Lift Community-Based Organization

• Year Founded: 2022
• Location: Kakuma Refugee Camp, Turkana County, Kenya
• Energy Solutions and Services: Solar-powered irrigation systems; vocational training in tailoring, hairdressing, catering, and digital skills
• Thematic Areas of Focus: Education, livelihoods and entrepreneurship, agriculture and food security
• Number of Employees: 21
• Website: www.liftcbo.org
• Contact: faustinchoma@gmail.com

Lift Community-Based Organization's Impact Story

Founded in 2022 and officially registered in 2024, Lift Community-Based Organization (CBO) is a refugee-led nonprofit tackling urgent community needs through innovation, collaboration and empowerment. Its mission is to promote youth talent, create safe and sustainable living conditions, and expand education for marginalized communities, guided by a vision of a society where everyone can influence decisions that drive social change.

In Kakuma Refugee Camp and the surrounding host community, residents face high unemployment, food insecurity, and limited access to sustainable energy for agriculture. Most smallholder farmers rely on manual irrigation or diesel-powered pumps, which are costly, polluting and restrict productivity. These challenges negatively impact household incomes, food availability and environmental health.

Lift CBO is addressing these challenges through its Solar-Powered Farming & Income Generation Project, which provides smallholder farmers with solar irrigation systems to enable year-round crop cultivation, reduce reliance on diesel pumps, and enhance environmental resilience. Farmers cultivate crops on Lift CBO’s land using solar-powered irrigation, contributing 20% of their sales back to the organization. High-value customers cultivating larger plots generate higher yields, strengthening both household income and Lift CBO’s sustainability model.

Complementing farming initiatives, the organization also runs the Lift to Livelihood vocational training program, equipping women and youth with skills in tailoring, hairdressing, catering, and digital literacy, thus broadening avenues for economic empowerment.

Lift CBO has achieved significant and measurable impact in Kakuma. The organization has generated direct employment opportunities for farmers, youth and women engaged in agriculture, produce sales, tailoring, catering and digital work. Through solar-powered irrigation, local crop production has increased, improving food security and ensuring year-round availability. By reducing reliance on diesel pumps, the initiative has supported a clean energy transition, lowering operational costs and environmental emissions. Beneficiaries now generate additional income from farming, with 20% of sales reinvested to sustain and expand community projects. Environmental resilience has also improved through the adoption of permaculture practices and tree planting, helping to restore ecosystems. Collectively, these outcomes demonstrate Lift CBO’s holistic approach to fostering sustainable livelihoods, promoting renewable energy, and enhancing environmental stewardship.

Success Factors

The success of Lift CBO is rooted in several key factors. Foremost its refugee-led leadership ensures strong community ownership and relevance. Lift CBO’s integrated approach, combining energy access, agriculture, and vocational training, addresses multiple community needs simultaneously. Its sustainable reinvestment model, in which a portion of project revenues is returned to support operations and expansion, ensures continuity, resilience and long-term growth.

Lift CBO has also benefited from the support of several strategic partners that have been instrumental in enabling the organization to grow and scale its initiatives. Ashden provided grant funding specifically for the Solar-Powered Farming & Income Generation Project, allowing the deployment of solar irrigation systems to smallholder farmers. The Safaricom Foundation contributed to the organization’s vocational training programs, empowering women and youth with skills in tailoring, hairdressing and catering. World University Service of Canada (WUSC) supported Lift CBO’s digital skills program, enhancing ICT and digital literacy among refugee and host youth. Additional contributions from Sadhana Forest and Emo Express have strengthened environmental conservation efforts and overall operational growth. Together, these partnerships have provided financial resources, technical expertise, capacity building, and mentorship, equipping Lift CBO to effectively empower the community and scale its impact.

Future Plans and Support Needs

Looking ahead, Lift CBO aims to expand access to solar-powered irrigation to reach more farmers in both refugee and host communities. The organization also plans to scale its Lift to Livelihood vocational training programs, extending skills development in tailoring, hairdressing, catering and digital literacy. In addition, Lift CBO intends to deepen its environmental initiatives, promoting permaculture practices and tree planting to strengthen ecosystem resilience.

To achieve these ambitions, Lift CBO seeks strategic partnerships to scale its solar-powered farming initiatives, as well as investment and technical support to enhance renewable energy awareness and income-generating activities. With this support, the organization can continue to empower communities, improve livelihoods and foster sustainable development in Kakuma and beyond.

About the Founder

Said Tchoma, the founder of Lift CBO, is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo and has lived in Kakuma Refugee Camp for 15 years. With formal training in agriculture and community development, he co-founded Lift CBO to empower refugee and host communities through sustainable livelihoods, renewable energy solutions and environmental stewardship.