Ririshwa men and women strive to make money

By Jane Kariuki

 Ririshwa women group, comprising twenty five women and three men have adopted innovative ways of generating income. They produce some of the best jewelries made of beads and market them for a living. They also make handbags and key holders. 

Ririshwa group members making beads

The group converges every Thursday, at the homestead of one member and work hard to produce the wares. On 24^th October 2013, LRV visited the group and found them busy making tanks and basins out of worn out tires. 

The chair-lady, Mrs. Nafuto said that Lariak forest conservation area project has supported them with beads and threads in small quantities. The group was also given a person to teach them how to make the best products.

The main challenge to the group is the difficulty in accessing raw materials for continuing with the business.

She also said that marketing the products is a difficult task for them. The advantage of the group is the benefit of socializing and sharing spiritual and economic information.

Online marketing to benefit small holder farmers

By Bett Kipsang'

 Sokopepe, the online market access portal introduced by ALIN, is gradually turning around the way small holder farmers do business in Ng’arua. ‘‘I went to Nyahururu to inquire for the price of Lima beans (Noe) harvested by my group's members, I found out that the selling price was Ksh 80 per kilo’’ said Peter Mwaniki, the chairman of Umoja Wendani self help group. 

Members of Umoja Wendani Group and near their store

Mwaniki left the market wondering what price they could sell their product if they were to supply to that trader. ‘‘I left the market without asking more questions’’ he said. Luckily enough he had already uploaded on the Sokopepe portal a photo, price and quantities of Lima beans available for sale. Though he was not sure of the selling price in Nairobi, he was very sure that the price was not less than Ksh 100 per kilogram. Kibe a Nairobi resident visited the site logged on to Sokopepe and spotted the product displayed for sale. 

 His tongue started wagging and saliva streamed from his mouth as he remembered the sweet delicacy his mother usually makes out of the precious beans. “I called my mother to ask how many kilograms she needed’’ said Kibe, who would later place an online order for five Kilograms on Sokopepe.  

 The order was picked by an aggregator based at the Ng’arua Maarifa Centre; he then contacted Mr. Peter Mwaniki, who brought five kilograms of Noe. The aggregator inquired for the selling price of the commodity in Nairobi and within minutes, Mwaniki was earning Ksh 150/Kg  up from the Ksh 80 offered at the local market. “I wouldn’t mind paying higher if that money was going to farmer who did the hard work of production’’ said Kibe.

 Umoja wendani self help group has 23 members; they practice livestock farming and grow different food crops like Dolichos, Lima beans, Grain Amaranth, Maize and beans among other subsistence crops.

 They have faced a myriad of challenges ranging from lack of access to better markets and they are often forced to sell to local consumers despite offering low prices. 

Lima Beans spread to dry in the sun.

 Lima bean is a drought tolerant high value indigenous crop. It is one of the most nutritious known edible beans. Umoja wendani had planted half an acre for the group and each member had their own at home. Though the crop was joked in water locked soil, the group managed to harvest two bags of ninety Kilograms each. If they sold all the stock at Ksh 150/Kg, they will still make a profit of fifteen thousand, which is relatively good considering that the crop matures in four months.  

‘‘Lima beans have many advantages over other conventional crops’’ said Noah Koinet, who is in charge of agribusiness in Sipili division. It is an indigenous crop valued for its high nutritional content. Survival rates for Lima beans are also commendable since it can withstand hash weather and climatic conditions as compared to crops like maize. Propagation of Lima beans is easy. A farmer just need to dry them and select the best quality for seeds. 

 Koinet observed that there was slow adoption of indigenous crops among farmers due to the commercial nature of conventional crops. "Slow adoption of indigenous crops among farmers makes it difficult to market due to insufficient quantities" He said.

‘‘There is need to change the attitude of farmers towards indigenous crops’’, said Elcy Kigano who is the divisional agriculture staff in charge of home economics.  

 Farmers in Sipili are upbeat over the use of Sokopepe to access market. ‘‘I will advice all our members to increase the land sizes under Lima beans’’ said peter Mwaniki. All the members of Umoja Wendani are registered on Sokopepe; they use the system to access farming tips and prices from different locations.

Mwaniki also observed that they were exploring if there was any ways to add value to the crops.

  

Dairy farmers opt for Bank Loans to startoff

SMEP staff, Beth Jelagat addressing dairy  farmers

 A group of over one hundred (100) farmers from Sipili have come together to form a group called ''Wangwache dairy farmers''.

 The group is now set to access financial services from SMEP, a Nyahururu based micro finance institution which has come in handy for the farmers whose goal is to produce milk on commercial scale. 

The farmers intends to buy high producing dairy cows and the challenge of high start up cost, could not deter them from pursuing their dreams. That is why they went to SMEP to seek for the loans.

