KOICA Kenya Office

📈 Strengthening Partnerships and Empowering Communities in Turkana County! 🤝

From August 19th to 21st, the International Trade Centre (ITC) and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) conducted a joint scoping mission in Turkana County. This mission was a key step toward aligning our objectives, sharing progress, and engaging with stakeholders to drive sustainable socio-economic development for both refugees and host community members. As the project is operated closely with the Turkana County government, the team could have a Courtesy Meeting with H.E. John Erus, the Deputy Governor of Turkana County. We appreciate him and his team's warm welcome and the friendship.

During the mission, our team held discussions with local leaders and stakeholders, including the Department of Refugee Service (DRS), UNHCR, Norwegian Refugee Council(NRC), and visited key project sites in Lodwar and Kakuma. We focused on:

- 💻 Digital Skills Training: Empowering youths with digital skills, such as e-commerce and digital marketing, to help them create new economic opportunities regardless of physical restrictions or social status.
- 🐝 Beekeeping Initiatives: Supporting 36 honey producer groups to boost production and connect markets in Nairobi and beyond.
- 🎨 Artisanship and Basketry: Enabling 44 artisan groups to expand their reach, focusing on creating high-quality products which have been selling out to both domestic and international market.

One of the most inspiring moments came when we heard from a student benefiting from our digital training program:
"I am not here because I have time. I come to this class in the afternoon to learn digital marketing and e-commerce skills. Coming to the training class has changed my life. I graduated in 2019, but still receive mentorship. Now I lead a team of 30 refugees with digital skills." — A refugee from Burundi in Kakuma camp.

These efforts underscore our commitment to integrating refugees and host communities into sustainable economic activities by providing training and ensuring strong linkages between skills and markets. Together, we are building a brighter and more resilient future for Turkana County!

Our field mission stories have been covered and published by the County Government and the local radio station. Also check out the article covered by ITC website.
Link: https://intracen.org/news-and-events/news/creating-small-businesses-so-refugees-and-host-communities-can-earn-better

KOICA Kenya Office Country Director, Dr. Jang Hee Im on Friday, August 23, 2024 paid a courtesy call to the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Public Service, Mr. Amos Gathecha, and discussed the collaborations on the KOICA CIAT (Capacity Improvement for the Advancement of Tomorrow) training programs.

The Principal Secretary expressed his gratitude to KOICA for its partnership with his office and appreciated the opportunities, in the form of capacity building programs, that the Ministry is receiving from Korea. He also positively stated that there is much to learn from Korea.

Dr. Im highlighted the significant improvement in the performance of the training programs over the past year and emphasized the importance of leveraging the practical experience of returning officers in their professional fields. He also mentioned that having regular consultations between the stakeholders would help the State Department for Public Service increase the participation of public servants in the KOICA CIAT programs.

KOICA Kenya Office lauds the partnership and commitment cultivated with the State Department for Public Service and remains dedicated to delivering high-quality capacity building programs.

On 14 August 2024, KOICA Kenya Office hosted a second pre-departure orientation for the 2024 Scholarship Program trainees.

14 trainees have participated to prepare for an 18-month journey. They will acquire diverse knowledge and skills in Korea and return with enhanced capabilities. KOICA Country Director, Dr. Im, encouraged the trainees to actively participate with a strong value of national identity, comparing them to Olympic athletes representing Kenya. He also emphasized the hope that the brilliant ideas they gain in Korea will be shared and practically applied to Kenya and their work.

KOICA Kenya Office wishes all the trainees the best of luck. We will provide full support so that they can gain valuable experiences and return successfully.

On August 13, 2024, the KOICA Kenya Office held a pre-departure orientation for two multi-country programs.

For the program 'Capacity Building of Government to Achieve Gender Equality in the World of Work', 3 trainees, and for 'Capacity Building on Financial Inclusion of Community Banking for Sustainable Rural Development', 2 trainees, making a total of 5, will embark on a journey to take on greater challenges in Korea.

