TEARS Group Kenya

Empowerment through Art

Qui sommes-nous

TEARS (Theatre for Enhancement & Acceleration of Researched Solutions) Group Kenya is a local youth led non-profit Organization based in Nakuru and operates within Rift Valley and parts of Kenya with collaborative partners. Initiated in 2002 by a team of young performing artists TEARS has transformed from a community based cultural group to a local NGO with focus to behavioral change/change of mindset of the targeted population and facilitation of meaningful alternative skills for self reliance and good citizenship.
TEARS uses the genre of theatre and peer led participatory approaches such as performing arts, visual arts, focus group discussion, peer education among others to assist the communities to dialogue and discuss various social-cultural, health and economic issues affecting them. These approaches seek to bring various communities to a safe space for dialogue and discussion and eventually seeking locally owned solution. The Organization is convinced that dialogue forums and discussions provide the platform for reflections and self assessment of the current state and desired change.

Our Vision
A Future where all Kenyans Youth live a healthy empowered and independent life.

Mission Statement
To stimulate awareness and involvement of all key stakeholders in creating sustainable solutions for youths challenges at both the individual and at the institutional level.

Our programs:
• Business Resource Center: Through the business resource center we have created a hub for aspiring entrepreneur trainings through the HP Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs (HP LIFE). It is a global training program that helps entrepreneurs and small business owners develop essential IT and business skills. Equipped with these skills-and driven by their ambition-young people worldwide can create opportunities to transform their lives and the lives of others in their communities.
• Community Outreach: TEARS uses outreach activities to create community systems and platforms that support the ongoing initiatives of change. This outreaches are implemented through the theatre genre of magnet theatre, participatory peer led discussions, visual art and sporting events.
• TEARS Art & Peace Empowerment Village: The Tears Art & Peace Empowerment Village (TAPEV) is a TEARS Group Kenya Project, under Art & Theatre Program established to enhance, utilize and empower the young talents and engage them in creative and innovative Art and Theatre development activities focusing on employment creation, education, leadership development and conflict management. The project is envisioned to build an empowered, healthy and independent youth through stimulating awareness and involvement in creating suitable solutions for youths at both the individual and institutional level. This is achieved through nurturing the young talents with Knowledge in Creative Art, Entrepreneurship and Life Skills.
• Social Enterprise: TEARS has established different income generating projects for revenue collection to support its program services beyond donor support. The Organization strives to achieve this through hire of services and equipments such as Public Address system, entertainment, Tents, chairs events management and facilitation as well as sale of Cloth line products that ranges from school uniforms and other cloth line products. This unit is separate and independent with clear focus on raising revenue for TEARS community programs which helps the organisation sponsor needy youth to acquire different arts related skills.

Raphael Okumu is the Executive Director of the TEARS Group Kenya.

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.