The attempt to impact the narrative of everyday life, is by definition; social innovation.
Social innovation refers to new strategies, concepts, ideas and organizations that meet social needs of all kinds – from working conditions and education to community development and health – and that extend and strengthen civil society.
Over the years, the term has developed several overlapping meanings. It can be used to refer to social processes of innovation, such as open source methods and techniques. Alternatively it refers to innovations which have a social purpose – like microcredit or distance learning. The concept can also be related to social entrepreneurship (entrepreneurship isn’t always or even usually innovative, but it can be a means ofinnovation) and it also overlaps with innovation in public policy and governance. Social innovation can take place within government, within companies, or within the nonprofit sector (also known as the third sector), but is increasingly seen to happen most effectively in the space between the three sectors. Recent research has focused on the different types of platforms needed to facilitate such cross-sector collaborative social innovation.
History
Social innovation was discussed in the writings of figures such as Peter Drucker and Michael Young (founder of the Open University and dozens of other organizations) in the 1960s.. It also appeared in the work of French writers in the 1970s, for example Pierre Rosanvallon, Jacques Fournier, and Jacques Attali . However, the themes and concepts in social innovation have existed long before that. Benjamin Franklin, for example, talked about social innovation in terms of small modifications within the social organisation of communities that could help to solve everyday problems. Many radical 19th century reformers like Robert Owen, founder of the cooperative movement, promoted innovation in the social field and all of the great sociologists including Karl Marx, Max Weber and Émile Durkheim focused much of their attention to broader processes of social change. However, more detailed theories of social innovation only became prominent in the 20th century. Joseph Schumpeter, for example, addressed the process of innovation more directly with his theories of creative destruction and his definition of entrepreneurs as people who combined existing elements in new ways. In the 1980s and after, writers on technological change increasingly addressed the importance of social factors in affecting technology diffusion.
Recent Developments
The idea of social innovation has become much more prominent with ongoing research, blogs and websites (such as the social innovation exchange) , and a proliferation of organisations working on the boundaries of research and practical action. Several currents have converged in this area, including:
A recent overview of the field highlighted the growing interest of public policy makers in supporting social innovation in these different sectors, notably in the UK, Australia, China and Denmark. A focus of much recent work has been on how innovations spread and on what makes some localities particularly innovative.
Source: Wiki
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AFRICAN CULTURAL AND BUSINESS SOLUTIONS (ACABS)
PROJECT CONCEPT
Documentation and Application of Indigenous Knowledge in Mt.Kenya East Region
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Organization
AFRICAN CULTURAL AND BUSINESS SOLUTIONS (ACABS) is a Kenyan community based organization (CBO) with its membership being drawn from various other registered organizations. These other organizations include Self-Help Groups in Mt Kenya East region.
ACABS was founded in 2004, evolved from Mathina Young Women Group, which was then a women organization to partner with member women, mobilize their resources and support each other in commercial tree nurseries and micro loaning scheme.
Having worked successfully for the three years, the constitution was reviewed to form a network under a new acronym, ACABS. This was to change its membership from individual women to groups (registered Community Based Organizations) not only for the grass root women but also to include men and youth groups in its membership. The review aimed at diversifying the activities of the organization as well as to realize a larger impact through, training other groups to mobilize their resources effectively and thus promoting sustainable cultural and environmental development in the region.
ACABS is a non-partisan and non profit organization that does not discriminate on basis of gender, age, race or creed. Currently there are over 30 self help groups and 15 youth organizations affiliated to the organization, and each of the member organization undertakes activities that are directly related to the interests of its members. But all these organizations operate on issues, which have a national outlook in order to pull their resources together for the benefit of all. ACABS overall purpose is to organize, consolidate and coordinate the activities of all well organized and soundly managed groups in Mt Kenya East. To ensure that accountability and transparency is maintained, bi-annual financial and operational audits are carried by both ACABS and independent auditors. A comprehensive audit response is submitted to the relevant donor within 45 working days. The requirement also applies to ACABS for funds entrusted to them.
