Who are you trying to help? What issue are you trying to address?

Technological Empowerment for Africa (TEFA), started in 2009, is a non-profit organization in East Africa started as a Christian compassion social enterprise. TEFA is working to make a sustainable difference in the lives of the poorest people to overcome the barrier of marginalization by providing Christian teaching, energy, water, microfinance, skill development and education.

TEFA believes that charity is not the only answer to global need and poverty, but that trade and aid is the most effective combination for helping the poor to create real long-term solutions to the economic problems they face. TEFA’s mission, therefore, is to give people a stake in their own destinies as an incredibly powerful force for change and way to break the cycle of poverty.

Moreover, the poor need access to capital through credit to build a better life for themselves and a better future for their children and community. Without additional capital, individual enterprises cannot be launched however small they may be. We are requesting funds to allow us to provide microloans to these entrepreneurs.

What is your project and how will it help?

Our goal is simple and focuses on three major projects, each of which needs additional funding:

1/ Micro-Finance:
Through TEFA, men and women are taking out microloans funded by a TEFA supporter which they use to buy the items needed to start profitable businesses. These items include everything from livestock to low-cost water pumps and drip irrigation equipment that dramatically boost crop production to dairy cows for milk production. Our current capital is US$4,000 and our target is to have US$1,000,000 in order to have sufficient reserves for ongoing lending.

2/ Water:
We aim to implementing water and sanitation projects in a unique way by including the benefiting communities in the process. TEFA’s approach is not just to provide water, but an opportunity to learn a trade by teaching how to dig wells and promote sanitation through artesian wells, high water tables and rivers as a water source to treat water. Moreover, in addition to assisting local villages identify optimal sites for water members of the communities are included in the construction process. Villages provide volunteer unskilled labor and locally available construction materials in addition to any other support that may be required.

3/ Skill development (Passion Music School):
There are a lot of colleges that just train students to pass Exams. But TEFA’s vision is to build a Passion College which takes time and effort to develop children gifting and to maximize their potential. Our wish is to deliver knowledge and technical competence which will help them to flourish in any number of situations. That’s why Passion Music School and Skill Development Center has bought 1.5ha of land for its construction at Sinoko area Bungoma town. We are currently operating in rented premises and we need to put up our own premises. Your contribution will help us move to the next level.

All this will only be possible with your help and support.

How can other people partner with you on your project?

We already have two partners (one from the United States and another one from Germany):

1)John William Jones (from Eldorado Springs, Missouri) who supported us by buying land (he sent us US$22,000) to build a training centre (The Passion Training Centre). We still need funds for constructing the centre.

2) Harman Ewe (from Sturgurt Germany) who is on the ground here in Kenya and is involved in training farmers and micro-finance.

Moreover, we have 500 group members’ with monthly contribution of $3 each who have helped us kick start the milk cow project.

Therefore other people can partner with us, in a group or individually, by:
- Supporting a project individually or with a group
- Volunteering (we aim to reach a 1,000,000 membership in the region (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda)
- Giving us funds to develop the Passion Training Centre

Please detail the resources that you need.

1/ Micro-Finance
We are targeting a grand of US$1,000,000 as capital which can be paid in 5 years. Our interest rate will be 5%. This is a way of reaching the poor.

2/ Skill development:
We have developed a training college which deals mainly with skilled subjects (e.g. music, tailoring, computer, and dance) to fight poverty due to the lack of skills, expensive school fees, orphaned children, joblessness among others.
Recently we got a donation from a friend and we bought 2.5ha of land that needs development, we are currently using rental premises to operate especially during holidays. So we are trusting God to touch hearts in order to have US$290,000 for developing the college.