The $2 a day challenge once again took place in 2010 during the month of February.

This year we are raising money for a specific project - our proposed piggery in Nabikakala, Masaka District.

The aim of this project is: "To train people in the keeping of pigs for purposes of income and food and to ensure this process is sustainable in the long term."

We intend to construct a piggery for an initial 20 pigs which will be a centre for training people in the proper care of pigs. Following the completion of training, each trainee will receive one pig from the organisation. The first time this pig reproduces, half the piglets will be returned to CODEWE, with the remainder belonging to the trainee.

Although the event is now over we will not know exactly how much we have raised until the end of March. However, we still need your help to make this project a success! So please, consider donating something towards this project. If you would still like to take up the challenge we can use the money you raise for some of the initial running costs of the piggery - it doesn't have to be for one month, even do it for just a week and raise whatever you can. Every little bit will help.

We have created a fundraising pack which includes an overview of the organisation, a more detailed description of the piggery project and a sponsor form. You can download it here. It is a Word file, so you can adjust it depending on when and for how long you will be participating.

If you are taking part please consider joining our facebook group and join the event here. It is the easiest way we have of keeping in touch with all those taking part.

Benefits

For the trainee:

- These pigs are ready to reproduce as young as 6 months old, and within the first year, they can reproduce twice, providing around 10 piglets, some of which can be sold. This money is invaluable in the villages, where sources of income are few, for paying things such as school fees or iron sheets for roofing.

- The pigs also provide fertilizer for crops.

- They act as an asset or collateral to help people acquire funding for other projects.

For the community:

- When people see the benefits a pig can provide to one family (such as paying school fees) they will be inclined to follow suit. And the first person can help provide advice on caring for pigs.

For CODEWE:

- People will see that the organisation has good ideas and can provide assistance. This will help give us a good name and assist in finding funding for future projects.

Costs

The cost of constructing the piggery will be around 22.5 million Shillings (£7,500 or US$12,300). The cost of the initial 20 piglets will be around 1 million Shillings (£333, US$525). Running costs per month will be between 450,000 and 800,000 Shillings (£150-270, US$235-420), increasing as the pigs grow. After the first 6 months the project should be financially self-sustaining as we fund it through the sale of piglets (especially the males).

We hope to raise a minimum of 22.5 million Shillings, to at least provide the structure of the piggery.

For full details of this project see here.