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Agribusiness
Agribusiness skills lab
Twelve-week cohorts in poultry, sack gardening, and soap production — with starter inputs on graduation day so learning converts to income without delay.
AgeWatch Futures · Humanitarian Initiatives · Kenya
Livelihoods where hope is rebuilt.
AgeWatch Futures partners with refugees, host communities, and humanitarian agencies across Kenya — translating UNHCR-aligned self-reliance frameworks into livelihoods, savings circles, and inclusive small businesses.
CLG-JLFG96 Registered Active since 2016 Nationwide across Kenya 4+ int’l partnerships
600+ Participants trained
20+ Nationalities served
18 Active VSLA groups
72% Still earning at 6 months
The context
Refugees across Kenya — and we are here.
Kenya hosts hundreds of thousands of refugees and asylum seekers from more than 20 countries — in Turkana, Nairobi, Dadaab, and communities throughout the country. Rations have been cut repeatedly. Legal employment outside designated areas remains restricted. Youth and women unemployment among refugees exceeds 80%.
Across these communities, the same drive is visible. Young people run micro-businesses in informal markets. Mothers lead savings circles to protect their families from each new shock. Older refugees share skills across languages and borders. What is missing is not ambition — it is the structured support to convert that ambition into stable income across Kenya’s refugee communities nationwide.
AgeWatch Futures exists to close that gap: livelihood cohorts combining practical skills, starter capital, savings structures, and six months of mentorship — month after month, cohort after cohort. The work is grounded in UNHCR self-reliance pillars and sustainable development outcomes, so humanitarian partners can support change that is measurable and community-led.
80%+ Rate of unemployment among refugee youth and women in Kenya — the gap our cohorts are built to close, one graduate at a time.
Across Kenya and its refugee settlements, more than 500,000 young people have no structured pathway to self-reliance. Our cohorts are building that bridge.
A story from Kalobeyei
Grace joined a savings circle. She now runs an enterprise.
Grace, a young mother of two, had been in Kalobeyei for four years when she heard about the AgeWatch Futures VSLA — a Village Savings and Loan Association run by and for women in her block. She joined not because she had savings, but because she wanted the discipline of having to save. Every week, members contributed whatever they could — sometimes just 20 shillings — and kept each other accountable.
After six months, Grace took a small loan and enrolled in the soap-production track at AgeWatch Futures. By her third batch, she was selling to six households in the settlement and one small shop in Kakuma town. Today her enterprise is registered, her two children are in school full-time, and Grace chairs her VSLA group — mentoring the newest members the way someone once mentored her.
The savings group taught me that small money, when we protect it together, becomes something real. The training taught me what to do with it.
On the ground
Five interlocking programmes. One shared goal.
No single intervention changes a life alone. Our programmes are designed to reinforce each other, so participants build resilience that compounds over time.
Digital Skills
Digital freelancing cohorts
Nine-week smartphone-based courses covering graphic design, content creation, and remote client work — income streams that extend beyond the camp boundary.
Savings & Finance
Village Savings & Loan Associations
Community-led VSLAs where members contribute weekly, take small interest-bearing loans, and share the fund at cycle end — building financial discipline and collective trust.
Programmes 04 & 05
Mentorship & Psycho-social Support
Livelihood training alone is not enough when participants carry the weight of displacement, loss, and uncertainty. Our mentorship programme pairs graduates with trained community mentors for six months. Sports and creative arts sessions offer a parallel space for processing, belonging, and joy — because a person whose spirit is steady learns and earns better.
Partnership alignment
UNHCR-aligned humanitarian work that is accountable and field-proven.
AgeWatch Futures grounds every cohort in humanitarian self-reliance pillars and SDG-aligned outcomes, making it easier for partners to fund programmes that are both practical on the ground and traceable in reporting.
Reducing dependency
From aid reliance to market participation
UNHCR's self-reliance strategy aims to move refugees from full aid dependency toward market participation. Our agricultural and digital cohorts provide the skills, starter capital, and market linkages to make that transition practical, not just aspirational.
Gender equity
Women and youth leadership
Our VSLAs maintain 50% female leadership. Digital cohorts include a women-only safety module. Agribusiness tracks actively recruit women who have been excluded from earlier programmes.
Intergenerational inclusion
Older refugees in the mix
Older displaced people are often overlooked. AgeWatch Africa's dual mandate — ElderCare and Futures — means we intentionally bring older residents into savings circles and mentorship roles, not only as beneficiaries but as contributors.
