Even though East Africa’s youth may not even be aware of Nyerere’s Arusha Declaration, the concept of self-reliance is one that is at the forefront of their lives

At independence young people had the opportunity to play their rightful and integral role in building the nation at local, regional and national levels. However with the passing of time, regimes intentionally marginalised the youth, not taking their growing numbers as an economic competitive advantage, but as a threat to the nation’s vested interests security. Thus unemployment, and in particular youth unemployment sky rocketed. Today, out of Kenya’s 40% unemployment rate, 60% is composed of young people; in some cases there are those who have never had an opportunity to experience employment, even in the informal sector.

Youth unemployment, in particular long-term youth unemployment, can generate frustration and low self-esteem that leads to increased vulnerability among some young people to drugs, disease and crime. Indeed no less than the Kofi Annan mediated Agenda 4 of the Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliation Agreement singled out youth unemployment as a critical issue to be addressed.

However, there has emerged a new crop of young people, entrepreneurs by necessity – who are changing this state of affairs. One example of this bid for self reliance is Youth 4 a Better Future (Y4BF), a rural based youth network that promotes market driven agriculture, enterprise development and environmental conservation in South Rift Valley.

Y4BF has been engaged in various enterprises including solid waste management, bee keeping, goat rearing and organic tomato farming since its was started in 2008, by its young founder Ole Mepukori. This self reliance initiative has impacted young people in really remote areas to be able to sell their goods to markets as far as Mombasa. An ICT programme has gone regional with Y4BF offering highly subsidised computer training in the areas around Kilimanjaro and Arusha. Y4BF have also ventured into the renewable energy sector with wind and eco-charcoal businesses. The group’s projects continue to grow in both scale and reach.

In the sprawling Kibera slum another group of young social entrepreneurs are literally lighting up the area. The Kibera Community Youth Programme (KCYP) was formed in 2002 with the aim of providing the youth with opportunities that promote their proactive participation in community development.

The group has been manufacturing and selling solar torches going by the trade name ‘Kibulight’. According to the group’s project Manager, Elizabeth A Otieno, Kibiulight first went into production in 2009 after several group members received training from Greenpeace Switzerland. In a situation where electricity prices are beyond the pockets of most inhabitants, the interest in the Kibulight torches has been great - some of the group’s members have even got the opportunity to travel to Uganda to train people in the alternative technology.

In the spirit of self-reliance, unlike others who import and sell solar products, Kibulight’s assembly is done in Kibera using only imported components when local substitutes are unavailable.

The greatest challenge the group has had to overcome in the Kibulight project has been countering the influx of cheaper solar products from China that have flooded the Kenyan urban slum market. However this has not dented the determination of these young men and women to ensure that each household has access to light.

A final illustration of putting the self-reliance message into action is RESTORERS, a rural community based network based in Maragua in Kenya’s central province. According to one of the group’s founders, Elijah Mwangi, RESTORERS began as an idea in 2008 among a group of friends - some of whom had gone to school together.

They set out to find a way to mitigate the problems facing the local youth who after finishing University, Tertiary college, and Std VII (primary school) found it very difficult to find jobs. From their discussions, they came up with ideas to start small businesses which would provide employment for the youth.

Having to rely on themselves with their meagre resources, the first enterprise they settled on was a soap manufacturing business, particularly as the raw materials were cheap and the profit margins good. Within a short time, RESTORERS was selling the soap and detergents to nearby institutions such as schools and hospitals, as well as training more young people in this skill to start their own businesses. Nevertheless, even with the group’s burgeoning success, Elijah and his fellow group members remain committed to a grander vision where the RESTORERS network will continue to grow into a leading and influential group in the promotion of youth-centred economic excellence.

Even though in Kenya we have numerous such examples of social entrepreneurs, with young people developing innovative and in some instances life changing projects, there is still a significant distance between these great ideas and the resources to make them happen. Youth 4 a Better future, Kibera’s Community Youth Programme and RESTORERS are just but a few of these initiatives which prove that in the spirit of cooperation as expressed in the Arusha Declaration, young people can indeed play a vital role in social and economic development.

Probably a good way to sum this ethos up, is emulating Y4BFs motto of ‘Say little, Work hard and Be Young Forever!’ Youth 4 a Better Future, Kibera Community Youth Programme and RESTORERS are profiled on the ‘Get Inspired!’ series on the Youth Interactive Portal for Enterprise (www.yipekenya.org).

By Fiona Mati

Fiona Mati is the founder of The Youth Interactive Portal for Enterprise, a web and mobile portal providing business information and resources to
aspiring and operating youth entrepreneurs in East Africa.