Country – Kenya

Reading University

Course – MSc Communication for Development

Caroline is single. She attended Kenya Methodist University – Qualification Business administration on marketing major – Degree.

Caroline currently works for the Cereal Growers Association in Kenya as a Marketing and Communications Manager. Her roles and responsibilities are:

• Farmer mobilization for collective action in, lobbying and advocacy
• Organising communication and public information activities for farmers
• Media relations airing farmers issues through the media
• Publishing a farmers magazine aimed at improving agricultural practices
• Stakeholder engagement aimed at maintaining the desired brand reputation for the Cereal Growers Association

Caroline would like to continue working for Cereal Growers Association when she goes home. She would use her newly gained experience and knowledge to set up a stronger lobbying and advocacy unit. Farmers in Kenya are negatively exploited and would like to change that by challenging the current policies and systems through lobbying and advocacy for farmers, especially small-scale farmers.  

Country – Kenya

Reading University

Course – MSc Agriculture and Development

Daniel has a family. He attended Egerton University – 2006 Qualification Bachelor of Education degree in Botany, zoology, chemistry and education.

Daniel currently works for Bukura Agricultural College in Kenya as a Senior Lecturer. His roles and responsibilities are:

• Input in curriculum development and review
• Preparation of teaching and practical manuals
• Delivering in lectures in his subject areas of specialization
• Supervision of practical demonstration by technologies
• Current coordinator of mushroom production course
• Member of botanic garden and research committee at department level

His vision is to start a mushroom tissue culture laboratory to meet the high demand for mushroom seed spawn in Kenya, whilst offering extension services to farmers and upcoming agribusiness entrepreneurs willing to engage in mushroom farming.

Country – Kenya

Cranfield University

Course – MSc Environmental Water Management

Pauline is single. She attended the South Eastern University in Kenya – 2017 Qualification BSc Hydrology and Water Resources management. She is currently working for International Organisation in Turkana, Kenya as an Intern Hydrologist. Her role and responsibilities are:

• Carrying out flow measurements to come up with a conceptual water balance model
• Conducting bathymetry surveys to determine sedimentation rate on chosen dams
• Carrying hydro census survey for all irrigation schemes and for all the boreholes drilled by the company I worked for
•  Routine water quality analysis for both physio-chemical and biological parameters
• Routine boreholes monitoring through installation, download and interpretation of data from data loggers/trolls
• Supervision of community water projects and drilling exercises

Pauline is a true patriot and believes her country has a lot of untapped potential; therefore, she will immediately contribute by advising her pastoral community to adopt the alternative livelihoods available to arrest food security and their living standards. She will encourage small scales farmers in her village to adopt modern farming methods and go drought resilient plants.

Marshal Papworth Short Course – Harper Adams University – 2019

Florence works voluntarily for the Ugurja community resource centre as a Community Mobilizer.

Her roles and responsibilities are:

• Meeting group leaders
• Meeting group members for awareness training
• Scheduling meetings with groups
• Following up on group progress
• Linking groups to service providers

On returning home Florence hopes the course will enable her to upskill in her management role and empower her to train others.

Marshal Papworth Short Course – Harper Adams University – 2019

Job is a Project Officer for Self-Help Africa based in Nairobi, Kenya. He attended Egerton University in 2015 – Qualification BSc Agribusiness Management.

His job involves working with programme coordinators and his roles and responsibilities are:

• Work with Programme Coordinators to ensure that Nutrition, Gender and social inclusion, enterprise development and natural resource management issues are effectively mainstreamed in all activities.

• Facilitate linkages to loan and credit facilities for emerging enterprises (e.g. if appropriate credit and savings schemes or formal loans from micro-credit banks. Build linkages with financial institutions)

• In liaison with the M&E officers, document and share lessons learned and best practices with partners, stakeholders and SHA.

• Work closely with Government institutions at the County level to support SHAs work.

• Provide appropriate and timely updates to key stakeholders including the Head of

Programmes, and Programme Manager on project implementation.

• Manage the implementation of all aspects of the programme in their respective geographical areas, including detailed work planning and monitoring.

Job hopes to gain knowledge on the use of information technology as a key component in disseminating extension services to farmers in his region. Agriculture being a devolved component extension services has become a challenge, thus introduction of IT will assist in reaching more farmers at the same time leading to commercialising agriculture.

Marshal Papworth Short Course – Harper Adams University – 2019

John is a Project Officer for Self-Help Africa based in Western Kenya. He attended Kenyatta University in 2015 – Qualification BSc Community Resource Management.

His job involves working with local farmers and farming groups. His roles and responsibilities are:

• Preparing monthly and quarterly reports on implementation
• Work with partner organisations to ensure plans are implemented
• Maintain project files & related documentation
• Support the partner in construction of workshops at country level
• Document and share lessons learnt and best practices with partners

On returning home John will provide advice to his farmers on new ways of crop management.

Owino is married with children, she currently works for Ugunja community resource centre/Siaya seeds in partnership with Self-Help Africa, as a farmer co-operative manager.

Her roles and responsibilities are:

• Facilitation of self-help groups
• Organising farmers groups for production
• Managing the farmers savings schemes
• Organising farm products to be sold at market
• Support, identification and investment in Agriculture

On returning home Owino is looking to continue her support with her farmers, teaching them new skills & information learnt on the course. She is looking forward to training using practical experience for results.

Country: Kenya

University: Cranfield University

Course: MSc Community Water and Sanitation

Lilian attended Kenyatte University qualifying in 2010 in BSc Environmental Studies and Community Development. Lilian is working for Epistat Research Limited as a water sanitation and hygiene assistant coordinator. Her roles and responsibilities are:

• Assist in concept paper preparation and tracking progress reports
• Attend, participate and represent the organisation in workshop forums
• Prepare material estimate for construction and repair of WASH facilities
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation of project activities
• Mentoring of junior staff, capacity building and training on water sanitation and hygiene practice to the Ministry of Health.

