Follow your dreams in Kenya

The only reason you are human is your ability to follow your dreams, when hope seems idiotic and your ability to fight proves otherwise. Sometimes you’ll win not because you are the best but because you follow your dreams to the last breathe as this is what defines humanity. You should not give up on whatever basis no matter how weird, far-fetched and skeptic you might think you follow your dreams are they are achievable. You only need to make the effort since the only thing between you and success is the will to follow your dreams. The only difference between success and failure is the drive, the passion, and handwork to achieve and be a in a place of exclusives. 

Today is the day to evaluate your goals revisit your vision, make both short term and long term goals and celebrate after achieving the short term goals.Fix your eyes on the long term goals with patience and surely you will reach there. Achievement of the vision calls for sacrifice and perseverance. Other people`s opinions should not define what or who you become. Keep focusing your vision and remember a person with no destination cannot get lost since every destination is good for him. Business plan development is crucial as you follow your dreams. A business plan is a document that supports you to plan growth, seek funding, and monitor performance over a period of time. 

The question of how much money you need and where it will from is the last step in a business plan. There’s an assumption that to grow a business, you need to get access to capital. According Paul Hawkent the author of Growing a Business, the problem with growing a business isn’t the lack of access to capital, but having and borrowing capital before your business is ready to grow and before you’ve fully developed your business model. Remember a business plan is the road-map as you follow your dreams to success. Every person can make it but, it takes real men/women to achieve their wildest dreams.

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Drugs and substance abuse prevention: Contact NACADA Authority Kenya Counselors free on tel 1192

Drugs and substance abuse is widespread Globally and it interferes with brain development of the young people.Therefore sensitization on drugs and substance abuse among the young people need special emphasis  in order to rescue and save our future today. Early detection of drugs and substance abuse is vital for prevention and rehabilitation of the youth. According to NACADA (National Campaign against Drugs Abuse) authority Kenya, 75% of Kenyan population is made up of young people below 30 years.33% of the population consists of young people15-30 years.56% of criminals are youth  aged 24-25 years. The youth currently make up 33% of the Kenyans infected with HIV/AIDS. Young women 15-24 years are three times more likely to be infected with HIV/AIDS than men of the same age. Among students research shows that 75% have tried alcohol at least once. Majority of the young people fall into these social vices during adolescent which is a period of rapid change and critical decision making in relation to:-

• Self identity: autonomy, independence, esteem and image
• Sexual identity : boy girl relationship
• Vocational identity: Career choice

When the youth were asked what led them to start this practices some of the answers were curiosity, to fit in, rebellion etc.

Stages of drugs and substance abuse

1. Experiential stage: This is when the youth are experimenting or trying
2. Social stage: the young people are seen with strange friends
3. Instrumental stage:The youth can remember the previous day's activities as the mind is not yet damaged
4. Habitual stage: the practice  becomes a habit/routene
5. Compulsory/ addiction stage: The youth can engage in any social vice including lies, stealing, theft ,prostitution and selling housewares for money money to sustain drugs and substance abuse.

Classification

1. Stimulants: increases activity e.g. tobacco, coccaine, miraa
2. Depressants: decreases activity e.g. codein, diazipan
3. Steroids: common with youth males, fosters formation of living tissues increasing muscular mass
4. Hallucinogens: causes hallucinations or pronounced alteration of perception, state of fantasy, illusions and being lost in the world of dreams e.g. cannabis, hashish
5. Prescription medicine e.g. codeine, morphine, valium, pethidine.   

Effects of drugs and substance abuse

• Developmental effects: When drugs and substance abuse starts before young people attain 21 years,  brain development is retarded
• Memory blackouts in young people
• Sexual problems i.e. lack of appeal or promiscuity
• Insomnia, moodiness, restlessness, hallucinations
• dread of facing people
• Injection marks
•  skin rash
• Watering eyes

This is a guide to identification of cases of drugs and substance abuse among the youth and young people. Be aware, be alert, be alive and support prevention!
More-http://yagrein.blogspot.com/p/what-are-youth-saying.html

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Success story of a Kenyan youth savings and credit co-operative society

Gatundu young traders Mpesa

Gatundu young traders’ savings and credit co-operative society is an organization founded by the youth for the youth. Their guiding slogan is ‘’Youth have all it takes to succeed as long as they unite’’. Gatundu young traders’ savings and credit co-operative society registered with the Kenya  ministry of cooperative Development and Marketing Reg Number C/S 12020 in February 2009 and the membership was 20 by then. To date Gatundu Young traders Savings and credit co-operative society has 200 members and a capital base of 2.5 million. The members get loans which they pay at a youth friendly interest rate.  45% of the loans are used in agriculture investment contributing to national food security. The Savings and credit co-operative society headquarters are located in Gatundu Town of Kiambu County in central Kenya region.

