I believe the best thing about this job is seeing people’s lives being positively transformed.
Aron works in the Build Africa Kenya (BAK) Office supporting the delivery of education and livelihoods work. He is a hugely popular member of the team, with both colleagues and the communities he works with.
"I meet farmers who talk about the progress they are making since joining programmes supported by Build Africa Kenya. They tell me how Build Africa Kenya has made an impact on their lives, and, most importantly, how it has helped with managing school fees for their children. That has been quite fulfilling in my tenure.
I remember a story of one young man called Peter. In 2016 he attended training sessions where he learnt about dairy farming and things like improving the quality of dairy feeds which help to increase milk production.
By mid-2017, he embarked on serious farming in his plot of land allocated to him by the parents. He now has three cows and two calves, 50 chicks and 19 chicken. He sells on average 35 litres of milk per day from his cows making Ksh 1,225 per day (approx £9.46). With the returns he gets from selling milk, he has bought a chaff cutter which he uses to prepare his dairy meal as well as chick mash. Peter also sells up to 10 crates of eggs per month earning Ksh 3,000 per month (approx £23).
Peter has two children in boarding school. They have access to quality education. This is something which he couldn’t imagine he would be able to do. The young man has become a darling of the village. Everybody wants to learn from him with his great smile. He says Build Africa changed his story.
At Build Africa Kenya there is a spirit of shared goals and cooperation. This all revolves around transforming the livelihoods of communities. And because of the evolving nature of each community’s needs, I keep learning new things every day. I am always motivated by the difference we are making in the rural communities."
Aron Mativo is a Project Coordinator for our education work and supporting communities in Kenya. He joined Build Africa in 2013. He has a Bsc in Environmental Science from Maseno University Kenya as well as a micro-masters in Evidence Based Project Management from the Australian National University.