Upon completion of the course Lilian hopes to work directly on designing, implementing and managing water, health, environmental and development programs in resource poor communities. She hopes to create a global partnership to enhance positive change and community projects structural management.

Ochieng is married with four children and as a partner with Self-Help Africa, Caroline works as an Agricultural Extension Officer.

Her roles and responsibilities are:

• Development of agriculturally-oriented strategies
• Capacity building of staff (frontline extension workers)
• Supervision of frontline extension workers
• Farmer training and skills
• Report writing

On returning home Caroline, would like to help her communities move forward, toward modern production systems, with the enhanced knowledge she has obtained on the short course.

Fredrick is married with children, he is a self-employed farmer who works with Self-Help Africa.

His roles and responsibilities are:

• Buying Stock
• Selling
• Ploughing
• Weeding
• Harvesting

On returning home, Fredrick hopes to come back and help his community farm better, growing & harvesting an improved Cassava crop.

Joseph is married with children, he works for the Kenyan National Government in the Ministry of National Cohesion & Interior Security in partnership with Self-Help Africa as a Senior Chief and lead farmer.

His roles and responsibilities are:

• In charge of location security
• Solving problems related to locality members amicably
• Involved in training of poverty eradication solutions e.g. Farming and entrepreneurship
• Lead farmer in cassava

Joseph hopes to learn better technology in enhancing sustainable farming, so when he gets home he can share all his knowledge and skills with other community farmers.

MSc Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security – Royal Agricultural University – 2017/18

Okoth is married with a family. He attended Egerton University – 2008 Qualification – BSc Agricultural Economics

Okoth is working for VSO in Bangladesh, as a volunteer, Specialist for business model & finance for Farmers Center. His roles and responsibilities are:

• Develop business capacity of farmers and youth in agriculture
• Develop market linkages between farmers and private sectors
• Identify value chain actors with specific level of engagement for farmers
• Establish an effectively functioning sustainable farmers centre service catalogue
• Assist centre manager to develop sustainable business model for farmers

Upon completion of the course, Okoth will share the experience and information with his community. He will support the learning of others, encourage and promote sharing of knowledge.

Christine  is applying the knowledge and skills gained on the 10-week Short Course to her farm enterprises, and is also sharing it with the 2,000 farmers she is managing. She trains the farmers in small groups, practically demonstrating, showing them the new practices learnt.

Lorna is currently working for Self-Help Africa as a Ward Agricultural Extension Officer with the ‘County Government of Siaya. Her role is to implement agricultural projects and programmes in the ward, as well as providing training in leadership, group dynamics, cassava crop agronomy and cassava value chain.

Domanicus is currently working with the farming community in his locality, he is the secretary to Cassava Cooperative Society and Chairperson of Alego-Usonga CBO.

Justus is a Senior Superintendent Water Engineer working for Makueni County Government. Makueni County is an arid and semi-arid region of Kenya

Erastus is the Senior Chief and works for the Deputy County Commissioner.

Edgar works as a senior project office for Farm Africa, training small holder farmers on agricultural best technologies that help them improve their production and productivity and ultimately their livelihoods.

Francis is working with NAROD, an investment and consultancy agency that builds partnerships to help small holder farmers increase their participation in sustainable income generating agricultural activities and market their produce profitably.

Patrick is currently working for the Ministry of Agriculture in Fisheries department, as a Fish Farming Extension Officer.

Upon returning home, Charles continued his humanitarian work, primarily focusing on Africa where water needs are greatest. He is currently working as a Water Sanitation and Hygiene Advisor with Concern Worldwide, an international NGO, based in Darfur, Sudan.

He hopes his course will provide him with the practical and theoretical knowledge to identify and analyse the problems facing natural resources and provide solutions for his country.

Caroline is working as a Project Officer – Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), based at Lorraki Integration Program Area (IPA), World Vision Kenya, implementing WASH projects for the IPA. Through her work and the knowledge from her course Caroline hopes to make a real contribution to eradicate poverty in Kenya.

At present, Moses is working with the Kenya Plan Health Inspectorate Services as a Plant/Seed Inspector. He has been able to utilise his acquired knowledge and skills, from the schloarship opportunity, to help various communities in Kenya by addressing many environmental and social concerns.

Zuhra is a Sub-County Home Economics Extension and Training Officer. Zuhra has been the focal person in Kisumu County, responsible for the selection, organising, and coordinating all the SHA activities on the ground like:

• Mobilising farmer groups and facilitating the trainings.
• Coordinating all the support SHA has given the groups like distributing cuttings, farm inputs and even equipment.
• Organised and coordinated the only cassava field day done in Kisumu county in 2014
• Coordinated the selection of group members and participated in the tour to Busia county exchange visit.
• Mobilised other extension staffs to support SHA project through facilitating and providing extension services.
• Linked SHA farmer groups with other service providers to enhance impact and diversification.

Zuhra has plans to empower farmers, farmer groups and private entrepreneurs to have sustainability by establishing village cottages through diversification, processing preservation and marketing for local and export market.

Samuel returned to Egerton University and is working as a trainer and researcher in Horticulture. Samuel has recently been promoted to the position of Assistant Lecturer in Horticulture and his career path is focused on becoming a Professor.

Kaberia returned home to resume his job as a government vet and run his own practice. Since finishing his course he has helped develop a private veterinary system and worked with the FARM-Africa Development to support local farmers.