Visit a village in Kenya Kithamani

Visit a village in Kenya

Join 400 villagers from one of Kenya’s poorest regions as they climb from subsistence to success

In April 2014, thanks to a generous US $49,000 donation from Swedish investment company Dieden Invest, Hand in Hand embarked on a two-year mission to transform the community of Kithimani, Machakos, by deploying our job creation model on a village-wide scale. This page tracked its progress.

About Kithimani

Kithimani is in Machakos, an inland county with beautiful hilly scenery well suited to hiking safaris. The county is home to the Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park, with spectacular views, wildlife and some 45 species of birds.

Step off the tourist trail, though, and the view is far less resplendent. Here in rural Kenya, 49 percent of people live in poverty. Two-thirds lack access to sanitation facilities. Almost 50 percent lack access to clean water. And medical care is vanishingly rare: according to the International Fund for Agricultural Development, there is only one doctor for every 10,000 people. (This short article gives an excellent overview of inequality in Kenya.)

The plan

Members trained

To provide business and skills training to 400 Kithimani villagers

Jobs created

Business owners employ their neighbours. An estimated 350 jobs were to result from the programme

Lives improved

Every business we helped create in Kithimani benefited an average of five family members – young, old and everywhere in between. We planned to lift 1,250 children and adults out of poverty

The challenge

Most houses in Kithimani are built of mud and corrugated iron sheets. The surrounding area is generally dry and rugged. The rains did not come in 2014 and maize, beans and pea crops dried up. This forced many of the people of Kithimani to rely on government relief.

The villagers do not have access to water on tap. Women and children spend hours every day retrieving for water. Polluted water affects their health, causing children to miss many school hours. As the parents lack consistent income, they are unable to pay secondary school fees forcing children to drop out of school.

Nothing like Hand in Hand Eastern Africa’s Village Programme had ever been tried in Kithimani before, but that’s precisely why local leaders – county officials, church ministers and the like – welcomed us into their community. It was their co-operation that enabled us to work effectively.