Why 'entrepreneurial' aid is on the rise in East Africa

When al-Shabab terrorist attacks began in northeast Kenya, Benta Miluki feared for her life. It eventually became too dangerous for her to remain in Mandera — a town just a few kilometers from the Somali border — so Miluki fled, leaving her job and friends behind. She arrived in Nairobi with nothing, but quickly spotted a poster advertising sales and marketing opportunities as part of a charity training program. Now, seven months later, she has a job that allows her to earn and support herself.

“I’m safer and happy,” she said.

Kenya is seeing a rise of “entrepreneurial” aid, or assistance in which agencies help those on the ground to help themselves through training and employment programs to battle high rates of youth unemployment, among other challenges. Such forms of aid tend to be active, rather than passive, and encourage participants to develop new skills and earn money simultaneously.