When the Ngarua maarifa centre visited the group, an officer from SMEP was assisting the group members to fill the loans application forms. An individual member needs ro pay a registration fee and deposit ten thousand (10,000) shillings to get a cow costing fifty thousand shillings (50,000), and 20,000 for a cow costing Kenya shillings one hundred thousand (100,000). 

Clients can repay the whole amount in monthly installments ranging from six to twenty four months. There is a grace period of three months before loanees start repaying through the mobile money transfer system (Mpesa).

 The bank is also linking the farmers to livestock insurance providers to cushion them in case of any unexpected eventualities like death of the animals.

The farmers who practice mixed farming are also gearing to benefit from an E-marketing project being implemented by ALIN at the Ng'arua Maarifa Centre in Sipili. They were informed that an order of maize was being secured through the E-marketing portal; (www.sokopepe.co.ke) all that farmers need to do is to get organized and bulk their produce ready for marketing. Farmers can query for market prices using their mobile phones by dialing (price#product#town) example (Price#Maize#Nairobi) and then send the sms to 20254.

Using ICT to empower youth and women

By Bett Kipsang' 

It is a bright Tuesday morning in Ng’arua as Ishamael Kiplimo 29, pops into the maarifa centre, wearing a broad smile. He needs some ICT services, and before that, he narrates how him and fellow members of a newly registered group; the Kipkelion Self Help Group, are grateful for the quality and timely services offered to them at the maarifa centre. One youthful member of this group was sent to the centre to download and print a copy of UWEZO fund forms a day before.

The government recently launched UWEZO fund, targeting youth and women’s economic empowerment. ''We can now apply for the fund, to empower ourselves economically'' Ishmael said. The group plans to venture into agribusiness.

''My first big achievement from the maarifa centre is unforgettable, I attended free ICT trainings which has opened up opportunities for me'' He said. Immediately after the training, Ishmael and others applied for a contract job with the Independent Electoral Commission (I.E.B.C) as a Biometric Voter Registration (B.V.R) clerk. It was mandatory for applicants to demonstrate possession of ICT skills, and it was not hard for him since he already had a certificate from the maarifa centre. He got the job, which paid relatively well, and henceforth life was not the same for the college leaver struggling to make ends meet.

Internet has made life easier for job seekers. Youths like Ishmael, comes to the maarifa centre to apply for electricians certification from the Energy Regulatory Commission (E.R.C). ''I accessed the commission's site, signed up to create a profile and uploaded my application details. Then I went back home in Kirigo village, sipili Laikipia west'' He said. ''There cannot be a better and convenient way of looking for a job than this'' Ishmael said referring to the use of Internet at the maarifa centre.

As a result of that application, ERC has organized a written interview, which Ishmael was invited to attend at the college of insurance in Nairobi. Ishmael, a diploma holder in Electrical Engineering is now awaiting for the oral interview. Meanwhile, he has also applied to be registered by the East African Cables (E.A.C) as an electrician. ''I hope to be registered fully by EAC once I get the E.R.C's certificate'' Ishmael said.

As if that was not enough, Ishmael who is always eager to learn, is also an ardent user of the Maarifa centre's library. ‘‘Recently I borrowed a book, called Electrical Installation works from the library, the book was useful for me since I updated my skills on vault findings, cable tests, and motor installations'' he said.

Ishmael has also done online research on the companies that produce solar modules. ''I have gotten contacts of companies producing solar accessories and have bought two solar panels from their distributors in Nyahururu to install for my clients. ''I cherish the maarifa so much'' said Ishmael.

Free online virtual ‘‘school’’ wins top award

By Bett Kipsang’

The burden of raising billions of dollars to meet the cost of education is by far huge for parents, governments and educational institutions. Worst is when the learning materials and tools are far from reach by the resources poor and marginalized local communities. To mitigate such a situation, a model of education ‘‘ALISON’’ (http://alison.com/) has been developed. It can save governments and educational institutions billions of dollars every year if adopted.

ALISON is the 2013 winner of the World Innovation Summit in Education (WISE) Awards. It is “A Creative Model of Open Education for a Global Economy” New York Times.

An email message entitled; ‘‘ALISON Wins Top Global Education Innovation Award’’ has been circulated to registered online students around Ng’arua Maarifa centre.

‘‘We are delighted to announce that ALISON has been chosen as one of the winners of 2013’’ ‘‘We would like to take this opportunity to thank you as a member of the ALISON free learning community for your support and promotion of what we do’’ the message read in part.

The Qatar Foundation sponsors WISE awards annually. It is one of the most prestigious awards in global education, awarded for "outstanding quality and exceptional impact on Education through innovation".

ALISON* is the world's leading free online learning resource for basic and essential workplace skills. It provides high-quality, engaging, interactive multimedia courseware for certification and standards-based learning.

