Lydia Mbevi Nderitu

Youth and Gender Development Officer, Kenya Maize Development Program

Lydia Mbevi Nderitu has more than 12 years of experience working in international rural development. She has spent the last nine years working for ACDI/VOCA’s USAID-funded development programs in Kenya. Currently she serves as the youth and gender development officer for the Kenya Maize Development Program, heading activities for the Nakuru, Nyandarua and Laikipia regions. Ms. Mbevi Nderitu spearheads the mainstreaming of gender and youth approaches into project activities and with project partners. This includes tailoring training programs so women and youth are able to participate easily by making sure the venue is accessible to them and choosing times that are convenient for all parties. Ms. Mbevi Nderitu also leads a project initiative to boost female leadership in partner producer organizations. In addition, she worked to revise ACDI/VOCA’s Farming as a Business training module to be more gender sensitive and to ensure that resources are shared equitably. The resulting Farming as a Family Business training curriculum has proven useful in other projects as well. Because of her work in advancing gender and development efforts, she won ACDI/VOCA's presidential award in 2012. Ms. Mbevi Nderitu earned her bachelor’s degree in commerce from Daystar University in Kenya. She is fluent in Swahili and English.