Category: News

A Big Boost to NRT Trading Ujuzi Manyattani Program During its 3rd Graduation

Posted on by Susan Methamo
Vishal Shah, NRT Trading CEO awarding a graduate a certificate during the ceremony.

Three hundred and thirty-seven women and youth from Nakuprat-Gotu, Ltungai, Nasuulu, Jaldesa, Shur, and Songa community conservancies in Samburu, Isiolo, and Marsabit Counties have graduated from different courses in the Ujuzi Manyattani vocational training. Ujuzi Manyattani is a vocational training initiated by the Northern Rangelands Trust Trading (NRT Trading) to improve the lives of diverse people in the northern Kenya region.

The Ujuzi Manyattani programme sponsors twelve courses that provide access to learning for people from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds that have been unable to access formal education in Northern Kenya. In a collaboration between government and donors, the program has seen more youths and women from Isiolo, Samburu, and Marsabit Counties join the program, and graduate in various courses ranging from; Mobile repair maintenance, Motor circle maintenance, Catering, pastry and Accommodation, Tailoring and Dressmaking, Masonry, Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy, Electrical and Solar installation.

The ceremony held in Ngare Mara Ward Isiolo County, saw many partners, Donors, and Government officials attend to celebrate the mileage of 337 young women and youth in northern Kenya who gained formal skills to better their lives.

Ambassador, The Royal Danish Embassy in Nairobi, H.E Ole Thonke who graced the occasion, encouraged the graduands noting that;

“Life at times does not take you in the direction you want, especially to those who dropped off from university or other classes, but as Morans or young girls who were married off, you can prove different through Ujuzi Manyattani vocational training. The skills will better you in your communities. It was fantastic listening to you graduands share stories of how far you have come to achieve these great skills that will change your lives.”

H.E Thonke, who was greatly impressed by the graduands achievements added that the Danish Embassy plans to increase funding to NRT programs, and its conservancies to ensure all this great work is progressing well.

H.E Ole Thonke awarding a graduate with a toolkit

“To boost this noble program, Toyota Kenya will sponsor ten best students trained in motorcycle repair and maintenance to further their skills.” Said Silvia Adani, Toyota Kenya Nanyuki Branch Manager.

Deputy Governor Isiolo County Dr. Abdi Issa thanked NRT Trading for truly bringing devolution to the Northern Kenya communities in terms of conservation, peace, improved livelihoods, and technical skills.

“Today am happy to witness one hundred and sixty women graduate from last year’s only six which is so encouraging and I urge our women to take charge in education and development agendas and many more should enroll in the subsequent training,” Noted Issa.

Director, Kenya & East Africa Environment Office at USAID, Aurelia Micko urged the graduands to use the skills gained to transform their lives and their communities.

“Ujuzi Manyattani is one of those positive ways that change happens in northern Kenya; and today we are witnessing that. We are here for you, we are here for the 337 graduates, and you are the change agents. You are no longer the leaders of tomorrow; you are the leaders of today, and I want to celebrate that with you.” said Auleria.

2nd from left is Auleria celebrating the graduates during the ceremony.

Ujuzi Manyattani program is a timely opportunity for the graduands in Northern Kenya due to the growing infrastructure investments in northern Kenya, these skills will prepare communities for opportunities in line with vision 2030 projects.

The training and graduation were made possible through the support of NRT Trading technical partners- TVET, NITA, Kiirua Technical Training Institute, Laikipia North Technical and Vocational College with funding from USAID Kenya through the USAID Local Works program, Denmark in Kenya, the IUCN, Save our Species co-funded by the European Union and Nature Conservancy in Africa.

Words of Emily Chebet – Ujuzi Manyattani Beneficiary

Posted on by nrttrading
Emily at her salon attending to a client

I can proudly say that my life began when I joined Ujuzi Manyattani vocational training program. Being a third born out of eight children, I knew for sure that my education stopped at form four as my parents were poor and could not afford my college fees. My elder siblings had also not studied further than that.

My father is a casual laborer, while my mother sells charcoal at my village in Nakoprat conservancy after I completed my form four education, I started assisting my mother in the charcoal business. Sometimes I will be lucky enough to get odd jobs like washing people’s clothes for a small amount of money to supplement our income.

