EMPOWERMENT CAPACITY BUILDING SUPPORT SERVICES

profile · synthesized from sources

Ushindi Empowerment Group is a women-led, community-based organization based in Nairobi, Kenya, focused on transforming African communities by strengthening grassroots leaders and organizations. The organization empowers women and youth through capacity building, mentorship, advocacy, and research across four focus areas: Gender Justice, Climate Justice, Economic Empowerment, and the Creative Economy. It supports entrepreneurs and change agents through cohort-based programs, networks, and platforms for systemic change.

named programs · 6 · from sources

what they call their work

AWE Program

Accelerator program providing training, mentorship, and capacity building for women entrepreneurs; has supported over 340 grassroots women leaders and entrepreneurs.

Africa Shelters and Helplines Forum

Annual forum co-organized with the Global Network for Women’s Shelters to strengthen support systems for gender-based violence survivors.

Atmosphere Collective

Flagship creative economy program building a community of young creatives and supporting their entrepreneurial growth.

Ekonnect

Online mentorship platform for women ecopreneurs, funded by the US Embassy’s Tech Camp program, providing sustained mentorship to over 75 women.

Sauti Kenya

Leadership and advocacy program for women and youth focused on peace and governance, climate change, health, and poverty eradication across multiple Kenyan counties.

Tunawiri National Campaign

Digital campaign advancing gender and social justice through organizational support, online petitions, psycho-social services, and advocacy during the pandemic.

activities · 8 groups

what they do

Women's Leadership & Empowerment Programs 2 activities
- Entrepreneurship Training and Mentorship for Women
  
  Provides sustained mentorship and training in entrepreneurship to women, including survivors of gender-based violence and ecopreneurs, through programs like the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) and the Ekonnect online platform. This has reached over 600 women across multiple counties in Kenya by 2024.
- Networking and Collaboration for Women Change Makers and Entrepreneurs
  
  Maintains cohorts of women grassroots change makers and entrepreneurs to foster networking and collaboration on ventures and projects.
Women's Human Rights Advocacy & Protection 1 activity
- Advocacy and Campaigning for Gender-Based Violence and Human Rights
  
  Strengthens the capacity of grassroots women leaders in advocacy and campaigning, coordinates online petitions for policies related to gender-based violence and human rights, and mobilizes protests against police brutality, leading to commitments from government bodies.
Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response 1 activity
- Africa Shelters And Helplines Forum Organization
  
  Organizes forums, such as the 2023 Africa Shelters And Helplines Forum, to convene representatives from women's shelters, civil society, and government stakeholders to build networks, share experiences, and strengthen capacity for supporting gender-based violence survivors.
Arts & Cultural Heritage Programming 1 activity
- Art Hub Operation
  
  Operates Atmosphere Collective, an art hub in Kajiado that provides a safe space for artists and creatives to share work, ideas, and foster collaborations.
GBV Survivor Support Services 1 activity
- Psycho-social Support for Survivors of Gender-Based Violence
  
  Develops and implements online psycho-social support programs, providing free counseling to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence through volunteer counselors, and creates safety planning tools for domestic violence survivors.
Green Job and Enterprise Creation 1 activity
- Support for Eco-Entrepreneur Enterprises
  
  Targets to reach 100 eco-entrepreneur enterprises across 4 counties, aiming to benefit over 400 households and 1,600 community members through employment creation.
Vocational and Life Skills Training 1 activity
- Training for Young Filmmakers
  
  Offers a 3-day training program on entrepreneurship and life skills specifically for young filmmakers in Nairobi County.
Uncategorized 3 activities
- Capacity Building for Grassroots Women Leaders and Entrepreneurs
  
  Trains grassroots women leaders and entrepreneurs in advocacy, campaigning, communications, social entrepreneurship, and organizational sustainability, impacting their organizations and businesses. This includes equipping leaders with skills for self-reliance, such as briquette making, and reaching hundreds of community members through cascade trainings.
- Crowdfunding Support for Activists
  
  Assists member grassroots organizations in crowdfunding efforts to support bail and funds for activists arrested during protests against police brutality in Kenya, raising $5,500 for specific organizations.
- Database Management for SGBV Service Providers
  
  Updates the sexual and gender-based violence service providers database to facilitate referrals for community-based organizations.

relationships · 24

who they work with

Amnesty International (Kenya) Partner — Co-organized the #EndPoliceBrutalityKe and #BlacklivesMatterKe protests.
Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management Partner — Developed the DreamBuilder online platform used by the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) program.
COVAW Partner — Stakeholder at the Africa Shelters And Helplines Forum.
Centre for Domestic Training and Development (CDTD) Partner — Stakeholder at the Africa Shelters And Helplines Forum.
Defenders Coalition Partner — Assisted in crowdfunding for key programs.
Engage Jamii Initiatives Partner — Partnered to offer entrepreneurship training to survivors of gender-based violence in Nairobi and Kajiado County.
Film Fupi Partner — Partnered to offer entrepreneurship and life skills training to young filmmakers in Nairobi County.
Global Network for Women Shelters Partner — Organizes an annual forum targeting women's shelters and gender-based violence response helplines.
Global Network for Women’s Shelters Partner — Collaborating to support the Africa Shelters Caucus and organize the annual Shelters and Helplines Forum.
Mathare Social Justice Centre Partner — Assisted in crowdfunding for key programs.
Meta Partner — Stakeholder at the Africa Shelters And Helplines Forum.
National Government Affirmative Action Fund Government — Stakeholder at the Africa Shelters And Helplines Forum.
State Department Funder — Main sponsor of AWE Kenya.
State Department for Gender Government — Stakeholder at the Africa Shelters And Helplines Forum.
TechCamp alumni Partner — Steer the EKONNECT project and provide mentorship to eco-entrepreneurs.
U.S Embassy Funder — Funds the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs project and is an initiative partner for Film Fupi.
U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Funder — Launched the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) initiative and is a main sponsor of AWE Kenya.
UN Women Partner — Stakeholder at the Africa Shelters And Helplines Forum.
US Embassy Kenya Funder — Main sponsor of AWE Kenya, implemented by Ushindi Empowerment in 2022.
US Embassy – TechCamp Funder — Funded the EKONNECT project to support eco-entrepreneurs in Kenya.
US Embassy’s Tech camp program Funder — Funds the Ekonnect online mentorship platform for ecopreneurs.
Usikimye Partner — Stakeholder at the Africa Shelters And Helplines Forum and co-organizer of #EndPoliceBrutalityKe and #BlacklivesMatterKe protests.
Wangu Kanja Foundation Partner — Stakeholder at the Africa Shelters And Helplines Forum.
Youth Film Platform Partner — Partnered to offer entrepreneurship and life skills training to young filmmakers in Nairobi County.