Our Pillars

The five strategic pillars of ADI CBO are designed to actualize the quest for better lives and wealth creation for low-income communities while conserving nature for future generations:

Economic Empowerment

The objective of this pillar is to create a financial base from which members shall access finances for personal and corporate development. Personally, members access loans to finance their small businesses, farming activities, school fees and other needs. At a corporate level, investment opportunities are developed where members can invest by buying a stake in an identified venture. Members can buy these stakes in cash or they can be financed as a credit facility where the cash accessed is deposited as a stake in the investment venture while the member gradually repays the loan accessed. Such investment ventures are, FSA ownership, FSA building ownership, ASHES (Ark Society Home Empowerment Strategy) and other investments that Ark shall develop. This pillar targets to culminate into the creation of a formal community owned microfinance organization. The key operation mode for this pillar is the FSA / village banks. To date, Ark encompasses fifteen FSAs with more than 16,000 members, of which more than 9,500 are women.

Food Security

This pillar targets to improve on-farm productivity, undertake value addition and create market linkages for farm produce.
Improvement on farm productivity
Ark promotes the best and affordable modern farming technologies that boost the food security levels of our members. Some key interventions to be undertaken under this are Conservation Agriculture, Drip Kit Irrigation, Green house farming, annual and perennial fruit trees, permaculture, Fish farming, Organic Farming, Kitchen Gardening and promotion of drought-tolerant crops.
Value Addition
Ark promotes value addition for crops and animals. Some key interventions to be undertaken under this are grain banks, cold storage facilities, joint marketing strategies, warehouse receipting systems and inter warehouse commodity exchange programs among other approaches to boost the members’ produce value and food security levels.
Marketing linkages
Ark targets to establish joint marketing programs for produce that is stored in the grain banks and warehouses. This will facilitate the development of a commodity exchange program between grain banks/warehouses to enable communities in different areas access what they may need but have not produced enough of.

Low Cost Housing

Shelter is one of the basic needs of our members. Ark trains its members on stabilized interlocking soil blocks that reduce the walling costs of a building by up to 50%. Ark, through our subsidiary, Ark Green Homes Limited, targets to make housing affordable by establishing a company that shall specialize in financing the development of affordable housing in the informal sector. Most of the urban and semi urban plots in Mombasa and Voi among others are yet to have title deeds. Conventional financial institutions, thus find it hard to venture into financing such. This creates a special untapped niche since the bigger populations tend to purchase such plots due to their affordability. Ark Green Homes Limited shall be developed into a community housing microfinance that shall specialize in the financing of low cost houses in the informal settlements both in urban and semi urban areas.

Natural Resource management

Ark promotes environmentally friendly approaches to restore nature and mitigate climate change.
Climate Change Mitigation
Ark strives to empower its members to mitigate climate change through:
  1. Solar Cooking and development of solar cooking gadgets.
  2. Charcoal Briquettes Making.
  3. Promotion of Bio gas technology.
  4. Housing construction systems using stabilized Inter locking soil blocks, recycled plastic poles or iron bars for windows doors and roofing as opposed to use of wood.
  5. Waste management and recycling – promotes bio digester for recycling sewage back to water. All the buildings under construction are fitted with bio digesters.

Nature Restoration Ark strives to empower its members to restore nature through:
  1. The use of organic fertilizers and manures.
  2. Water harvesting/conservation.
  3. Development of tree nurseries.
  4. Planting of trees.
  5. Rehabilitation of deluded lands through terracing and forestation.
  6. Development of micro forests.
  7. The introduction of farming practices that enable farmers to derive livelihoods from forests without necessarily having to cut down the trees/forests i.e. bee keeping and butterfly farming.
  8. The success of the above undertakings shall culminate in the development of the Green Homes, i.e. homes that embraces green energy and climate mitigation technologies.

Socio-Cultural Enhancement and Integration

Being formed after the backdrop of post-election violence 2007, it was important to include inter community cohesion and integration intervention aspects in this model. There is a continuous need to educate the community on the importance of diversity, cohesion and integration as enshrined in the Kenyan Constitution of 2010. Peace is paramount to sustain the progress that shall be realized in all the above undertakings.
    Civic Interventions
  1. Train its members on Good governance and visionary and transformative leadership.
  2. Train its members on their rights as enshrined in the constitution of Kenya.
  3. Sensitize the members on the importance of peace in the development process.
  4. Sensitize members on the importance of co-existence and integration in development.
  5. Mentor youth who demonstrate strong leadership potential on leadership skills.
  6. Organize and support sporting events that support co-existence, cohesion, peace and integration.
  7. Organize and support drama, comedies, culture, songs and dances that promote co-existence, peace and integration.
  8. Develop a conflict resolution strategy that enhances active participation of women and youth in development.

Education
    Through its corporate social responsibility, Ark supports:
  1. Child education, especially outstanding bright children from needy parents.
  2. Orphans, physically and mentally challenged children who perform well in primary schools through financing and/or linkages to financiers and well-wishers.
  3. Giving motivational talks to the youth in schools and other forums so as to inspire them to have a positive attitude towards education and life.

Drugs Ark shall strive to run awareness campaigns against drug use to the larger community and its members. It shall:
  1. Sensitize the youth against drug use.
  2. Organize and/or give talks to the youth in schools against drug use.
  3. Encourage drug users to go to rehabilitation centers.
  4. Giving motivational and inspirational talks to the youth and general society so as to enable them to have a positive attitude towards education and life.

Domestic Tourism Ark promotes domestic and eco-tourism through:
  1. Organizing domestic tourism expeditions for its members and partners.
  2. Facilitating suitable transport means and affordable accommodation.
  3. Participates in tourism events organized by the government and other partners.
  4. Organize for placements for partners who shall visit its programs.