At 26 years old, life was difficult for me, with no hope of a better tomorrow. I was always so stressed. I would wonder if things will ever be better for my family. That’s when I heard about the Ujuzi Manyattani program from other community members. People were talking about this free mobile, village-based vocational training; that was recruiting women and young morans in conservancies to train them on how to diversify indigenous livelihoods and entrepreneurship skills.

I did not waste time and decided to register for the program in June 2021. There were many different courses to pick from like, mechanics, mobile phone repairs, tailoring, and carpentry. I chose hairdressing & salon. People in my community had to travel to distant urban centers/towns and pay costly transport to receive salon services. This course was going to help me open a nearby salon, make life easier for them, and at the same time help me earn a sustainable income.

After three months training, I was able to gain entrepreneurship skills which helped me start up my salon and barbershop at Archer’s Post, Samburu County. At ‘Classic Salon’ I am able to offer great services. This has helped me bring in new customers and retain others. I am able to earn great income daily and grow my business. I also learned the importance of supporting other people in the community, which is why I currently have two employees who assist me in the day-to-day running of the business. In the future, I hope to grow my business even more to a point where I can train others and impact them the way Ujuzi Manyattani has done to my life.

My advice to other youths is to be willing to join training programs like ujuzi manyattani because they are for a short time, but the knowledge, skills, and benefits you gain will last you for a lifetime.

I am also very grateful to USAID and other partners for supporting this program. Their support has changed my life from someone who could only depend on my parents to someone who can now support them and my siblings. From being uneducated to educated, unemployed to employed, not to forget I am now a great entrepreneur in my community; thank you.

NRT Trading is Training 300 Herders in Northern Kenya

Posted on by dev
Women training at Sera Conservancy

A survey was carried out in August to identify gaps on livestock production in the landscape. A Baseline report was developed and validated by county and government expert. During the process a curriculum and training manuals were also developed.

The curriculum consists of four modules which are:

  1. Feeding and breeding;
  2. Animal health and livestock marketing;
  3. Climate change and rangelands;
  4. Leadership and governance.
Curriculum validation at El Boran Hotel, Isiolo

After the curriculum validation, NRTT enrolled 300 herders for capacity-building trainings from ten NRT conservancies on better production practices. NRTT has adopted the pastoralists’ field school approach. The approach engages herders in questions and answers sessions. The training focuses on supporting herders gather sufficient depth and gain practical skills in cattle production, with the aim of:

  1. Organizing herder structures and improving access to information and coordination of livestock health and husbandry;
  2. Improving productivity and competitiveness of livestock supply;
  3. Strengthening market linkages and information.

“At NRTT livestock department, we sensitize pastoralists through training on proper breed selection, supplemental feeding, participatory rangeland management, disease reporting and access to livestock inputs. We work with NRT community conservancies because they form a trusted institution where we can train pastoralists to form leverage for the people within the landscape.” Dr. Wario Sake Sori, Livestock Director, NRT Trading.

Dr. Wario Sake Sori, Livestock Director, NRT Trading

During one of the training sessions at Sera Conservancy, thirty trainees said they were happy with the first module training. The training will help them maintain and increase their livestock, and they will gladly share the skills gained with other community members.

“I am happy to be part of the NRTT herders training. Before the training, I thought I understood everything about livestock farming since I grew up as a pastoralist girl, and now I am a grandmother. NRTT has completely changed my opinion through their trainings. After just a few classes, I have learned many new and great things about livestock farming. I have learned about improving cattle breeds to improve milk and meat production. I have learned about selecting good cows in the market using scoring techniques which I am trained on. I will share the skills gained with other community members in my conservancy and beyond.” Jelina Lekiluai, herders training trainee.

Delivery of the modules started on January 2022 and will be going on for three years to deliver four modules to 300 herders in ten NRT conservancies.

Koija Starbeds Tourism Boosts Local Livelihoods-Story of Rapasi Henry

Posted on by dev
Rapasi Henry Naiputar

Rapasi Henry Naiputar is 38 years old and has a big family to support. He is one of the hundreds of people who are benefiting from tourism in Northern Kenya. He is a community member of Koija, Naibunga Lower Conservancy, and works as a chef in Koija Starbeds.

