Projects
Through the various programs we offer at HoK, we have several projects which include:
1. The Academy
The Academy is an outreach project aimed at providing a safe space for street-connected
children, youth, and women while using art and sports as a means of rehabilitation, to eventually
rescue, reintegrate and empower them to a future away from the streets.
During the outreach, we engage in several activities such as spiritual nourishment, counseling,
life skills, sports, art, and linkage to medical services.
The outreach project has been running since august 2020 and through it, we have been able to
reach out to over 400 street-connected individuals with services. During this process, we have
successfully reintegrated over 30 children, some of whom have now resumed their studies. Since
we reach out to over 200 individuals every week, we have trained and empowered over 70 youth
to access skills through life skills, financial literacy training, and business empowerment through
grants and kits.
Engagement in an active sport such as football strengthens their relationship and brings about
unity amongst the various bases. The active engagement allows us to have conversations and
instill discipline in them to steer away from drugs, crime, and violence as we advocate for their
well-being, mental health, and peaceful coexistence.
2. Youth & Women Economic Empowerment- Workshop (Green Ventures)
Green Ventures is a social enterprise supported by Homeless of Kisumu that provides training
and employment to street-connected and vulnerable youth and women from the informal
settlements.
The project seeks to provide an opportunity to the vulnerable youth and women to secure skills
and employment and empower them to a future away from drugs, crime, violence, and the
streets.Green Ventures aims to recycle and reuse waste materials and create innovative concepts that are
aimed at environmental sustainability. The goal is to create employment for vulnerable youth
through social enterprise while working to conserve and improve our environment in the process.
The journey began with financial literacy training, involving savings and budgeting. Since then,
it has grown to entrepreneurial training that emerged into savings from the members. In the
process grants and kits have been offered, to uplift some of the members,one aimed at green
entrepreneurship provided a bold step on the journey towards independence.
We aim to make products while conserving the environment and sell to generate income to
support the youth and also provide sustainability to the workshop. We currently support 25
street-connected youth and women organized in a self-help group with training and an
opportunity to live away from the street.
3. Jiboreshe (Training & Employability linkages)
Jiboreshe is a platform aimed at exploring multi-sectoral partnerships to bridge the gap between
skill development, mentorship, and employment of young people.
The idea born out of the need to offer linkages to available opportunities and offer continuous
capacity building to young people that make them market-ready, together with hard and soft
skills required to maneuver the market.
The platform brings together the unemployed and unskilled youth and the institution or employer
that will offer skill development, mentorship, and employment required.
This model aims to empower the street-connected youth and vulnerable ones from informal
settlements to a stable opportunity that secures them a future or income.
It purely depends on partnerships and alignment of vision to support the over 85 % of young
people who make up the unemployed category.
With the partnership with The County department of Trade and Social Enterprise and YMCA, a
vocational training center, we intend to bridge the gap and enroll the youth and women in
programs and finally employment.

4. M-taka ( Green Education and Tech integrated hub for learning)
M-taka is a social enterprise aimed at addressing the issues of climate action, waste management
and environmental conservation, advocacy and sustainability. Offering innovative solutions to
the waste challenge, it will bring attention to the gaps and provide an opportunity of
empowerment to street connected youth and women to receive dignified income.
The street connected youth and women at Homeless of Kisumu make up 90% of the waste value
chain yet benefit the least in terms of compensation. M-taka aims to improve the process and
empower the youth and women in the process.
The informal settlements together with the plastic menace seems to have hit us the most. We aim
to provide solutions and provide decent income by creating jobs and dignified income for the
youth and women contributing their efforts to the cause.
M-taka also has a hub targeted at capacity building waste actors and eco friendly enterprises.
Creating educational materials as we integrate tech centered solutions into addressing the
challenge of waste management is key.