WHO WE ARE

Rafiki wa Maendeleo Trust (RWMT) is a charitable organization working in the rural Rarieda District in Nyanza Province, western Kenya.

Our vision is people believing in themselves and working together to build a vibrant and progressive community.

Our mission is to empower communities and build their capacity to create positive change for children and youth within their community.

Our values guide our mission:

• We promote sustainable environmental and socio-economic development to enhance future well-being.
  
  
• We encourage creativity and innovation for continuous adaptation, learning and growth.
  
  
• We believe a participatory approach ensures communities own their development.
  
  
• We advocate for human rights to promote dignity, diversity and respect.
  
  
• We encourage accountability and transparency to assure integrity and credibility.
  
  

WHAT WE DO

More than 70% of the community In Rarieda District lives in poverty: HIV infection rates are twice the national average and 35% of children are orphans. Since 2003 RWMT has worked in Rarieda District, helping its communities to develop the skills they need to overcome this daunting set of challenges. RWMT stresses the responsibilities of community members to work together for the greater good of the community so their children and youth may grow up to develop their full potential and lead their generation into a more socio-economically viable future.

Our work focuses on four core program areas: Education & Training; Advocacy & Rights; Health; and Economic Empowerment.

• Education & Training:
  'Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world' (Nelson Mandela).
  
  Young people should be filled with hope, where they can look to a future where their talents are developed and they can live fulfilling lives. RWMT is a mentor, developing and nurturing the talents of children and youth through education and skills training.
  
  
• Advocacy & Rights:
  Every child should feel safe and protected, free to grow up to become all that he or she can be. RWMT works in partnership with the provincial administration to strengthen families’ and communities’ capacity to create an environment where children are protected and their best interests are embedded as a regular part of community life. RWMT also works with local community organizations to promote good governance and processes that are transparent and accountable across various development sectors.
  
  
• Health:
  Rural communities in Kenya carry one of the highest burdens of preventable ill health in the world. Much of this burden can be lifted and prevented with existing knowledge and resources. RWMT works with rural communities and the Ministry of Health to help families fulfil their responsibility for their own good health, and to understand their right to accessible and quality healthcare.
  
  
• Economic Empowerment:
  Poverty is not only an economic condition: it is an attitude of mind. RWMT challenges communities to look at the wealth of local resources, rather than focusing on what they lack, to help them develop awareness of what is within their reach. Emphasis is on balancing the community’s socio-economic needs and aspirations with environmental conservation so that goals are achieved in harmony with nature and environmental resources are safeguarded for future generations.
  
  

HOW WE DO IT

RWMT acts as a catalyst for positive community transformation. We do this by putting community members at the centre of decisions about their own lives and that of the community.

Encouraging people to speak openly about their problems and work together to find solutions helps raise self-esteem, encourages critical thinking, builds communication, and promotes active decision making. By building skills that encourage a positive and imaginative approach to problem solving, remarkable changes can take place.

We help all sectors of the community define their goals and identify what they must do to achieve them. The key challenge is to persuade the community that change is possible and that people can achieve their goals both for today and for future generations.

By putting the community itself at the heart of decision making and by listening and understanding, RWMT helps overcome challenges, reduce risk and effect permanent, positive change. This participatory approach gives a solid foundation for community initiatives and has resulted in some outstanding and durable successes.

HOW WE STARTED

Our community development initiative started in 2001 when the founder took her first trip to a rural village called Lusi with two Kenyan friends. Touched by the hardships faced by children and villagers, they agreed that something needed to be done on the plight of orphaned children, particularly those orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

The three of them worked with the community to renovate the primary school, rehabilitate the local dam, and set up income generating projects to empower the community to move towards self-reliance in their care for orphaned children.

In September 2003 they registered their initiative as a CBO called Lusi Community Orphans Project. By 2006 it was clear that a stronger organizational structure and a more robust legal framework was required in order to grow the project into a professional organization, so the Lusi Community Orphans Project became Rafiki wa Maendeleo Trust that year.

In June 2006, RWMT was supporting 83 orphaned children from Lusi. In February 2007, RWMT obtained its first major grant, which enabled it to expand its program outreach to neighboring villages. By mid 2010, Rafiki had stretched its community outreach program to just over 2,400 orphaned children across 36 villages.

Founder's Message