Members in a training session

This savings and credit co-operative society was started as a solution to the discrimination of the youth in kenya by the established financial institutions. The founder member Jonn Njoroge Munyua is the current chairman of Gatundu Young Traders savings and credit co-operative society and the vision bearer.  Njoroge is also the Managing Director of smart works Traders Company dealing with detergents chemicals in Gatundu town,in addition to being the secretary to original youth pioneers group based at kimunyu location Gatundu District. His leadership dates back ten years when he was elected the chairman of Vision Youth Group at the age of 30 years. Having grown up on the farm, he was introduced to farming by his parents who were good farmers. He developed interest in farming, worked on the family farm while young and latter on inherited piece of land.

Executive committee

He learnt about many profitable enterprises and technologies during agricultural trainings by agriculture extension officers, among which he started implementing installation of energy saving stoves services, manufacture of liquid detergents and making of fireless cookers for sale. Full of passion John Njoroge Munyua visited a bank seeking a loan for the projects implementation .He got a rude shock on realizing the bank required security/collateral which he didn’t have. The youth never got discouraged but conceived the idea of forming a revolving fund group consisting of young people, shared a few friends who supported the idea. The revolving fund group held its first meeting in June 2008 and latter registered as Gatundu young traders saving and credit co-operative society.  John Njoroge got his first loan from the revolving fund group which he used boost energy stoves installation services and detergents chemicals projects. The projects continue to flourish to this date greatly contributing to environmental conservation and community livelihood improvement.

Gatundu Young traders savings and credit co-operative society has grown tremendously and in the year 2010 and 2011 it was honored as the best organization in capacity building to the members, and best sustained and improved savings and credit co-operative society in Gatundu District respectively.In 2012 Gatundu young traders savings and credit organization has managed to roll their first M-pesa project which will generate income for the organization. Gatundu young traders’ savings and credit co-operative society is solely working with the members’ contribution and the funds are insufficient to meet all the requirements. The young traders are making efforts to pursue the Youth Development Enterprise Fund, a Kenya Government fund for assistance in overcoming inadequacy in a the working capital. The youth savings and credit co-operative society is a role model to many young traders and is therefore calling for any relevant support from like minded organizations and individuals, who have the objective of improving the livelihoods of the youth in Kenya. Glory to God on High and long live GYTS organization.

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Success Story of Kenyan Youth in Agriculture and ICT

75% of Kenyan population directly depends on small scale farming for their livelihood in the rural areas. The farming individuals are commonly elderly people between the ages of 45-65 years.However Geoffrey Mwamba has defied the common thinking of most Kenyans about agriculture. At the age of 27 years he is a proud owner of small scale tomato Farming business which he has named ever blazing farm, on 0.1ha or 1/4 acre of land. The farm is in Kiganjo Division,  Kiamwangi location, Ngenda sublocation, Gatundu District, Kiambu County in central Kenya region.             

Geoffrey mwamba practices agriculture with a difference employing youthful energy, enthusiasm and Knowledge attained from an Agricultural Training institution and business studies, to develop his agriculture business. Mwamba markets his tomatoes in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya and its environs, and the demand for his produce is so overwhelming that he recently started recruiting collaborators to grow tomatoes and capsicums for him.Mwamba extensively uses his mobile phone to send information to his customers and receive orders for his farming produce which greatly contributes to the expansion of his farming business. He also orders unique seeds which are not available in the local stores through the internet giving him comparative advantage in the bussiness.Geoffrey mwamba has no regrets and earns a decent living with  current gross earning amounting over KSH 120,000 per month from his tomato farming business. Mwamba attributes his success to determination, commitment, hard work, availability of a shallow well which belongs to his grandfather, encouragement and support from his parents and siblings.

 

On interviewing this youth in agriculture, he revealed big plans ahead to own additional land in order to expand his farming business, a mansion in a premium area of Nairobi City, the best car and the best family. His life goals are well written down in black and white and nothing will stop him from achieving them. He’s a role model and a mentor to youth in agriculture. Therefore there is no doubt youth can find rewarding employment in agriculture activities as evidenced by Geoffrey mwamba’s case.Read-http://yagrein.blogspot.com/p/our-activities.html

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Internet and Social Media for Agriculture kenya

Information and communication technology in agriculture is an emerging field in Kenya. This involves application of innovative ways to use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for agriculture information sourcing and social media networking with collaborators and stakeholders in the agriculture value chain. ICT in Agriculture will facilitate dissemination of accurate, timely and relevant agriculture market and extension information as well as major government services to the community. This will create a good environment for competitive profitable agriculture, leading to self employment, food security, income generation and poverty reduction.

