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DEVELOPMENT OF INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITIES
Like many other heritage institutions, the
Abasuba Museum
faces
challenges in sustaining its operations, and as such it has developed a
number of complimentary sources of income generation to ensure its
financial sustainability. The money received is used in the day to
day
running of the museum.
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- Community centre
The community centre has become a popular venue and is hired by both
indivuals and organisations
for workshops, seminars, community meetings and training
programmes.
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- Boat hire
The museum's two boats are available for hire to visitors, Suba
residents and local insitutions/organisations requiring transport
around the island or in the region.
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- Camping
Visitors to the museum and/or Mfangano Island have a range of
affordable accommodation on the museum grounds. The
museum has a limited number of tents and mattresses for hire; or
campers can also use their own equipment, camping on the museum
premises at a fee – shower and toilet facilities are available.
Self-contained camping huts will also soon be available for hire.
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Rock Art Café
Don't
miss the opportunity to sample local delicacies at the museum's "Rock
Art Café", with beautiful views of the lake. The Café
has become a popular meeting point for Abasuba elders,
and members of Mfangano's small but growing professional
community (teachers, local government representatives, etc).
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- Satellite
broadcasts: Sports, Cinema, Documentaries
The
museum invested in a large screen TV and a satelite (DStv) system to
enable community members to take advantage of TV showings at a fee.
While international and local football matches are always a huge
crowd-puller, the museum screens other shows to
community
members including natural and cultural documentaries, films, and
cartoons – and arranges special school shows by arrangement with local
schools.
- M-PESA
M-PESA is a mobile money
transfer service by one of Kenya's leading mobile phone service
providers, Safaricom.
Kenya is the first country in the world to use this
service, which is offered in partnership between Safaricom and
Vodafone. The Museum is an authorised M-PESA agent, and provides a much
needed and appreciated service on this remote island. Each M-PESA
transaction, whether depositing or withdrawing funds, provides the
museum with a small commission.
- M-KESHO
This is a bank account introduced by Equity Bank
and Safaricom, where customers can earn interest from as little as one
Shilling. Customers can withdraw cash from their Equity Bank account to
their M-PESA accounts and can also deposit through their M-PESA
accounts to their M-KESHO Bank account. M-KESHO account also includes
Micro credit facilities (emergency credit availed through M-PESA). This
is a tremendous boost to the community, especially fishermen, as there
is no bank on Mfangano Island and the closest Equity Bank branch is on
the mainland at Mbita. The museum is currently has 236 M-KESHO
subscribers.
