Also speaking at the fifth IUVC’c innovations forum was Mary Kamore, Program Coordinator for Entrepreneurship Development in the Economic Project Trust Fund (EPTF), a ministry of The Navigators.
EPTF is an organization that works with youth, as agents of change, with the intent to empower them as entrepreneurs to transform communities to higher level of development. They empower the youth through training, funding and mentoring.
It is in this respect that EPTF will be partnering with IU, a university that can extend the training to the next level at university level. According to Mary Kamore, “We (EPTF) believe this is great and we will, together, create the impact we have been trying to achieve with greater synergy”
Mary Kamore explained that EPTF engages youth in entrepreneurship “as the next revolution” by the following programmes:
• Youth Enterprise Development Programme
• Mentoring
• Credit Services
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Business Development Services

Further,
the enterprise development programme prepares the youth to start, operate and manage their own business enterprises through practical skills training, and creating ethical business values and practices. This is very important: businesses fail due to lack of innovation, entrepreneurial mindset and lack of ethical business values
In addition, we strongly emphasize on cooperate social responsibility in business as the backbone of entrepreneurial activity and market demand and supply. We have a manual that can assist organisation working in communities to develop an organizations code ethics and sell them to the community.
The forum was informed that EPTF runs a mentorship program. The presenter explained that mentoring involves building personal relationship communications and interactions to enhance desired personal development in a holistic manner. The mentoring programme is three pronged and is intended to protect and incubate the young entrepreneur. As explained by the presenter, the three prongs of the mentorship program are oversight and leadership by EPTF, mentoring by business entrepreneurs and coaching by selected experts.
In mentoring, we link graduates with experienced business and professional persons in formal mentoring and coaching relationships. The Mentor undertakes to support the mentee in their overall development; spiritual and business/professional life while coaches guide and train the mentee in different specific professional areas of need.
As a parting shot, Mary Kamore informed the forum that:
To summarize our experience, it is very clear to us that entrepreneurship training is a major milestone in creating an entrepreneurial spirit. We agree with IU and the participants in this venue that there is a gap in our educational system and IU is an exception or in a class of its own, by rising to make difference in higher education in Kenya.
We believe that there are people who are willing to make a difference in the lives of the youth and we shall partner with them. Our Christian oriented training makes the youth realize that biblical principles find practical application in all areas of their lives.