PROJECT CONCEPT
Indigenous knowledge (IK) is accumulation of ideas, experience and practice of a particular group of ethnic community or groups of communities in the society. Indigenous knowledge plays an important role in decision making conflict resolution and setting up development agendas in the rural areas and also in urban centres. IK has made important contributions in agricultural and medical developments especially in the area of traditional foods and traditional medicines with careful application to the youth education programmes, IK can play very crucial role in instilling social-cultural ethics and discipline to the young people, a valuable virtue that has been lost over time in the modern societies.
AIM & OBJECTIVES
The main aim of the project is to capture, conserve, rehabilitate and use the IK in sustainable development agendas of our society and at the same time ensure transfer of this important information resource from the elders to the youth for life posterity
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES INCLUDE,
1. Recording and verifying indigenous information accounts from the aged people of the society.
2. Developing IK database for information management
3. Training the local communities ( Old -give out) and Young –(Receive) in information transfer
4. Use IK in Environmental conservation and enhance food security.
5. Creation of cultural centre for IK conservation and income generation
METHODOLOGY
1 Documentation of IK will be carried out through questionnaires, seminars, workshops and dialogues.
2 IK Database and cultural information centre shall be built on a forest land to be provided by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) through Mathina community Forest Association (C.F.A). It will involve 5 traditional houses where Artefacts will be made and sold by Youths from the target community, a two room storey building to house a social hall, library, computer complex and offices with internet connection.
3 Development of 2 Tree planting programme, where road side nurseries will be established for rehabilitation of the water catchments to revive the local rivers will be done using indigenous tree species that will be selected by the local communities. Seedlings from the selected species shall be planted in the farmlands, riverines, road sides, forest and woodlots will be established on public institutions. Trees will be obtained at a reasonable fee by the local communities. Non residents will have a differentiated price (Higher than the locals) and public institutions who will allow establishment of wood lots will have the tree seedlings of their choice for free.
4 Food and medicinal plants shall be raised in individual farmlands, and an extraction and value addition process developed, to commercialize the idea. Seedlings will be obtained from nurseries as established under No. 3 at a reasonable price to promote sustainability of the programme.
5 Local capacity will be built through training of a number of courses based on the training needs survey which will be conducted under the project. Training manuals shall be developed and implemented appropriately. More so, on-school trainings will be promoted and IK and environmental conservation clubs in schools established.
ACTIVITIES
1. Documentation of IK in the following areas,
Traditional foods.
Traditional Medicines & medicinal plants.
Traditional Technologies.
Traditional farming systems.
Traditional weather forecasting and climate change impacts
Sale of Cultural Literature Book eg “THE AGIKUYU” developed by the group, based from 1900 to- date.
Cultural-based enterprises eg. Sale of Artefacts, Traditional foods and medicines, pottery etc.
2. Establishment of IK database and cultural information centre
3. Re- rehabilitation and restoration of the landscape with Indigenous trees for water shed conservation
4. Re-Introduction of indigenous food plants (vegetable tubers & fruits) for food security.
5. Training of Youth and other Self help groups in traditional Ethics and discipline as well as IK information transfer.
WHO WILL BE INVOLVED
A stake holder’s analysis shall be carried out to identify the care or primary stakeholders of the project. But the project custodians shall include:-
Thirigitu Mt.Kenya Environment and Conservation Network
National Museums of Kenya ( KENRIC Section)
Local communities
Other Institutions expected to be included in the core project implementation team include:-
Ministry of Agriculture
Kenya Forest Service (KFS)
Water Department
Department of Culture & Social services
Ministry of Education
PROJECT RATIONATE
IK is already endangered as it is disappearing from the society too fast without being captured. This is because the people who have it are the aged (above 60 yrs) and are phasing out from the society due to old age, natural and artificial calamities like hunger (starvation) as a result of frequent draughts. (Need to document)
IK has been identified as an important information resource in agriculture – research development e.g. (cross breeding cover crops with their world relative to improve production and pest resistance). It has also played a major role in pharmaceutical industries development to bio prospect drugs that treat many fatal diseases that are affecting people nowadays, as well as managing incurable diseases e.g. HIV /AIDS (Application)
We are looking for collaborators/ partners to make this project a reality.
For more information, please contact us.
James Mwangi
Chair
ACABS
Email;theagikuyu@yahoo.com