Every year we have 50 teenage mothers (10-17 year old mothers) joining our skills development programme in Matharei Slums.We allow them to attend the project with their children who are less than 5 years. While attending Tailoring or Beauty care classes, their children are put together in a room for a whole day. We have realized the children are not benefiting at all because they cannot sit in training halls with their children. We wish to provide them with some early learning opportunities.
We have about 50 teenage mothers in our programme. These girls have given birth at very tender ages. Some as low as 10 years! As we take them in for the courses they undertake, their children are left unattended to. Usually, children learn best at their young and impressionable age. We therefore need to have a stimulation room where the little children (5 years and below) can have their brains stimulated in a clean learning environment that fosters holistic child development.
We will provide a clean stimulation room, a clean mothering place where breastfeeding can take place and at least two alternate kindergarten professionals to stimulate the brains of the little children and enable them acquire some knowledge, skills and attitudes at that very tender age. We will also be able to provide proper nutrition and medication to both the children and the teenage mothers. The mothers will therefore be able to learn without worrying about their children's welfare.
The slum is a cycle. Street children grow up without an education and have children who then become street children. Education is the only way out of the slum, for a productive, independent life. Overall we have seen 450 young people pass through the project and currently we are educating 106 in formal schools while 50 teenage mothers are undertaking courses in hairdressing and tailoring
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
