Harnessing Local Strength for Sustainable Development

Forum Kenya’s Community Empowerment project lies at the heart of its grassroots mission—to uplift individuals and groups by helping them recognize, organize, and optimize their own resources and potential.

This initiative focuses on building self-reliant, organized, and proactive communities that can lead their own development processes. It is not charity—it is partnership. We walk with people, helping them move from dependence to ownership through structure, skills, and encouragement.

Key Components

1. Identification & Engagement
We begin by engaging with informal groups, rural networks, churches, and local leaders to identify people with shared goals or needs. These may be farmers, women, youth, or mixed community-based groups.

2. Group Formation & Structuring
Forum Kenya guides the formation of self-help groups (SHGs) with 7–15 members who share trust and locality. We support them in:

• Naming their group and drafting a constitution
• Electing accountable leaders (Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Prefect)
• Understanding group roles and responsibilities
• Setting up savings plans and meeting procedures

3. Mentorship & Accountability
Each group is assigned a Forum Kenya field officer who acts as a coach and liaison. Officers help track group progress, resolve conflicts, encourage punctual savings, and ensure integrity in leadership.

4. Participatory Planning
Groups are trained to identify their needs and solutions using the resources they already have. Whether it’s pooling savings to start a dairy project, creating a collective farm, or setting up a group store, Forum Kenya ensures that decisions come from within.

5. Linkages & Growth
Once groups mature, Forum Kenya connects them to additional services such as:

• Revolving Loan Funds
• Agribusiness training
• Government registration support
• Risk fund coverage
• Digital tools for group record-keeping

Impact

• Hundreds of groups formed in rural and peri-urban counties
• Increased access to funding, training, and group registration
• Strengthened community leadership and financial discipline
• Empowered women and youth actively leading development efforts
• Reduced reliance on external aid or informal lending

“When communities believe in their own capacity, real change begins.”

Forum Kenya’s Community Empowerment project continues to ignite grassroots transformation—one group, one idea, and one step at a time.