Imbeke Trust was born out of long-term community engagement, strategic partnerships, and a clear response to the real needs of women in our community.
Before Imbeke was established, I was working with a Community Based Organization that I personally registered, known as Imani CBO. During this period, I met a group of Belgian friends who were supporting another project in different location. Whenever they visited Kenya, I took them along to our community work sites so they could directly observe the challenges, realities, and potential of the communities we served.
Over time, their interest deepened, and they began supporting our community in a wide range of initiatives. These included school feeding programs in nursery schools, construction of nursery schools, establishment of a community clinic, building houses for vulnerable families, payment of school fees for girls and boys in primary and secondary schools, care for the sick, support programs for older persons, implementation of sanitation initiatives, and women’s empowerment activities, among others.
As the scope of our work expanded, it became clear that our interventions were broad and impactful, but I felt a growing need to focus more intentionally on a specific group:women, who were consistently the most affected yet most resilient members of the community.
To guide this shift, I initiated a Community Needs Assessment (CNA) involving key stakeholders, including local churches, civil authorities, teachers, members of the business community, and parents. The findings of this assessment strongly confirmed the urgent need for targeted interventions to support and empower women. I shared both my vision and the CNA report with our Belgian partners. After several years of dialogue, reflection, and commitment, they fully embraced this vision and agreed to support a dedicated women-focused initiative.
Given the depth and intensity of the proposed work, I proposed the establishment of a new organization. As a result, Imani Belgium was registered in Belgium, while Imbeke Trust was registered in Kenya. The name Imbeke is an acronym for Imani Belgium in Kenya, marking the birth of a strong, values-driven partnership.
Securing land for the project was one of our earliest and most challenging steps, as the concept of a women’s center was initially misunderstood by some members of the community. Eventually, we identified and purchased an unused, swampy piece of land. With full support from Imani Belgium, we began construction of the first training hall. By this time, women in the community clearly understood the vision of Imbeke and took full ownership of the project. They actively participated in laying the foundation and worked alongside men in construction activities—fetching water, mixing mortar, and transporting building materials. This marked a turning point in community understanding and acceptance of Imbeke’s objectives.
Since then, Imbeke has been actively engaged in key community sectors, including Food Security, Education, Health, Shelter, and Economic Empowerment. Economic Empowerment has remained our core pillar. In pursuit of this goal, we established the Imbeke Vocational Training Centre, designed to equip vulnerable girls and teenage mothers with practical skills that enable them to generate sustainable income for themselves and their families, thereby breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty.
Today, Imbeke stands as a community women’s center of excellence. The Imbeke Vocational Training Centre has grown into a fully-fledged boarding and day training institution, uniquely designed to allow young mothers to learn alongside their babies. It is widely recognized in the region for its high standards, holistic approach, and transformative impact.
None of this would have been possible without the trust, understanding, and unwavering support of Imani Belgium, whose partnership has been instrumental in turning a community vision into a sustainable and life-changing reality.
