Hop on the Bus!
Nonprofit Organization Sponsorship Proposal
June 19, 2019
Mr. Robert Olin
Rotary Club of Gaithersburg, Maryland
Dear Mr. Olin:
Educate Our Kids is grateful for our introduction to the Rotary Club of Gaithersburg, MD by Dr. Kate Kittrel, a member of the Rotary Club and a board member of Educate Our Kids. With the help of Kate and others like her, Educate Our Kids has been able to provide financial support to over 6,000 impoverished students in Angola over the past 10 years who otherwise would not have been able to attend school. Some of these children live in rural areas and have no other choice than to walk long distances to school. However, this is a good problem to have because it means that today 100 children are in school who otherwise wouldn’t be. Educate Our Kids has now set out to solve the transportation challenge with our 2019 campaign, Hop on the Bus!
In 2018, John Achebe, founder of Educate Our Kids, conceived of the idea to purchase a bus following a trip to Angola. During this trip, he spent the night with the family of sponsored student Joseph Ladipo, who lives in a three-room house in the rural village, Cabinda. John slept on the dirt floor with Joseph and his four siblings as they do each night with only a few mats made of palm leaves between them. Following Joseph’s early morning routine which includes collecting water at the community well for the family, he accompanied Joseph on his 49-minute walk to school, along pothole-marked dirt roads strewn with trash. They passed the street market where Joseph’s mother sells goods and the home of his aunt who sometimes feeds him and provides him a place to sleep, helping decrease the long walk to and from school. Our time spent with Joseph and other students inspired us to begin the project, Hop on the Bus!
The Benefits of Subsidized Student Transportation
Why is subsidizing children’s transportation a priority for Educate Our Kids? Safety is the number one concern. According to a 2016 report, “Step Change: An Action Agenda on Safe Walking for Africa’s Children,” the combination of high vehicular speed, poorly maintained roads, and inadequate footpaths and safe crossings is deadly for children throughout the African continent. In fact, more than 85,000 African children are killed or seriously injured on roads each year. In addition, the long walk places children, especially girls, at higher risk for sexual violence.
Educate Our Kids also believes that the bus will offer students hope. The transportation will help improve school attendance and increase students’ dedication to learning. Feeling secure and free of anxiety goes a long way towards achieving academic success.
A secondary benefit is the employment that the bus will provide. Educate Our Kids, in conjunction with sponsor YMCA Angola, has committed to hiring female bus drivers on a rotational basis. In doing so, the project will positively impact the lives of twelve women (and their families) in need of employment.
The Project Plan
Educate Our Kids’ goal is to purchase, paint, ship, and maintain one school bus with a seating capacity of 45 for the transport of 90 sponsored chilldren to the seven different schools that they attend. The projected time frame for the shipment of the bus is July to September 2020, with the intention that it be used at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. The total cost of the project is $37,175 with the largest expenses being for the purchase of the bus and the shipment of it to Angola, estimated at $28,000. The costs are itemized in the chart below.
Capital Costs / Hop on the Bus!
| Particulars | Required Units | Rate Per Unit | Value $ |
| School Bus (used) | 1 | $20,000 | $20,000 |
| Towing | 2 | $1,000 | $2,000 |
| Title/Registration/Plate | 1 | $400 | $400 |
| Outside Signage* | 4 | $400 | $1,600 |
| Inside Signage* | 5 | $200 | $1,000 |
| Repainting | 1 | $1,500 | $1,500 |
| Lockbox** | 1 | $400 | $400 |
| Internal Mirror | 1 | $350 | $350 |
| DVD Player*** | 1 | $25 | $125 |
| DVD Screen*** | 6 | $300 | $1,800 |
| Shipment to Liberia | 1 | $8,000 | $8,000 |
| Total | $12,575 | $37,175 |
*Sponsors’ names and logos will be painted on the sides of the school bus, and brochures on each organization will be displayed/offered inside the bus.
**Because Angola is a country with high-security needs, a lockbox is essential to safeguard fare paid from passengers as well as documents including registration, insurance and emergency contact information.
***The DVD will be used to play informational videos from partners or other educational videos.
Operational costs include fuel and wages for the bus drivers. Please note that although we have accounted for the cost of three staff positions below, one of our goals is to hire 12 female drivers who will work on a rotational basis. We will attempt to impact as many families as possible through providing income to women, a priority uncommon in Africa.
With the indispensable help of YMCA Angola, the cost of overnight parking for the bus will be defrayed, allowing us to direct our resources to other necessary expenses. In addition, YMCA Angola will find and vet licensed drivers, manage payroll, ensure the bus is always stocked with brochures from partners, monitor fare and the lockbox, and provide monthly reports about bus activities.
Routine operational costs are charted below.
Annual Operational Costs /Hop on the Bus!
| Particulars | Cost | Amount | Total Cost | Annual Cost |
| Fuel | $5/gallon | 50 miles/day7.14 gallons | $35.70 per day$178.50 per week | $7,140 |
| Staff | $138/month | 3 staff positions | $414/month | $5,000 |
| Overnight ParkingManagement of bus staffOperational oversight | 0 | Provided by YMCA of Angola | 0 | 0 |
In order to cover the estimated annual operational costs, $12,140, the bus will be utilized during hours outside of school delivery and pick up. For example, the bus could be used to transport high school or college students. A nominal fee will be charged.
Below is a chart outlining three options for subsidizing operational costs to keep the service sustainable. After consideration of the three options, the Educate Our Kids board chose the highlighted option (option #2). As you will see, if the bus is used five days per week, the projected revenue will cover the operating costs outlined in the chart above. Any remaining revenue will be set aside in an account to be used for maintenance and repairs.
Revenue Options/ Hop on the Bus!
| Seating Capacity | Unit Fare/Fee | Revenue – Used 2 days per week |
Revenue – Used 3 days per week |
Revenue – Used 5 days per week |
|
| Option 1 | 30 | $1.50 | $90/week$360/month | $135/week$540/month | $225/week$900/month |
| Option 2 | 45 | $1.50 | $135/week$540/month | $202.50/week$810/month | $337.50/week$1350/month |
| Option 3 | 70 | $1.50 | $210/week$840/month | $315/week$1260/month | $525/week$2100/month |
Sponsorship
With the potential help of organizations such as the Rotary Club of Gaithersburg, 100 Angolan children including Joseph will have a secure and less stressful journey to school. In honor of these organizations, sponsors will have an opportunity to participate in our launching ceremony. As noted above, sponsors’ logos will be painted on the sides of the school bus, and brochures on each organization will be displayed/offered inside the bus. Most importantly, Hop on the Bus! is an opportunity to achieve shared goals beyond borders.
To date, we have secured sponsorship from a few organizations. We are proud to partner with these organizations to safely transport each sponsored child to receive the education he/she deserves. Will you join our other sponsors to help make this vital project happen? Specifically, Educate Our Kids humbly requests the financial and advisory support of the Rotary Club of Gaithersburg. Are you ready to hop on the bus?
With gratitude,
John Achebe
Founder and Director of Educate Our Kids