Najijali Project Report 2023
The initial concept was presented to Harambee Centre in April 2021 by Grace Resources for Community Action, operating in Chwele, Kenya. White Salmon-Bingen Rotary Club quickly supported the idea, and together the groups launched into an effort to mobilize Rotary Clubs in Kenya and the United States to create a solid Global Grant application for consideration by The Rotary Foundation.
An extensive six-month community assessment was completed, and a Rotary Global Grant application was developed and submitted in July 2022. The primary Area of Focus is Community Economic Development. The grant includes two classes of 25 beneficiaries. Each class will receive six months of vocational training followed by three months of attachment (internship) before graduating.
The program is being modeled after two previously successful projects Harambee Centre collaborated on: Chwele Women’s Group & Naissosion Sewing Project.
During training, the cohort of girls is brought together to form a Community Based Organization (CBO) so they can be eligible for microfinancing opportunities. Each girl will receive a manual sewing machine, materials, and supplies to begin their new career.
Overall, the budget for the first year of the global grant activities is $180,000. Harambee Centre has raised $25,000 to support the Najijali Project, and the Rotary Club of White Salmon-Bingen (Washington) has raised $30,000. The remaining funds were sought from a combination of Rotary International's The Rotary Foundation (TRF), Rotary District 9212 District Designated Funds, and contributions from individual Rotary Clubs.
The Global Grant was officially approved in August 2022. The team collected all of the pledges previously made and the received full funding from Rotary International. Through December 2022, the project went into the initial organization phase. During this time, an international project management team, made up of representatives from Najijali Project partners, was put into place.
A quality childcare center was built in record time. Supplies were ordered, monitoring and evaluation activities began, community members and partners received training, and applications were accepted. A local committee screened applications and interviewed potential beneficiaries. Finally, the first class of 25 girls was selected.
On January 9, 2023, the Najijali Project began operations at the Chwele Vocational Training Center and welcomed the first class of students and their children!
Volunteers and visitors came to Chwele in March-April of 2023 to perform the initial site visit for the Global Grant and to interact with the girls. The project was also celebrated by the community, bringing awareness to the program and to the Chwele Vocational Training Center.
The first class continues to work on developing their skills and will go into the attachment phase (internship) later this summer. Then the second class will begin in September of 2023. More to come..