Awakening Curiosity towards Resilient Communities

The Kenyan Government has a long-standing partnership with the EU, which is comprehensive and encompasses the economic, security, political, and social sectors. The model and engagement have changed over the years. However, in the current model, Civil Society Organizations ’ voices are lacking. Meaningful Engagement Transformative Action [META] is a project designed to fill this gap. The  Meaningful Engagement – Transformative Action  (META) is a joint action of the  African Women’s Development and Communication Network  (FEMNET) , the  Coalition for Sustainable Development  (SDGs Kenya Forum), and   Stichting Women Engage for a Common Future International  (WECF) , Netherlands, with support from the  EU Delegation in Kenya . When I represented the  Koibatek Ogiek Women and Youth Network  ( KOWYN ) at the META inception meeting for the  North Rift Economic Bloc  (NOREB), I felt this shift come alive. The gathering brought ...

The 3Rs acronym is not news to many of us in the green transition journey, that is, “reduce, reuse, recycle”. Did you know that they are listed in order of priority? (LOL, me neither until today)  It is argued that the easiest and fastest way to deal with waste is by not creating it in the first place! While this is noble, there is a need to recognize that it might be impossible to minimize plastic production among other non-biodegradable items that cause waste from the start. In that regard, we must find new ways to increase the usefulness of an item.  Do you remember when your parents made you your first DIY toy car ? Do you remember feeling bad that your neighbors had a remote control and yours had a shoelace attached to it because you were the driver [literally?] A DIY toy car made from recycled material: Cooking oil can , bottle caps & used-up pens   The great news is that your household was contributing to a more sustainable future by recycling the plastic ...

As agriculture becomes increasingly influenced by a tripartite tornado of globalization, urbanization & modernization, the quiet wisdom of Indigenous knowledge systems risks being overshadowed. My work with the Ogiek women of the Kwombereriet group reminded me that while our scholarship is stored on 'elite' databases, there is a need to document the knowledge stored in lives, in seeds, tales of old, and the land itself. Fun Fact : Kwombereriet (the name of the women group) is a medicinal tree found in the Mau Forest. It has long been a traditional herb before hospitals and modern medicine. Some shrubs and trees would be mixed with other ingredients to ensure effectiveness while others were prepared and administered plainly. Gogo (respectful title for elderly Ogiek woman)  & I during a workshop under the Seeds of Change Project in Baringo . When I joined the Koibatek Ogiek Women and Youth Network, I was struck by how seamlessly the community blends memory, spirituali...

Spotlight Feature: Prerna Subramanian, PhD  "I have edited around three dissertations written by women of different racial backgrounds recently. I have observed how women enter the page with so much hesitation that it literally changes the way they write. I read sentences that placed distance between the writer and the idea. I read openings that delayed the argument. “This chapter hopes to suggest.” “The effort here is to outline.” These formulations appeared across multiple projects, across fields. They indicated a kind of learned caution, one that shaped how claims were made, how evidence was introduced, and how the writer positioned herself in relation to her work. Over time, the repetition revealed a structural pattern. The tendency to delay, to soften, to redirect the reader’s attention toward citation before argument, shaped the rhythm of entire manuscripts. The writing moved around itself. The writer deferred. The central claim waited. The structure remained intact, the res...

When I first started exploring the concepts surrounding unbanked people and their challenges, I realized that most countries' governments may not be able to fully tackle the existing inequality. With a background in Social Policy, I continue to grapple with the sometimes-contradictory role of social policies as a force for progressively transforming inequalities while still reproducing the very inequalities through a complex interplay of intersecting factors. Previously, I explored the possibility of blockchain technology to solve some of the institutional barriers to financing development . Despite the technological milestones, it continues to be an uphill task to integrate hard-to-fathom, breakthrough technologies such as digital currencies into mainstream economic systems. Later in a 17,500-word thesis, I contended with the hope presented by the private sector through localized individual philanthropy, borrowing from a history of the currency of generosity with philosophies li...

Co-authored: Karen Nabwire & John Ng'ang'a In feminist economics , the societal conventions and acceptable norms that guide what men and women do contribute to the gendered division of labor . These tasks seemed static in the old days, but after urbanization , neoliberalism , and colonization (among other factors) emerged in African spaces , there has been a paradigm shift in how current generations interact with culture and tradition. With this shift, it is not unusual to see forums challenging formally accepted traditional practices. One could almost sense an antagonistic relationship between men and women, as there is a constant negotiation of what should be carried forward and what should be declared outrightly oppressive. As this push and pull continues, societies continue to grapple with inequalities in opportunities, power & wages.  Will we ever strike the right balance? In the Kenyan context, household gender norms are experienced differently across cultures a...

Given the frequent broadcasted negative acumens about tribal conflicts, chronic poverty, education budget cuts, terrorist attacks, and governance problems in Africa, What possibilities could possibly exist in East Africa for Philanthropy? In the two eras or so following independence, most African countries adopted some form of ‘mixed economy’. State interventions were viewed as indispensable to drive balanced rapid economic advancement. This did not fully serve the purpose of improving the quality of life of the citizens. It was met with a frail indigenous business sector and poor governance. Should we then grapple with a mixed economy approach or is ‘informal aid’ a form of improving quality of life? In recent years, East Africa has warmly welcomed a new era of non-indigenous institutions that focus on the ‘currency of generosity’. This currency is engrained in understanding the behavior in initiatives like Simama na Mike or Breakfast at Mathare which operate in the heartbeat of our...

Meet Nasimiyu, a 24-year-old Kenyan girl studying at a university located in Gisenyi, Rwanda . It's two o'clock in the morning. After a long week of study, she decides to feed her craving for ice cream. She places an order from her favorite food joint. In the 15 minutes it takes for her meal to be ready, she logs on to her Bit Lipa App. She pays her rent, sends her sister money, and renews her internet subscription. Subsequently, she goes to her school portal and casts her vote in the student association elections. During her free time, Nasimuyu volunteers in the Partnerships and Fundraising department at an elderly care home in Gome, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In the 3 minutes remaining, she counterchecks the Ethereum donations received within the week so that she can combine her trip to pick up her food and pass by the bank to convert some of it to fiat. As she approaches the fast food joint, she realizes she forgot her purse. Her worry is put to rest as she is ...