The Pitch Day (PD) event, which took place on May 2nd, 2024, was a huge success despite the country experiencing floods from the heavy rains. The event brought together 24 guests from various sectors, including public and private entities as well as our Development Partners. The primary goal was to unite stakeholders to embrace local philanthropy and garner support and funds for small-scale impactful projects initiated and owned by the communities and facilitated by CorpsAfrica Volunteers to promote community empowerment and Volunteer professional development. The event was graced by the Ag. CEO of the National Youth Council, Ms. Margaret Kiogora, emphasized the importance of empowering young Africans for transformative impact. Other guests included government officials, REFUSHE, GRADIF Kenya, Compassion International Kenya, SHOFCO, Well Aware, Village Hope Core International, Tukuze Afrika, and Global Support staff.
During the event, we were able to showcase our Volunteers and rural communities’ incredible potential when they are given the right tools, support, and opportunity. CorpsAfrica/Kenya Volunteers, who pitched their community-led projects, were able to cover important information such as problem statements, project descriptions, budgets, sustainability plans, and a funding appeal. We had the privilege of showcasing 7 impactful project pitches and displaying a total of 21 projects that received full funding.
The seven projects presented were:
1. Classroom Construction, Meru County by Yves Gasore and his counterpart Jeremiah Kijana.
2. Borehole Renovation, Tharaka Nithi County by Gladys Mutemi and her counterpart Cyrus Makembo
3. Construction of a modern Toilet Block, Murang’a County by Kelvin Odhiambo and his counterpart Joseph Warui
4. Solar pump installation and water distribution, Tharaka Nithi County by Catherine Wanjiru and her counterpart David Kimanthi Munyambu.
5. Water, Sanitation, and Fencing, Kitui County by Pamela Kajuju and her counterpart Peter Mutemi.
6. Cereal Warehouse, Tharaka Nithi County by Brian Karani and his counterpart Charles Muturi Kathenya
7. Construction of Early Childhood Centre, Laikipia County by Felix Orwaka and his counterpart Peter Kool.
In total, we received: Pitch Day: $3,284.7 (in cash and pledges contributions); $8,832 in-kind from Davis & Shirtliff; $3,393.6 from local-community fundraising at the community level.
All our communities gave their 25% contribution for their respective budgets showing their ownership and commitment to what they believe will positively impact their lives. We have seen a mindset change of understanding how to utilize their local resources to address the myriad of challenges they face.
We are deeply grateful to all the participants who showed interest in supporting our community-led projects. Your presence and engagement have given us hope and confidence in our mission. Our office is actively engaged in one-on-one conversations with potential funders to explore funding opportunities further. We aim to ensure the successful implementation of these community-led projects facilitated by our Volunteers. The support and interest shown by the attendees have given us hope and confidence that together, we can uplift and empower our communities.
