Kijani have identified two defining challenges for the world in the 21st century: urbanization and youth demography. Youth are over-represented globally amongst the world’s poor and unemployed. Approximately two thirds of the global youth population live in countries where at least one third of the population subsists on less than two dollars per day. A high proportion of these youth are living in
slums and informal settlements in urban areas. Many of those have moved there from rural areas, to be greeted only by the same lack of opportunities and basic social services. Accordingly, we asked ourselves the following questions:
1. How can we ensure that young people have meaningful jobs?
2. In the face of rapid urbanization, how can we ensure that development encompasses environmental protection and sustainability? Kijani is a youth-led organisation, driven by the motivations and aspirations of young Kenyan locals. We are committed to facilitating assistance to groups that are self-motivated. Kijani works with youth groups who already have ideas for business or community projects that they would like to initiate, but are challenged by a lack of key resources or skills. We provide a business mentor, access to training, information on services from the government and private sector, mentorship to develop a strong team of youth who will become leaders in their community, and access to capital where needed. Kijani also provides skills and knowledge to conserve the environment and ensure that projects are environmentally sustainable. Creating a culture of environmental awareness has obvious flow-on benefits for the community. Kijani subscribes to the ‘Triple Bottom Line’ concept which recognizes that prosperity and economic growth must also encompass environmental protection and social justice, to ensure sustainable long-term growth. We are continuously engaged in best-practice research, in the fields of social entrepreneurship, small business development, environmental responsibility and financial intervention. This research is actively led by our directors, in conjunction with a team of five research assistants. We use research, collaboration and evaluation to ensure that we continue to offer a project model that remains relevant, innovative and effective. We have benefited enormously from our relationships with like-minded people and organisations, including World Vision Australia, UN HABITAT, the University of Queensland and the Oaktree Foundation. Founded in 2010, Kijani is a young organisation that shows incredible promise for the future. We are excited to build on our early success and continue to move in a positive direction. This early success and continued growth is made possible first and foremost, through the hard work and motivation of the youth with whom we work, secondly through the kind and generous support of donors and partners, and finally through the dedication and commitment to responsible action of our team members in Kenya and Australia.
