Awakening Curiosity towards Resilient Communities

  Did you know?  Agriculture remains the leading employer and the primary source of income for most households in Africa ( the African Development Bank) .  Yet, despite its centrality, the sector faces systemic barriers that require innovation, entrepreneurship, and renewed youth engagement.  I took a few notes from the 3-part course highlighting how we can exploit the potential of agri-business: 1. Agriculture and Entrepreneurship: Creating a Way Forward Instructor: Keegan Kautzky: Director of Global Programs and Partnerships at World Food Prize Foundation What is Agriculture? Agriculture is the art and science of cultivating the soil, growing crops and raising livestock, processing and preparing plant and animal products, and then getting them to market. What is food security, and how does it benefit society?   Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food which meets th...

For the last 7 years, I have worked and researched within the world of philanthropy . I have developed great proposals, basked in the warmth of real social impact , and counted good money.  It’s been fulfilling work, both intellectually and morally.  In these years, I developed a  conviction that our world operates in an imbalance as I learnt the intricacies of wealth and generosity. As I advanced my studies, I figured that this inequality was not inevitable, as  wealth redistribution is possible! Hence , a simple way to tilt this imbalance, I once thought, would be to encourage giving as a sort of  moral correction to an unequal system. But, in a deeper reflection of analyzing financing around social causes, I find it imperative to interrogate dynamics around the 'generous' . By skewed definition, these are a handful of individuals who hoard unimaginable wealth, then “ give back ” through foundations that often bear their names. Why are they bent on...

Over the past half-decade, a new skill found me. I wasn’t looking for it. One volunteer position led to another, and now I find myself holding a camera as part of my work in development communication . However, the more I've practiced, the more I've realized that storytelling through images extends beyond capturing good angles or perfect lighting (though these are extremely important).  Borrowing from my background in advocacy and human-dignity training , I began to understand how every picture carries the power to define what is seen and what is believed. As I moved between field assignments and community dialogues, I started noticing patterns in how development work is visually portrayed. It's a typical show to see a sad child with outstretched hands, a woman walking under the sun with a yellow jerrycan, or the cracked earth in the Northern parts of Kenya .  Such pictures are meant to inspire compassion, yet they often repeated a single narrative : one of lack, dependenc...

  I had the privilege to support Haki Nawiri Africa and the Koibatek Ogiek Women and Youth Network (KOWYN) on agroecological transitions training. The training was financed by Land is Life and targeted Indigenous communities in Baringo and Elgeiyo Marakwet Counties . These regions are home to many Ogiek families who have long lived at the intersection of environmental stewardship and displacement . Facilitators Leonida Odongo and Brian Odero opened the session with a lively icebreaker that encouraged interaction and laughter. The activity set the tone for shared learning and collective participation. Leonida spoke on food sovereignty , describing it as the power of communities to determine what they produce and eat. She emphasized how seed saving sustains food security and nurtures independence. Many participants reflected on the traditional seed-saving practices that once shaped their farming routines. These memories offered a bridge between ancestral farming knowledge a...

Guest blog: Linda Kilwake-Masanja The slum situation in Africa has been growing over the years, becoming more incessant and urgent. As the population of Africa continues to increase past the billion mark, more and more people are ending up in slum settlements. At the same time, another significant majority remain in the rural setups. Given, that a significant percentage of Africa’s population lives outside of these two extreme contexts in what can be loosely termed as ‘balanced’ in terms of living conditions, exposure, education, and technology use, the two extremes still carry the day.  Ezekiel Ayuku and his family found themselves in the extreme slum context. He was born and brought up in Mathare Valley Slums, the 3rd largest in Africa and the most congested in East Africa. His parents had moved from the rural context, hoping to find a better life in the city of Nairobi, Kenya. In many cases where a rural-urban migration occurs, the people moving hardly have a concrete ‘ what's n...