Skills training centre for 14-25 yr olds - Nairobi

Hello our valued supporter,

We are highly grateful for the continued support you have given our Seed of Hope training programme over the years. Here is an update for the first quarter of 2023 on how the programme is immensely impacting the lives of young people in Kenya!

With your support, our Seed of Hope vocational training programme has given opportunities to many young people to develop skills to empower themselves and overcome real challenges and obstacles. In the first quarter of 2023, we have enrolled 447 students for training, out of which 62% are female with 51 of them being young mothers.

The efforts undertaken by Seed of Hope through your support has made tremendous progress in terms of bridging the gap of accessing training. The areas we work in are often characterised by poverty, high level of unemployment and limited access to training opportunities. These young people are eager to pursue training at Seed of Hope and improve their prospects of having a successful future.

Seed of Hope continues to adapt to the changing needs of the students and has developed strategies for enrollment which include developing strong community partnerships, enhancing marketing and outreach efforts, offering students (particularly young mothers) flexible schedules, and student safeguarding just to mention a few. As a result of implementing these strategies, the enrollment rate at Seed of Hope continues to grow.

Learning activities at Seed of Hope centres are designed to help the students acquire knowledge skills and attitudes that are essential for their personal and professional development. The curriculum has been tailor-made to engage students as best as possible, and to actively provide opportunities for them to apply their knowledge and skills in real life situations. By cooperating in a variety of learning activities, the centres have created a dynamic and interactive learning environment that promotes student learning and success. 

The young mothers support programme at Seed of Hope provides essential support and resources which helps to address the unique challenges that young mothers face. During the first quarter of the year, 312 childcare vouchers have been provided alongside offering young mothers part time classes and flexibility, which helps them to balance their training commitments with their parenting responsibilities. 

The mentorship programme at Seed of Hope, is led by successful graduates, who visit the centres frequently to help current students set and achieve their goals, to navigate the challenges in life during and beyond their training, and share their success stories as a way of encouraging and motivating them.

Entrepreneurship and Financial literacy sessions are taken by all the students in the centre,  as well as being offered as a stand-alone short course, to ensure that all the students are equipped with the knowledge to set up their own businesses where employment opportunities are scarce.

Menstrual hygiene education and provision of 662 packs of period pads this past quarter has helped female students to manage their periods with dignity and ease, without interruption in their studies. Sexual and reproductive health lessons are also undertaken to enable students to understand their bodies, their rights, to promote their wellbeing, and be alert to changes in their bodies.

Individual counselling and Group counselling support programmes are valuable mental health resources for the students who are facing personal or academic challenges. The programme provides a safe and supportive space where students can share their experiences, learn from each other and receive guidance from a trained professional. The programme takes into account the dynamics of group counselling and provides appropriate guidelines for participation. The programme also provides follow up support to students who may need additional assistance through individual counselling, and referrals to a professional counsellor. This quarter we have provided 17,633 group counselling sessions and 1,169 individual counselling sessions. 

An emergency relief food programme was introduced in our Seed of Hope centre in Kitui county, in 2021 to respond to severe drought that has been ravaging the Northern parts of Kenya to cushion our students against the severe hunger impact. Students have been receiving rice packages every Friday to take home with them as most of them depend on the school lunches and breakfast porridge as their only meals and thus, the rice ensures they have food over the weekends when they cannot access the lunch programme at the centre.  

Thank you for being part of empowering young people at Seed of Hope and improving their prospects for a successful future!

Hello our eminent supporter,

With your support, our Seed of Hope vocational training programme has given opportunities to many young people to develop skills to empower themselves and overcome real challenges and obstacles. In this first quarter of 2023, we have enrolled 447 students, out of which 62% are female, and 51 are young mothers.

The efforts undertaken by Seed of Hope through your support has made tremendous progress in terms of bridging the gap of accessing training. The areas we work in are often characterised by poverty, high level of unemployment and limited access to training opportunities. These young people are eager to pursue training at Seed of Hope and improve their prospects of having a successful future.

Seed of Hope continues to adapt to the changing needs of the students and has developed strategies for enrollment which include developing strong community partnerships, enhancing marketing and outreach efforts, offering students (particularly young mothers) flexible schedules, and student safeguarding just to mention a few. As a result of implementing these strategies, the enrollment rate at Seed of Hope continues to grow.

Learning activities at Seed of Hope centres are designed to help the students acquire knowledge skills and attitudes that are essential for their personal and professional development. The curriculum has been tailor-made to engage students as best as possible, and to actively provide opportunities for them to apply their knowledge and skills in real life situations. By cooperating in a variety of learning activities, the centres have created a dynamic and interactive learning environment that promotes student learning and success. 

The Young mothers support programme at Seed of Hope provides essential support and resources which helps to address the unique challenges that young mothers face. During the first quarter of the year, 312 childcare vouchers have been provided alongside offering young mothers part time classes and flexibility, which helps them to balance their training commitments with their parenting responsibilities. 

The Mentorship programme at Seed of Hope, is led by successful graduates, who visit the centres frequently to help current students set and achieve their goals, to navigate the challenges in life and during and beyond their training, and share their success stories as a way of encouraging and motivating them.

Entrepreneurship and Financial literacy sessions are taken by all the students in the centre,  as well as being offered as a stand-alone short course, to ensure that all the students are equipped with the knowledge to set up their own businesses where employment opportunities are scarce.

