Hope Begins With An Empowered Community

For those who haven’t visited us in rural Kenya lately, this post is the final piece of a six-part series that will update and inform you about our ministry’s incredible expansion over the last few years. Please tune in daily as we highlight our work in Kenya. Today’s focus is our community development program called Maendeleo Initiative.

maendeleo /ma en de ‘le ō/ (noun); Swahili – progress, development, advancement, community

Every child served by the ministries of Naomi’s Village has a story, and that story ties them to a community. Maendeleo is our initiative to join with these communities to help further their development and enhance their vitality through programs addressing five domains:

1. PHYSICAL

We partner with families to provide affordable solutions for everyday living needs such as solar lighting, rain collection and storage equipment, appropriate sleeping arrangements for kids, and water purification units.

2. SPIRITUAL

Working closely with Cornerstone’s spiritual development team, we minister to the needs of our community families through evangelism, discipleship, prayer, and community worship.

3. EMOTIONAL

By building relationships with the marginalized
in our community, Maendeleo’s social workers and counselors seek to understand and meet the unique emotional needs of single mothers, victims of abuse, and addicts.

4. CAPACITY BUILDING

Maendeleo equips community members to become more self-sufficient through our skills- training programs in agriculture and business, while also providing access to funding through guided table banking groups and microfinancing.

5. HEALTH

Through educational forums and seminars covering topics such as gender-based violence, feminine health issues, and general hygiene, we raise awareness of and assist with solutions for relevant health concerns.