Kenya – In July, 2013 GPA awarded Rambira a grant in the amount of $3948 to initiate a brick making venture involving local unemployed youth.

The organization held a 5 day training program teaching brick-making, financial literacy and marketing skills to 50 participants. 40 youth were trained in brickmaking production. 39 households diversified their livelihoods earning an income stream from the brickmaking endeavor. The community reported a positive social impact upon youth, family and community through this training program. 100 community members now have access to affordable building products. Youth in community who were previously idle, now seek work.

“I am John Onyango aged 31 years, I am a local fisherman .I am very happy first for consideration by Rambira Arise Network Youth Group for choosing me to be one of the beneficiaries of this project, I also thank whoever gave them the support for this project. I have started almost shop business for time in the last eight and each time the business fail, I did not know that there is a big difference between business and family members including my wife, I knew nothing about stocks taking, I only used to bringing goods ,sell and bring more when stocks reduces or when it is over. After I attended the training organised by Rambira Arise Network Youth Group in September 2013, I have seen great improvement in my business, I changed my last shop business with little support from my brother to motor cycle business which I am currently running smoothly. At a time I go to the lake to fish and now I know how to manage the little money I get as opposed to before when I spent all that I get on the same day.

I also learnt that the best way to empower people is to provide them with information and lifelong skills that they can apply over and over in future to improve their lives positively. I pray for them to support more youth in the community”.

In 2015, GPA provided second level funding in the amount of $10,000 to further develop this program. Both GPA and Rambira realized that providing funding was important, but the organization could not sustain itself int he future without first building organizational capacity. Part of the funding was utilized to develop a strategic plan as well as important financial, personnel and fundraising procedures and policies. Once this phase was complete the organization was in a position to redirect efforts to train more males in block making (a traditionally male profession) and develop a poultry-raising program for local women. To date 90 makes have been trained and developed skills in construction block-making using rural technologies developed in the field. They have further developed the capacity Rambira reports that most youth are able to now earn enough to support their families and save a bit for the future.

30 girls and women were trained in poultry-keeping and raised over 550,000 ksh (about $5400 USD) from the program, enough to sustain the project and provide adequate funds to participants. Further 16 participants are now supporting themselves with related businesses using skills they learned from the program.

Rambira exemplifies the mission, vision and values of GPA. Youth have used their ideas to develop lucrative projects that can support themselves and their communities; youth use the knowledge gained from the project to begin ancillary businsses.