the PDD results and issue a carbon credit certificate
- Marketing and sales to buyers
- Buyer purchases the carbon credits
The farmers were very excited to be informed about the carbon business, especially the Bushenyi farmers, who promised to remain honest in order to get this additional income as profits from carbon sales. This is one way of improving lives in a vulnerable class of people who are depending on subsistence agriculture. The participants also discovered the meetings were good because they were asked some questions like what was interesting about TIST to you.
Farmers gave these answers:
Getting incentives, forming Small Groups for tree planting and sharing information, combating global warming, improving nutrition through fruits and nuts, getting income from sales, beautification of the environment, investing for the future, learning on improved methods of planting trees, and planting trees for carbon which remain our trees. With this information farmers were encouraged to tell their friends about the good things they have received from TIST and encourage them to join and plant more trees.They were reminded of selecting good indigenous and fruit tree species suitable for climate change in their localities. Also, we were reminded to plant more trees, and manage them and keep them alive for 30 years.
Large scale farmers meeting in Kabale
GREEN EXPANSION TEAM
By Sarah Nankunda
The Green Expansion Team consists of a group of TIST quantifiers from 4 districts of Western Uganda. It was formed and they were trained in Bushenyi on 07/05/2016 to help in TIST expansion through trainings, cluster formations, teaching farmers about TIST activities, TIST values, Best Practices and TIST as a business. The group is comprised of TIST members, Pamela Barigye as the expansion coordinator, Caleb Kayabuki and Maurensia Niwabimanya from Kabale, Apollo Tushabemukama and Kiconco Rosette from Bushenyi, Joshua Orishaba and Prudence Atuhaire from Kanungu, Betath Kyomwaka and Sarah Asiimwe from Rukungiri. The team received trained on the carbon business which they will explain to farmers to make them understand how this business works, how they can be part of it and how best they can benefit from it.The team has been formed to facilitate TIST expansion trainings in the areas they have identified in their districts. They can form new groups with new farmers to help increase the number of trees planted, and create and form clusters to help bridge the gap between scattered Small Groups training farmers on the benefits of clusters. The team was given equipment like computers and smart phones to help them in their work so they can access the TIST website and download important information to use in trainings, take pictures during training and help them to report and communicate to the US team on the work done. This team will link up with the “Come and See” seminar participants who came from Gulu, Mbale Soroti, Kiryandingo, Mbarara, Isingiro, Ibanda, Kisoro, and Rwanda to sensitize and train farmers in these new areas about TIST and its activities. This will help TIST to expand to the new areas hence getting more farmers who will plant more trees. The team is working very hard to achieve best results for the improvement and betterment of TIST Uganda. We will keep updating you on their new developments.
TIST Expansion Meeting in RukungiriNyarushanje Sub-county
COME AND SEE SEMINAR
By Hakim Bachwa
‘Come and See’ was a seminar organized by TIST Uganda and took place in Kabale District in Kirigime Guest House on 3/5/16. The seminar involved participants from different parts of Uganda who were officially invited to attend the seminar. The participants came from Gulu, Kiryandongo, Kayunga, Soroti, Isingiro, Ibanda, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Kisoro and the neighboring country Rwanda. People were invited from different places to come and attend the seminar to learn and understand the TIST program model so that they can replicate it to their home District. Facilitators from Kenya came and shared with Ugandans on how the TIST program is successful and well established in Kenya. TIST is doing well in Kenya because the program works best in Clusters, which are well established in Kenya and makes activities like Small Group meetings, tree quantifications, and Small Group payments easier. When Small Groups are organized in Clusters, expenses are less and a lot is achieved with less effort. TIST Program founder, Ben Henneke, presented during the seminar and led the participants through the procedures of the business. In the carbon business, he said you must be able sign an agreement to reduce carbon, you have to plant trees, then trees eat carbon and these trees are then able to be base lined and quantified according to their growth. TIST Program works better in Small Groups of 6- 12 members from nearby homes in a walk able distance. TIST is now expanding in Nine (9) Districts in Uganda and neighbor country Rwanda. TIST is working well because “Come and See” participants are already doing training and forming Small Groups of 6-12 members in Clusters. TIST best practices like the TIST values, Small Group meetings and nursery bed establishments and management are taking place in those new areas for expansion.
RIPOOTA YA TIST EY`OMWAKA 1/10/2014-30/9/2015.
