Vision
An innovative community foundation committed to just, resilient, and prosperous communities.
Mission
Our mission is to empower people, create economic opportunities and transform communities for prosperity of current and future generations.
Theory of Change
Nguzo Africa believes that “Community have power, resources, skills and people to take charge of their own development. Communities need empowerment, skills and connections to realise their potential.” When communities are informed and equipped with relevant knowledge, they get empowered, organised and connected to offer sustainable community-led solutions on pressing challenges that affect them.
Approaches
Nguzo Africa uses participatory community-led approaches where, the Foundation empowers communities to constructively engage with leaders for quality, efficient and accountable delivery of public service. This is done using constructive engagement with citizens and leaders as well the use of the e-petitions portal to help citizens to hold their leaders accountable. This approach gives communities a voice to engage with decision makers on decisions that affect them.
Nguzo Africa economic empowerment approaches built skills, networks and linkages for people on the margins to put money in their pockets. The organization holds a niche in building capacities of vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities (PWDs), rural women, youth, men and elderly to establish viable businesses for increased income. Nguzo Africa is also committed to adopt measures aimed at accelerating environment conservation actions and combating climate change crisis.
The foundation undertakes regular researches to inform actions and decisions. Continues data collection and monitoring of actions helps to track our progress, document our results and share insights and knowledge.
Further, Nguzo believes in innovations. We are our digital transformation strategy to deploy technology tools and platforms to do more with less.
Location
Established in 2011, Nguzo Africa undertakes programs activities in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya (ASALs) and the Lake Basin Region of Kenya.
Our Story
Nguzo Africa is an innovative community foundation committed to just, resilient, and prosperous communities. On 4th March 2022, through support from KCDF and Mott Foundation, we transitioned to a community foundation to expand our mandate and scope or work.
Nguzo Africa was established in 2011 as a Community Based Organisation (CBO) that sought to address the pressing challenges of food insecurity, climate change crisis, and poor governance that leads to poor public service delivery.
Our initial focus was empowering communities to harness available local resources, skills, expertise, and knowledge to address local challenges without waiting external donors to solve them.
At these formative stages, in 2011, we contacted Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) to experiment and implement our ideas. KCDF challenged us to fundraise KES. 1 million for them to match with a similar amount. We viewed this as an impossibility. But we pushed ourselves. Within 3 months, we managed to raised the funds and KCDF matched their bargain. With Kshs.2 million, we started our initial project of growing trees in schools for improved learning environments. This support also helped to educate and promote use of renewable energy sources such as solar and biogas. We distributed 500 solar lanterns and installed fives household biogas systems.
Inspired by our works, we attracted support from government, local development partners and individuals to implement various project on governance and citizens engagement, civic and voter education, enhanced agriculture productivity, gender equality and health rights advocacy.
Our model of work is community-led, and community driven. We bring communities to the frontline in taking charge of their own development. Communities are meaningfully involved in the identification, design, participation, fundraising and execution of solutions for the challenges they face. The model continues to inform all Nguzo Africa initiatives to date.
Since 2022, we are actively engaged in strengthening #ShiftThePower movement to shape how development aid should be delivered. Nguzo Africa champions for durable development that is inclusive, transparent and provides dignity to people in the aid value chain.
Our Achievements
Nguzo Africa implements life changing transformative programs in governance and citizens engagement, economic empowerment in agriculture and food security; and environment conservation and addresses climate change crisis.
Committed to just, resilient and prosperous communities.
Our location
Narok Town, Kenya
Nguzo Africa. Total, Block 11, along, Maasai Mara University Way
connect with us
info@nguzo.africa