Who we are:
Since 2012, YOD follows an autonomous, community-led approach to development for economic sustainability in Nairobi’s informal settlement of Mukuru. We focus on job creation through AGRICULTURE, ART, & ENTREPRENEURSHIP within and for the community. Through the establishment of cooperatives, it is our mission to foster a community micro-economy that is self-reliant. In essence, we create opportunities for the poor to earn income, eat healthy food and start small businesses that serve the community.
Effective Poverty Reduction requires engagement with people, then politics, economics, foreign relations, trade, and the humanitarian goals of the United Nations (Sustainable Development Goals - SDG's). In hard-to reach places like the informal settlements of Nairobi, the first thing needed is a "place" to gather. YOD fosters the creation of Community Mosaics, which become the anchors of Productive Community Spaces where residents can meet and critically think about ways to reach economic stability; a Community-led Development approach that intersects with aid.
Empowering Women is a key factor, as they are the CEO's of the household, but we do not forget that children, youth, and men are an integral part of community success stories. At YOD, we co-create programs for "The New Frontier" inclusive of pandemics, environmental disasters, and economic downturns. YOD programs are autonomous, human-centered, and based on what the community needs most; resilience and long-term sustainability.
We believe in research to share knowledge on what works and what doesn't work. And we provide assistance to large NGOs to extend their reach into informal settlements.
Angela R. Pashayan, Ph.D. (ABD) Howard University
Founder and Executive Director - YOD International
COVID-19 has affected the communities we serve. Please donate. Type "pandemic relief" on your donation or contact us to donate in the name of someone you have lost.
We train in entrepreneurship and value-chain opportunities that serve the community. The goal is to shift from inconsistent income earned outside the community, to steady income earned within the community.
We foster
ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY.
Urban farming in small spaces using vertical techniques is what works in the slums. Our micro-farm coop offers vegetables, eggs, and foul for consumption AND training for women, youth and persons with disabilities. The goals is to "green up" the informal settlements
We create
FOOD SECURITY.
We foster common values and a "Community Productive Space" through the creation of YOD Mosaics made of recycled materials. The mosaics serve as a hub for vital information, local trade, human services, and they instill pride.
We support
DIGNITY.
“Success is not final; failure is not fatal:
It is the courage to continue that counts.”