We all thought we had Claire Rumpsa pegged. Smart, kind, diligent, and armed with a hint of Northern Irish strength. But fresh off a recent field visit I can assure you that’s is only just the start. I’ve come to find that Claire yields an unexpected sense of humor, just a good shade on the …
In July 2012 about 106 Community Economic Development (CED) Msingi wa KAPESA savings club (Mwak) members have lent to their members an aggregate of 448,000Ksh (Kenyan Shillings) in microloans. The loans were given for a three month term. At the end of the third month, all clients successfully paid their loan on the agreed terms and time frame …
Recently, I was posed a question: How does indigenous knowledge fit into Nuru International’s Agriculture Program? With such a vibrant history in our current countries of operation, Kenya and now Ethiopia, Nuru International’s Agriculture Program leverages the vast sum of knowledge accumulated by local people to create and implement sustainable and scalable agriculture interventions for …
I recently returned to the States from a visit with the education team in Kenya. We covered a lot of ground in two short weeks. Today, I’ll pass along the highlights from my trip. During my visit with the team, I shadowed outreach throughout Isibania division and worked with the team on areas of growth. …
With Feedback training in full swing and our Field Managers busy practicing and delivering the training, the Leadership District Managers decided that this would be the perfect time for us to turn our attention to the coming year. While it may seem like the new year is still far away, we have a few big …
Looking Ahead This week we are winding down our outreach program for 2012, which has made tremendous strides throughout the past 12 months. Unfortunately, due to the national teachers strike, we will not be able to take our mobile learning center to schools during the school break because the school schedule got pushed back to …
Days are busy at the Regional Training Center for Nuru Kenya Agriculture Program staff. With the planting season looming, the staff are preparing to issue agricultural input loans and then subsequently distribute fertilizer and seed to farmers all over Kuria West. In 2013, the program will be working in seven new sublocations. Additionally, the farmer …
During the 2012 academic year, the Nuru Education Program conducted classroom outreach in nine primary schools in Isibania Division, Kuria West District, Kenya. Nuru’s Education Program aims to increase child literacy to the Standard 2 (class 2) level among rural public, primary school students through intensive student-centered teaching and literacy-focused interventions. Workshops were held for …
The Research and Development (R&D) Program has been hard at work developing the different teams of the program: Product Design, Production/Servicing, and Logistics. Here’s a quick overview of what each team has been up to. Product Design: We’ve decided to focus our skills in finding and selecting products that have proven impact. There are many great ideas …
Fresh off the heels of graduation, the Home Visit Strategy Field Officers are diligently on the move, testing their health and persuasive communication skills. As they implement our newly designed monitoring system, they begin to paint a real-time picture of community health and wellness. These Field Officers are tasked with both observing and probing for …
September was the end of the 3rd quarter of Nuru’s operations. During this quarter, the Community Economic Development (CED) program witnessed a dramatic increase in Missingi wa KAPESA (Mwak) basic group savings. Average saving per saver increased by 119% from 54Ksh (Kenyan shillings) per month per saver to 118Ksh. Overall, CED members saved more than …
During the recent teachers’ strike in Kenya that left children out of school for three weeks, our education team took advantage of the down time in our programming to provide intensive training for the new Education Coordinators and conduct strategic planning sessions. Our team has a lot to tackle in the near future. We will …
Local revenue growth + expense management = sustainability A big part of what we’re working on here is staying ‘scrappy’ while growing in size. We aspire to continually find ways to reduce expenses while maximizing impact. Additionally, we’re focused on increasing the amount of revenue we generate from our Income Generating Activities (IGA) program, so …
The Agriculture Program mandate is to create a sustainable economic base for chronic hunger communities. Even amidst the success of thousands of Nuru farmers bringing in a bumper maize crop for the 2012 long rains season, I find myself researching other program interventions to create more impact in the lives of farmers in extreme poverty. …
Measles was the buzzword in the Nuru Healthcare Program last week. Alice Kenyanya, an experienced Nuru Healthcare Field Officer working in the Isibania division discovered the first cases of measles during a routine visit to the household of a Nuru farmer. During the visit, Alice became aware that 8 children were ill. She recognized the …