At the beginning of 2022, we launched a caregivers vocational training program in partnership with the Lions Club of Denmark – Lystrup. The partnership was in the works as from 2021 in connection with our champion of hope Christopher Bergman. With their assistance, we were able to purchase new modern equipment found in modern homes which are meant to facilitate their training under the program.
The caregiving training is curated for vulnerable women and girls in the community. Over the years, we have been empowering women and girls from vulnerable backgrounds in Kenya with hand skill training, but this particular program offers a unique innovative and diverse opportunity for job creation and self sustainability.
The program is curated to last for a period of about 3 weeks with a maximum of 25 students at a time. We are currently running our 3rd cohort training. The Lions Club Denmark – Lystrup was also generous enough to give free sponsorship for the first 100 girls in the program. This not only covers their training cost but also food and accommodation during this period. After the 4th cohort, new students will have to depend on the support of well wishers as almost all of them wouldn’t be able to afford the training fees.
The highest number of our recruits has been teen mums, which is rather alarming. Many girls in slums are lured with food and money due to their abject poverty leading to early pregnancies, while for some it’s from abuse. This leads to high school drop out cases. It is not easier either for high school graduates as most cannot afford to receive higher learning or skills training. They are however still determined to attain their dreams through education, as much as their hard life of been teen mums in poverty still tortures their hopes.
The program is also part of our exit strategies for the many vulnerable teen mums, girls and women housed in our safe house, to equip them with livelihood skills for when they re-join the community. An exit strategy is essential for GBV survivors as vulnerability and lack of a livelihood drives most survivors back to their abusers.
We have partnered with Saikan Group, a commercial cleaning service, to connect the girls with jobs once they clear their training.
The caregiving vocational training program is part of a major plan we have in place to keep empowering our women. We are planning to build a vocational training center, that will be connected to our safe house, to continue empowering these women with even more life and money-making skills. Ground breaking of the center is scheduled for August 2022.
