Bukopa Disabled Assistance Project (BUDAP) is founded to support disabled people in Bukoba in order to enable them to be productive in society. There is a problem of high unemployment among disabled people in Bukoba. This is due to the fact that the disabled people in Bukoba are less educated (most of them only finished primary school). Disabled people in Bukoba have a difficult time finding a job because employers give preference to people that are not disabled. At the moment disabled people in Bukoba earn their (low) incomes by doing casual works (like shoe repair) or by begging for money in the streets.

Mission statement BUDAP
It is BUDAP’s mission to alleviate poverty among disabled people in Bukoba. BUDAP wants to empower disabled people in Bukoba to participate in the society, become independent and be able to generate their own income.

Vision BUDAP
BUDAP believes that with little assistance disabled people are able to be independent. BUDAP will create an environment where disabled people have their own workshop. The people will be trained in making traditonal African drums (ngoma) and the produced drums (and other music instruments and crafts) will be market to the local community, the tourists that visit Bukoba or Tanzania and export.



Objectives BUDAP

• To improve livelihoods of disabled people by promoting economical development through creation of jobs for them.
• To reduce the high number of unemployment among disabled people in Bukoba.
• To continuously engage in formulating, reviewing and implementing BUDAP’s strategy, marketing and knowledge of the market. In order to register sustained growth in the organisation’s assets, trade (in country and border-border), profits and its employees well being.
• To implement staff training and recruitment that will make the organisation grow and continually upgrade skills and quality and variety of products.
  

Activities BUDAP

• BUDAP runs a wood workshop in Bukoba to produce music instruments and handicrafts. The BUDAP workshop is runned by the disabled people themselves.
• BUDAP recruits and trains disabled people in making traditional drums and handicrafts, administration, planning, marketing, the English language and of course how to play the drums!
• BUDAP produces African drums, music instruments and handicrafts

Current status BUDAP
BUDAP is in the start up phase, it started in May 2005. At the moment BUDAP has found a site that can be used as a wood workshop. Four disabled people are recruited so far and are being trained at the moment to make african drums (ngoma). At the moment BUDAP is looking for sponsors that can support BUDAP by providing start up capital, tools, international marketing support and training.

People & organisational structure
The organisation has recruited 8 people so far, 4 timber men, a drum making trainer, 2 people who can take care of logistics and shifting materials (because this is not possible for the disabled men) and one person who will be guard and take care of the workshop. BUDAP has plans of employing more workers over the next six months when the organisation will be growing as estimated. BUDAP has two advisors, a primary school teacher from Bukoba who speaks good English and has a lot of contacts with the Bukoba community and a Dutch VSO volunteer working for Kiroyera Tours who has expertise in business and marketing. Both advisors work on this project as volunteers and will not receive a salary.

Name: Bahati Amani

Role: Chairman BUDAP, drum maker

Location: Kashai, Bukoba

Age: 35 years

Marital status: Single

Disability: I have polio and got disabled when I was 1 year old.

Why join BUDAP: Because BUDAP has the goal to make disabled people productive and I want to gain experience with tourists and tourism.

Name: Konde Nyika

Role: Secretary BUDAP, drum maker

Location: Uswahilini

Age: 43 years

Marital status: married, 2 children (wife is pregnant at the moment)

Disability: I have polio and have become disabled when I was 3 years old

Why join BUDAP: Because I want to be productive in society just like other people. I also have a strong desire to become a good handicraftsman


Name: Temistoklesi Reveliani

Role: timer man

Location: Kashai, Bukoba

Age: 34 years

Marital status: married, 4 children

Disability: Polio, disabled since I was 4 years old

Why join BUDAP: Because I want to get some skills and experience in woodworks and because I want to improve my life standard.

Name: Baraka Ramadhani

Role: timber man

Location: Buye, Bukoba

Age: 36 years

Marital status: divorced, 1 child

Disability: I had an accident with a machine in 1995 where I lost my leg

Why join BUDAP: I want to be accepted in the community be showing that I can also work just like others and be meeting tourists I want to become known internationally!

Partners and capital
BUDAP is in need of a start up capital to train the staff, buy tools, materials and machines and to support the running costs over the first 6 months. The goal will be that after the start up capital BUDAP will earn enough money to be able to finance itself.

BUDAP is looking for partners that want to sell tradional African drums and can support BUDAP with their export and national and international marketing.

BUDAP believes that with contribution from interested partners or individuals and with some financial assistance a lot can be achieved.


Bukoba Disabled Assistance Project (BUDAP)
Registration date NGO: May 2005
Nationality of organisation: Tanzanian

Address
BUDAP
P.O. Box 485
Bukoba, Kagera
Tanzania

E-mail: mailbudap@yahoo.com
Website: www.kagera.org/budap.htm
Telephone: +255748554539 (Bart Lacroix)

BUDAP, disabled people at work, disabled but able