Approximately 30 Kilometres from Narok Town, in Ngareta Ward, Narok Central, stands OloKuseroi Primary School. The school is home to two lush mini forests, their trees swaying vibrantly against the scorching sun.
George Ngadi, the head teacher, has been at the forefront of environmental conservation at the school. “This is my third year planting trees at the school compound. Cumulatively, we have planted over 1,000 trees,” he shares. The most recent planting took place in December 2024.
The school sources their tree seedlings from Nguzo Africa, a community foundation based in Narok County. For over a decade, Nguzo Africa has spearheaded grassroots empowerment in Narok County, championing ambitious goals in governance, service delivery, agriculture, economic empowerment, environmental conservation, climate change mitigation, and improved livelihoods, explains Elisaphan Ogechi, the Executive Director at Nguzo Africa.
Partnership With KCDF
The organisation, which began as a community-based organisation (CBO) in 2011, transitioned into a foundation in April 2022, a milestone spearheaded in the project: “Strengthening the Community Foundation Movement as a Basis for Sustainable Development in Kenya,” which is implemented in a partnership between KCDF and the Mott Foundation.
This initiative was carried out in two phases: the first from November 2021 to April 2022, and the second from February 2023 to February 2024. During the first phase, Nguzo Africa registered as a community foundation and received a grant of KES 700,000. “This registration opened doors to funding opportunities, including support from the Global Fund, which would not have been possible as a CBO,” Mr. Ogechi notes. Additionally, the organisation developed its 2022–2027 strategic plan during this phase.
Since 1997, KCDF has been at the forefront of promoting locally driven solutions to community challenges. As a non-profit grant-making organisation, KCDF mobilises resources from individuals, corporates, governments, and foundations and channels them into community organisations across the country. These funds support direct interventions and strengthening organisational capacity—from governance and leadership to communications, human resources, and financial management, shares Grace Maingi, the Executive Director at KCDF.
Caesar Ngule, KCDF’s Programmes Director, says a central objective of the partnership between KCDF and the Mott Foundation is to establish community foundations across Kenya that are not simply channels for external funds but vehicles for self-resourcing and self-mobilisation.
“External resources should only complement what communities are already doing—not determine their priorities,” Mr Ngule emphasises. He observes that KCDF’s programme supports organisations in becoming self-sustaining, emphasising the creation of robust financial systems, solid governance structures, and leadership centred around the community’s needs.
“KCDF’s partnership with the Mott Foundation was a natural fit. With Mott seeking to grow community foundations globally and KCDF already offering capacity support in Kenya, the collaboration enabled us to expand our impact—helping more organisations build sustainable, resource-mobilising community foundations,” Ms. Maingi explains.
She adds: “Our dream has always been to see more institutions like KCDF across Kenya. Organisations rooted in their communities, with the capacity to raise and manage resources for locally defined priorities.”
In October 2024, Mr. Ngadi participated in the Mau Mara Run in Narok County, an event organised by Nguzo Africa to encourage community philanthropy through tree growing. “This area is hilly, but the weather supports tree growing. The community is embracing trees as a source of income. When brought on board, they effectively support tree planting efforts,” he notes.
Solutions Brought by KCDF
Initially focused on community development in Narok, Nguzo Africa took on its first major challenge when KCDF invited them to raise KES 1 million, which was matched with a similar amount contributed by KCDF. With the KES 2 million, they initiated a tree-growing project in schools, starting with three institutions in Narok South. With this funding, the initiative has expanded significantly.
Seeing its success, KCDF partnered with the I&M Foundation to scale it further. The project has since expanded to 56 schools—40 primary, 15 secondary, and one technical training college—planting 120,000 trees with a survival rate of over 70 per cent.
“This push encouraged us to be innovative, mobilising resources from the community itself. KCDF trained us, allowing us to replicate their community-driven model in Kenya,” Mr. Ogechi emphasises.
KCDF is guided by the belief that development must be community-owned, driven, and centred. Instead of prescribing solutions, Ms. Maingi observes that it supports local groups in identifying their priorities and designing context-specific responses.
