The Giving Exchange’s 2024 Trip to Kenya and Uganda
Day 0: Arrivals
Our 2024 trip to Kenya kicked off with a warm welcome! TGE team leaders, Rod and Ming, landed safely and spent their first day organizing and preparing for a week of impactful site visits.
The three main goals for the TGE Trip to Kenya are:
1) raise awareness by exposing TGE Ambassadors to our projects
2) build trusting relationships with our beneficiaries
3) oversee the progress and impact of the sustainable programs we are implementing in-country, certifying the donor dollars going directly to these projects
This week will be shorter and smaller than expected, but we’re grateful to be here and for everyone who has made it possible!
Day 1: Njoo Dada Trust
Our first official day took us to Njoo Dada Trust, a long-time partner focused on supporting teen mothers in crisis. We celebrated their achievements, including the successful use of new embroidery and leather-making machines funded by TGE.
“Njoo Dada” means “Come, my Sister” in Swahili. This safe house for teen mothers has three requirements for their rescues by their mission statement: 1) expectant 2) teenagers 3) in crisis (would end up on the streets if not for Njoo Dada).
One inspiring takeaway from our visit was a key lesson shared by Lunar, one of the leaders at Njoo Dada: “I am my greatest resource. And I can do it.”
This year marks Njoo Dada's 10th anniversary, and we’re thrilled to continue supporting their mission. We ended the day with a family BBQ, filled with laughter and camaraderie.
Day 2: Sons of Manaseh and Divine Mercy
Our travels took us to Kajiado to visit Sons of Manaseh, where Beatrice and the 40 children she supports have been utilizing two TGE funded projects in the last year to generate income for their home: a broiler chicken coop, and a sewing program featuring 5 TGE funding sewing or embroidery machines.
At Divine Mercy, Sister Easter’s thriving farming operation amazed us, as always… cows, goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits… We learned that Sister Esther’s 23 cows are a great success and inspiration to others around - in fact 40 local farmers recently gathered to learn from her production, and the President of Kenya was even there to shake her hand. She said, “Imagine! A cow made me greet the president!”
Seeing these projects firsthand reinforced the importance of supporting sustainable and community-driven initiatives.
Day 3: Free Day Fun Day
Taking a break from site visits, our Ambassadors enjoyed a day of exploration and amusement.
Ambassador Sara, Safari Francis, and Chef Benjamin spent the day touring Nairobi National Park and had a MAGICAL time seeing 7 lions and 10 rhinos!
Meanwhile Ambassadors Drew and Susan sponsored their annual outing for the children, this year to a local mall that offered: “under the sea” play area for younguns, trampoline park, bowling, and mini golf. Everyone was also treated to chicken and chips for lunch, topped off with ice cream! There were sooooo many smiles and laughs and knowing that many children didn’t sleep out of excitement last night – one child reported, “today is our favorite day of the year”.
And by the evening, the team was already back to work with an informative and productive meeting with two partners: The Kenya Small Business Development Center (KSBDC) and TuiFUND. We love meeting partners that we have been working with virtually for so long in person, and it was wonderful to share a meal and ideas together.
Day 4: Baraka Women’s Center
We had a positive and productive meeting Baraka Women’s Center, a newer partner of ours, having just started funding them last year. And wow, what a difference a year can make! We are so impressed with their reporting, metrics and evaluation after our time together. For example in this year alone, the BWC I in Nairobi has achieved:
- 77 trainees retained & mentored across for vocational skills: tailor and dressmaking, hair and beauty, computer literacy, and entrepreneurship/leadership
- 37 businesses opened
- 29 table banking groups formed, all with increased savings
- funding procured from one new external grantor
We met many of the trainees and gifted notebooks decorated by our friends at the Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill Rotary Clubs.
Day 5: Travel to Uganda and Music at Morning Star
Rod, Ming and Charles parted from the group to travel to Uganda, where we hosted two of our partners for dinner and a catch up: Youth Partnership Uganda’s cyclical pig rearing program and Inspire Girls Foundation’s training programs. We were moved by the dedication of community leaders like Jolly, Lilian, and Isaya, who are making a tangible difference in their communities through skills training and economic empowerment.