Working in a self-catering facility, Rapasi has to be very innovative; prepare delicious meals and great drinks using the ingredients that the guests bring to the camp. From this experiences Rapasi has learnt basic bush cooking crafts, a skill that he wants to advance.

The Koija Starbeds are very special; they are on a raised platform overlooking the mighty Ewaso Nyiro River; and the landscape beyond. The room is partly covered by a thatch roof   which rests the weirdest sleeping contraption you’re ever likely to encounter. The double beds can be wheeled out into the open for a night of sleeping in the open air under the twinkling stars, safely cloaked in a big mosquito net. The owners and indeed hosts of the starbeds are the local Laikipia Maasai.

“Our visitors will enjoy elephants escort, nature walks, hiking, fishing (bring own equipment), camel treks, and cultural immersions as some of the wonderful moments to reckon. I encourage people to come and visit Koija Starbeds.” says, Rapasi.

Koija Starbeds
A beautiful view of elephants

Rapasi adds that he gets excited when he meets the demands of his guests. He hopes that one day he will go back to school and gain more skills in cooking.

The tourism sector in Northern Kenya is a source of income for hundreds of community members directly and indirectly.

The NRT Trading tourism department supports NRT community conservancies to earn a living; they support the community members to develop and market tourism products. Koija starbeds in Naibunga Lower Conservancy is one of the community Conservancy projects that they support.

Northern Rangelands SACCO Records A Tremendous Growth Of 41% In Cash And Assets.

Posted on by dev
SACCO members during the Annual Delegate Meeting.

Northern Rangelands Savings and Credit Cooperative (NR SACCO) held its Annual Delegate Meeting (ADM) at Kalama Conservancy in Samburu County on Thursday 28th April 2022. Among those in attendance were Said Roba, Isiolo County Auditor, and Ture Boru, Chief Economic Programs Officer, NRT Trading.

During the meeting, members were updated about the SACCOS’s growth since its inception in 2016; and were very excited because of the tremendous growth. According to Ture Boru, Chief Economic Programs officer of NRT Trading, despite COVID-19 challenges, NR SACCO has continued to provide business capital to communities, unlike most financial institutions that suppressed lending to businesses in 2020. Through this support, the SACCO has seen tremendous growth from 300 members in 2016 to the current 5400.

“The Sacco strides to see a change in the narrative around local communities by helping them achieve a productive, self-reliant future through income diversification and growth in remote regions. The total loans disbursed to finance 3,060 enterprises since 2016 stand at KSh. 103.8 million (USD 1 million) by the close of 2020, while the savings and shares mobilized were KSh. 10.8 million (USD 10,000).” Noted Ture Boru.

Ture Boru, Chief Economic Programs Officer, NRT Trading awarding the best SACCO supporter, Samuel Lentam

Out of the 80 registered SACCOS in Isiolo County, the NR SACCO has been recognized as the leading SACCO in savings in 2021, with a closing savings of Kshs 167.8 Million in assets and cash from the Kshs.119M in 2020, making it a 41% growth.

“Congratulations Northern Rangelands SACCO, you are the leading SACCO in Isiolo County according to our records. We are glad that you have impressive growth and member savings as compared to the 80 registered SACCOs in Isiolo County. I would like to encourage the SACCO members to take advantage and get development loans, as well as new ones to join. ” Said Roba, Isiolo County Auditor.

During the ADM meeting, there was an election of new board members; the newly elected board chair is Michelina Leparmosijo, and the secretary is Salma Lekomet. There was also awarding of the best members in savings and loan repayments.

Further, the SACCO introduced a new product known as the Hakiba Dharura account to safeguard members’ emergencies rather than withdrawing their savings and closing the account, a product that was well received by the members; another milestone for NR SACCO.

Founded in 2016 by the NRT Trading under the Biashara Mashinani program, the Northern Rangelands Savings and Credit Cooperative (NR SACCO) act as a financial intermediary, particularly for youth and women in Northern Kenya to be able to access small business loans and other financial services. NR SACCO is an independent, community-owned, and membership-driven organization, which receives critical oversight, technical support, and training from NRT Trading.

For more information about NR SACCO, you can visit your conservancy manager or NRT Trading offices at LEWA Wildlife Conservancy.