In the past year, The Pollination Project launched a grant-making hub in Uganda and Kenya. Our team of 15 advisors and ambassadors identified promising social change efforts worthy of start-up investments. Here are the seeds of change that they planted in East Africa in the past few weeks! To learn more about The Pollination Project's work in East Africa, check out our website.
Fuel Alternatives in Nairobi, Kenya. Stanley Didi's project Tupike Na Briquette is addressing the need for affordable cooking fuel through the promotion of locally-produced, fair-trade biomass briquettes. Over the next 12 months, Stanley will use diverted agricultural and household waste products to produce more than 1.5 tons of briquettes. Working together with local leaders, he plans to sell the briquettes at reduced prices in Nairobi's most impoverished communities. Overall, Tupike Na Briquette will help to reduce local reliance on wood fuel and widespread regional deforestation while providing an affordable alternative.
Locally-Made Water Filters in Rural Kenya. Justine Magara is the project manager and founder of the Peace Ceramic Water Filter Project in Kisii, Kenya. Over the next year, Justine will work closely with several local volunteers to build a workshop where she can produce clay water filters coated in a potent antimicrobial compound. Justine will sell the filters to local families at affordable rates in order to prevent the spread of disease by water-borne pathogens which threaten the health and well-being of the entire community.
Women's Social Enterprise in Kenya. Lauren Vining and Devon Legare are working together to help Masaai women in Namanga, Kenya turn their traditional craft skills into a profitable enterprise. Through the Kuinua Craft Project, Lauren and Devon will train women in Namanga to use traditional Masaai designs in the creation of modern goods which will appeal to customers in international markets and nearby hotels. Profits from the sale of goods will be used to purchase supplies, provide participants with income, and support future community-led development projects.
Technology Empowers Youth in Githurai, Kenya. Josephat Bwire's organization, the Fountain Youth Initiative (FYI), is supporting impoverished youth from Githurai, Kenya to grow into Kenya's future leaders. Through FYI's Mtandao Mashinani Initiative, Josephat is providing internet access to students enrolled in the Rise Up program (FYI's computer training course). Thanks to the Mtandao Mashinani Initiative, students will be able to enroll in online educational courses, search for global job opportunities, and network with other young people all over the world.
Climate Change Action in Rural Uganda. Kaganga John's Half + Half 1000 Acre Community Forest Project is helping to fortify communities in Mityana, Uganda against the regional effects of global climate change. After witnessing nearly a decade of drought in Mityana, over the next year Kaganga will lead public workshops and outreach on environmentally sustainable community development. In addition, Kaganga has arranged to meet with local agriculturalists to promote the use of sustainable land tenure systems in agricultural production.
Traditional Woven Baskets Provide Relief in Drought Stricken Kenya. Josephine Mbenya lives in Kenya's rural, agricultural Yatta District where residents are struggling to cope with the devastating effects of prolonged drought on crop yields. Josephine's project, Empowering Women Through Social Enterprise, will help impoverished women from Yatta earn supplemental income through the sale of traditional baskets woven with the drought resistant sisal plant. Under Josephine's guidance, participating women will be encouraged to save a portion of their earnings in a women's banking co-op for future investments.
Kitchen Gardens in Kakamega, Kenya. Through her project, Supporting Orphans Through Income-Generating Activities, Topistar Were is working to ensure that vulnerable children and their families in Kakamega, Kenya have access to healthy food. Topistar will hold a series of workshops where she will provide local families with nutritional education and training on the establishment of kitchen gardens. The produce that families grow thanks to Topistar's training will help to encourage healthy diets while providing a source of supplemental income.
Single-Mothers Become Successful Jewelry Makers in Githurai, Kenya. Lilian Nyakio is the founder of Rise Up, a project that empowers single-mothers in Githurai, Kenya by providing them with the training as craft-makers and artisans. Through her project, Lilian provides local women with professional jewelry making classes and mentorship programs while linking them to micro-finance institutions and helping them start their own businesses. Lilian's program has already successfully helped 5 local women establish businesses in the area, and over the course of the next year she will enroll 30 new participants from the area.
Promoting Inter-Ethnic and Inter-Tribal Cooperation Across Kenya. Churchill Saoke is the founder of Peace and Unity International, a Kenya-based non-profit working to promote international peace and security. In Peace and Unity's newest initiative, Churchill is promoting the establishment Anti-Tribal Clubs at universities across the country in order to bridge the gaps between ethnic/tribal groups. At university AT Clubs students will receive training that will empower them to work with local communities in order to promote inter-ethnic cooperation and grassroots community development.
Do you know someone who would be a candidate for a Pollination Project East Africa Hub grant? We welcome grant applications from anyone, anywhere, at any time!