Kenya - Business creation project

Describe your project or startup in a few words

RAFIGA is dedicated to transforming communities through sustainable agriculture and education initiatives. Our agricultural projects in dairy and chicken farming, beekeeping, and fish farming are designed not only to generate profit but pay school fees.

01.01 Describe your project in more detail

Our mission is to cultivate a healthy, educated, and technologically adept generation capable of leveraging their talents to uplift their communities and society at large. Goals: 1. Educational Empowerment: Provide quality education to children in our community, identifying and nurturing their talents for future success. 2. Community Transformation: Empower children to become cultural and societal influencers, catalyzing positive change within their communities. 3. Holistic Development: Enable children to focus on academic excellence and talent refinement by ensuring their basic needs are met through our agricultural projects. 4. Health and Nutrition: Improve community health through access to nutritious diets sourced from our sustainable farming practices. 5. Livelihood Sustainability: Create sustainable livelihoods within the community by utilizing local labor effectively in our agricultural operations.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

1. Illiteracy: A significant portion of our community lacks basic literacy skills, hindering their ability to access opportunities for personal and economic growth. 2. Negative Cultural and Traditional Influence: Deep-rooted cultural norms and traditions sometimes perpetuate practices that hinder progress, particularly for vulnerable groups such as children and women. 3. Poverty and Lack of Basic Needs: Many families struggle with poverty, leading to inadequate access to essential needs such as shelter, clean water, and healthcare, thereby limiting their overall well-being and potential. 4. Lack of Good Food and Nutrition: Poor nutrition is prevalent due to limited access to diverse and nutritious food sources, impacting the health and development of individuals, especially children. 5. Unemployment: High rates of unemployment prevail, particularly among youth and marginalized groups, leading to economic instability and social unrest within the community.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your project intends to provide (at least 3).

Community Livelihood and Economic Stability: • Goal: Enhance community livelihoods by integrating sustainable agricultural practices that utilize local labor effectively. • Objectives: o Create employment opportunities within our farming and organizational sectors. o Promote economic self-sufficiency and resilience through diversified income-generating activities. Holistic Development and Well-being: • Goal: Ensure children can focus on personal growth, talent enhancement, and academic achievement by meeting their basic needs. • Objectives: o Provide nutritious meals sourced from our sustainable farming practices to improve children's health and overall well-being. o Create a supportive environment where children can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Education and Talent Development: • Goal: Provide quality education to all children in the community, including those with exceptional talents, ensuring they are nurtured and empowered to capitalize on their skills.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your project is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

This project is to be done to establish Rafiki Farms, whose profits will be used to take children to school in the Adopt a Pupil Program, and eventually enable the building of a Community School, Library, Technological Center and a Sports and Talents Academy to give the children of my community a chance, same as was given to me, if not better. The Children in my community. The community in Rafiki, Kitale

01.05 When did you start working on your project?

2024-01-01

01.06 How many other partners are associated with your business venture?

2

01.07 Among the other partners, how many are female?

2

01.08 Please describe the profile of each of the other partners (skills, experience, etc.)

Mercy Tarus is the Head of Operations Ngong’ Social Justice and Environment Centre, and managing events and music with Ng’ang’a. She is a teacher by profession, with a passion for Human rights. She has worked with a few human rights organizations in championing for human rights, including but not limited to Centre Against Torture and Green Communities Program Kenya. Cherop Cynthia is a seasoned farmer who is on the farm preparing ground for construction of chicken houses, cow sheds, fish pond and bee hives. She is well conversant with Food and nutrition and helps advice athletes on the right nutrition and exercise routine to achieve the best results.

01.09 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link here:

01.10 Which industry best describes your project?

b) Materials (agriculture, fishing, chemical products, construction materials, containers and packaging, metals and mining, paper and forest products)

02.01.01 My project contributes to the No poverty goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification

Poverty • By educating the children and nurturing the skilled, gifted and talented, and providing employment, the program RAFIGA will have provided the community with employable children and problem solvers from the crop. In return, they will help more from their families and community get good education, leading to a socio-economically successful community. Unemployment • Prioritizing the community for the relevant available jobs in the farm and organization. • Educating the children and nurturing their skills and talents, thereby giving them the relevant skills and qualifications to get employment and consequently provide for their families. • Establishing a formal sports and talent center/program in the organization will give room for the gifted and talented to get exposure to professional clubs and organizations which will pay for their services. For example: Football and Rugby Clubs.

02.02.01 My project contributes to the Zero hunger goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification

Food and Nutrition • By providing a balanced diet and a deliberate feeding program facilitated by profits from RAFIGA Farms. RAFIGA is dedicated to transforming communities through sustainable agriculture and education initiatives. Our diverse agricultural projects in dairy farming, chicken farming, beekeeping, and fish farming are designed not only to generate profits but also to fund our Adopt a Pupil program. This program aims to provide education to children in need, nurturing their talents and empowering them with essential skills for a prosperous future.

