Driving Lasting Change Since 2004
Agile Plan to Integrated Resilience for Girls, Women, and Youth (APIR-TURKANA) is a local impact non-profit charitable organization in Kenya dedicated to transforming lives through the social and economic empowerment of girls, women, and youth.
Established on the foundation of creating self-reliance and fostering resilience, APIR-TURKANA stands as a beacon of hope for marginalized and vulnerable communities. Founded in 2004 as a Community-Based Organization (CBO), APIR has grown and evolved over the years. In 2017, the organization transitioned into APIR-TURKANA, expanding its scope to address the diverse and pressing socioeconomic challenges faced by communities in one of Kenya's most challenging environments.
We are a non-partisan, non-racial, and non-sectarian organization that focuses on empowering those who are most often excluded—girls, women, and youth—to actively participate in and shape their communities.
We envision a society where Communities thrive through the Power of Integrated Resilience, Inclusivity, and advocacy by recognizing, promoting, and protecting the rights of Girls, women, and Youth
We are committed to building resilient communities through the engagement of Youth, girls, and women, pursuing inclusivity, and advocating for equal opportunities and human rights.
In 2004, Pastor Philip Esinyen and his wife had an idea of supporting the people in Turkana East who suffered from eye diseases. Most eye problems were caused by inter-community raids, where fighters had bullet powder fall into their eyes. This attracted donors like Fred Hollows to support the initiative.
At some point, other needs were identified, specifically food insecurity, which led to mobilizing and arranging people to venture into farming, while directly supporting ongoing initiatives such as Morulem irrigation scheme. Through then, Ngitunga CBO continued to grow, until a time when they went into full-time service as pastors for AIC Kenya, and Ekeno our CEO had to rebuild it after failing to pick up for nearly 8 years and re-registered as APIR TURKANA in 2017.
Since then, APIR has grown in portfolio and scope with at least 8 thematic areas, a board, and active policies. It has even established a permanent office in Lodwar.
Three pillars driving sustainable development and transformation
Our programs are designed to promote and facilitate equity and equality through a development lens that prioritizes inclusivity and fairness. Guided by human rights-based approaches, core humanitarian standards, gender-sensitive frameworks, and community-led processes, we work to ensure that vulnerable, marginalized, and minority groups have equal opportunities and representation.
While girls, women, youth, refugees, and IDPs are often victims of crises, APIR-TURKANA focuses on addressing the root causes of these emergencies. Our resilience-building efforts emphasize low-tech, community-led recovery interventions that empower individuals and communities to rebuild their lives sustainably.
Participation is at the heart of everything we do. APIR-TURKANA ensures that all our processes are inclusive, community-driven, and women- and youth-led, particularly in critical areas such as health, education, and WASH. Through data-driven advocacy, social audits, and accountability mechanisms, we promote active engagement.
We prioritize the dignity and worth of every individual in all our interventions.
We are dedicated to accountability toward our financiers, participants, and authorities.
We envision a society where social justice is realized for all, particularly marginalized groups.
Inclusivity is central to our mission. We foster a culture of respect, dignity, and acceptance.
We uphold the highest standards of integrity in every action and decision.
We honor the traditions, cultures, and opinions of our program participants.
Compassion fuels our commitment to addressing the needs of vulnerable groups.
Collaboration is essential to achieving lasting impact.