Help GoGreen Complete Education Center and Mushroom Lab

Elijah Astute, Founder and Director of GoGreen Social Initiative (formerly known as Bio-Green) located at the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda seeks $3,500 to complete the construction of the GGSI Education Center, build a free-standing Mushroom Lab, and purchase the land from the Church where both facilities are and will be situated.

Complete the Education Center - $1,500

In Spring 2024, GGSI constructed the basic structure of the educational facility. To date, the foundation, walls, roofing and plastering have been completed. Remaining work includes installing a ceiling, laying interior flooring, exterior and interior painting, and installation of a water system with two rainwater tanks. The tanks and gutter system is necessary to divert rainwater away from the building and the road. The road sustains heavy damage during rainfall. Water pools not only the road but around the structure, threatening the foundation of the building which is made of natural materials and could be severely damaged if compromised by rain.

The $5,300 will be used as follows:

Mushroom Lab Construction - $1,000

GGSI has deep experience in establishing, maintaining, and training other people in how to grow mushrooms not only for food security but also for income generation. Elijah has sufficient training to implement the program. In June 2023, he attended an introductory mushroom course with 25 farmers in Nakivale through Milkwood. He visited the Rwamwanja mushroom lab and in January 2024 established a mushroom lab at Little Bridge Foundation in Bugiri to provide nutritious food for orphanage children. Additionally, he organized a mushroom cultivation training for 15 farmers in Nakivale in 2023.

GGSI needs resources to create a special dark room with conditions appropriate for mushroom growing. The lab will be a stand alone building independent of the current educational facility, constructed of mud bricks.

1. Mushroom house: $600

2. Shelves: $50

3. Materials: $250

4. Seeds: $50

5. Additional Working Capital for first training: $50

Purchase Land - $1,000 UPDATE: COMPLETE!

GGSI's educational facility is built on land rented from the local church. Funds will be used to purchase the land outright from the church providing GGSI with a secure future for years if not decades to come.

GGSI Purpose & Programming

The purpose of GGSI is to restore food security within the Nakivale Refugee Settlement through mushroom growing, permaculture and syntropic agroforestry, skills training and promoting local arts and crafts.

Urgency of Programming

There is an urgency to delivering this suite of programming and thus an urgency to completing the construction of these buildings and securing the land.

At the Nakivale Settlement food distribution has been cut off and residents are not getting the amount of food they used to. They are left to make do with only USD$5 a month. This combined with difficult living situations, lack of clean water, exposure to diseases, and few job opportunities has created a crisis situation for many families, particularly single mothers with young children.

Skills Training for Single Mothers

Following the COVID epidemic, there was a significant increase in the number of new single mothers at Nakivale. Many of them are teenage mothers and are especially vulnerable. In some cultures, teenage mothers are expelled from the home and are left to find shelter elsewhere, sometimes living on the streets. GGSI is committed to teaching these women skills and opening up income generating opportunities to them through several programs:

Programs Delivered to Date

Despite the fact that the educational center is not yet complete, GGSI has nonetheless started delivering essential programming.

Moringa Soap Making Workshop

In June 2024, GGSI delivered a 2-day workshop training 25 women how to produce medicinal soap made from the herbal plant Moringa.

GGSI plans to deliver 4 of these trainings per year for a total of 100 women trained per year. After women attend the trainings, they will form a collective to continue making soap and start selling moringa bar soap at the market for income generation.

Women Crafters Collective

A group of 15 women currently meet regularly three times a week for a crafting and crocheting program.

They produce bags, hair scrunchies, ponchos, and other items for sale in the marketplace.

Kitchen Gardening/Composting

GGSI held around three kitchen garden trainings in 2023 attended by 25 women each time. During the training they designed together a demonstrative site. After each training, they encouraged each and every participant to design her own kitchen garden at their own homes. All participants are encouraged to grow their own food to save their money and sell the crops to the neighborhood for income generation.

History & Vision

GoGreen Social Initiative was founded by Congolese refugee Elijah Astute and originally named Bio-Green. With the recent renaming to GoGreen Social Initiative and registration as a Community-Based Organization with the Republic of Uganda, GGSI is well positioned to complete construction on its education center, construct a free-standing mushroom lab, and start providing a full suite of programming in mushroom growing, beekeeping, permaculture, and syntropic agroforestry to equip women and teen mothers with valuable agricultural skills.

Programs, several of which are already underway even without the education facility fully complete, include:

About Elijah Astute

Founder of GoGreen Social Initiative

Elijah Astute, born Irenge Barhame Elia in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a multifaceted individual with a rich and inspiring journey. Fleeing his homeland to Uganda in September 2016 due to insecurities, Elijah has transformed his life experiences into a tapestry of resilience, passion, and dedication.

As a therapeutic yoga coach, Elijah helps individuals find balance and well-being through the practice of yoga. His expertise in this field is complemented by his talents as an author and poet, where he channels his experiences and insights into powerful written words that motivate and inspire.

Elijah's love for nature and sustainable living is evident in his work as a mushroom, bee, and forest farmer. He founded Bio-Green now GoGreen Social Initiative, a refugee-led organization dedicated to empowering women and teenage girls through food security and livelihood projects. His commitment to community development and environmental stewardship underscores his holistic approach to personal and societal growth.

With a goal to study tourism, Elijah's hobbies include traveling, walking, and running, reflecting his deep connection with the world around him. His life philosophy revolves around empowerment, sustainability, and the belief that everyone can make a difference.

Elijah Astute is not only a beacon of hope for many but also a testament to the power of perseverance and the impact of nurturing both the self and the community.