After achieving exceptional results, the Turkana Catalyst Initiative (TCI) is evolving to become the Northern Growth Initiative and expanding into new communities in rural Kenya.
In 2021 the Turkana Catalyst Initiative (TCI) has scaled up to become the Northern Growth Initiative and will focus on five new rural communities and reach 30 small businesses.
The TCI, which began in 2018, was designed to offer small businesses intensive and practical training and help entrepreneurs develop skills that could be applied to management concepts and address unique challenges within their community. The program’s impact on local entrepreneurs was incredibly successful and has led to long-term economic growth. The decision to scale up TCI into more communities and rename it the Northern Growth Initiative is a direct result of these impacts.
PROGRAM IMPACTS
TCI’s innovative approach and practical delivery of technical assistance to entrepreneurs led to the success of the program,
which includes the following impacts:
Summary of Beneficiaries
32 SMEs graduated
33% women led
Profitability Growth
65.15% of graduated SMEs have experienced growth in profitability
Cumulative profits increased by $92,700 in 2018
Employment Creation
49.4% of graduated SMEs have created additional employment
79 jobs created
Improved Wages
Average wage rate of employees is 38.4% higher than the national minimum wage from graduated SMEs, translating to $187.84 per month versus $135.72 national minimum wage per month
Business Operational Growth
New contracts secured valued at $950,000 from graduated SMEs
61.9% of graduated SMEs acquired new customers
2 SMEs opened new branch locations for services offered
3 SME expanded regional scope of service offering, including Coast of Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan
Improved Access to Financing
$440,000 seed funding disbursed directly by the Foundation to graduated SMEs
$79,000 additional financing secured by graduated SMEs from commercial banks
