Project announcement: Hilti Foundation to help 40'000 farmers in Eastern Africa
The Hilti Foundation has been working with Hand in Hand International for three years in implementing powerful education models to create small enterprises in rural East Africa. The goal is to create sustainable income and long-term jobs for the local people so they can afford a better live by themselves.
Due to the success of the program so far, the Hilti Foundation has decided to launch another three-year project this month, aiming to reach 24,000 farmers across Kenya and Tanzania, creating almost 17,000 enterprises and 22,000 jobs. Members will be trained to run profitable agri-businesses in the most attractive value chains of the Region, helping them rebuild from coronavirus and stay thriving for years to come.
Focusing on dairy, poultry and other high-margin products, the project is the second between Hand in Hand and The Hilti Foundation, bringing the overall number of farmers reached by the partnership to 40,000 in five years. The program has a special emphasis on women’s decision-making power in the home, climate-resilient practices such as topsoil regeneration, biodiversity and rainwater harvesting.
“The Hilti Foundation was committed to expanding our partnership with Hand in Hand before the outbreak of Covid19. In the context of the global pandemic, our program in Eastern Africa has become even more relevant: Enabling small hold enterprises in rural areas to grow into flourishing businesses creates economic and social development for entire regions.” said Werner Wallner, The Hilti Foundation CEO.
Dorothea Arndt, CEO of Hand in Hand International, said: “Covid-19 will leave a global economic crisis in its wake. As we switch from saving lives to saving livelihoods, organisations like Hand in Hand will be crucial in leading the recovery. And strategic partners like The Hilti Foundation, committed to creating opportunities for people to take live in their own hands, will be more important than ever before.”
By the numbers