For the Internet to be an effective tool for rural farmers’ access to agriculture services three complementary things need to be in place namely, implementation of Government policies supportive to development of physical Internet access in the rural areas. Secondly the farmers  need support in learning how to use the Internet and interpret the information for application in agriculture. Farmers groups are an important resource to facilitate the adoption of e-agriculture internet innovation. Today the use of the Internet to source for agriculture information is a preserve of innovators in Africa. In view of this it will be more practical to measure the number of farmers with access to the Internet through community groups other than individual farmers’ approach. In rural Africa, community tele-centres are the realistic means of Internet access.

Majority of the Farmers in rural Kenya respond to information that has been tried and proven by the experience of innovators, in order to confidently make a decision to apply the same in their personalized situation. ICT will facilitate the farmers’ interaction with the innovators which will increase the speed of adoption of agriculture technologies. It is far much easier for the institutional developers of farmer’s information to broadcast a product to a mass audience, often derived from existing print material, than to contextualize it and enter into interpretive online conversations about it. Internet farmer’s education and online extension services will  speed up on-farm technology application due to interpretation of the information as happens during field days. Groups of farmers will find the advice on technology; help to interpret the advice as well as reference to other relevant service providers. A small number of specialized online extension workers could have a large impact on many groups. Facilitating online groups is a time-intensive, highly focused and skilled activity. online extension workers need different skills from face-to-face extension workers.

Online agriculture groups will be an important development which will help to make local sense of Internet services as they complement face-to-face groups. Both online extension services and online groups are important means of supporting the uptake of innovative farm practices. However, the potential for the use of the Internet to support farmers’ learning has only been partially realized in Africa. Mostly  farmers’ will require information designed for self-served clients working on their own. This calls for Information and Communication Technology skill development amongst farmers . Introduction of online facilitation skills into agriculture is necessary like in online education or commercial online communities.

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Challenges Faced by Kenyan Youth in Agriculture

Challenge 1: No job opportunity in agricultural extension for young graduates
The Youth hardly find jobs or work-based placement in agricultural extension in Kenya. The government of the republic of Kenya is the main provider and regulator of agricultural extension services, and the recruitment of new officers is done after long periods since .This situation was precipitated by the structural adjustment program in the 90s which implemented civil service retrenchment to reduce the government employees with an aim of improving the management of the countries economy. However the government recently reberelized extension services and private practice is being promoted through a government program known as private sector development in agriculture (PSDA) creating opportunities for the young people, but again the private extension providers are ill equipped as the youth discouraged by the earlier situation had abandoned training in agricultural courses in preference to other specializations especially business courses. Agriculture value chain development and empowerment trainings are currently being carried out by the ministry of agriculture under the National Agriculture and livestock extension program phase out. The present situation is encouraging as it shows there is light at the end of the tunnel. young professionals will in future be able to register their own agriculture extension Private Firms.

Challenge 2: Training of agricultural Extension Officers not done at a regular basis
Research extension Linkages are weak and it was found that refresher training courses for the extension officers are not held on a regular basis, but as and when required or when there are some training opportunities (e.g. when there is an expert in a specific field in the country). As a result the innovative farmers get information on new agriculture technologies before the extension officers.

Challenge 3: Lack of Effective agricultural Extension Services
The main factor preventing the extension officers from working effectively is that they are not well facilitated and their offices are poorly equipped. Agriculture extension is basically the process of transferring agricultural knowledge to the farmers and getting feedback. Communication is part and parcel of the extension process. dissemination of essential information is central to the success of extension. However, most frontline government extension officers have no access to basic information and communication technologies such as computers and are therefore lagging behind times. Youth in agriculture find the officers outdated and cannot identify with them. Officers are not well remunerated and they lack enthusiasm and the motivation required due to poor salaries. Extension officer farmer’s ratio in Kenya has changed from 1:750 in the 90s to 1:1200 currently. This often means that extensions officers are unable to serve their clients effectively.

Challenge 4: Lack of Training in modern agricultural technology
large sections of the youth are untrained and modern agriculture requires being knowledge based. Lack of information technology systems has largely contributed to this situation as the youth are not in favour of traditional extension training methodologies like field days.

Challenge 5: Lack of agricultural Resources
Majority of the youth own no land which is the principal resource in agricultural production. Limited control of the main factor of production in agriculture places the youth at the disadvantage of having to wait for the interventions of adults to become integrally involved in agricultural pursuits

Challenge 6: Negative Image of Agriculture
Youth have a negative attitude towards agriculture due to lack of role models and mentors. The image created around agricultural pursuits as a means of livelihood is not encouraging as only elderly people are involved while the youth are absent in the value chain. These generally lead to involvement of the youth in activities that are popular and perceived to be socially acceptable. The negative stigma of pursuing agriculture as a career influences youth to stay away from it.

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