Kipepeo Community Empowerment Program

Kipepeo Community Empowerment Program is a Community Based Organization initiated in October 2009 to help spearhead community driven development initiatives and enable needy community groups participate in integrated activities to achieve quality livelihood from; HIV & AIDS education, malaria and TB awareness and advocacy, rehabilitation of street children’s, support vulnerable children, deployment of both local and international volunteers to various community projects, microfinance trainings and monitoring (Community Savings and loaning) , Capacity Building, computer training to orphans and vulnerable youths in the community, Computer Services to the community, community library, educational support initiative to bright orphaned and vulnerable children, a community primary school (Kipepeo Community Education Centre) Eco-Tourism and Environmental education and Management.

The program is also designed to respond to Luanda & Emuhaya sub-counties youths’ needs and assets; the KCEP Project aims to empower youth to make sound career and life decisions as they transit from high school to the next phase of their lives. The project is also building the capacity of local institutions and networks to sustain the much-needed services that KCEP will provide. Specifically, the KCEP Project intends to offers youth and women a series of inter-connected interventions to: build skills, facilitate appropriate career choices, health education and wise choices, women rights and education, provide employment and income generating opportunities, bridge technical and university education opportunities and provide fun and safe spaces for economic development.

The Kipepeo Community Empowerment Program is based in Kima Market, Wekhomo Location, Esiembero Division, Luanda Sub-county, Vihiga County Western Kenya.

VISION
A better future and right livelihood for families and individuals in our villages and self sustainable communities

MISSION
Our mission is to improve the quality of life of the local communities in Luanda & Emuhaya sub-counties trough sustainable local development initiatives.
CORE VALUES
1. People are at the very center and heart of development; they are the forces behind all we do and every endeavor we undertake.
2. Transparency and accountability drive our actions.
3. Sustainability is built into every intervention we pursue.
4. A holistic approach is essential to our treatment of ourselves and one another, with the aim of developing the whole person: health body, healthy mind, and healthy spirit

GOAL
Our goal is to enhanced capacity, improved living standards and quality livelihood of needy and vulnerable community groups in Luanda & Emuhaya sub-counties.

OBJECTIVES

1. Empower the community groups through microfinance development through saving and loaning.
2. Enhance tape and develop the volunteerism spirit by deploying both local and international volunteers to community projects.
3. To enhance productive livelihood and well-being for people living with HIV/AIDS and their families.
4. To build and create awareness on malaria, TB and other infectious diseases in our communities.
5. Support of Orphans and Vulnerable children, street children and open an orphanage for their care and rehabilitation.
6. To establish a community resource centre aimed at facilitating learning for orphans, vulnerable children, and street kids, as well as serving as a source of practical community and career development information to local community members and CBO-affiliated groups.
7. To engage community group members in an effort to mobilize and enhance income-generating activities and thus improve the communal asset base.
8. To assist community groups in initiating enterprises that will increase economic productivity, and lead to poverty-reduction and wealth creation.
9. To establish KCEP's own long-term and self-sustaining income-generating projects to support organization’s activities.
10. To involve ourselves in the social empowerment of youths (orphans, street children) through community events such as capacity-building, youth trainings, and social activities which bring our youths and communities together.
11. To develop eco-tourism and environmental management activities in the region as a source of revenue for people in the villages.
12. Build reading programmes with local community schools designed to build and improve childrens' reading skills and English performance. We do this by enlisting volunteers and obtaining reading material from willing partners and volunteers. This will be an ongoing educational project for the long-term future.
ACTIVITIES.
1. Mobilizing community groups in a service network of savings and loans for community-based microfinance
2. HIV & AIDS, Malaria and TB awareness, counseling, support innovative programmes in orphans and vulnerable children and home based health care (HBC) for the HIV affected
3. Free computer training to orphans, vulnerable youths and women in the community.
4. A community Primary school (Kipepeo Community Education Centre) centre for orphans and vulnerable children in the communities.
5. A rehabilitation program for street children to support their basic needs and provide them with community-based education,
6. Educational support initiative to orphans, street children of Luanda and vulnerable children.
7. A capacity-building structure which involves educational training programs in leadership, group management, and financial skills
8. A volunteer program ; deploying of international volunteers and places villagers in groups charged with specific community tasks in relation to their skills, strengths, and interests
9. Alternative to violence peace trainings (AVP) for the community members.
10. Eco-tourism and environmental management
11. Programmes for cultural exchange
12. Provisional computer services for the community, such as typesetting, printing, photocopy services, internet services.
13. Youth empowerment activities such as sports, theatre, career development and drug abuse training, as well as building overall awareness and engagement through youth group projects.
14. Community library for reading, borrowing and exchange of ideas.
AREA OF OPERATION:
We operate in Luanda and Emuhaya Sub-counties, covering Elukongo Division, Esiembero, Luanda Township Division and Ekwanda Division. It consists sixteen administrative locations namely; Emusenjeli, Iboona,Wekhomo, Ebusiratsi, Emakunda, Ebusamia,Ebubayi, Echichibuli, Luanda Township,Ebusakami, Ipali, Emasaba, Mukhalakhala, Maseno, Tongoi and Ebukanga
TARGET GROUP.
The primary target of the is orphans, vulnerable children and street kids , people living with HIV and AIDS, people with disabilities, widows, youths and women who live in Luanda & Emuhaya Sub-counties and within its township. The target group is important and essential component of this project, it’s expected that significant changes, learning and development will take place for our target group and have access to basic needs education, health care, protection and a sense of belonging to the society.