Repoota egi neeruga omuba koodineeta nabeebembezi hamwe na tiimu kuruga USA erikuza omubamemba ba TIST kuruga India,Kenya, Tanzania na Uganda. Eki nekicweka kya kabiri kya ripoota ekirikugamba ahamitwarize, enkora nembarira y`ebyempiiha hamwe nentunguuka ebaire omu TIST. ENTEBEKANISA YEKITONGORE KYA TIST. TIST obwahati nekora omu mahanga ana. Ekatandikira omu Tanzania 1999, yaaza India omugwa 2001, Uganda 2003 hamwe na Kenya 2005. Nkoku mwarebire omuripoota eyahweire, obwahati TIST eine ba memba 70,000 abaine emiti mirioni 15 eyemereire erikubarirwa kuba erimu orwoya rwa kaboni haihi taani mirioni ibiri n`ekicweka. Aga namakuru marungi munonga. Ekitongore ekyazaire TIST ekya CAAC kikagitandika nekigyendererwa kyokwenda kuha abahingi entaasya kurabira omu kuhinga emiti reeru ekanyuunyuuta orwoya orwa kaboni ekibayesire okushuubura kaboni. Kandi kikareetera abahingi bingi bayejuumbira omunkora egi kwenda kuguza orwoya rwingi. Ebitongore bingi bikakunda enkora ya TIST kandi byagyezaho kutamu empiiha kwenda ngu bamemba babyare emiti mingi kandi bashomesibwe kwenda kutuura gye. Omubitongore ebi nimwe hari ekya Institute for Environmental Innovations (I4EI). I4EI erikutunga sente kuruga omu USAID ebasize kuhwera bamemba ba TISTomuri Kenya na Uganda namunonga kwongyera ahantasya barikunogoora amahega agari kukoresa enku nkye, amashanyarazi kuruga omumasha, kushumesibwa ebyamagara nebindi ebikwatiraine n`ebyempiiha.
Ebyaza kworekwa ahaifo n`entaasya hamwe nenshohoza yomwaka 2014. Ebya 2015 tibikashuushwirwe, nimwija kubirireba omuripoota erakurateho.
Clean Air Action Financial Statements (Audited)
September 30, 2014
Profit and Loss Statement Balance Sheet
Income Assets Carbon Credit Sales 1,463,057 25,029 Other 5,031 VERs (Carbon Credits) 815,130 Total Income 1,468,088 Work in Progress 584,963 TIST Program 494,942 Equipment 1,027 Total Assets 1,921,091 Expenses Liabilities Cost of Credits 722,379 Current 422,323 Operating Expenses 622,483 Stockholders Equity 1,498,768 Total Expenses 1,344,862 Profit 123,226 Total Liabilities and Stockholders Equity 1,921,091 Omumwaka ogwe 2015, ekigombe ekya I4EI kikatunga ekirabo kuruga omu USAID ahabwemikorere mirungi kandi eki kikashemeza bamemba ba TIST. Ekirabo eki kikaba kiri ekyokuruga 2009 kuza 2014. Ripoota ekaba ehandikire gye kandi erikworeka emitwarize n`emikorere ya TIST, entasya n``enshohoza y`empiiha kuruga omu USAID, I4EI na CAAC. Omumezi 6 agahingwire, tujumbwire enshobe nyingi omunshashura. Bamemba ba TIST babaire nibatuunga sente nyingi ahabwembara mbi yababazi baitu bemiti. Abakozi ba TIST na tiimu kuruga USA etandikire kushwijuma ekyabareho kandi eki nikyo kireteire sente zakasiimo zakyererwaho okureeba aha mwaka 2016 n`okweyongyeraho. Omwaka 2016 gukatandika gye namononga omu Uganda na Kenya. Amakuru agandi nigoreka ababazi bemiti kubabazire bashangire ngu ngu emiti ekanyire kandi nabahingi ba TIST nibaija kwihamu sente nyingiho okukira endiijo myaka eyenyima. Entunguuka egi eshangirwe munonga omubahingi ba TIST India ahu barikuza kugoba sente nyingi. Ahabwenkora egi aba CAAC batandikire ehururu yokuronda obuhwezi obundi omubitongore kandi nagwe gweyongyeire.
ORUKIIKO RWABAHINGI ORUHANGO. Nebya: Enoch Tumwebaze.
