Recently, I had asset mapping with my community of service in the Murinda sub-location, Tharaka Nithi County. What stood out at the end of the exercise was how rich our rural communities are, with various assets that the community could utilize to address their needs. After the mapping, the community shared that they have even more understood their surroundings, indicating the importance of the asset mapping exercise. Some of the community members never knew that they possessed some useful assets in the other corner of their village. After the mapping exercise, they had a full map of their place, with potential assets that could be used to address some of the needs.

Connecting the community with their assets was an easier task as in the end they could themselves, mention several assets in the community and the needs that can be addressed. The assets ranged from the capacities and abilities of the community members, the organizations around the community, the administration in the area, associations in the community that can be used to lobby and push, businesses around the community that can provide jobs, physical structures, and places as well as the natural resources like rivers, climate and so on.

Addressing community needs with locally available resources enhances community involvement and participation in the development process and also creates a sense of ownership that, in turn, empowers them to think independently in addressing their own needs.

Community Asset Mapping simply helps communities identify what already exists, what sectors need support and capacity building, and what direction to tailor their development.

Asset mapping is the first step for communities to realize their potential and work together to address their needs.