In partnership with committed volunteers, identified as Friends of Tchundwa, Ikhlas Foundation, though its Trustee Tahreni Bwanaali, led the mobilization of a grassroots and collaborative initiative aimed at the development of Tchundwa village. The individuals mobilized to strategize on Tchundwas’ development agenda, termed the Tchundwa Asili Initiative,

Tchundwa village is located in Pate Island in Lamu County, Kenya. It is one of the 12 villages in Faza Sub-County, Lamu East Constituency, with a population of about 3,500. Tchundwa was once a prosperous and well-respected agricultural village in Lamu until the late ‘90s. Social and economic conditions in the village have continued to slowly deteriorate and most systems and structures have eroded turning the village into a haven for thieves, drugs, gangs and other crimes.

Concerned about the situation of deterioration of the status of Tchundwa, a group of interested individuals converged so as to challenge and change the status quo and restore Tchundwa’s glory. The individuals have been strategizing on the key steps to achieving this goal. To take this initiative forward, a project has been initiated to implement the action plan that is meant to address the situation. The project, referred to as ‘Tchundwa Asili Initiative (TAI)’ as described in the draft document that was developed below.

Project Plan -Tchundwa Asili-Ver 1.1

The goal of the initiative is to improve the quality of life of Tchundwa residents by offering higher standards of education, better security, improving community well-being and creating sustainable livelihoods to restore the glory of the village. The key objectives are:

i. Enhance security in order to reduce the crime rates and change the existing violent image of Tchundwa to a more positive one.

ii. Reduce the drug menace and its vices in the village through awareness on harm reduction, accountable law enforcement and community/family cooperation.

iii. Promote better health through health awareness programmes.

iv. Improve community wellbeing, promote good parenting and child upbringing, and nurture better relationships amongst community members through accountability, cohesion and common identity.

v. Enhance talents and create sustainable livelihood opportunities through capacity building and creative income-generating activities, especially for youth and women.