KOICA Country Director, Dr. Im, congratulated them on this new experience and opportunity for learning. He encouraged the trainees to take pride in representing Kenya and stand out as Kenyans. Through KOICA's multi-country program, they will return home with enhanced skills and knowledge that can be applied directly to their work. We wish all the trainees good luck and will fully support throughout their journey.

On the 22nd of August 2024, a colorful ceremony was held where His Excellency Governor Joshua Irungu of Laikipia County received a Toyota Land Cruiser, handed over by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), KOICA Kenya, and UN Women.
The vehicle is intended to facilitate the monitoring of agricultural projects within the county.
The Governor, flanked by his County Executive Committee Members and Departmental Chief Officers, expressed his gratitude for this support. The vehicle was officially signed off by FAO Deputy Country Representative, Mr. Hamisi Williams, and the handover was witnessed by KOICA Kenya’s Programs Manager, Harun Kodiaga, and the UN Women WEE-CSA Project Lead, Elizabeth Obanda.
Governor Irungu acknowledged the crucial role the vehicle will play in monitoring the 41 WEE-CSA groups located across the wards of Mugogodo East, Umande, and beyond. He further committed to ensuring that the vehicle is well-maintained, with an adequate budget allocated for its running, repair, and maintenance.

On 7 August 2024, KOICA Kenya Office hosted a pre-departure orientation for the 2024 Scholarship Program trainees.

Out of 23 selected trainees, nine visited the KOICA Kenya office before their departure to Korea. These trainees will pursue Master’s degrees in various fields, including Urban Development, Agricultural Economics, Policy Competency Based on ICT Convergence, Water Resources Management, Gender Equality, and Global Education Leadership.

KOICA Country Director, Dr. Im, encouraged the trainees with the words, ‘A new journey means new learning’. He complimented them on their remarkable achievements so far and wished them success in both knowledge and experience. Dr. Im also emphasized the importance of applying their learning in practice to contribute to Kenya’s development.

KOICA Kenya Office wishes all the trainees the best of luck. We will support them throughout this invaluable journey and help them overcome any challenges they may face in Korea.

Proud Moment for KOICA Kenya! Our transformative projects, WEE-CSA and K-DREAM, are featured in the OECD's prestigious Development Co-operation series.

KOICA Kenya is excited to share that two of its projects, Women Economic Empowerment through Climate Smart Agriculture (WEE-CSA) and Kenya Kalobeyei Integrated Drought Response and Management (K-DREAM) have been highlighted in the OECD's Development Co-operation Tools, Insights, and Practices series. These initiatives empower marginalized communities, particularly women and youth, in Kenya through innovative climate-smart agriculture.

Partnering with UN Women, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and World Vision, this KOICA funded climate-smart agriculture programme is making a significant impact in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid counties of West Pokot, Kitui, Laikipia, and Turkana. These projects tackle poverty and inequality while driving policy shifts and securing budget allocation for sustainable agriculture practices.

The results have been remarkable - women farmers have seen a 110% increase in their monthly incomes, and climate-smart agriculture practices have been successfully integrated into county development plans. These initiatives have directly benefited thousands of farmers and refugees, enhancing their economic stability and resilience.

Beyond economic benefits, these projects have elevated women’s roles in decision-making and reduced household income disputes, fostering peace and confidence. Including men in these initiatives has also fostered community-wide support, ensuring the sustainability of the positive changes.

KOICA Kenya remains committed to building resilient communities and promoting sustainable development. We celebrate this progress and remain dedicated to creating lasting positive impacts across Kenya. Stay tuned for more updates on our journey!

Read more about these transformative projects in the full OECD feature:

Empowering marginalised communities: Korea’s climate-smart agriculture programme in Kenya In collaboration with UN Women, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and World Vision, Korea has launched the climate-smart agriculture programme in Kenya to tackle poverty and inequality among marginalised groups, particularly women and children. Through group-based empowerment and capacity-build...

