Tujenge Pamoja(“let’s build together” in Swahili)
Strengthening and Replicating Successful Programs for
Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children, and their Caregivers
In July 2007, in Nakuru, Kenya, ARK launched the “Tujenge Pamoja” Program ("building together" in Swahili) — an initiative to train and empower leaders of community based organizations run and started by Africans. The first training involved 25 partners representing organizations in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Though they have the best intentions, local community-based organization’s (CBOs) too often lack the necessary working tools, the leadership skills, and adequate resources. Government services for orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) are still few and far between, and many international aid organizations have limited knowledge in the comprehensive care for OVC. Where successful community programs do exist to support children and caregivers, the demand far outstrips the supply and capacity constraints prevent the scaling up of successful programs to surrounding populations. The Tujenge Pamoja initiative is dedicated to providing holistic and comprehensive care for children within an African cultural context.
Tujenge Pamoja is a multi-year initiative developed by the Ark Foundation working in collaboration with 22 CBOs from 12 resource-limited districts in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania for the next five years. Participants bring diverse experiences with a sincere commitment to the work that they do. The partners provide services to support orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) and their caregivers. Through the Initiative, ARK will provide specific skills training, ongoing technical assistance and support, and the opportunity for peer learning among participants on substantive issues that focus on common organizational objectives and challenges. The goal is to help build the capacity of partner organizations to improve and expand their OVC services, and to accelerate the scale-up and replication of effective programs.
Tujenge Pamoja’s Goals:
- Accelerate the development and expansion of successful community-based and community-led organizations serving OVC and their caregivers
- Encourage peer-to-peer networking (communication, learning, problem-solving, moral support) among organizations within a geographic region
- Ensure that organizations on the ground are aware of and implement the most effective interventions for supporting OVC and their caregivers
- Mobilization of resources by working with donors
- Create a unified voice to advocate for the rights of vulnerable children
- Work to strengthen individual organizations in order for them to improve their services
