SUED Stichting Understanding, Education & Development
  • Gilgil, Nakuru
  • info@thesued.org
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OUR PROGRAMS

Livelihood and Entrepreneurship

The programme responds to the realities that can hold back children from fully participating in education. For children facing financial hardship, the cost of school essentials, household needs and other basic requirements can become a significant barrier to their learning, wellbeing and aspirations.

Community socio-economic empowerment

SUED has initiated a women's group social enterprise initiative that supports women to identify and pursue viable entrepreneurial ideas that respond to their current needs while building towards long-term sustainability. According to World Bank Research shows that Women in Kenya are less likely to be employed than men, regardless of location, age, or education. Women take on more unpaid labor, earn less than men, and own fewer assets. These inequalities are even worse among poor households and in rural and arid regions, deepening national economic divides. The Kenya Economic Update (KEU) underscores this: unless we prioritize women’s empowerment, inclusive and sustainable growth will remain out of reach. When women thrive, economies grow, poverty declines, and social outcomes in education and health improve for everyone. It’s about financial independence, leadership, and breaking generations of societal expectations. Through the initiative Women are supported to explore practical income-generating opportunities, strengthen entrepreneurial skills and work collectively to develop enterprises that can generate income for their households and communities.

The approach recognises women not simply as beneficiaries, but as economic actors, innovators and agents of change. By strengthening women's capacity to generate sustainable income, the programme contributes to improved household resilience and creates an environment in which children are more likely to have their educational and basic needs consistently met.

SUED's approach is grounded in the belief that support should create pathways to independence and opportunity, rather than long-term dependency. We focus on climate-resilient agriculture projects, that is, poultry and dairy goat initiatives. Climate change increases the risk of crop failure through droughts, floods, and irregular rainfall. Diversifying livelihoods with indigenous poultry and dairy goats gives households an additional income and food source when crop production is affected. FAO emphasizes income diversification and resilient livestock systems as important components of climate adaptation in rural communities.

For children, this means providing the practical support they need while nurturing their confidence, education, and aspirations. For women, it means creating opportunities to transform ideas into sustainable enterprises that can continue generating value beyond the initial intervention.

Eco-tree Nurseries

Through our Eco-Tree Nurseries initiative, we are supporting women’s groups to establish sustainable enterprises that produce quality tree seedlings for schools while creating opportunities for women to generate income.

The initiative responds to a practical challenge: as SUED expands its environmental programmes, the demand for quality, locally appropriate and climate-resilient tree seedlings continues to grow. With an annual target of planting between 3,000 and 4,000 trees across participating schools, a reliable and sustainable supply of seedlings is essential to achieving meaningful and lasting environmental impact.

Women’s groups gain an opportunity to develop a viable enterprise around the growing demand for tree seedlings. Revenue generated from seedling sales can support household needs, strengthen group activities and provide capital for expanding their nursery operations.

At the same time, SUED gains access to a more consistent and locally available source of seedlings, reducing dependence on irregular external supply and strengthening the sustainability of its school-based tree-planting programmes.