KOICA has implemented the course, KOICA Youth and Women Empowerment (Kenya) Country Specific Program – a program designed to improve youth and women’s access to TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) and its effectiveness through the innovation of the TVET sector in Kenya. The three-year course was completed in July 2024.The first phase in 2022 was physically instructed by Global Civic Sharing (GCS) organization at the Sarova Panafric Hotel in Kenya where participants interacted with the Korean experts from GCS. The second and third phases of the program were invitational to Korea.

This year’s team was presided over by high level officials from different departments of Kakamega County. The team of 15 Kenyans were in Korea from June 24 –July 4, 2024 during which they were taught on how to develop implementation strategies of TVET and employment support policies for youth and women empowerment. The course also shed light on ways to improve the quality of TVET through developing the competency of TVET instructors’ teaching method and curriculum for policy making.

KOICA believes that by implementing the knowledge gained from Korea's exemplary practices in the sector will help to improve youth and women’s access to TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) and enhance effectiveness through innovation of the TVET sector in Kakamega County and generally in the Republic of Kenya.

Led by KOICA Kenya Country Director, Mr. Jang Hee Im, the KOKE team visited the Montagne des Français in Madagascar on June 20-21, 2024 to monitor the sites of the Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (BIOCOM) project implemented by UNESCO.

The BIOCOM Project seeks the biodiversity conservation of the Montagne des Français protected area, advance research and promote the well-being of the local communities taking into account the restoration and sustainable enhancement of these protected areas. The Montagne des Français forests in Northern Madagascar help people adapt to the effects of climate change by preserving the essential environmental services they depend upon. Also, these sites are a source of income for communities through micro-projects and conservation and ecotourism activities.
This protected area faces many threats such as the extensive conversion of forest trees to charcoal, mostly for sale in Antsiranana; illicit cutting of forest trees for the lumber market in Antsiranana; slash-and-burn agriculture; lemur hunting for bushmeat; and poisoning of lemurs with herbicide laden fruits placed in the forest.

The Ambassador of Korea in Madagascar, H.E. Ji Hyun Park joined the KOKE team to visit the collaborating TVET center, the reforestation nursery, the workshop and showroom of handicrafts made by women beneficiaries of the project, and the mini solar park at the Andavakoera protected areas.

BIOCOM project has financed the growth of 8,000 seedlings to plant trees around the protected area. Beneficiaries have been empowered to start income generating such as beekeeping for honey production, chicken rearing, nursery growing, and gardening of tomatoes. This has helped to transform the communities to abandon activities that harm the environment such as uncontrolled tree cutting. Other beneficiaries have learned skills such as handcrafting, masonry, metalwork, and cuisine and they have started their small enterprises or obtained gainful employment.
The KOKE KOICA appreciates the good collaboration and support of the Government of Madagascar, regional government agencies, SAGE, Association Vahatra, and many others for their tremendous efforts in engaging and empowering communities to achieve livelihoods through activities that conserve the environment.

During this visit, the KOKE also met with the Africa Future Foundation (AFF) and visited Vakinankaratra in the Ambatolampy to meet with the beneficiaries of the Educational Program Development tailored to Madagascar District Hospital doctors. By the end of the training, there will be an increase of surgeons from 25 Percent to 43 Percent which will have a positive influence on improved healthcare in Madagascar.

KOKE Team was also able to pay courtesy calls to WFP Madagascar and UNICEF Madagascar to discuss further common goals on sustainable development.

On 17-18 July 2024, the KOICA Kenya Office (KOKE), led by the Director Dr. Jang Hee Im, visited Isiolo County to monitor the activities of the ‘Kenya Isiolo Women Economic Empowerment’ project.

The project aims to improve access to drinking water and agricultural water; and strengthen the economic capacity by reinforcing the agricultural capacity of female farmer groups/cooperatives and improving market access. The project is implemented by World Vision Kenya.

