Any reputable business in whichever market recognises the need to give back to the community that has allowed it to thrive. While there is a range of programs that businesses can choose from, others go for impressive programs whose impact is felt not only for generations to come but also in wide geographical locations. Basically, they have cast their net of goodness far, wide and deep.
KCB Group, through the KCB Foundation has one of the most remarkable CSR projects in the country. Three years ago, they launched an ambitious KShs.50 billion enterprise development programs. These programs were geared towards birthing a new cadre of youthful entrepreneurs within the informal sector to ease the country’s unemployment crisis. The main objective, according to KCB Group CEO Joshua Oigara is to provide the beneficiaries with the vocational and enterprise development skills necessary to drive employment and wealth creation in selected sectors such agricultural enterprise, automotive engineering, construction, beauty and domestic services.
In the last four to five months, The Alibhai Shariff Centre of Excellence has had the privilege of working alongside KCB Foundation as they distributed toolkits to their beneficiaries in the construction sector. The beneficiaries had gone through training in Welding, Carpentry, Electrical installation, Plumbing and Masonry. After successfully going through the courses in various technical colleges all over the country, the candidates would then be required to write a business plan
The KCB team would go through the business plans and ensure that beneficiaries are setting up businesses and support them with necessary financial aid. Several beneficiaries had already started their own businesses and employed other young people. Others had acquired skills that they would never have acquired were it not for the KCB Foundation.
The last few months have provided an invaluable opportunity for the Alibhai Shariff Centre of Excellence to impart skills to the beneficiaries of the KCB Foundation. It has been a real pleasure working with KCB Foundation across the country to deliver to the Kenyan youth not just tools, but a future.