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Global Grant Proposal Form for Project G-1252 1. Host Partner Information
2. International Partner Information
1. Describe the benefiting community including its location, using any relevant geographic and demographic information (Please be as specific as possible). If the activity is a scholarship, enter "N/A". Njabini is a farming community located in South Kinangop, Nyandarua, which is in the central part of Kenya. It lies on the east of the Aberdare ranges at an altitude of about 8,000 ft. In Nyandarua, residents between the age of 0-20 years make up over 51 percent of the total population in the region. The average life expectancy in Njabini is estimated to be about 61 years old and the average occupation is farming. The majority of residents in Njabini live below the poverty line, making less than two dollars a day. In addition, the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the region is approximately 7.4 percent, which is significantly higher than the national average. Across Kenya, less than 25 percent of children are able to attend or complete high school, average class sizes exceed 60 students, and a national survey recently found that 32 percent of girls have experienced sexual violence before adulthood. 2. What community needs have been identified? If the activity is a scholarship, enter "N/A". Agribusiness is the primary source of income for many families in Njabini. As stated earlier, a large number of these families earn less than 2 dollars per day. The vast majority of smallholder farmers in Njabini have had limited or no access to formal education or agricultural training, and therefore current farming practices are not strategic nor informed from a business standpoint. Connecting local farmers to a trained agribusiness consultant builds capacity for more productive, higher grossing agribusiness in Njabini. This process alleviates the need for outside financial support of families, developing a sustainable source of income for the rural community. Accessibility to such training and tools is the largest challenge for families living in rural regions, and this program connects existing consultants in Kenya to a new sector or famers. 3. How are these needs currently being addressed with local resources and/or government agencies, NGOs, etc.? If the activity is a scholarship, enter "N/A". An obstacle for many families in Njabini is the lack of access to resources. Although there is incredible potential for agribusiness in Njabini, there has been no clear initiative put forth by local government agencies or outside organizations to tap into this potential market. There exists an agricultural training college in Njabini, but due to lack of finances, few community members have the option of attending and gaining technical knowledge. 1. Summarize the proposed activity(ies) in 250 words or less, including the need it will address, the intended beneficiary(ies), and the potential benefits to the community. This grant request seeks to build the capacity of local smallholder farmers while providing the training and guidance of a agribusiness professional. Farmers, and arable land are abundant in Njabini. This program bridges the gap between farmers and training, as a means to boosting the local economy, and providing families with a long-term sustainable source of income. The agribusiness consultant, connected with this program through our partnership with the Rotary Club of Nairobi East, will travel to Njabini for monthly workshops. Up to 400 local farmers will be invited to attend the workshops which will provide practical and technical information regarding crop cycles, crop diversification, maximizing profit, and basic business management education. The trained professional will be available to provide consultation to farmers directly regarding their farmland. The intended beneficiaries of this initiative are the local farmers in Njabini, as well as their families. The skills gained during the year-long initiative will provide families with a more nutritious, diversified diet, while simultaneously increasing household incomes. Boosting local economy has extensive potential benefits including safer living conditions, money to cover education costs, the ability to access healthcare, and the opportunity for additional small businesses to grow in Njabini. 2. Please list any cooperating organization(s) or university(ies) involved in the proposed activity(ies). Flying Kites, Planning Kenya Architects, Kamiti Fish & Integrated Farm, Kenya Organic Finest Aromas Ltd., Chloride Exide Kenya Ltd, Lobo Solo Dairy Farm. Monitoring and evaluation will be completed by Nairobi East Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Escondido Sunrise. 3. Describe how the benefiting community will be involved in the activity(ies) (Provide specific examples). If the activity is a scholarship, enter "N/A". Subsistence farmers in Njabini will be involved in every workshop, and will be the primary source of monitoring and evaluation data. Flying Kites has an established relationship with the community, and with many local farmers, so the workshops will be designed around the specific and identified needs of local farmers.Building capacity is a grassroots, community development project, and therefore the project success relies on the participation of community members. 4. Has the benefiting community(ies) confirmed that it would like the activity(ies) to take place? The community of Njabini, with whom The Rotary Club of Escondido Sunrise and Rotary Club of Nairobi East have an established relationship with, have expressed their desire to access training and consultation to improve their farm's outputs, and increase their presence in local market competition. 5. Proposed Start Date: 1-JAN-2017 6. Proposed Completion Date: 31-DEC-2017 1. With which area(s) of focus is the proposed activity aligned?
2. Please describe how the activity(ies) will address the goal(s) of the area(s) or focus. Competition in local markets directly translates to higher incomes, and poverty alleviation. Expanding the capacity of local farmers significantly decreases the need for financial reliance on outside donors for local families, thus developing a network of informed, high-producing farmers. Developing the capacity of local business creates an infrastructure upon which students can thrive, families can afford access to basic necessities, and the community feels empowered in its ability to thrive. Access to education is the best way for children to rise up out of impoverished situations, and this initiative creates a platform for families to give their children that opportunity. 1. What will be the immediate and long-term outcomes of the activity(ies). Immediate outcomes of this activity include: an increase in crop production, greater widespread understanding of strategic farming practices, access to guidance by agribusiness professionals, and a deeper understanding of nutrition within the community. Long-term outcomes include: an increase in family income, more families that are able to access education while eliminating economic barriers, overall higher quality of health due to increase food supply and knowledge of healthy eating habits. 2. Explain how all involved parties will act to ensure the sustainability of the activity(ies) and/or outcomes. Rotary Club of Nairobi East is committed to providing on-going monitoring and evaluation of the project site, to ensure that the Flying Kites school is best utilizing the resources outlined in this proposal. Increasing the capacity of the Flying Kites’ farm and reducing their operating budget will provide a higher level of sustainability to the organization and its stakeholders. Delivering training and developing a multi-year strategic plan for the entire farm will dramatically increase the outcomes of the farm, and ensure that in future years, the farmers know how to protect crops and implement appropriate nurseries, to ensure that their is never too much of an excess or shortage of any one crop. The nature of both the dairy initiative and the crops expansion is self-sustaining, but this will only be the case if our partner organization Flying Kites is able to maintain a high standard of agricultural practice. In order for the school to be best positioned to maximize their outputs and maintain on-going yields, this proposal seeks to provide them with extensive training and capacity-building for a one-year period. Members of the Rotary Club of Nairobi East have identified two organizations that are industry-leaders in both fish farming and agricultural strategic planning to conduct weekly training sessions, develop a multi-year plan for implementation and host open-workshops whereby members of the community are invited to learn from this farm, that will be used as a model for other schools and subsistence to mid-sized farms across Njabini. Member from the Rotary Club of Escondido Sunrise in California will assist the Rotary Club of Nairobi East in ensuring sustainability and accountability of the programs that have been outlined. Both clubs have an established relationship with Flying Kites, and will see that Flying Kites acts as the facilitator and catalyst of increasing economic capacity and opportunity for the community of Njabini. A grant from Rotary International will enable both Flying Kites and their stakeholders from the surrounding Njabini community (staff, parents, local farmers and families in the community outreach/reintegration program) to access unprecedented opportunities in agricultural training.
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