During the visit, the KOKE team met with Dr. James Lowassa, the Deputy Governor of Isiolo County who appreciated the work done by World Vision in project activities explaining the benefits gained by making strides in the transformation of Isiolo communities from purely pastoralist communities into agro-pastrolist communities.

The KOKE team participated in the handover ceremony of the newly completed Leparua Water Facility.

These water facilities have brought several benefits to the communities including ensuring that clean water is easily accessible for domestic use and livestock consumption, this has in turn seen that conflicts in the competition for water have reduced. Children are attending school continuously and do not have to drop out to go look for water. Some people are already learning agricultural skills to establish community and kitchen gardens improving nutrition and strengthening their climate resilience. The water facilities are managed by Water Users Committees, composed of community members who have been trained to establish guidelines that would ensure water access to all and will address any necessary future repairs. The Leparua water facility is elephant-proof while the Daaba facility is not yet because of previous elephant invasions.

KOICA is grateful for the wonderful partnership with the County Government and partners helping to ensure the sustainability and success of the project activities.

KOICA Kenya Office is excited to welcome its new colleagues: Ms. Hwayeong Bae, Ms. Jangeun Cho, and Ms. Sangah Yoon. 🎉 They will be contributing to various KOICA-funded projects and administrative tasks. We are grateful to have them. Karibu to the KOICA Kenya Office, and best wishes on your new journey! 🌟

Driving Financial Inclusion Through a Policy Framework for Healthy and Sustainable Food systems in Kenya(2024)

The Korean International Cooperation Agency(KOICA), ended a fourteen-day (Jun.05~Jun.18) capacity building training course for selected participants to help boost Kenya’s financial inclusion in the agricultural sector and promote productivity and food security. The course, “Driving Financial Inclusion Through a Policy Framework for Healthy and Sustainable Food systems in Kenya(Kenya)” was under KOICA’s Capacity Improvement and Advancement for Tomorrow (CIAT).

The country-specific training, facilitated by Korea Rural Community Corporation(KRC) was geared towards enhancing agricultural productivity and reducing poverty levels on the African continent through financial inclusion of youth and women in the agriculture sector through policy development, learning from the best practices in Korea.

15 participants from Kenyatta University and Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) benefited from the training held in Korea. The participants attended lectures from experts and site visits to learn from hands-on experiences in the field. Participants were taken through topics including improvement in the productivity of agriculture, development of rural communities for income generation, promoting agriculture for youth generation and women, agricultural micro financing projects. With the knowledge they gained, the 15 participants formed 3 groups and developed action plans “Improving Food Security through increased Bean Production in Kitui County, Kenya”, “Enhancing financial inclusion for women and youth in rice production in Tana River County, Kenya”, “Development of Irrigation Pilot Project For Tomato Poduction In KITUI County”. Korean experts guided the sessions and these action plan experiences will help participants develop real projects in the future.

“This was the last year of the 3-year course. In the first year it was held online due to COVID–19. A total of 55 Kenyan officers have gained knowledge and insights through this course. As national players bearing the Kenyan flag during this official learning experience, they showcased the esteemed level of Kenyan public service. In parallel, as change agents for Kenyans, the partcipants are expected to drive change at each of their service stations and contribute to progress of Kenyan communities with the KOICA Alumni Kenya Chapter (KAKC).” expalined Dr. Jang Hee Im, Country Director for KOICA Kenya Office.

On June 12, 2024, KOICA Kenya office held a pre-departure orientation for participants of the ‘’Capacity Building for Improvement and Specialization of Consumer Protection’’, an invitational course that took place during June 16 to June 29, 2024 in Korea. Kenya was represented by a team of four individuals among fifteen from Mauritius, El Salvador and Bangladesh. They learnt how to strengthen future cooperation in the field of consumer protection and cross-border consumer complaints handling among participating countries and also how to increase their capacities for developing effective consumer-related policies appropriate for the market environment of participating countries. The team is eager to implement in Kenya what they learnt. KOKE strongly believes that this will strengthen future cooperation in the field of consumer protection between the Republic of Kenya and the Republic of Korea.