Impact - Raising Environment Champions
OloKuseroi Primary School has both a 4K Club and an Environmental Club, where learners actively grow and nurture trees. The clubs meet every Tuesday to plant trees, rear poultry and rabbits, and generate manure for gardening, creating a vibrant learning environment.
Senoi Nkuito, a 13-year-old Grade 8 student, serves as the president of the Environmental Club, a position she has held since 2023. “We plant trees, flowers, and vegetables like cabbage, kale, and spinach, selling the produce to buy more tree seedlings,” she explains.
The club members irrigate, weed, and fence the trees to protect them from intruders.
Meshack Barasa, also in Grade 8, is the 13-year-old deputy president of the 4K Club. The club has 49 members, with 24 new members joining in the past week. “The new members joined because they have a passion for the environment. Trees clean the air we breathe, beautify our surroundings, attract rainfall, and can even generate income,” Meshack shares.
The club meets every Monday after classes to plan activities, dividing tasks among members. “We bring water from home and sometimes use the school’s tanks, but the supply is insufficient,” he explains.
Their biggest challenge is water availability. “Our school is not connected to a water source. If we had a reliable water supply, life would be much easier,” Senoi says.
The school has four water tanks but needs additional storage to meet the growing demand. “If we can get two more tanks and piped water, it would transform our school,” says Senoi, who has planted over 20 trees.
The school has already set aside a one-acre parcel for tree planting, and Meshack has personally planted 17 trees at home and within the school compound. “If we receive more support and seedlings, we can plant over 7,000 trees next year,” says Meshack.
The learners also take responsibility for tree maintenance. They conduct audits, report damage, and even mend fences when necessary. Under all circumstances, the trees’ survival rate ranges between 70 per cent and 80 per cent.
The Environmental Club has 46 members, while the primary school has 560 learners. When combined with the ECDE section, the total school population reaches 680. The club members mainly depend on rain to irrigate their trees, supplemented by the school’s water tanks.
Environmental conservation education is gaining traction. Learners take tree planting home with them. “Since they don’t always know where to buy seedlings, they sometimes take trees from school to plant at home,” Mr. Ngadi chuckles.
Having served at the school for 10 years, Mr Ngadi acknowledges the importance of trees in shielding the school’s infrastructure. “Strong winds would have blown off the roof if it had not been for the trees planted years ago. We pray we plant many more to mitigate the wind’s strength.”
In December 2024, the school received another 300 tree seedlings from Nguzo Africa. “The teachers signal me when it’s about to rain so that we supply them with seedlings to take advantage of the rainwater,” says Mr. Ngadi.
Nguzo Africa does not distribute seedlings randomly. Schools must commit to caring for the trees, ensuring a survival rate of at least 70 per cent despite varying weather conditions. Parents also play a role, digging holes and planting trees alongside learners.
The club meets every Monday after classes to plan activities, dividing tasks among members. “We bring water from home and sometimes use the school’s tanks, but the supply is insufficient,” he explains.
Their biggest challenge is water availability. “Our school is not connected to a water source. If we had a reliable water supply, life would be much easier,” Senoi says.
The school has four water tanks but needs additional storage to meet the growing demand. “If we can get two more tanks and piped water, it would transform our school,” says Senoi, who has planted over 20 trees.
The school has already set aside a one-acre parcel for tree planting, and Meshack has personally planted 17 trees at home and within the school compound. “If we receive more support and seedlings, we can plant over 7,000 trees next year,” says Meshack.
The learners also take responsibility for tree maintenance. They conduct audits, report damage, and even mend fences when necessary. Under all circumstances, the trees’ survival rate ranges between 70 per cent and 80 per cent.
The Environmental Club has 46 members, while the primary school has 560 learners. When combined with the ECDE section, the total school population reaches 680. The club members mainly depend on rain to irrigate their trees, supplemented by the school’s water tanks.
Expanding tree planting beyond the school
Elizaphan Ogechi watering the variety of crops that they have at their nursery.
