Jenga Mtaani (Building at home)
Jenga Mtaani (building at home in Swahili) program localizes engineering and technology solutions by building on the knowledge that communities have already. We focus on marginalized and displaced communities – groups that are further from power and opportunities but are therefore even more knowledgeable about local resources. We have derived a five-step model that efficiently organizes collaborative efforts and guides implementation.
Our work
Tumaini Innovation Center
Our longest on-going collaboration is with the Tumaini Innovation Center in Eldoret, Kenya. Tumaini builds on this idea of low-resource communities as innovation powerhouses, with nearly 200 students having completed the JENGA program. Graduates have deployed their skills in technical internships, at solar-farm jobs across northern Kenya, and in the development of a spinoff micro-enterprise manufacturing remote security systems they designed.
Scaling
Tumaini leadership, staff, and students have already been asked to transfer the knowledge and impact they’ve had to other areas in Kenya where there are significant groups of street-connected youth. For example, organizations in both Nakuru and Kisumu have asked for Tumaini’s expertise. Funding to lay the foundation for a viable and sustainable scaled operation would include land purchase, support and recruitment of staff, permitting, construction, recruitment and initial support of learners, and food/operational costs for a year.
Self-Replicating Model
Long-term, Tumaini foresees a combination funding model that includes school fees (which would have to be discounted or zeroed out for many students), grants based on the ground-breaking research they continue to do and unique programs they innovate, and products they develop with the JENGA program.
Project Team
Dr. Jennifer DeBoer
Associate Professor of Engineering Education at Purdue University and Director of Practice for Education and Youth with PARI-GDI
Over the last 9 years, Jennifer DeBoer and her team have worked with marginalized communities across a variety of contexts in Africa, as well as Jordan and the U.S., to develop, deploy, and refine the Jenga Mtaani (JENGA) program. This program localizes engineering and technology solutions by building on the knowledge that communities have already. The focus is on marginalized and displaced communities – groups that are further from power and opportunities but are therefore even more knowledgeable about local resources. JENGA follows a five-step model that efficiently organizes collaborative efforts and guides implementation.
Samwel Kimani
Founder and Director TUMAINI INNOVATION CENTER | Chevening Scholar | Mandela Washington Fellow | Leaders in Innovation Fellow | Acumen Fellow
Over a decade of experience as the Founder and Program Director of Tumaini Innovation Center in Eldoret Kenya. Since 2009, I have developed an innovative social enterprise program tailored to meet the unique needs of street-connected youth. Our innovative approach to education honors and capitalizes on the resourcefulness, creativity, and entrepreneurial nature of the youth we serve; we combine classroom learning, real-life training in various trade skills, and entrepreneurship education on how to build, operate, and maintain businesses around the practical skills taught.
Where are we heading and how you can get involved
The Jenga Project has made a tremendous impact on underserved communities, but to continue our vital work, we need your help to ensure its sustainability.
We invite our practitioners, fellows, and their networks to join us in this effort. Bring your questions, ideas, and creativity to help us make the Jenga Project a lasting success. Together, we can build a brighter future.