Ms Bärbel Sagi (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH) and the project manager Mr Teklezghi Teklebrhan (AKI) visited three Kenyan interns on 27.08.2021, to learn more about their everyday life, activities in the farms, farm structures and the progress of the traineeship.

The traineeship program with Kenya is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) as part of the global project "Green Innovation Centres in the Agro-Food Sector". The aim is to increase the incomes of smallholder farms, enhance employment and the regional supply of food in the rural regions of Africa through innovations in the agri-food sector.

The trainees reported about their experiences and expectations:

"Since I started my traineeship, I have learned much more than I expected. I have developed in ways that I would never thought to be possible. The traineeship has helped me not only professionally, but also to grow mentally and physically. I am grateful that I got this chance". Sharleen Lumonya, trainee at pig farming

"The AKI traineeship program has enriched my life a lot, especially in terms of my agricultural knowledge and social life. I gained a lot of knowledge about poultry production. Moreover, I became part of the host family and I am able to learn about their culture. I will put what I have learned here in Germany into practice, when I return to Kenya". Veronicah Anyango, trainee at poultry production

"I have developed skills in communication, parallel handling of multiple activities and time management. As my internship is coming to an end, I am reflecting on what I have learnt and plan to implement it in the near future. I am grateful for this extremely valuable opportunity". Travice Kenyangi, trainee at dairy cow farming

The strong will of the trainees to learn new things as well as their positive energy and charisma with which they accomplish their traineeship in Germany impressed Ms Sagi and Mr Teklebrhan the most. Having gained this information, GIZ and AKI will exchange about the progress during this year to further optimize the traineeship program in 2022.