Shaping systems. Delivering dignity.
Empowering dignity through accountable systems and sustainable community impact.
About Empower Your Own (EYO)
At Empower Your Own (EYO), we believe dignity should not be donated it should be designed into the systems that shape our lives.
We are a development-oriented, community-rooted organization in Laikipia, Kenya, working at the intersection of advocacy, governance, and grassroots impact.
On one side, we drive conversations and advocacy that hold leaders accountable, inspire civic participation, and shape policies that create fairer systems. On the other, we deliver tangible impact in underserved schools and OVC centres, providing food, education support, dignity kits, and our signature Soul Food Sessions.
Our dual approach makes us both a think–action hub and an impact vehicle:
- Advocacy & Development: Advancing accountability, publishing insights, and designing new pathways for governance and community resilience.
- Impact Projects : Meeting the real needs of children through sustainable school programs, dignity packages, and spaces of joy and care.
MEET THE FOUNDER
Esther Kairu is the Founder and Director of Empower Your Own (EYO). She is part of Africa’s new wave of changemakers dedicated to turning local challenges into pathways for sustainable development.
Esther Kairu is the Founder and Director of Empower Your Own (EYO). She is part of Africa’s new wave of changemakers dedicated to turning local challenges into pathways for sustainable development.
With her experience in governance, nonprofit strategy, and advocacy, Esther has worked with international organizations and in 2023, she was named among the Top 100 Young Urban Leaders globally through the United Nations SDSN’s Local Pathways Fellowship.
Her mission with EYO is to influence the systems that shape people’s lives from policies to people, ensuring dignity is not an afterthought, but the foundation of development. creating systems that deliver both in governance and in everyday life.
Advocacy Work
At EYO, advocacy means showing up where change is shaped. We position ourselves in the heart of development ecosystems from political dialogues that influence policy, to healthcare forums tackling systemic inequities, to initiatives shaping education and social resilience.
By being present in these spaces, we ensure that the voices and needs of communities are not left behind in decision-making. Our vision is to help craft lasting solutions solutions that go beyond temporary fixes and instead build accountable governance, resilient systems, and a culture where dignity is designed into policy itself.
Impact Projects
At EYO, we design and deliver community-rooted programs that improve school systems, strengthen children’s homes, and ensure every child grows up with the dignity of basic care, consistent support, and joy. We focus on three core areas, all anchored in the belief that care is not a favour, it’s a right.
Education & School Systems Support
We ensure every child has the tools and stability they need to stay in school and succeed.
Focus Areas:
- Tuition support
- School uniforms
- Stationery & school supplies
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OVC Basic Needs Support
We meet the most immediate needs of orphaned and vulnerable children because dignity starts with having enough.
Focus Areas:
- Daily food support (meals & food baskets)
- Clothing donations (casual wear & school wear)
- Shelter improvement in community OVC centers
- Essential living supplies
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Gendered Resilience Packs
We support healthy, confident growth through personal care packages for boys and girls in schools and OVC communities.
Kits Include:
- Sanitary pads for girls
- Undergarments
- Soap
- Tissue
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Soul Food Sessions by EYO
Gathered with care. Served with purpose. Soul Food Sessions is EYO’s monthly flagship event: a warm, joy-filled shared meal hosted at one of our partner OVC centres. It’s more than a feeding programme; it’s a moment of presence, laughter, and celebration a ritual of dignity served on a plate. Each meal reminds the children, “You are not forgotten. You are loved. You belong.
The Heart of Soul Food Sessions
In institutions that are stretched to cover the basics, joy often gets left behind. Soul Food Sessions brings it back. It’s a monthly celebration of love, consistency, and care, and that emotional stability builds confidence, memory, and trust. This isn’t just food; it’s how we feed resilience.
Where it Happens
Currently hosted at QueenStar Children’s Home (Laikipia), with plans to expand to other partner OVC institutions. We aim to bring these sessions to more children in need across the region.
What’s on the Table?
Every Soul Food Session includes a full lunch and dinner for 25–30 children, featuring a delicious menu (e.g., chapati, beef, cabbage, fruit juice), a birthday cake, music, storytelling, and dancing.
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Our Outcome
We believe in transparency and showcasing the tangible difference your support makes. Our work is driven by real needs and results in real transformations within the communities we serve. Here are some of the ways we measure our impact and the stories that embody our mission:
Advocacy & Development.
Accountability in Action
Through civic scorecards and policy dialogues, we’ve equipped communities to track leader performance and demand better governance.
Voices Amplified
Our advocacy forums create safe spaces where citizens connect policy with lived reality, influencing local and national development conversations.
Our advocacy forums create safe spaces where citizens connect policy with lived reality, influencing local and national development conversations.
Data for Dignity
By piloting accessible vote-score analysis tools, we help citizens align their values with leadership choices beyond personality politics.
By piloting accessible vote-score analysis tools, we help citizens align their values with leadership choices beyond personality politics.
Impact Projects.
Sustainable Food Systems
Our Green4Growth initiative has established school-based greenhouses, providing nutritious food and a sustainable income source for schools.
Improved Well-being for OVCs
We've seen significant improvements in the health and well-being of children in OVC institutions through consistent provision of essential needs.
Enhanced Learning Environments
Through Project Bright Spaces, we've upgraded classrooms, ensuring conducive and inspiring learning environments for hundreds of students. should be short as this
Through Project Bright Spaces, we've upgraded classrooms, ensuring conducive and inspiring learning environments for hundreds of students. should be short as this
Get Involved
Every hand, every heart, and every shilling makes a difference. Join the EYO family and become a catalyst for change in the lives of vulnerable children. Your involvement ensures that dignity, education, and consistent care are not just aspirations, but realities.
Donate
Your financial contribution directly funds our programmes, from education support to dignity kits.
Volunteer
Dedicate your time and skills to support our events, distribution, or school projects.
Partner
Collaborate with us as an individual, brand, or foundation to amplify our collective impact.
Contact Us
We'd love to hear from you! Whether you have a question, want to get involved, or simply want to learn more about EYO, feel free to reach out. Your inquiries and feedback are invaluable to us.
Email
Social Media
Call Us
You can reach us on +254 710 380837 or visit our offices:
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© 2024 Empower Your Own (EYO). All rights reserved.
Empower Your Own is a registered Community Based Organization (CBO) in Kenya.
CBO Registration No. DSD/31/163/02/133115.
All donations are fully tax deductible in accordance with law but please consult your tax advisor for confirmation.
CBO Registration No. DSD/31/163/02/133115.
All donations are fully tax deductible in accordance with law but please consult your tax advisor for confirmation.