Location & context
Nestled in the fertile Trans Nzoia County in Kenya, Endebess is a region endowed with rich agricultural potential. Often referred to as the “breadbasket of Kenya,” it is surrounded by large-scale farms producing maize, beans and coffee. Yet, beneath this idyllic image lies a paradox of food insecurity and socio-economic challenges. Power for the People (PFP)’s newest project location, Endebess, serves as a stark reminder that abundant natural resources alone cannot secure prosperity for a community.
This disconnect between the region’s potential and the reality for its inhabitants highlights the systemic inequalities which serve to perpetuate cycles of poverty. With PFP’s involvement, our goal was to help address these difficulties.
Partners & approach
Our Work in Endebess, PFP Ustawi Endebess (Ustawi meaning flourishing and wellbeing) is made possible thanks to collaboration with:
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Local administration, village elders, community health promoters and church networks.
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Sub-County and County Departments of Education.
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St Veronica’s School and five prospective TVET and VTC partners.
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Cheptegei family and Chorlim leadership (land for Arise Centre 2.0).
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Athletics Federations and community-based self-help groups.
Guided by our Handshakes Not Handouts approach, we focus on unlocking local assets, strengthening governance, and equipping communities with the tools and networks they need to thrive.
Funding partners & sponsors
Our work in Endebess is only just beginning but wouldn’t be possible without the generous donation from the Aall Foundation and our Big Give Christmas Challenge 2024 donors.
What we have delivered
Greater Community Sensitisation and Quality Education (SDG4, SDG16 and SDG17)
Our first quarter of activity has built strong foundations for the later phases of this project. Since starting our work, we have worked towards greater community sensitisation by holding 5 forums with 607 participants to help engage with the community as a whole. We began community sensitisation, intending to get over 100 attendees. This means we greatly surpassed the expected attendance for this aspect of our project, thus bringing together women, youth, elders, people with disabilities and faith leaders. This engagement between such a wide range of stakeholders highlights our success in achieving our goal of ‘Leave No One Behind’ as it empowered members throughout the community by making their voices heard.
We have also brought together seven educators to help elect an Educator’s Steering Committee, which has helped to develop a work plan with the Sub-County Director of Education. Beyond this, we have made progress with the PFP Academy Launch, through nominating two patrons from each of the participating schools with which we have partnered. This step has also helped in their development of work plans so that we can continue to strive for our goals in Endebess.
Communication Between Stakeholders and Clear Goal Setting (SDG17)
We have also helped to create effective assessment tools alongside the guidance of county and national quality assurance officers and heads of institutions, with assessments of five centres scheduled.
Overall, in this first quarter, we have effectively built the foundations for future progress in Endebess, through not only developing collaborative work plans but also monitoring structures which will help to ensure that our goals are being delivered within our intended timeline.
Impact highlights
In this video, PFP Programmes Manager Caren Okombo shares her early reflections following her initial scoping visit to Endebess, Trans Nzoia - highlighting the importance of the new PFP project there.
Challenges & learning points
As with all projects, during their course, we can encounter some issues or challenges which we must overcome. However, due to the proactive approach we have taken with frequent project evaluations and updates, we have consistently found ways to mitigate these challenges.
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Dangerous Transportation: One key issue we encountered was the locals' reliance on motorbikes (bodaboda), which subsequently made local travel difficult at times due to heavy rainfall. This sometimes limited project activity since individuals were unable to travel due to the dangerous conditions. This issue has now been mitigated by ensuring that activities in the Endebess region have been planned with both weather and travel issues being prioritised. By both planning activities with weather patterns in mind, as well as providing taxis when necessary, we have been able to overcome this challenge.
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Limited workspaces: Lack of suitable workspaces in Endebess. To rectify this challenge, we have proposed a dedicated and accessible workspace with a desk and chair as a temporary solution.
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Privacy: This issue is another impact of the limited workspaces. To relieve some of the privacy concerns, we have suggested using cyber cafes temporarily and then in the longer term, we will organise a dedicated printer to help increase privacy throughout our work.
Future plans & sustainability
By striving for sustainability throughout our work in Endebess, we hope to create lasting change within the community which continues well beyond the project. Our current plans intend to build stronger foundations which will help to empower communities, strengthen communications between local institutions, and pave the way for more sustainable growth in this region.
As of June 2025, these sustainability goals for Endebess involve:
Community Engagement
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We are currently in the process of securing formal agreements from both government leaders, schools and stakeholders to ensure we all share the same vision for the future of Endebess. This will help us engage in longer-term collaboration between a variety of stakeholders whilst helping to address complex challenges holistically, fostering resilience and empowerment across the community.
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By working hand-in-hand with government bodies, local educational institutions, health centres and village leaders, we aim to create a well-rounded and impactful approach to community development.
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We are also conducting community sensitisation forums as well as collaborating with the Arise Centre to observe what has been effective within their work, which can also be relevant and applied in Endebess.
Empowering Communities
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Through the PFP Academy, communities will be trained in areas such as sustainable agriculture and business.
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Additionally, the launches of youth and sports clubs will help to cultivate greater community inclusivity as well as safe spaces for young people to come together to learn.
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Lastly, young mothers will have access to education re-entry and vocational pathways.
Sustainable Livelihoods
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Both the Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) and our “Earn While You Learn” model are sustainable options which help to reduce dependency on external funding.
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These approaches highlight our prioritisation of sustainability within our work, as through these schemes, communities will be better able to sustain and build their own futures.
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Since food security is an issue in Endebess, our projects focus on integrating sustainable farming practices and community-based agricultural programs. By teaching modern techniques and promoting crop diversification, we seek to create a model where families can thrive independently.
Strengthening Health and
Well-being
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Our Triple Threat Outreach helps address healthcare issues within Endebess, such as teenage pregnancy, gender based violence, mental health and sexual and reproductive health and rights.
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As well as this, Community Health Promoters and Health Care Workers are being trained to respond effectively and inclusively.
Accountability and learning
Finally, greater governance structures are being built within Endebess to ensure regular reviews, feedback, and evaluations are being conducted to help keep the plans for Endebess relevant and effective for those in the community who our work impacts.
Overall, by following these plans for Endebess, we will have created sustainable initiatives which help build stronger community ties and pathways for vulnerable groups.
SDG links
Media & coverage
Updates from Endebess will be shared through various PFP media platforms, so keep an eye out across our socials for further information and progress updates.