network for ecofarming in africa MOLO, KENYA
NECOFAKENYA.WORDPRESS.COM
Quick Overview Network for Ecofarming in Africa (NECOFA) is a community based Non-governmental organization promoting Ecofarming: Ecologically and socially sustainable Land Management. It works towards empowering communities to sustainably access education, health, food security and social dignity. The organization has activities in Nakuru, Baringo and Makueni counties and works with rural community groups and schools.
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE + COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Country: KENYA ! As part of East Africa, the territory of what is now Kenya has seen human habitation since the beginning of the Lower Paleolithic. The Bantu expansion from a West African center of dispersal reached the area by the 1st millennium AD. European and Arab presence in Mombasa dates to the Early Modern period, but European exploration of the interior began only in the 19th century. The British Empire established the East Africa Protectorate in 1895, known as the Kenya Colony by 1920. The independent Republic of Kenya was formed in 1964. It was ruled as a de-facto single-party state by the Kenya African National Union (KANU), a KikuyuLuo alliance led by Jomo Kenyatta during 1963 to 1978. Kenyatta was succeeded by Daniel arap Moi, who ruled until 2002. Moi attempted to transform the de-facto singleparty status of Kenya into a de-jure status during the 1980s, but with the end of the Cold War, the practices of political repression and torture which had been "overlooked" by the Western powers as necessary evils in the eort to contain
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communism were no longer tolerated. Moi came under pressure, notably by US ambassador Smith Hempstone, to restore a multi-party system, which he did by 1991. Moi won elections in 1992 and 1997, which were overshadowed by political killings on both sides. During the 1990s, evidence of Moi's involvement in human rights abuses and corruption (Goldenberg scandal) was uncovered. He was constitutionally barred from running in the 2002 election, which was won by Mwai Kibaki. Widely reported electoral fraud on Kibaki's side in the 2007 elections resulted in the 2007–2008 Kenyan crisis, which left 1,000 people dead and nearly 600,000 displaced.
Kenya Statistics Kenyan population: 41, 070,940 Over 9 Ethnic groups Rural homes: 78% Protestant: 45%, Catho lic: 33% Life expectancy: 59.48
In 2008 Kibaki appointed 41 Ministers who voted to eliminate the position of Prime Minister, which reduced the powers of the President. Today Kibaki is still in power and has recently post-poned the 2012 elections until March 2013.
Health Statistics HIV rate: 15% in 2009 Infant mortality rate: 130 per 1,000 children 63% of population living on less than $1/day in 2009
Organization: NETWORK FOR ECOFARMING IN AFRICA Network for Ecofarming in Africa (Necofa) is a community based nongovernmental organization (NGO) in Kenya promoting Ecofarming: Ecologically and Socially Sustainable Land Management. It is a chapter of the International Necofa movement whose international secretariat is based at International Centre of North South Dialogue (ICNSD) in Germany. In Kenya, NECOFA is active in the following districts; Molo, Nakuru, Njoro, Baringo and Kajiado (Rift Valley province) and Meru North, Isiolo and Kibwezi (Eastern province). NECOFA Kenya’s mandate is promotion of participatory community development. It targets and works with rural resource poor communities towards food sovereignty and building local economies; rural health care; education; water and sanitation; mitigation and adaptation to climate change; intercultural exchange; peace building and harmonious coexistence. The Vision of NECOFA is to have efficient, profitable and ecologically sustainable agriculture systems in Africa. Their Mission is to empower Kenyan communities to sustainably achieve enhanced access to education, health, food security and social dignity. NECOFA’s Values are: 1 2
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Promoting people -centred community development Respect for the culture, religion, indigenous knowledge and innovations of local communities. Uplifting livelihoods, gender equity and equality.
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Safeguarding people's right to quality education and food Promoting peaceful and harmonious co-existence Building partnerships and networking with others
PROGRAMS:
Promoting food security • One hundred kitchen gardens have been established in Molo, Kibwezi and Baringo Districts • 12 school gardens have been established • 18 dairy goats were distributed to four community groups • 21 sheep were distributed to three community groups • A food and nutrition project was conducted with people living with HIV/ AIDS. Promoting environmental conservation • 81,000 indigenous trees have been reforested • 17 environmental clubs were established in schools. • 500 vulnerable households are now utilizing energy saving stoves to reduce pressure in forest resources. • 20 community group tree nurseries were established Biodiversity conservation • Beekeeping in forest areas with 10 community groups • Forest excursions
• Mapping of medicinal plants • Four botanical gardens in schools Community health • Medical camps were conducted on the Kokwa Island of Lake Baringo. • Bed nets distributed to 2000 households • Children shaving, water and sanitation sessions were conducted Community enterprises • Promotion of farmers’ products (stinging nettle, pumpkin flour, indigenous chicken, fibre art products from wool) for income generation. • The community enterprises are called Presidia projects and engage Self Help Groups to empower them to lead the projects in their own communities. Local /International internships and ecotourismHosted university students from Kenya, Italy, US, France and Germany. Education Programme • Two school gardens at Primary Schools in Baringo and five in Molo District • Scholarships for 19 primary-aged girls and 43 nursery-aged children, as well as allowances for two nursery school teachers in Baringo District. • Scholarships for 14 primary students in Kajiado District and 17 in Isiolo and Meru North District.
NECOFA collaborates with the following institutions: • Molo Stakeholders Forum • Kenya Organic Agricultural Network - coordinates all organic agricultural activities in Kenya • Participatory Ecological Land Use Management Association network of NGOs working with small-scale farmers in East, Central and Southern Africa • Kenya Biodiversity Coalition - a coalition of 65 organizations concern with the environment, agriculture and biodiversity. • Capacity Building International • Friends of Kenya Schools and Wildlife • Slow Food • International Commission on the Future of Food and Agriculture • Multi-stakeholders Coordination Consortium • Peace and Collaborative Development Network • Partnership for Peace • GlobalGiving • Crofting Connections • Mani Tese
What makes WHY DO YOU WANT kcbhc TO WORK WITH unique? STUDENTS? “We believe that through University students who are all involved in different disciplines we can acquire a lot of information, skills and knowledge which would be beneficial to our target communities, We also believe in the power of the young youths in terms of fundraising and innovation.”
what are the biggest barriers to your daily activities? “When you get to the community you try to let them know you’re there to help them. They have expectations because of prior things that happened with the other donors. We are not like any other donor but we’re there to help them identify their needs. Communities having suspicions about who is coming to work with them if we don’t know them. There are different levels in the community - it’s not like everyone has knowledge at the high level - you have to get on their level.” --JANE KARANJA, ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NECOFA
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country resources CIA World Factbook https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworld-factbook/geos/ke.html International Human Development Indicators http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/ KEN.html Human Rights Watch http://www.hrw.org/africa/kenya World Health Organization (WHO) http://www.who.int/countries/ken/en/ Politicizing the Fight Against Corruption, Article http://allafrica.com/stories/201205070669.html