Nguzo Africa is exploring ways to involve parents at the school in tree-growing initiatives at OloKuseroi Primary School. Mr. Ogechi from Nguzo Africa explains, “Having seen the value of trees, we want to mobilise parents to contribute towards tree growing.”
The organisation intends to expand tree planting to the surrounding villages through parental involvement. “We want to set a target where each learner plants 10 trees at home,” Mr. Ogechi states.
Ngareta ward is a potential hub for commercial tree growing. With farmers in Narok owning large tracts of land—averaging over 50 acres—Nguzo Africa aims to engage 50 farmers to establish mini forests of two to three acres each.
The region supports various agricultural activities, including crop farming. During the planting season, livestock is relocated to other parts of Mara. Mr. Ogechi notes that some farms are leased to businesspeople from Nairobi, as Ngareta is a fertile grain belt where farmers harvest at least 20 bags per acre.
“We want to integrate local fundraising through the Mau Mara Run, bringing in resources from foundations, businesses, parents, and teachers to sustain continuous tree planting in schools and farmlands,” Mr Ogechi adds. “For our nursery to operate continuously, we must fundraise. Once we secure resources, we purchase seeds, pay nursery attendants, and distribute seedlings.”
Nguzo Africa has strengthened its capacity through the “Strengthening the Community Foundation Movement as a Basis for Sustainable Development in Kenya” project. Through the project, the organisation received training on resource mobilisation through Change the Game Academy, enabling it to become a sustainable community foundation rather than solely relying on external funding. “We actively engage local communities in resource mobilisation, responding to immediate needs rather than waiting for external donors,” Mr. Ogechi shares.
In the project’s second phase, Nguzo Africa received an additional Sh800,000 grant to strengthen its operations. This funding facilitated the formulation and implementation of a local resource mobilisation strategy, a digital transformation strategy, and website development. “Additionally, we successfully launched the inaugural Mau-Mara Run, aimed at growing 10 million trees in 10 years within Narok County,” explains Hillary Cheruiyot, the finance officer.
The Mau-Mara Run raised Sh49 million in cash and in-kind donations, distributing seedlings to neighbouring schools and community farms. To ensure sustainability, Nguzo Africa will continue promoting community philanthropy and hosting the event annually.
Kenneth Odera, KCDF’s Capacity Building and System Strengthening Coordinator, highlights the importance of strengthening local organisations so that they can respond to their communities’ needs without relying on external funding.
“We work with these organisations to identify capacity gaps and develop appropriate strategies to address them,” Mr Odera notes. This includes helping organisations build stronger governance, leadership, and financial management systems.
A key aspect of this approach is fostering local resource mobilisation. KCDF encourages its partners to work closely with their communities, enabling them to contribute to their development efforts through cash and in-kind resources.
Nguzo Africa’s long-term goal includes planting 100,000 trees in schools and community farms while providing grants to women and youth groups for business and agriculture initiatives. To date, 1,000 women, 300 men, and 102 persons living with disabilities have received training on good agricultural practices and enterprise development, Mr Cheruiyot says.
The partnership with KCDF and the Mott Foundation has been transformative. “Before this project, we were just a small CBO. Engaging with KCDF increased our visibility, and I was selected as a Shift the Power fellow in 2015, where I learned about sustainable development and systems change,” Mr. Ogechi recalls.
Future Plans
Nguzo Africa’s plans include engaging more women and youth groups in sustainable development, increasing local resource mobilisation through the Mau-Mara Run, and raising Sh5 million by 2025 to plant 100,000 trees. Additionally, they aim to grow their agribusiness enterprise, establish an ICT hub to train youth in digital skills, and launch a social enterprise studio for photography and videography.
As KCDF continues its partnership with the Mott Foundation, the organisation aims to scale up the local philanthropy movement, laying the groundwork for future generations of community foundations. “We walk with these organisations, so they can grow their assets, influence, and ability to create lasting change,” Mr Ngule concludes.