Menstrual hygiene education and provision of 662 packs of period pads this past quarter has helped female students to manage their periods with dignity and ease, without interruption in their studies. Sexual and reproductive health lessons are also undertaken to enable students to understand their bodies, their rights, to promote their wellbeing, and be alert to changes in their bodies.

Counselling and Group counselling support programmes are a valuable resource for the students who are facing personal or academic challenges. The programme provides a safe and supportive space where students can share their experiences, learn from each other and receive guidance from a trained professional. The programme takes into account the dynamics of group counselling and provides appropriate guidelines for participation. The programme also provides follow up support to students who may need additional assistance through individual counselling, and referrals to a professional counsellor. This quarter we have provided 17,633 group counselling sessions and 1,169 individual counselling sessions. 

The Rice programme was introduced in a Seed of Hope centre in Kitui county, in 2021. Students have been receiving rice every Friday in order to cushion them from harsh effects of the drought and hunger in the area, especially over weekends when they cannot access the lunch programme at the centre.  

Thank you for being part of empowering young people at Seed of Hope and improving their prospects for a successful future.

If you would like to reach out to us or have any questions, please contact us at hello@seedofhopekenya.org

Huge thanks and best wishes from the Raising Futures Kenya team

We've just received the final approvals needed from the local government in Nairobi. Finally a big step closer to being able to start building the new training centre in Nairobi! 

Currently we're tendering for contractors for the project, and hope to have everything in place, including the remaining funding we still need, by July 2023.

We've just celebrated graduations with students at each of our 3 training centres. January is our usual enrollment period for new students. We will enrol students on our courses as usual in Nairobi and will pause enrolment for the July intake, if everything goes to plan and we can start building by then.

Thank you for your kind support of this project. We're determined to give students a safe, inspiring and accessible place to learn. This wouldn't be possible without you, thank you.

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy festive season and happy new year.

Kirsty, Leela, Mary and Florence
Raising Futures Kenya team

hello@raisingfutureskenya.org.uk

Links:

• More information about our plans for the new training centre

Our new Seed of Hope centre in Nairobi is becoming more of a reality, although it's taking longer than we'd hoped to get started.

There was a Presidential Election in Kenya last month which has meant a lot of delays with getting the permits and approvals of the plans from the Government departments in the run up to it. We are waiting for one final approval and then we can start agreeing timelines with the contractor.

This year we have already supported 204 young people with vocational training and business skills courses, alongside counselling and practical support. We are so excited to be able to support even more young people once the centre is built - and for them to have a fit-for-purpose, safe environment to learn in.

You can see how cramped it is for students doing their computer skills training in the shipping container, we have to do the lessons in batches as there's not enough space for the whole class to be in there at once. The motor vehicle mechanic students are also learning outside as there's not a covered workshop for their practical lessons. None of this is ideal.

We are still about £15,000 away from our target to be able to complete the build and equip the new classrooms, but we remain optimistic. These young people deserve an inspiring, safe place to learn, so we'll do all we can to make that a reality.

Thank you so much for being such a big part of making this all possible. We're so excited to get started!

With heartfelt thanks,

Kirsty & Natalie in the UK and Mary & Florence in Kenya

Raising Futures Kenya
www.raisingfutureskenya.org.uk

Links:

• More information on the new Seed of Hope centre

Exciting News as our Nairobi Seed of Hope Build Plans Takes Shape!

Seed of Hope programme exists to equip and empower young people between age 14 -25 years  with holistic vocational training that would provide opportunities for them to find employment or self employment and to ensure they are resilient and also able to address any issues affecting their livelihoods, thus they are also provided with additional training on Computer and financial literacy, Reproductive health, mental health and menstrual hygiene. 

The programme offers 6 months vocational training on courses such as Fashion and Fabric Design, Hair and Beauty Therapy, Carpentry and Joinery, Catering and Hospitality and Motor Vehicle Mechanics. It also offers a 7 weeks training in Entrepreneurship, Financial literacy and Basic computer skills to enable them to have an option of opening and  running  physical and online businesses after graduation.

All the students are offered  Crafts training which is a short course that gives them skills on making soap,hair shampoo & conditioner, fabric softeners, and Tie & Die. This requires very small capital for them to set up a business that would sustain them immediately after they graduate or when on training.

Our Seed of Hope training Center located in the Dagoretti slums in Nairobi’s Dagoretti South Constituency has temporary classrooms made of y corrugated iron  sheets  and old shipping containers. This limits the number of students and courses we can offer at the center and is also not the most conducive for learning as the classroom temperatures can go very high or low depending on the weather. 

Despite these challenges,, the students enjoy their learning at the Seed of Hope Center and attend the learning sessions regularly.

We would like to have a new expanded build that will accommodate all the classes and also  accommodate the demand for learning which is very high within the slum area.

The permanent larger building would support and accommodate more vulnerable young people creating a rewarding future  free from poverty.   The building construction is expected to  start in June 2022 and we are currently doing the preliminary works of getting Architectural and Civil plans, Bills of Quantities and the City County Approvals in readiness to start the construction. 

This construction will take approximately 5 months, and during this period the students will be learning in a local church hall while others will be on practical internship placements.

Thank You for your donations to our project on GlobalGiving, All our achievements and impact in the community we are working with would not be possible without your generous giving.