[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — UMR aims to bring together the best parts of development thinking on local knowledge and sustainability to create a new approach to poverty alleviation. Partnering with SAAB RDS, a leading international business development, program management and technology company, UMR is launching the Adopt A Village Project (AVP) in Wajir County, Kenya focusing on six components that reflect the needs of this underdeveloped area: education, water and sanitation, housing, healthcare, energy, and community engagement. The project is in coordination with the local authorities, community leadership, as well as local private construction companies.

The new project will begin immediately, and have several phases beginning with the rehabilitation of Elmi Primary School, which will include the remodeling and furnishing of classrooms, fencing of the school, and building dining facilities. Later phases will include the construction of Wajir County’s first ever MRI imaging center, a medical clinic to provide services to the surrounding 4 villages, boreholes for water provision, solar panels, and the construction of a community center that will include a public library, psychosocial support programming, and a soccer field. Procurement of supplies will be done locally in Wajir to support the economy and create over 250 direct jobs.

UMR has been working in Kenya for several years, sending multiple medical missions for hearing aids and cataract surgeries annually, providing nutritious food parcels year-round, constructing water wells to ensure equitable access to clean drinking water, and supplying local hospitals with medical supplies and equipment. “Our commitment to reaching rural areas of Africa begins with Wajir County, Kenya, but will not end there. We plan on replicating this holistic approach in other communities across the region,” says UMR’s East Africa Regional Representative, Abdul Ghani Ismail.