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At Rare Vrienden, empowerment is at the heart of what we do. Our work in Kilifi is not about supporting one particular sector. It is about helping people and communities gain the knowledge, skills, opportunities and connections they need to build more secure and sustainable futures. Agriculture is one of the ways in which that can happen. On Monday, 28 September, Rare Vrienden brought together agricultural practitioners and partners at Silver Palm, Kilifi, to explore practica

Sometimes the most important changes in a community project are the ones that are hardest to measure. You can count chickens. You can record eggs, income and expenses. But how do you measure a woman becoming more confident in managing an opportunity, or beginning to see a small poultry project as something she can build into a livelihood? That is part of what we are seeing in our poultry work with women in Kilifi. Recent visits on 23 and 30 September gave the Rare Vrienden te

In Kilifi, impact can sometimes look like a flock of chickens. Sometimes it looks like a pile of manure. And sometimes, it looks like a basket of freshly harvested vegetables. For Mama Dama, one of the first beneficiaries of our poultry programme in Kilifi, Kenya, it has looked like all three. Her story is one of progress, an unexpected setback, and the determination to start again. It is also a reminder that when we invest in livelihoods, the impact does not always follow th

A few weeks ago, a new chapter began for a group of young women (and men) taking part in the carpentry training through Galfundi. Now, we are beginning to see the first fruits of their hard work. The training started with the basics. Before heading into practical work, the young men and women have been learning about carpentry tools and equipment, how they are used, and the importance of working safely and accurately. They are also learning about measurements and the careful

In the daily rhythm of managing community programs, tracking milestones, and aligning project logistics, it is easy to look at community development through the lens of spreadsheets and strategy. But every so often, a single moment arrives that collapses the distance between administrative efforts and human lives, reminding us deeply of why we do this work. Lilian's letter to Jonathan Recently, our Project Lead in Kilifi, Jonathan Mativo, received a handwritten letter from on