Pillar 04
Evidence, reporting and partner accountability
Institutional donors need more than good intentions — they need outcome indicators and accessible narrative reporting. AgeWatch Futures provides quarterly progress updates, participant registers, and log-frame-aligned summaries for every cohort.
SDG alignment
Four goals lived every week across our Kenya programmes.
04 Quality Education
05 Gender Equality
08 Decent Work
10 Reduced Inequalities
Inclusive Futures in Kenya
Livelihoods that include youth and women living with disabilities.
In camp and host-community settings, disability can mean fewer training seats and fewer market opportunities. AgeWatch Futures adapts cohort delivery — seated agribusiness modules, digital skills with assistive tools where possible, and mentorship that does not rush past trauma or mobility barriers.
A participant who used crutches after a childhood injury had been turned away from two skills programmes. Our facilitator restructured the soap-production station so she could work seated and paired her with a market partner who sells on commission. She repaid her VSLA loan early and now trains two neighbours — including one elder with a hearing impairment who reads written recipes.
How we work
Community first. Always.
Community mapping
We begin every cohort cycle by meeting block leaders, women’s groups, and youth committees — understanding who is ready, what resources exist, and what the community itself identifies as the priority.
Participant selection
Selection prioritises youth and women most disconnected from income — not those already doing well. We specifically seek out participants who have been passed over by other programmes.
Training & VSLA formation
Skills cohorts and savings circles run in parallel, so participants learn the craft and the financial discipline at the same time — entering the market ready to save what they earn.
Six-month mentorship
Trained community mentors provide regular check-ins, market connections, and practical problem-solving — sustained support that protects early-stage earners through the first difficult months.
Your gift at work
What your donation makes possible across Kenya.
Every contribution directly funds training, inputs, facilitator time, and the mentorship follow-up that turns short programmes into lasting livelihoods across Kenya.
$60
VSLA Enrolment
Enrols one participant in a Village Savings & Loan Association — covering facilitation, training materials, and the group ledger for a full savings cycle.
$200
Full Cohort Seat
Sponsors one young person through a complete livelihood cohort — training, workbook, starter inputs, and first-month market escort included.
$750
Mentorship Cohort
Funds a full mentorship cohort for ten graduates — six months of community mentor support, market linkages, and progress tracking for every participant.
Questions
What donors and partners ask us most.
Do you work with both refugees and host community members?
Yes. Integration between the refugee population and Turkana host communities is central to our model. At least 30% of cohort places are reserved for host-community youth — because lasting peace between communities is built through shared opportunity, not separated programmes.
Are you registered as an implementing partner with UNHCR or other UN agencies?
We are an active partner working alongside UNHCR programming in Turkana County. Formal implementing partner registration is a process we are progressing — please contact our partnerships team to discuss the current status and the specific requirements of your fund.
Can you produce log-frame aligned reports?
Yes. We maintain a participant tracking register and collect outcome data at enrolment, graduation, and six-month follow-up. We can produce reports aligned with UNHCR self-reliance metrics or your own donor framework.
How do you measure impact?
We track enrolment, graduation, and six-month income outcomes for every participant. VSLA groups submit monthly savings data. Our programme team uses a theory-of-change framework aligned with UNHCR self-reliance indicators — available on request via our financial transparency page.
How quickly is my donation deployed?
Gifts are allocated to active programme needs within 48 hours of receipt. Donors who request an update receive a personal message from our field team explaining exactly how their gift was used — not a mass newsletter.
Can I fund a specific programme track?
Yes. You can give directly to Agribusiness Training, Digital Skills Cohorts, VSLA groups, or starter kits from our programme pages. If you prefer to support where the need is greatest at the moment of your gift, the “Support Humanitarian Initiatives” fund gives our team the flexibility to respond immediately.
Is AgeWatch registered and audited?
AgeWatch Africa is a registered social enterprise (CLG-JLFG96) operating since 2019 with a nationwide reach across Kenya. Annual financial summaries and impact reports are available — view our transparency page or request audited documents.
Explore more
More ways we build futures.
AgeWatch Futures operates across Kenya. Our agribusiness labs, digital cohorts, and UNHCR-aligned partnerships reach refugee youth and women in communities nationwide — from Kakuma and Kalobeyei to Dadaab and urban refugee centres — ensuring no one is left behind.
