Advancing Food Security in Nairobi (AFSN)
Strengthening food security among vulnerable communities living in Nairobi's informal settlements, while also enhancing their resilience to future food security crises.
The Challenge
Nairobi, Kenya, is one of the largest cities in East Africa and a major commercial hub for the region and continent. Despite its economic prominence, 16.7% of Nairobi’s population is classified as impoverished, with 60% residing in informal urban settlements. Communities in these settlements confront numerous challenges, including high unemployment rates, poor health and nutrition, and limited education.
These circumstances are fueling the cycle of extreme poverty – a cycle that disproportionately impacts women and youth the most. This is further compounded by limited formal employment opportunities, which has resulted in a proliferation of informal street food vendors – often women – as a means to generate income.
However, these circumstances can pose health risks to the community due to unhygienic food preparation practices and a preference for convenient unhealthy foods. This is especially detrimental to children in the community who are more susceptible to chronic malnutrition and stunting – two issues that have generational impacts on health and economic advancement, and thus the ability to break the cycle of poverty.
Our Vision
With programming in Kenya for over two decades, Concern envisioned developing an innovative solution to address these social and economic challenges and accelerate our mission of ending extreme poverty.
“The key solution in addressing food and nutrition security in an urban set up is incentivizing local markets, especially local vendors operating in the food value chain, as a means of increasing access to safe and affordable nutritious food.” Hassan Olow, Program Director, Concern Worldwide
With the support of the Citi Foundation as a Global Innovation Challenge grant recipient, that vision is turning into a reality through the Advancing Food Security in Nairobi (AFSN) Program.
The Implementation
The two-year AFSN project is working to empower small-scale traders and vendors to create sustainable pathways to food security. The two-fold approach to this goal will improve access to affordable and healthy foods and promote positive nutrition practices. To break it down:
Improving Access to Affordable Health Foods
Under this objective, the project is implementing a small enterprise business accelerator. This is connecting over 100 small-scale food vendors and mother-led small businesses to an array of resources to kickstart their growth. Vendors partake in business development training, connect with peer businesses and mentors, and establish working relationships with relevant value chains and markets, and committed investors.
"Through Concern Worldwide, I have gotten enough resources to start off a business, I have a grocery where I sell fresh greens. I also bought two chickens from the sale of fresh produce, [and] I use the money to buy household food for my children,” Irene Kaganjo, Small Scale Vendor shared.
Improving Nutrition Practices
In addition to the creation of 20 mother groups, Concern have also trained 200 community health volunteers who regularly visit participants to encourage healthy behaviors, such as incorporating diverse diets, urban gardening of nutritious foods, and raising awareness on proper infant feeding practices.
“This has not just been about starting a business, I have gotten a wealth of information from the frequent learning sessions, and they taught us about nutrition, farming and good food practices.... I have always been in the business of trading and selling little things in exchange for money, and having this grocery business is the first real shot I have at having a means to ensure my family always has food on the table.” Irene continued.
The project will be working with the vendors to enhance their enterprises through product development, procurement of essential equipment and packaging so that they can have a greater reach with safe and nutritious food within Nairobi’s informal settlements and beyond.
Contact Us
To learn more about the AFSN Program and explore how your company can get involved in Concern’s work to make a lasting impact, please contact Katie Waller, Director of Strategic Partnerships, at [email protected].
