Adopt-A-Village Concept

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Global Health Connections was founded to connect, engage, and empower individuals to improve the health and sustainability of their communities. What once was a small organization with one village in Kisii County has now grown to fifteen villages in three different counties —all in under 2 years. Our Community Health & Empowerment Clubs (CHECs) focus on a holistic approach, using educational teachings as well as group activities to empower communities. CHECs aim to improve health and economic behaviors through community participation, mobilization, and empowerment. We want to change individual behavior, but also move beyond single households and into the larger community.

An Idea is Born...

It was through these CHECs that the Adopt-a-Village idea came to light. We quickly realized there was a gap between what we wanted to accomplish in our villages and the funding and resources that were currently available. We also realized there were individuals and organizations around the world that wanted to help improve the health and economic well-being of those most in need, but didn’t know how. 

All that was missing was a program to connect them–a system that allows individuals, clubs, or other groups to sponsor and fund a CHEC, bringing about meaningful change TOGETHER.

That’s where Adopt-a-Village comes in.

At its core, the program offers a 24-week Health Curriculum plus a 10-week Economic Curriculum, both of which allow sponsors to actively involve themselves in the transformation of a village. 

• The Health Curriculum includes topics such as Sanitation, Hygiene, Nutrition, and Malaria prevention. It also includes the creation of 3 Demonstration Models–a Tippy Tap Hand Washing Station, a latrine and a Kitchen Garden
• The 10-week economic curriculum will work in conjunction with vocational training, diving into topics such as entrepreneurship, generating and funding business ideas, and managing finances. This economic competency training leads into income generation projects. 
• Most of our current CHEC income generating groups participate in beekeeping, but soap making, cereals and tree nurseries are also options. 
• Why beekeeping?   The demand for honey in Kenya has been rising with each passing year. The local markets can only produce 20 percent of the demand, thus Kenya imports about 80 percent of its honey. This problem presents empowering economic development opportunities for rural Kenyans, especially women. The entire apiculture value chain has potential to create livelihoods for vulnerable groups of rural villagers who are unable to step into traditional agriculture or other rural livelihoods.  

These curriculums address the issues of WASH, nutrition, social complexities, and economic instability—all while emphasizing community involvement to encourage long-term stability. 

But what does this all look like for our sponsors?

With Adopt-A-Village, learning is hands-on. A sponsor will be immersed in the transformation process and will have the opportunity to see firsthand how GHC has a direct impact on empowering individuals through our CHECs.  

Adoption of a village can coincide with the initiation of a new Community Health & Empowerment Club or adoption can occur with an existing CHEC. If adopting an apiary is desired, a CHEC where beekeeping already exists or where one is planned will be selected.  

The program can be tailored specifically to the sponsor's wants and needs.  GHC can personalize the overall experience to ensure sponsors feel they are playing a part in the transformation. Options include: 

• A Quarterly newsletter on the progress of the villages and other GHC happenings in Kenya
• Videos and Photos of the various training sessions and hand-on experiences 
• A Quarterly Virtual Meeting with the Village participants 
• Exchange of ideas on Community Development
• Exchange of ideas on Economic Opportunities

Our experienced on-the-ground teams oversee project implementation, monitoring and evaluation. They also identify community needs and future growth opportunities, and undertake outreach activities. They work closely with the members of communities and local leaders to ensure that our projects will remain self-sustaining when the direct support concludes. Most importantly, they involve YOU.

We want people around the world to be able to experience this first-hand and be a part of a Village transformation. We want people to immerse themselves in Kenyan village life and to help make a difference. But most of all, we want people to understand that it’s not just about giving–it’s about equipping members with the right knowledge and tools to empower and support their communities.  

We currently have three Adopt-a-Village sponsor villages: Kegati Village and Itierio Village in Kisii County, and Nyasumi Village, in Nyamira County. Two of the three villages--Kegati and Nyasumi--have apiaries while Itierio has a thriving tree nursery. 

Please consider joining us and adopting a village–after all, transforming lives and creating lasting, sustainable change is much more meaningful together. 

To learn more, please contact us at info@globalhealthconnections.org