Keystone Program 

We look at our role in the life of students attached or interned to us as part of our discipleship role. A disciple in this case, is not a religious preaching apprentice, but, a change-maker who is able to bring about lasting change to society through their academic pursuit in our partner institutions. 

We  mentor them through our Keystone Program to become the change-makers that they should be. This is why we work with bachelors degree students or those enrolled for a higher academic qualification. We understand them as MULTIPLIERS. We work with them to help them develop this niche and affiliate them to multiply their effects in society.

Why do we believe in the Keystone Program?

We  understand that the design of our academic curriculum in most African universities is book-oriented. A student has to compete with set units of study -even if - some of the units are inconsequential to the student's life dream. This is one cause of over-reliance on "jobs" by students who could create such jobs. 

How does our Keystone Program work?

A student from a  partner university applies to be involved in the program. They develop a Concept Note based on any of our projects  from their own view (what do they want to do using our project?). We examine it to determine its suitability together with supervising faculty from the university.

Once we agree on the Concept Note, we admit the student into our Keystone Program. A student must be ready to develop their Concept Note into a viable, sustainable and efficient project or enterprise within a target community. 

What do we do with a student in the program?

We build their capacity over a 9-12 month period in:

• Project/Enterprise Cycle Development. 
• Resource Mapping, Mobilization and Development.
• Project/Enterprise Management and Leadership.
• Bamboo Resource Centre Affiliation.

Program Mission 

To provide, promote and enable strategic leadership, management, solidarity, affiliation, networking and joint initiatives to, through, among, for and by our multipliers for project level collective action in environmental and agricultural theology in Africa.

Program Objectives 

• To mobilize local communities through our multipliers for the commercial utilization of locally available flora and fauna and allied resources for local and international markets while facilitating grassroot interventions that develop local resources in a sustainable manner.
• To promote adoption and use of bamboo plant and its eco-system as a catalyst of rural and peri-urban enterprenuership and development opportunities.
• To incubate our multipliers as rural and peri-urban social enterprenuers in Africa.
• To establish, lead, manage and grow up through projects and enterprise incubation platforms in the grassroots through our multipliers using our enterprise leadership strategy.

Who is our multiplier?

Our multipliers are our affiliates in the grassroot communities in Africa. We adopt a multiplier during their internship/attachment with us. They formally apply and submit a Concept Note based on any of our 10-thematic projects that they want to implement.

Once accepted, they join our 12-month accelerator plan for capacity development. Upon completion, we offer them an affiliation to help them set up and run their selected project in a pre-agreed on target area. 

Program Rationale

Our work through each multiplier is guided by a shared rationale. This consists of 10-outcomes that we want each activity in the 10-thematic projects deliver on through the multiplier. These are:

• Foster active participation of community based subscribers to the Project. 
• Demand-driven initiatives based on sound market trends, dynamics and engagement.
• Effective response to market forces by recognising our 3-levels of value-chain engagement.
• Innovation and technology transfer and adoption at each level of project idea and management strategy.
• Capacity building of Community Based Actors and Organisations as stakeholders. 
• Outreach to create demand, troubleshoot, backstop, research and benchmark.
• Cost rationale to ensure profitability across the enterprise/project map. 
• Financial sustainability as a critical decision across our value-chain decisions and engagement.
• Learning from experience as the end-goal of our monitoring and evaluation process.
• Credit component to sustainably leverage to our subscribers a sustainable access to impact and equity financing.

Uhai Eco-cultural Model 

The program adopts Uhai Eco-cultural Model to guide it in all of its process level decisions. In this respect, we are bound by the 10-Principles of Uhai Eco-cultural Model below:

• The Supremacy of nature. All forms of life derive their life and livelihoods from nature. Nature must be conserved and sustained.
• The Intrinsic value of nature. Nature consists of elements. Each element has value - known and unknown. Such value can be used in research, industry, social and cultural or spiritual, aesthetic and ethical activities.
• Nature as a sacred shrine. It hosts cultural and spiritual activities of man in connection to the divine sphere. It is a museum of human geo-history as a home, a place of work and a source of sustainable livelihoods.
• Sacredness of life and rights to livelihoods as the basis of the entitlement of every creature in any environment to clean air and water, enough space to move and self-express, light and a decent livelihood. Man has a moral obligation to promote co-exustence of all life within an environment through protection, judicious use, management and conservation of all natural resources.
• People's cultural heritage is their own definition of their identity, dignity, integrity, pride and cosmology as a people. This heritage also defines their own Indigenous Knowledge and Experiences. Both Knowledge and experiences give them the foundation of innovation and creativity  - as drivers of their use of both nature and elements around them. 
• The dignity of the African family as a fundamental unit of human life. It is the place where the spiritual, economic, social, scientific and physical gains begin and take shape. It assigns roles and functions to each member of the family and the community.
• Eldership and Sagehood as the keepers and promoters of the knowledge, wisdom and ethical dignity of human society. Elders and sages provide wise counsel and vision.  These form the foundation of moral, guidance, local governance and stewardship of the society as well as the natural resource base. 
• Rights to human dignity as enshrined in national constitutions, global charters, treaties and agreements as a universal Covenant to ensure that these basic rights are recognised, protected and safeguarded. These freedoms enable the sustainability of livelihoods. 
• Stakeholding and custodianship in nature by recognizing that all biological beings are by right universal stakeholders of nature.  They are key custodians of all natural endowments in the planet. This stakeholding and custodianship is divided into three different levels of involvement: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary. As such, they have similar or relative rights of access, ownership, control and evolution of use and management of locally occuring resources.  This is the basis of policy making. 
• Negotiation as a means of universal co-existence.  This principle understands that any being that is primarily dependent on a particular resource for survival should not be deprived of its basic means of livelihood. Man must therefore not only negotiate with another man, but with other beings by studying, understanding and fully appreciating their sources of livelihoods.

Acknowledgment: Prof. Kapiyo, The Uhai Model, Pg 33).

Are you interested?

Welcome to our Keystone Program if you think we fit into your personal life dream.