ALISON’s mission is to enable anyone, anywhere, to educate themselves for free via interactive, self-paced multimedia. It is believed that through ALISON, the cost of access to high-quality education can be removed, thereby creating a more equitable and sustainable global society.

The online studies have been made possible with the believe that all certifiable or standards-based learning for every subject can be made available for free online. 

This is also in line with Article 26 of the United Nations Universal Declarations of Human Rights, which states, "Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free….., Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all…..., this become a reality with ALISON.

Since its launch in April 2007, ALISON has developed relationships with some of the largest and most prestigious institutions involved in promoting education and learning. With one million registered learners spread across nearly 200 countries worldwide, ALISON enjoys a global reputation for delivering quality education and training online. In 2011, over 50,000 people worldwide graduated at Certificate and Diploma courses with ALISON.

Word is spreading fast about the new facility that is making profound impact on people's lives and livelihoods around the world. 

Maarifa Library serves great purpose

By

Joyce Muthua

 The library service at Ng'arua Maarifa centre has become of great use to people around sipili. Pupils from from Adaned shinning stars academy have not been left behind.

The young learners have improved their reading skills through exchange of storybooks. There has been also a great improvement in essay writing, especially to the upper primary pupils who are regular users of the library. The young readers have also improved their level of creativity hence they are now able to write more interesting composition using the ideas from the books written by different authors.

As a beneficiary of the Maarifa Centre, I highly commend the good services given to the public at the Maarifa Centre.

Sokopepe set to revolutionize agriculture marketing

By Bob Aston

The Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN), facilitated by the Ford Foundation, are organizing an open day to celebrate the unveiling of its E-marketing and knowledge platform Sokopepe (Kiswahili word) for “virtual market”.

The ceremony will take place on Thursday 22, August, 2013, outside the Ng’arua Maarifa Centre at Sipili, Laikipia County. The Governor of Laikipia, HE Joshua Irungu is expected to grace the occasion as the guest of honour  He will be accompanied by county representatives (ministers) responsible for agriculture and ICTs among other key stakeholders in leadership and agriculture development. The open day will involve diverse key stakeholders, including ago-dealers, farmers, development and government agencies as well as various farmer-support institutions, such as cooperatives.

Besides launching of the platform, the open day will afford various stakeholders to network, share information and create new linkages. ALIN will showcase innovations and technologies from a few champion farmers from several of our Maarifa Centres across the country

Sokopepe is an initiative of Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) aimed at harnessing the power of Information and Communication Technologies in enabling farmers to efficiently reach and exploit a fair market for their produce. At the same time, it increases efficiency in the agriculture value chain providing a platform for farmers to share information and execute electronic transactions.

Most transactions on the Sokopepe platform can be completed on a basic mobile telephone handset, making it accessible to farmers in remote locations, many of whom do not own internet-linked mobile phones. Farmers and agro-pastoralists are encouraged to register with Sokopepe.

Sokopepe, unlike other e-platforms is the first truly holistic such e-service to be developed in the East African region. Importantly, most of its functions which include: market information;  real time commodity prices in all major urban centre’s; a mobile phone-based payment solution that works across all networks and which does not require users to own any mobile device, known as Tangaza Pesa (a first in Africa); and a services for farming tips based on simple SMS.

You can register to Sokopepe through www.sokopepe.co.ke or through (SMS) as follows

To register to Sokopepe; Send SMS: REG#IDNumber#FirstName#LastName#County, to 20245 (Wait for confirmation message to activate your account)

To receive market prices; Send SMS: Price#Commodity#Town, to 20245. For example (Price#Maize#Nakuru) and to get farming tips, Send SMS: (Tip#ProductName) to 20245 

Example Tip#maize

Welcome to the unveiling of Sokopepe, which lends itself to the theme of “Where buyers meet sellers”. Feel free to contact Nga’rua Maarifa Centre and be part and parcel of Sokopepe unveiling. We look forward to seeing you during the open day.

Creativity and crop selection to beat climate change

By Bett Kipsang'

Mr. Francis Kiarahu Muraguri 65, a small holder farmer in Sipili laikipia west, has come up with a climate change and food security initiative that has worked out for him and his family over the years. 

He has dug a two meter deep fertility trench and planted pumpkins, bananas and tree tomatoes in it. He collects all the farm residues and farm yard manure and put it in the trench making it rich for the crops.

 Pumpkins can stay for up to one year before going bad, thus providing food and income for the family. 

Seeds for the short season pumpkin variety called the ‘‘sweet sugar’’ are sourced from the certified stockiest. 

‘‘I planted this ones in April and they are now ready for harvesting’’ said Kiarahu pointing at the ripe pumpkins in his farm.   

Apart from pumpkins, he has several other crops making his farm look like a small corner of the Garden of Eden.  It is one place you can never have enough of it. Whenever I visit him, I learn something new.