Nashetu-E-Maa
Practical Action
Whilst Practical Action provided some of the materials for the demonstration houses the women
provided local materials such as timber or river sand, as well as the labour required for
construction. Most of the women’s groups were actively involved in fund raising through
traditional gatherings known as harambees, where invited guests would be amply entertained in
return for donations. Group activities and savings would also be used to support new housing
initiatives.
Training programmes often required a high degree of flexibility from Practical Action staff, who
would camp out on site to ensure that they did not waste time and resources travelling to and
from remote places which were often difficult to access.
Sharing experience with the
wider world
Practical Action’s small-scale
project activities aim to learn
lessons and share these with others
in order to increase the impact of
local initiatives. A programme of
dissemination continued with the
aim of spreading information about
shelter options to other people in
Kajiado district and beyond.
Practical Action maintained a
presence in Kajiado with the
capacity to respond to technical
enquiries and to give advice to
individuals and organisations. But
the emphasis shifted towards
enabling others to do the work and
sharing information with people
locally, nationally and internationally.
Maasai women traditionally come together to offer each
other social and practical support. Photo: Practical Action /
Neil Cooper.
The demonstration house built at
the Ngong agricultural show-ground
has become a home. Photo: Practical
Action / Lucky Lowe.
Sharon Looremetta and Elijah Agevi, representing the
people of Kajiado at the UN conference on Human
Settlements, Istanbul June 1996. Photo: Practical Action /
Neil Cooper.
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