KOICA has implemented the course, ‘’Driving Financial Inclusion Through a Policy Framework for Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems in Kenya”, since the year 2022. In 2022, the course was online and had a number of 19 participants, in 2023 and 2024 the course was invitational to Korea and had a number of 20 and 15 participants respectively.

This year’s participants were drawn from the Kenyatta University and the Kenya Agricultural and livestock Research Organization (KALRO). The team of 15 Kenyans were in Korea from June 4 –June 18, 2024 during which they were taught on comprehensive understanding of the development of agricultural policies and strategies in the Republic of Korea. The course also shed light on the intricate efforts undertaken by Korea to boost productivity within its agriculture industry, providing valuable insights into fostering healthy and sustainable food systems. This provided valuable insights into the practical implementation of financial inclusion strategies within the agricultural sector.

KOICA believes that by implementing the knowledge gained from Korea's exemplary practices in the food processing industry policies the participants will create a structure of healthy and sustainable food systems in Kenya, leading to improved food security and economic growth in the region.

Hello everyone!🤓Below is the Bidding Invitation for KOICA's MNH Project in Kajiado County. Your attention to our posts is greatly appreciated. For more information, visit our KOICA Kenya homepage and go to the News then Notice page: [https://www.koica.go.kr/sites/ken_en/index.do ]

On May 15, 2024, KOICA Kenya Office held a pre-orientation session for a team of 15 public officials from the Kenya Airport Authority who were nominated to undertake a training on Capacity Building for Airport Authority Staff in Kenya. During May 20 – May 31, 2024, KOICA conducted this program in conjunction with the Hyundai Research Institute in Korea.

The objective of the program was to share Korea’s experience in Airport and Aviation transportation management. The program laid a strong foundation for training employees responsible for airport management, fostering a culture of continuous learning and Improvement within the Kenyan Airport Authority.

KOICA anticipates that the skills equipped by the participants will be utilized to enhance the management system of aviation in Kenya and ultimately contributing to the establishment of a more robust and efficient Kenya Airport Authority.

The KOICA Kenya Country Director, Dr. Jang Hee Im led the KOICA team in participating in the launch of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), Project Steering Committee, and afterward, conducted a monitoring mission in Comoros from 18th May to 24 May 2024. The Team has visited villages located nearby/in Mbeni, Foumbouni, Pidjani, Mitsoudje, and Mitsamiouli and actively interacted with the beneficiaries and relevant stakeholders. The KOICA Team was inspired to see the meaningful achievements and that the Comoros Government is aligning well with continuing the activities.

The "Supporting Women and Child Protection Programme in Comoros," funded by KOICA and implemented by UNICEF in Comoros, has made significant strides in aiding 1500 victims of violence, primarily targeting young girls aged 11-17. The goal is to ensure that children, adolescents (boys and girls aged 6-18), and women in Comoros are empowered to prevent and respond to violence in their communities.

Key achievements of the project include:

1. Completion of Comoros MICS: The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) is an international household survey program developed by UNICEF. It is designed to help countries collect and analyze data on various indicators related to the well-being of children and women. These surveys gather information on a wide range of topics including health, education, child protection, water and sanitation, HIV/AIDS, etc.

We congratulate the Government and People of Comoros for achieving zero maternal deaths as indicated in the MIC Survey!

2. Establishment of 5 Listening Centers: providing medical, psychological, emotional, and legal support to victims of violence.

3. Educational and Vocational Support: 66 female adolescents and youth who had been victims of violence received support for their return to the education system.
Some girls have returned to school, while others have received training in tailoring and baking. One traditional grand marriage outfit for the groom costs USD 1700 taking the tailor 2.5 months to make.

