Dear all our donors and supporters ,
Thank you for your continued support to our project for Empowerment of teenage mothers. The teenage mums are feeling more empowered every day. This is all because of your generous support and kind donations.
I visited one teenage mum few days back – Ashaa (not her real name) and she had a story to tell. When I went to her shop she had five customers waiting to be served. She said that now she is able to attract more customers in her salon even if it is based in the slum area. The salon is a small one based in Mukuru slums at the out skirts of the city. Ashaa says that after her graduation in April she has now doubled her customers coming for facial and hairdressing. She said, ’’My customers have now doubled since they learned that I am now a professional in the business and they trust my work more after I graduated in this course’’.
Global Giving’s second Bonus Day of the year is coming up! On June 15th, GlobalGiving.org will be matching all donations at 30% up to $1,000 per donor per project while funds last. There will be $75,000 available in matching funds. And don't forget - there is a $1,000 bonus for the project that raises the most funds and another $1,000 bonus for the project that has the most unique donors! Please support our project, Empowerment of Teenage Mothers (3844) so that we can be part of the projects that will receives the bonus.
As always let us join hands to give hope to the teenage mothers and their children. Your donation means a lot to us and the teenage mothers.
Thank you.
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Hope for Teenage Mothers (HTM) thanks our donors for the continued support. With your support Hope for Teenage Mothers (HTM) has graduated another group of girls (32) in both entrepreneurship training and hairdressing classes in March and April 2011.
’’I could not have done it without your support. Now I know I can get a good job and my child can get food,’’ said Aisha on graduation day. The previous graduate groups of girls have now embarked on money making business in bead works, cloth printing and bags making. Last month the group held an exhibition competition with other small community groups. The mothers displayed their handmade items, and we saw the teenage mums sell off most of their items and win a second place trophy for the ‘most creative and organized group’. The teenage mothers are becoming more innovative and this has improved their livelihood. This is all because of your generous support and feedback. We wish to encourage you to help us with more ideas so that our teenage mothers can become more empowered and thus be able to support their children. All your feedback is most encouraged. Thank you again for your continued support.
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The last six months at Hope for teenage Mothers have largely been a period of learning and discovery. I have visited many homes for the teenage mums who are within our project areas.
The gap in the underserved teenage mothers for generation of livelihood was re-affirmed and strongly legitimizes the need for Hope for teenage mothers programs. Currently there are 20 teenage mothers learning microfinance and entrepreneurship. Many more are waiting to start their training program from July. Learning from the past experience most the girls who benefited in the last years training are having small business that help them get a livelihood for themselves and their children.
One of the most popular training is the hairdressing. Some girls took up the course last year. Their graduation is happening in April after attachment period .The girls aspires to set up their small saloons, others will get jobs at the existing saloons within their community areas and the outskirts of the city.
While discussing with the teenage mothers during my visits many stated that the main benefits of the business include: ability to engage in income generating activities; ability to diversify their economic activities and that they are able to make small savings and to have ready access to these savings in times of need.
I am therefore committed to making Hope for teenage mothers an organization of choice for those teenage mums who are stigmatized, hopeless and wish to transform their lives through empowerment of starting up small income generating activities. The need to fundraise to support the training which is free for the young women cannot be overstated. It is my belief that the support of the well wishers and friends shall remain enthusiastic at this critical moment.
This is driven by my personal belief that teenage pregnancy contributes to poverty and this needs to be tackled not just as urgent economic issue of our times. Rather it is more compelling as a basic human right.
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