Bonus: You may recognize Lilian as one of our guests of honor at our Gala in California last October! She says hi and sends her love to all!
Meanwhile back in Kenya…. Ambassadors Drew, Susan and Sara enjoyed two more fun-filled days at Morning Star. While parents and guardians were in a big meeting, Drew, Susan, and Sara spent the morning with all the littles—joined by Ivy, John, and Jim from the Benson Njau Secondary School Band, plus a box of hand percussion! They even borrowed trumpets and a trombone for the big kids, fixed up some instruments, and got everyone playing music. Together, they rehearsed ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ and ended with a fantastic music show. The parents loved it!
Day 6: Karambi Group, Youth Partnership Uganda, Foundation for Community Development and Empowerment, and St Ann’s Secondary School
First project site visit day in Uganda! Karambi Group has implemented 3 rounds of Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) animal feed production in the last 3 years thanks to TGE’s funding. We got to meet two of the 39 local farmers who have individual productions in their homes. The two we met were Grace and Moses. We are impressed by their quick learning and hard work. They all told us it is a simple process to understand, and it is valuable because the larvae is so cheap and nutritious. The biggest challenge is getting food scraps for the larvae to feed on (funny: food for the food).
A quick stop at YPU to see the offices - both the sewing project and their cyclical pig rearing are still in good shape. Director, Jolly, is doing a lot of great work educating the community members with skills he has learned from Street Business School.
And finally we had a great meeting with FCDE, a US-based 501c3 with staff in Uganda, where they focus on capacity-building trainings for local NGOs and CBOs. We plan to maintain open communication and share resources as our missions align, and support each other however possible.
Meanwhile back in Kenya, Drew, Susan and Sara toured the impressive St Ann’s Secondary, complete with science labs, a home economics lab, and a computer lab for 235 students. We learned the TGE-funded greenhouse project, which is teaching 35+ girls about agriculture, despite challenges from recent floods. The dedication to improving the school and greenhouse is inspiring—William, the lead groundskeeper, even makes his own compost! We wrapped up with tea and treats, discussing future needs and potential expansions.
Day 7: YES Empowerment and Thrive Uganda
Yes Empowerment Services (YES) is a new TGE partner running an aquaponics pond and garden for 45 women in two locations in western Uganda - one pond has 1,100 catfish, and the one we visited seen here has 1,500 catfish. The women benefitting from the program had three qualifications to be a part of the cohort: 1) be a mother 2) need an income 3) own land with access to water source.
Secondly, we visited with Thrive Uganda, where they are training 20 boys in floriculture, an up and coming industry in Kasese. The director is driven by a passion to keep young boys in school, educated and out of trouble after the COVID-19 Pandemic forced many boys out of school due to the high cost and their parents’ lost jobs, and it seemed the world had forgotten them.
Day 8: Kibale & Queen Elizabeth National Parks
Today we had the very special privilege of experiencing a nature walk and chimpanzee visitation at Kibale National Park, the primate capital of the world! The park boasts 1300 chimpanzees, and we got to hang with about 20 of them for about an hour.
In the afternoon we had a site visit with a new partner, Rural Women Organized For Community Development (RWOFCD) and their cool bee hive project - this is the first of its kind TGE has ever sponsored. There will be lots of uses for the final product, including honey, wax candles and medicine! We are excited for the first harvest toward the end of the year (after 6 months). This project is being hosted on Queen Elizabeth National Park land, fostering a relationship with the land stewards.
Day 9: Kasambya & Kabatunda
Our final site visits of the week! Today we visited two different rural villages where two different groups have formed to support young mothers with VSLAs (village savings and loans associations) and skills trainings.
Kabatunda is teaching sewing and tailoring, and Kasambya is teaching beadwork.
Very few of these beneficiaries speak English and they all experience challenges that come from 1) being a mother, 2) living in a remote, rural village and 3) living in a country with limited economic opportunity.
We are grateful to play a small part in helping them access new resources and experiences - with a goal to create a better life for themselves, their family and their community for generations to come.
Conclusion
This year's trip to Kenya and Uganda was another motivating adventure of learning, connection, and impact. We are grateful to all our partners and donors who make these projects possible. If you would like to support our mission or learn more about our projects, please DONATE, VOLUNTEER or attend an EVENT.