Orukiiko rukabaho omuri Kabale ahakya 2/5/2016, Omuri Kanungu rukabaho 6/5/2016 kandi omuri Bushenyi rukahabo 8/5/2016. Enkiiko ezi abahingi bakaganiira na puresidenti wa CAAC Ben Henneke awabaire akuriire okushomesa, kandi owashoboreire kihango ahari TIST. Akashoborera oburungi namagoba g`okuhinga emiti n`okuguza orwoya ati; a) Kubejumbira okuza omu TIST, kubyara emiti, kuta ekitiinisa omundagaano yabo na GHG, oku emiti erikwitsya orwoya orubi orwa kaboni, okubara emiti, okuguza orwoya n`ebindi. Abahingi bakashomesibwa namunonga aba Bushenyi abaraganiise kuba abesigwa kandi bakagumyaho emiti kwenda kwihamu akasente kentaasya. Abahingi bakabuuza ebibuuzo ebikwatiriine n`emikorere ya TIST.
GREEN EXPANSION TEAM. Nebya:
Sarah Nankunda. Entwaza ya tiimu egi erimu ababazi bemiti kuruga omu disiturukiti ina ezomu burengyerw`izooba. Ekatandikwaho kurabira omutendekwa, omunkiiko okushomesa abahingi ahabikwatiraine na TIST. Ekatandikira omuri Bushenyi ebiro 7/5/2016. Koodineta ni Pamela Barigye reeru bamemba harimu Caleb Kayabuki na Maurensia Nuwabimanya kuruga Kabale, Apollo Tushabemukama na Rosette Kiconco kuruga Bushenyi, Joshua Orishaba na Prudence Atuhaire kuruga Kanungu, Betath Kyomwaka na Sarah Asiimwe kuruga Rukungiri. Bakaraganisa kutendeka abahingi kuhinga emiti mingi omubyanga byabo kandi n`okutandikaho obukiiko bwabahingi obukye kubabasisa kukorera hamwe. Bamemba ba tiimu egi, bakashomesibwa okukoresa kompyuta/ kanyabwengye ,okurondaho amakuru maingi gakwatirane n`okutendeka bataahi baabo. Tiimu ekashomesibwa okubyara emiti n`okuga orwoya rwakaboni. Tiimu neija kukoragana nendiijo nkora erikwetwa ya Come and See (Ija Oreebe) eibamemba baayo barikuruga Gulu, Mbale, Soroti, Kiryandongo, Mbarara, Isingiro, Ibanda, Kisoro na Rwanda kwenda kumanya ahamikorere ya TIST.
OMUSHOMO GWA COME AND SEE. (IJA OREEBE) Nebya: Hakim Bachwa.
Omushomo ogu gukabaho omuhoteeri ya Kirigime omuri Kabale kandi guketabwamu bamemba kuruga omubyanga ebi; Mbale, Gulu, Soroti, Kiryandongo, Mbarara, Isingiro, Ibanda, Rukungiri, Kisoro, Ntungamo na Rwanda. Abashomesa bakaruga Kenya ohu TIST erikukoragye. Abahingi ba TIST aba Kenya nibakora gye kurabira omunkiiko. Omumushomo ogu, purezidenti wa CAAC Ben Henneke akashomesa gye ahabikwatiraine na TIST nkoku erikukora, okubyara emiti nokurinda kumara emyaka 30, okubara emiti no kushashura abahingi ekasiimo kemiti, emitwarize mirungi ya TIST, okuguza orwoya oribi orwa kaboni. Abantu aba bakashomesibwa aha nkora n`entwaza ya TIST kandi bashabwa kushomesa abantu omumyanya yabo kwejumbira omuri TIST bakabyara emiti yenzarwa ne y`ejuma kutunguura ebyanga byabo. Abantu aba bakaikiriza kukora na TIST kushomesa bajenzi babo kukora obugombe okukye bwantu 6‐ 12, okubarabyare emiti, okukora nursery beds, okuza omunkiiko, okurindo embibo z`emiti nemitwarize mirungi ya TIST nkokuba abesigwa, okurerera busha, okuba abamazima nebindi. Obwahati tiimu egi eriho nejezaho kutwara TIST omumyanya yabo kurabira omukoshomesha abantu bantu aha nkora nungi ya TIST.