Hello there!

Welcome to my profile.

My name is Timothy Okoth. I was born in Nairobi and grew up in a family of five boys. My mother was a teacher and father a mechanic. Life changed quickly for us when I lost my father when I was in class 2 and my mother followed the following year. We lost everything my parents had because we couldn't transport them back home.

We were separated as children because every relative took in one of us. I went to live with my uncle in Kisumu. My younger brother lived with our grandmother, and he also had a very difficult upbringing.

My uncle was not well-off. My aunt washed clothes and did house chores for people far from home so she could put food on our table. When my uncle lost his job, he tried running a small hotel kibanda, but it did not succeed. He later fell ill for a long time and passed away just a week after I finished my KCPE exams. I still think about him and believe he continues to bless my steps.

My aunt (I call her Mom)and my eldest brother worked very hard to support me through high school and university. I was often sent home for fees arrears, and later I finished university with outstanding balances that I struggled to clear. My eldest brother even stopped his own university education to provide and educate us. His selflessness shaped who I am today.

Growing up through loss and hardship has taught me to never give up even when resources are limited, and to use my life to create solutions that help other people.

That is what led me to start my community work.

I double in as the consultant designer for Oak Nation, a brand consultancy based in Kisumu at a small space with 2 staff and other individuals who help on need basis. I am also the founder of Green Leaf Kenya, a community based organization in Oyugis, Homa Bay county that seeks to make Homa Bay a place where no child goes hungry, no family lives in poverty and people live in harmony with nature.

Branding requires resources - you get orders and most of the time you have to deliver then get paid. Walk-in clients are the set of clients that usually pay to get their services rendered.

I love when businesses can speak and stand for themselves. Proper branding and design makes businesses irresistible.

I am growing into a social entrepreneur and I'mhoping my profits can benefit the community through the CBO in Homa Bay. Together my community and I can live sustainably, in harmony with nature - and combating the harsh effects of climate change.

In my community, sand mining has left behind large stretches of barren land - dry, lifeless, and unable to support farming. The once fertile land is left in huge gulleys of waste. Families around these areas struggle with food insecurity and lack of opportunities, especially the youth and women. In fact, 3 weeks ago, a gentleman lost his life in one of the gulleys from a land collapse and killing him during the process of mining.

Through our REALI Project (Resilient Ecosystems and Agricultural Livelihoods Initiative), we are working to turn this story around by showing that even degraded land can sustain life again. The idea is simple - use vertical and climate-smart farming to recalim abandoned sand mines, grow food sustainably, and restore hope.

The funds will help me take this important frist step - transforming a small section of an abandoned land into a thriving garden, and planting the seeds of hope to makemy commmunity more resilient and sustainable.