02.03.01 My project contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification

4. Health and Nutrition: Improve community health through access to nutritious diets sourced from our sustainable farming practices.

02.04.01 My project contributes to the Quality education goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification

1. Educational Empowerment: Provide quality education to children in our community, identifying and nurturing their talents for future success. 2. Community Transformation: Empower children to become cultural and societal influencers, catalyzing positive change within their communities. Our diverse agricultural projects in dairy farming, chicken farming, beekeeping, and fish farming are designed not only to generate profits but also to fund our Adopt a Pupil program. This program aims to provide education to children in need, nurturing their talents and empowering them with essential skills for a prosperous future.

02.05.01 My project contributes to the Gender equality goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification

Ensure children get a good education and provide stable income for their families which will in turn ensure that the community is socio-economically empowered thereby giving them the necessary skills and tools to combat Gender Based Violence, bring about reduced to zero teenage pregancies and ensure active law enforcement against child labor.

02.06.01 My project contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

4

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification

02.07.01 My project contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification

Educating the children on using green energy and providing them with systems where they are able to use this energy. Giving them the necessary skills and tools to take care of their environment. Our farm is going to use Solar energy in its daily operations.

02.08.01 My project contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

7 - Strongly Agree

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification

Community Livelihood and Economic Stability: • Goal: Enhance community livelihoods by integrating sustainable agricultural practices that utilize local labor effectively. • Objectives: o Create employment opportunities within our farming and organizational sectors. o Promote economic self-sufficiency and resilience through diversified income-generating activities. • Prioritizing the community for the relevant available jobs in the farm and organization. • Educating the children and nurturing their skills and talents, thereby giving them the relevant skills and qualifications to get employment and consequently provide for their families. • Establishing a formal sports and talent center/program in the organization will give room for the gifted and talented to get exposure to professional clubs and organizations which will pay for their services. For example: Football and Rugby Clubs.

02.09.01 My project contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

4

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification

02.10.01 My project contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification

• Build a library • Provide scholarships through: Adopt a Pupil Program • Build a school: RAFIGA GROUP OF SCHOOLS • Provide computers for kids to learn technology • Provide audio-visual equipment for children to learn about the world and also be entertained. • Employ teachers to guide and track academic performance. • Employ talent managers to discover, nurture and guide talents and gifts. • By exposing the children and mentoring them on positive cultures and mannerisms through strategic interactions i.e. exchange programs with schools from other parts of the country and the world, documentaries, movies, career and culture coaches, motivational talks by successful personalities who may have had the same background.

02.11.01 My project contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification

02.12.01 My project contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification

At RAFIGA, we recognize the critical role agriculture plays in both economic growth and community welfare. Through our multi-faceted agricultural initiative, we are actively working to achieve several important goals: 1. Dairy Farming: Our dairy farming project focuses on improving milk production and distribution channels. By doing so, we aim to enhance local nutrition while providing a reliable income source for participating families. 2. Fish Farming: Our aquaculture efforts aim to promote sustainable fish farming practices. This initiative not only increases protein availability in the community but also offers vocational training and employment opportunities. 3. Chicken Farming and Hatchery: Our poultry farming and hatchery program are designed to improve poultry production efficiency and quality. This initiative contributes to food security and provides local employment opportunities.

02.13.01 My project contributes to the Climate action goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification

Using green energy on the farm.

02.14.01 My project contributes to the Life below water goal

4

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification

02.15.01 My project contributes to the Life on land goal

4

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification

02.16.01 My project contributes to the Peace justice and strong institutions goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.16.02 Peace justice and strong institutions - Justification

The integration of these agricultural ventures not only addresses food security but also creates jobs that directly benefit the community. Furthermore, our Adopt a Pupil program ensures that a portion of our proceeds go towards funding the education of underprivileged children in our area. We are working on directly empowering families economically and ensuring that children have access to quality education. We are seeking funding to expand our infrastructure, acquire modern farming equipment, and implement more robust educational support systems for the children under our Adopt a Pupil program. We aim to significantly increase our impact and reach more families in need.

02.17.01 My project contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

4

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification

05.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

4

05.02 The product/service we envision creating represents an entirely new type of product/service.

4

05.03 The product/service we envision creating could be described as a new technology.

3

05.04 The product/service we envision creating is an improvement on an existing product or service.

3

05.05 The product/service we envision creating could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

4

05.06 The product/service we envision creating responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

4

05.07 The product/service we envision creating is a new version of an old product/service.

4

05.08 Justification

05.09 Who are your main potential competitors and what makes you stand out from them?

N/A

10.06 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

Yes Empowering them to start business.