Partnering for Progress comes alongside Kenyans

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By Marijke Fakasiieiki

Partnering for Progress (P4P) was started in 2007 in Spokane by individuals who recognized the need to partner with the people in a remote community in Kenya to address infant malnutrition and other nutritional and health needs.

Its work expanded to include water and sanitation, then to education with scholarships and school supplies and into economic development in agriculture.

The geographic area P4P serves is in the western part of Kenya on the border with Tanzania, a place where it's hard to access services. It is one of few nonprofits serving in that region.

In 2007, four Spokane people visiting the village of Kopanga on a medical mission at a clinic saw extreme malnutrition. Two of them, Sandy Ivers and Stacey Mainor, returned home determined to do something. A year later, they started P4P.

"P4P comes alongside the communities as a partner, not saying that we know everything and we're here to save you," said Rachelle Strawther, co-president of P4P and the executive director of the Gonzaga University Center for Lifelong Learning. "We listen to them to understand their culture and try to work in culturally competent way. What we do is not based on assumptions or promoting western ideas," she said. "We give community members a hand up, not a handout."

P4P has a history of rapport and trust based on collaboration. It is intentional in c opportunities to help the people support themselves.

Following COVID, P4P experienced several leadership transitions, while also navigating the financial and volunteer challenges many small nonprofits face.

"Like other nonprofits emerging from COVID, we saw a drop in attendance at events, fluctuation in donor giving and volunteer burnout," said Rachelle.

"We realized we had an opportunity to step back and ask what was working, what wasn't and how we could operate more sustainably," she said.

The board decided to reimagine how to run the organization.

The programs in Kenya have continued and expanded, but the administration and operations in the U.S. changed. Rather than hiring a full-time executive director, P4P shifted to a leaner model with part-time paid administrative support and more streamlined operations.

The board simplified operations looking at what they do and what they do not need to do. They decided to drop a fundraising event because it took too much time without raising significant funds.

Now they're focusing on having one-on-one conversations over coffee with potential donors and interested people.

They simplified their communications, by doing less by email and embracing Google drive for documentation. The board and committees find it easier.

The part-time administrative assistant, Anna Miller, has taken on more responsibilities, including social media, graphic design and communications.

The board operates with two co-presidents. Rachelle manages administrative tasks an executive director would do and Joan Muse, an edtech consultant, manages the board. The mission and work have not changed but have grown.

Joan, who is from Western Kenya and joined P4P in 2025, brings important cultural knowledge and perspective to P4P's leadership.

The same is true of Rachelle, who lived in Kisumu in western Kenya for eight years with the Luo tribe, the predominant cultural group in the area where P4P works. Her daughter is half Luo, and they last visited their Kenyan family three years ago.

Rachelle, who is a member of the Inland Northwest Unitarian Universalist Community (INUUC), said UUs draw from multiple sources of wisdom and truth.

"Connecting UU principles with P4P helps me to be curious about the world and open to different perspectives," she said.

Rachelle gave the keynote at the Nonprofit Association of Washington Conference in May, sharing P4P's story and inviting other nonprofits to step back, assess what's working and what they should keep doing, and give themselves permission to change.

"We're trying to be responsible with our growth so that we're not overstretching ourselves or moving too quickly," said Rachelle. "A key goal is to continue expanding to reach more people, especially with farming. Once we train people in the farming method, they are better able to support themselves and their families.

The farming method, called "Farming God's Way," teaches climate-smart methods using biblical principles, so people understand the concepts. Because Christianity is the predominant religion locally, it makes sense to them, but it doesn't require anyone to have a particular spiritual or religious leaning, she said.

The organization, Farming God's Way, trains people all over Africa and has a training site in Kijabe, Kenya.

"We sponsored one staff member, Joshua Odhiambo, to do several years of extensive certification training so he can train the farmers in Kopanga and surrounding communities," Rachelle said.

Now those farmers are mentoring new farmers.

"We use local and regional expertise. All program staff in Kenya are trained. Of the four full-time staff in Kenya, three have university educations. They bring strong professional expertise to their work," she said.

Twice a year, P4P staff train 30 farmers on Farming God's Way. They receive a starter kit with seeds and fertilizer. They're trained on composting and mulching techniques that result in strong yields. Fertilizer helps them jumpstart their farming, while they learn how to create compost and mulch, so they don't need fertilizer in the future.

"Our farmers see a huge difference. Their maize harvest is typically double or triple what's grown through conventional methods, and it is more resistant to drought," said Rachelle.

Measuring impact has been a priority for the P4P board.

"In the U.S., people donate to organizations because they want to make a difference. I think most of us want to know that the money we give to nonprofits is actually changing lives, not putting a Band-Aid on a problem to make us feel good," Rachelle said.

Donors want to know what difference their giving is making.

"It's reasonable to ask that of any nonprofit," she pointed out, noting that P4P works hard to track outcomes.

• More than 40 schools and clinics have received water tanks connected to gutter systems to provide the community with access to clean water for up to eight months a year.

• Nearly 800 girls have received "Days for Girls" reusable sanitary pad kits, which teachers report has significantly increased school attendance.

• On average, more than 90 percent of the farmers each donate 200 pounds of maize back to the P4P nutrition program during their first harvest, generating more than 5,000 pounds of maize twice a year to support malnourished infants.

P4P is particularly excited about expanding the farming program because agriculture is closely tied to their ancestry and cultural identity.

"When families can feed and clothe their children, pay school fees and save for the future through farming, it instills dignity, confidence and hope," said Rachelle. "That's at the heart of why P4P exists."

P4P will host its annual Into Africa Auction from 5:30 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 1, at Gonzaga University, to support its work in Kenya. The event features Kenyan cuisine, a performance by the St. Ann Kiswahili Choir, a live auction and stories from P4P's work in Kenya.

For information, visit partneringforprogress.org.