A Gracious Givers Kenya facilitator leads an outdoor session, speaking to schoolchildren seated in front of their school building in Nyando.

Building community led resilience in Nyando

Gracious Givers Kenya is a locally rooted organization in Nyando, Kisumu County. We work with women, young people, families, schools and community structures to strengthen livelihoods, wellbeing and climate resilience in communities facing recurring floods.

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642 young people
630 community members
6 schools

Rooted in Nyando. Built around how families actually recover.

In Nyando, a flood affects more than land and homes. It can interrupt income, food security, schooling, small businesses and family wellbeing long after the water recedes. Gracious Givers works from within these communities to strengthen the practical capacities families need to prepare, recover and move forward with dignity.

We believe the strongest solutions already exist within communities. Our role is to strengthen local leadership, create opportunities and support people to thrive with dignity.

A Gracious Givers Kenya facilitator in a white polo speaks to a seated group of young people outside a blue-roofed school building in Nyando.

The real challenge continues after the water recedes.

Recurring floods can erase months or years of household progress. Crops and stock are lost, income is interrupted, children miss school and already limited savings are used for recovery. For many families, the challenge is not only surviving a flood; it is rebuilding without being pushed back to the beginning each time.

Recovery should not reset to zero after every flood. Our work focuses on the economic, youth, family and community capacities that help people prepare for shocks, protect progress and recover with greater stability.

Gracious Givers Kenya team members and young people from the community seated in a circle of chairs outside brightly painted market kiosks during a community dialogue session.

Climate shocks

Recurring floods disrupt livelihoods, education and food security.

Youth vulnerability

Young people face unemployment, school dropout and limited opportunities.

Community resilience

Strong families, savings, livelihoods and local leadership help communities recover and thrive.

One resilience model. Three connected capabilities.

Our work is organized around one question: what helps a flood affected household recover without losing progress each time a shock occurs? We strengthen three connected capabilities that shape recovery and longer term resilience.

A volunteer in a yellow high-visibility vest reading “I support climate action in Nyando” kneels on the grass planting a tree seedling, with two young people planting alongside.

Economic and Climate Resilience

We strengthen livelihood security, savings, climate smart practices, food security and local preparedness so households are better able to absorb and recover from climate and economic shocks.

Train farmers in climate-smart agriculture
Facilitate community flood preparedness planning and awareness
Coordinate community and school tree-growing campaigns
Support village savings and livelihood groups
Establish eco-schools and biodiversity clubs
Mentor youth in green enterprises and agribusiness

Explore Climate Resilience

A smiling Gracious Givers Kenya facilitator raises her hand during an outdoor school session as the schoolchildren in front of her raise their hands to answer.

Youth Pathways and Wellbeing

We equip young people with skills, confidence, mentorship, wellbeing support and linkages to education, enterprise, leadership and other opportunities that strengthen their future and their households.

Deliver life skills and mentorship programs
Facilitate youth leadership forums
Organize SRHR education and health clubs
Provide psychosocial support
Introduce digital literacy and learning opportunities
Use sports as a platform for leadership and social development

Explore Youth Empowerment

Young people, caregivers and Gracious Givers Kenya team members sit in a circle of plastic chairs for a community dialogue outside brightly painted market kiosks, one mother holding her baby.

Family and Community Resilience

We strengthen positive relationships, caregiver support, community dialogue, safeguarding, referrals and local support systems that help families cope with stress and recover together.

Facilitate positive parenting programs
Convene community dialogue forums
Promote gender equality and inclusion
Support family strengthening initiatives
Strengthen community participation and collective action

Explore Family and Community Systems

Learn More About Our Work

Our approach

Our approach is grounded in local knowledge, community participation and the belief that lasting change happens when communities lead their own development.

We listen before we act and build from systems that communities already use. We work through families, schools, youth and women's groups, local leaders, service providers and public structures so that solutions are locally owned and connected to support that can continue beyond a single activity.

Community Led
Locally Rooted
Integrated
Participatory
Youth Centered
Sustainable

Growing impact, rooted in community action

Our current records show the scale of participation in our work across Nyando. As our monitoring systems strengthen, we are also following what changes for people and communities after participation.

642
young people reached through life skills and mentorship
Sessions focused on life skills, confidence, decision making and positive pathways.
630
community members engaged through dialogue and norm change sessions
Dialogues created structured spaces for community reflection, concerns and locally shaped responses.
438
caregivers and adolescents reached through positive parenting initiatives
Activities focused on caregiver adolescent communication, positive parenting and safer family relationships.
386
adolescents supported through HIV care and psychosocial support
Support included information, care linkages, referrals and psychosocial engagement.
184
community members trained in business management and entrepreneurship
Training focused on practical business knowledge, income generation skills and household economic resilience.
6
schools engaged through eco schools and biodiversity clubs
Schools have been used as spaces for climate learning, environmental action and youth participation.

See Our Impact

“Gracious Givers Kenya was founded from the belief that communities already possess valuable knowledge, strength and leadership. What is often missing is access to resources, practical opportunities and partnerships that respond to local priorities.”

Leah Otieno, Founder and Executive Director

Read the Founder Message