• Startup equipment and capital to kick-start a dairy project
• Beehives, with loans secured through Kiva.org, with Akili as Trustee
• Moringa Oleifera seeds for growing and leaf product for sale in their agrovet shop.
• Training to commence a production improvement by dairy and beekeeping members.
• Guidance and support in starting a direct marketing channel.

Akili has a partnership with the youth of Kangemi, Nairobi’s 3rd largest slum. Our contributions so far include:

• Assisting in the formation of a Water Resource Users Association (WRUA) and registering it with the government
• Assisting in proposal writing that has resulting in securing funding from government to sensitize the people of Kangemi in the conservation of water catchment areas by among others, initiating income generating activities
• Developing a micro plastic recycling ‘plant’ for converting waste plastics into fencing poles.

Poverty levels (i.e. the number of people living below poverty line) in Eliye are estimated by the Kenya Bureau of Statistics at around 64-74%. The local people are of Turkana descent, and maintain a semi nomadic pastoralist lifestyle, with their young and older men moving with goats and camels in search of pasture, and returning back to the village when the weather becomes favorable. Illiteracy levels are also high.

The local springs for which it is named produce lush vegetation along its section of the otherwise barren lakeshore, and support a community of about 5000 people with fresh drinking water.

Akili has partnered with the Eliye Community, the National Christian Council of Kenya and Canada based volunteers linked to Partners Worldwide to implement a water bottling plant – targeting Lodwar and surrounding towns as the market for the product. Part of the income from the sales of bottle water (on a per bottle basis) will be used from commencement of the project to mobilize the community and support its members in the planting of beneficial plants, including nutrition-rich plants such as the Moringa, and trees that have leaves or ponds whose search for keeps the Turkana community’s boys out of school. So far over 12 tree species have been targeted for production including: Edome, ek alale, ewoi, esekon, ebei, engol, epuu, esanyanaeit, elim, ekadeli, ekunoit, epetet, ebenyo, edurukoit, eipa, elamach, epeduru etc.

Hifadhi Project, a large-scale distribution of energy efficient cookstoves: phase 1 was in Embu, 60,000 stoves; phase 2 in Tharaka Nithi County, 60k planned, so far 35,000 done. Ph 3 in planning to Narok (30k), Kirinyaga (60k), Mt Elgon (20k), Ug and Burundi (20k). We fund it through carbon credits **Akili developed the eMonitoring Tool, the software used to track the distribution and monitoring activities. Akili’s CEO, Haron Wachira, also serves and the project’s consultant in its implementation and monitoring.