What sustainability means to us: SCN Kenya creates lasting impact by building resilient systems, empowering communities to lead their own development, and co-creating scalable, self-sustaining solutions—so change continues for generations.
Is there financial sustainability? We build financial sustainability at three levels: the network (membership model), core NGOs (income-generating cross-financing), and communities (basic business skills and activities).
Innovation in our network: SCN Kenya sparks innovation by integrating social entrepreneurship, sharing solutions with SCN India, and partnering with NGOs, universities, companies, and volunteers. Through leadership programs, exchange opportunities, and corporate engagement, we bring fresh ideas, global perspectives, and collaborative problem-solving to local challenges.
Who are the SCN Core partners? SCN core partners are selected local NGOs that form the national System Changer Network. From this national platform, our “network of networks” approach begins. The SCN core partners act as Change Architects— bringing other local partners in, offering local SCNs to local NGOs, and bringing together diverse partners from many sectors to drive systemic change.
What makes partnerships with SCN more sustainable, collaborative, and impactful for everyone involved?
Win–win approaches are important because they create solutions where all parties benefit, making collaboration more attractive, sustainable, and impactful. When each stakeholder gains value—whether it’s empowerment, social impact, innovation, or returns—they are more committed to the shared goal. This builds trust, strengthens partnerships, and ensures that progress lasts far beyond a single project. In the communities, but also at each other partnering level.
How do we work with social entrepreneurs? We work with social enterprises world-wide. Many of them are also Ashoka fellows. In most of the cases, they train our local trainers on innovative ideas, e.g, income generation ideas, water-, health – and other solutions. Some social entrepreneurs could scale their business model to Kenya while starting connections and training through the SCN Kenya – based on our win- win model.
What is different to traditional development approaches?
| Aspect | Traditional Development in Vulnerable Communities | SCN Kenya Approach |
| Focus | Single-issue projects (water, education, health) | Holistic, multi-sector systemic change |
| Approach | Top-down: priorities set by external actors | Bottom-up & collaborative: priorities co-created with local stakeholders |
| Implementation | One organization leads and executes | Networks of networks, peer to peer training where possible, active involvement of local stakeholders into programs |
| Impact Horizon | Project-based, time-limited | Ongoing, adaptive, and self-sustaining |
| Measurement | Outputs (e.g., number of wells built) | Outputs PLUS Outcomes (resilience, collaboration, long-term transformation) |
| Knowledge Flow | Limited to project partners | Open sharing across multiple sectors and regions |
| Role of Lead Actor | Implementer | Catalyst, connector, facilitator of cooperation |
| Risk of Duplications | High -level designed projects may overlap without coordination | Low/ bottom up coordination avoids duplication and maximizes resources |
Instead of scaling single projects or organizations, SCN Kenya scales deep—addressing root causes in a specific region through interconnected CSR and social enterprise solutions. By tackling communities’ basic needs in context—social, cultural, and geographic—it empowers people to lift themselves up. From understanding local realities to bringing in the right solutions and linking them across the network, every step drives lasting systemic change.
Isn’t this impossible? The System Changer Network (SCN) Kenya’s approach is so distinct and, in many ways, an evolution of previous models. The term “impossible” is a powerful way to frame the challenge that SCN is trying to solve: the very real limitations of traditional approaches. The SCN Kenya model is a collaborative effort to cure the underlying ‚disease and build a healthier body‘. It’s a complex, long-term endeavor, but one that is designed to create a movement of change that continues long after the initial support is gone, making the seemingly “impossible” a reality. That’s where a better world starts.
SCN Kenya 