EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Social ills that have enslaved the community in Butula Sub-County are multi-faceted, and require a multi-dimensional methodology.

• Martens Africa sets out to a grassroots community based approach in poverty alleviation, early childhood development, sporting, arts, education, vocational training, and health.

• This is a grassroots organization of local people within the community responding to local challenges in the areas of education, training, gender, socio-economic, environment, health, and environmental preservation.

• Martens Africa intends to form a strong partnership with like-minded public and private organization, and nurture affiliated self-help groups to address the entire scope of the community –children, youth, women, and the general community.

• The organization will operate from a strategic physical location in the Sub-County of Butula, to serve as a beacon of hope, called Martens Center.

• MARTENS is founded on the pillars of mainstreaming marginalized people groups, creating awareness, grassroots research on continuous improvement, training, environment conservation, non-discrimination, and socio-economic empowerment of the community.

• Martens Africa remains not-for-profit, non-partisan, non-political, non-religious and shall not in any way be involved in or offer support to any activities deemed to have a political connotation or which are inconsistent with the provisions of the Government of Kenya and any of its affiliate departments and representatives.

NAME OF THE GROUP

• The name of the Community Based Organisation (hereinafter called “the Organisation”) is MARTENS AFRICA

VISION
• The proposed Organization envisions a healthy, sound, and empowered populace that has equal opportunities, wholly developed, and one that is economically self-reliant.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

Within the framework of the foregoing, the Organisation shall have the following principal objects:

• Raise, mobilize and disburse funds and other resources for the promotion of the objects of the Organization;

•Liaise and network with other self-help groups and other government and civil society partners to restore hope and provide basic needs to some of the poorest communities in the world;

•Influence Early Childhood Development (ECD) policy through research and advocacy for promoting holistic development of young children;

• Stimulate healthy integrated early childhood development by enhancing quality education and protection;

• Establish and operate Martens Learning Centre and other educational centres’ and libraries which shall be open to persons of either sex and of whatever race, creed, caste, class, or religion;

• To publish newsletters, brochures’, periodicals, documentaries and other forms of print and electronic media as the Management may deem desirable for the promotion of the objects of the organisation;

• Endorse, encourage and support focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment in driving development overall;

• Promote gender mainstreaming through family and women empowerment by providing financial assistance;

• Empower women and general communities by establishing community based micro-finance schemes, table banking, and cereal banking;

• Enhance and promote vocational training in areas including, but not limited to performing and creative arts, tailoring & fashion design, information technology, beauty, carpentry, cookery, and hospitality.

• Fill the gaps between education and real life experiences by providing avenues to practice theoretical educational skills and equipping the populace with practical skills to make informed decisions and choices of the daily, commercial and moral challenges;

• Mitigate effects of HIV/AIDS through advocacy, education, care giving, poverty reduction through enhanced modern farming methods and scientifically proven ways of enhancing food security and sustainable soil and farm management;

• Promote and enhance research on maternal health, child nutrition and child development, health and medical services;

• Advocate against sexual violence and encourage peaceful co-existence through advocacy in community and social welfare forums.

• Promote or assist in the promotion of any organization or company or other body having objects similar to those of the organizations;

• Do all such other things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of any of the above objects

•Run and operate income generating activities for the purpose of supporting charitable activities of the organization.

• Borrow and/or invest the money in the organisation not immediately required in any one or more of the modes of investment of trust moneys or in such other manner as the Management of the Organisation may from time to time determine.

MEMBERSHIP

Membership of the Organization shall be open to the following, provided that they have been vetted and approved for enrolment by the Executive Committee on a prescribed basis, including:

• Individuals who are interested in furthering the aims of the Group
• Organizations having similar objectives.
• Affiliate self-help groups