Hand in Hand Eastern Africa (HiH EA) is a registered Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that aims to economically and socially empower the poorest citizens in Kenya. Since its inception in 2010, HiH EA has established 21 field offices within 29 out of 47 counties in Kenya and has over 300,000 members, of which 80% are women and 40% are youth. HiH EA has created over 296,000 enterprises and over 400,000 jobs.
Hand in Hand Tanzania (TZ) was established in 2017 and is based in Arusha. It has mobilized over 16,000 members for enterprise development training and has created over 14,000 jobs. Hand in Hand International, based in London, supports both HiH EA and HiH TZ. Their model is based on setting up or mobilizing self-help groups that act as savings groups, delivering enterprise skills through training, promoting financial access, and providing linkage to broader markets.
The Enterprise Scaling up Project, funded by the HILTI Foundation, aims to improve the quality of life for 20,000 farmers in cow dairy, poultry, and banana value chains in Kenya and Tanzania over a period of four years (July 2021 to December 2025). The project has two phases: a pilot cohort of 2,500 members (July 2021 to December 2022) and a full cohort of 17,500 members (January 2023 to December 2025). The project seeks to provide farmers with the skills and opportunities to scale up their enterprises for better incomes and greater production volumes. The project has three main components: training in business and technical skills, access to finance, and scale up with stronger producer groups.
The project aims to lift the majority of its members above the World Bank lower-income poverty line of US $3.20 and lift a significant number of its members above US $8.00 to improve household wellbeing for 20,000 smallholder farmers in Kenya and Tanzania. The project seeks to increase profitability and resilience of 20,000 project members’ enterprises and aggregation into 40-60 producer groups delivering greater volumes and better incomes for project members’ enterprises.
HiH EA/TZ and Hand in Hand International are commissioning a baseline evaluation of the full cohort to assess the project against the OECD DAC Evaluation criteria of relevance and coherence. The baseline evaluation will collect baseline data for the project’s full cohort target members against the logframe indicators, allowing its effectiveness to be measured at midline and endline. The baseline data will provide a basis for comparison before and after implementation.
The key objectives of the baseline evaluation include assessing the relevance of the project design in meeting the needs and priorities of the people it aims to serve, the coherence of the project design in terms of coordination with other efforts in the area, and the potential for impact.