4. Establishment of 118 Adolescent Clubs in high schools providing a platform for the students to gain knowledge and skills, run activities together to raise awareness about violence against children and women and engage on other topics that they care about.

5. Another 46 adolescents and youth who had given birth as a result of violence underwent vocational training (38 in sewing; and 8 in baking).

6. The Young Reporters Program has trained 230 young reporters in local journalism including how to write articles focused on violence against children, and 30 of them subsequently benefited from an internship at the national newspaper Al-Watwan.

7. Twenty Intergenerational dialogues involving the participation of 8000 people. These dialogues brought together traditional leaders, religious officials, adolescents, women, and all social strata of the population to discuss the capacity of communities to react and provide responses to violence against women and children.

8. Provided specialized training for 110 police officers on the rights of children, how to handle sensitive cases of children in conflict with the law, and management of cases of victims of violence.

9. Provided capacity-building training for 105 actors in charge of child protection (health workers, justice, listening service staff, NGOs, etc.), focused on strengthening capacity for quality care of victims of violence, and on using the new, improved tool for collecting data from victims of violence in listening services.

However, climate change has had a great negative impact: Flooding from broken river banks has affected many residential areas and road infrastructure, and many people are suffering from losing shelter and issues in transport. KOICA Kenya shares a great regret for the climate catastrophe happening in Comoros.

KOICA Kenya will continue working with UNICEF Comoros to support vulnerable people in Comoros, and we are grateful for the close partnership.

On 16 – 17 May, led by the Country Director Dr. Jang Hee Im, and the Deputy Director, Ms. Songi Han met the County Deputy Governor Hon. David Kones to review the partnership in the pyrethrum value chain.

The County Government of Nakuru envisions to expand pyrethrum cultivation from 3,000 to 30,000 acres.

There is a general perception that farming is an outdated and unprofitable venture. But Agriculture remains the backbone of the national economy contributing approximately 33 percent of Kenya's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The sector employs more than 40 percent of the total population and 70 percent of the rural population.

The employment rate in agriculture is 70 percent. It has no age restrictions and no prior experience is necessary. However, the farmers must overcome some challenges to establish successful farms.

With climate change impacts being worse on farmers, the urgency has multiplied to strengthen their resilience. Resilience enables communities to survive the adverse impacts and also to be able to rebuild better in case they lose their assets to disasters such as flooding and droughts.

Many farmers witnessed the failure of pyrethrum as a cash crop in the ‘90s when prices crashed, causing untold pain of losses. They have steered clear of pyrethrum since then. But, Kenya still produces the best pyrethrum in the world and has the potential to generate 400 KES per kg of dried flowers depending on the percentage of pyrethrin content. It's a perennial crop, requires minimum fertilizers and irrigation, and does not face pests and diseases.

That is why 3 years ago, KOICA funded the project on ‘Income Generation Project for Rural Households Through Pyrethrum Value Chain Improvement’ being implemented by Good People International.

The project so far has trained over 1,500 farmers on how to properly cultivate pyrethrum. The activities of this project have primarily helped farmers overcome the fear of failure in pyrethrum farming. The farmers' ages range from 24 to 80 years.

The training has provided a transformational perspective allowing the farmers to learn at their own pace, learn in groups, and visit demo farms. It has allowed some to experiment with smaller spaces as they overcome the fear of another failure.

The training includes climate-smart techniques and skills to make organic fertilizers and pesticides and to monitor weather. In addition, the project has constructed 4 drying facilities fully equipped with drying racks and quality control equipment including two vehicles for pyrethrum collection from farms.
The beneficiaries have received support and the capacity to establish a cooperative to sell their produce and promote farmers' well-being through partnerships with other organizations, the county, and other donors.

The project has increased the momentum of the growth of pyrethrum farming. The County Government of Nakuru and KOICA have committed to working with other stakeholders to ensure farmers succeed in pyrethrum ventures, such as the availability of clean planting material with high germination rates, to achieve the vision of 30,000 acres of pyrethrum farming.