ACHIEVEMENTS.
1. Trained 55 groups with membership capacity of 30 in microfinance and entrepreneurship of which 38 groups funded by Poverty Eradication Commission-Emuhaya District on revolving loan fund.
2. Manages to empower street children of Luanda through microfinance to establish personal enterprise through microfinance trainings and small business skills development.
3. Increased participation of the rural grassroots community groups into HIV& AID, TB and malaria awareness and management.
4. Establishment of the KCEP community library to serve the poor and vulnerable shall going children in Emuhaya District.
5. Establishment of the project website that serves as a platform for projects publicity and promotion to the entire world.
6. Trained free computer lessons to one thousand three hundred (1,300) orphans and vulnerable Youths in the community, graduated and awarded certificates.
7. Supporting of six orphans and vulnerable children to continue with education in High Schools and Polytechnics.
8. Training of 60 youths in alternatives to violence (peace training)
9. Establishment of a Community primary school (Kipepeo Community Education Centre)
10. Successfully carried out microfinance social impact survey in September 2011 using 30 community microfinance groups( savings and loaning groups)
11. Acquired a piece of land for construction of Kipepeo Community Resource Centre to create a platform for community empowerment and life skills development.

STRATEGIES USED.
1. Use of voluntary service from both local and international volunteers.
2. Capacity building of community based groups, women groups, youth groups, and people with disability groups.
3. Linkages and collaboration with various stakeholders, Civil Society Organizations, NGO and government departments.
4. House hold-centered approaches that link OVC services with HIV-affected families and strengthening community structures which protect and promote healthy child development such as churches, child area advisory councils/ committees
5. Social support including vocational training, income generating activities, social & legal protection and prevention services including positive behavior counseling.

COLLABORATIVE AND PARTNERSHIP.
1. The organization partners with the Constituency Aids Control Council to facilitate the sharing of HIV and AIDS information to the community.
2. The organization also partners with the District Youth Affairs and Sports Office- enhancement of youth sports centre at Mumboha
3. District Children Department on guidance and development of safe child environment.
4. The organization also works with Volunteer Action for Change-(VACK KENYA) that deploys international volunteers to KCEP community projects.
5. NOVOK-National Organization of Volunteers and Charity Workers in Kenya- Through human right education and monitoring of human right abuses in the community.
6. Ministry of Social Services- Through Social Development approaches in Luanda sub-county.
7. Digital Opportunity Trust (D.O.T)- Nairobi- training youths in Information and Communication Technology & entrepreneurship.
8. Poverty Eradication Commission- Emuhaya District- Monitoring, supervision, capacity building trainings to the revolving loan funded groups within Emuhaya District.

FUTURE PLANS.
 Construction of a Kipepeo Community Resource Center which will provide the project’s target youth population with structured career development information, skills and opportunities to get jobs, start own businesses or transition into higher education. It will as well serve as KCEP offices and host place for KCEP volunteer
 Establishment of organic farming demonstration plots for exchange learning.
 Establishment of a community microfinance institution i.e. a Community Bank that will facilitate savings and loaning to poor people of the community.
 Establishment of a Voluntary Counseling and Testing centre (VCT) to help Youths and Women know their status.

NEEDED SUPPORT.
1) Linkage and collaboration to development partners.

2) Linkage to online platform to enable projects implementations with other international development organizations.

3) Partnership with international institutions eg universities and volunteer deployment organization to enable organization receive and host skilled volunteers to help empower the community.

4) Recommendation to donors and multilateral funding institution for project financial support.