A Bold Step Towards Sustainable, Locally-Led Growth

As foreign aid becomes more uncertain, DIG’s decision to establish DIG KENYA as an independent, locally led nonprofit marks a critical milestone. Local leadership has always been a core value of DIG, and it’s the key to long-term resilience. This shift ensures our work can endure, even as global funding recedes. Learn why this move matters, how it’s shaping DIG’s future in Kenya, and how you can help sustain it. Keep reading below.

After nearly two decades of working alongside communities across Africa, DIG stands at a transformative crossroads.

From drylands to riverbanks, post-conflict zones to bustling peri-urban clinics, DIG’s work has spanned vastly different landscapes, governments, and cultures. Through this journey, one truth has become clear: our model works, and it must grow.

But real growth isn’t just about reaching new places. It’s about building something that lasts.

That’s why DIG is making a major shift, one that will define the future of our work.

In early 2024, DIG’s leadership, program teams, and Board of Directors committed to establishing operational autonomy in the countries we already serve, starting with the launch of DIG KENYA as an independent, nationally registered nonprofit organization.

This move is more than a legal milestone. It’s a commitment to local leadership, accountability, and sustainability, principles that have always been at the heart of DIG’s work.

DIG KENYA will be the first of three independently governed country offices, with Uganda and Senegal soon to follow. Each will be fully equipped to manage and grow our programs in-country, while remaining rooted in DIG’s global mission and values.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why This Shift Matters

As global aid systems face growing uncertainty, this transition couldn’t come at a more important time. Local teams are closest to the challenges and solutions on the ground. They are best positioned to build trust, innovate quickly, and lead change that endures. This transition to local autonomy ensures that the future of DIG’s work is not only effective but also resilient.

DIG Global’s role is also evolving. Instead of managing day-to-day operations, we will shift towards a supportive hub model, one that champions quality, ensures mission alignment, and fosters learning and collaboration across all our autonomous teams.

What We’ve Accomplished So Far

We’ve successfully registered DIG KENYA as a national NGO. This involved:

  • Navigating legal and administrative processes for official registration
  • Recruiting and onboarding Kenyan leadership and staff, which included new key hires as well as promoting Olivia Nyaidho into the role of DIG KENYA Executive Director. Olivia has served as our Kenya Program Manager for well over a decade, and also serves as DIG’s Director of Global Mission.
  • Strengthening in-country operational systems
  • Redesigning global governance and cooperation systems
  • Laying the foundation for local fundraising and investment

What Comes Next

This shift is ambitious, and it will require additional investment to get it right. Our Kenya launch is the first of three moves:

  1. Launch DIG KENYA as an independent, locally operated nonprofit to local partnerships.
  2. Adapt the model for our teams in Uganda and Senegal
  3. Realign DIG Global to support rather than manage these country teams

With the right support, this realignment will position DIG to expand with integrity, deepen our roots in the communities we serve, and build systems that endure even if foreign funding ends.

The road ahead requires visionary partners who believe in locally led development and the power of community-grown solutions. Your support will help us bring this new model to life, starting in Kenya, and ultimately transforming how DIG operates everywhere we work.




DIG KENYA Endline Report

This May our endline assessments in Kenya showed a clear view of the impact of our work: not just growth in gardens, but in incomes, community bonds, and farming practices. From doubling vegetable diversity to seeing a 50% drop in food insecurity, these numbers tell a story of transformation. Learn more about these important findings and what they mean for the future of food security in Western Kenya

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