By Lucy Chepchumba | Executive Director
Dear Supporters,
In December 2025, you stood with us during our Giving Tuesday campaign to build a 50-seater Creative Lab at the Regina Yego Girls Center. Today, we are proud to share that because of your generosity, we didn't just raise $6,631: we raised the curtain on a new chapter for 30 young women.
While we have not yet reached our full $35,000 target, your support provided the essential seed capital for our momentum. We chose not to wait. In January 2026, we welcomed our first cohort into the revamped model program. As we wrapped up our foundational training cycle in April 2026, our team continued driving operations through May and June 2026 to build sustainable monitoring systems, upgrade ICT infrastructure, and mobilize for our next student intake.
1. The Impact Today: Progress Across Our Three-Stage Pathway
Between April and June 2026, our cohort of 30 young women progressed along our structured Discover, Develop, Launch pathway:
Stage
Pathway Focus
Q2 Achievements and Progress
Stage 01: Msingi (Discover)
Self-awareness, life skills, digital literacy, and career exploration.
29 out of 30 participants (96.7%) successfully graduated in April following an extended eight-week practical curriculum.
Stage 02: Imarisha (Develop)
Market-ready technical skills, visual communication, and client portfolio building.
22 of 29 graduates (75.9%) progressed directly into Stage 02 training, completing the pilot cohort's pathway: 9 into Creative Design and Production, 13 into Events Planning and Customer Service / Call Center.
Stage 03: Stawi (Launch)
Real-world client briefs, paid work experience, and youth-led enterprises.
To be undertaken in Q3, where the graduates of Imarisha will be prepared for enterprise roles across Good Studio (Graphic Design and Printing), Good Gatherings (Events and Hospitality), and Good Foundry (Upcycled Crafts).
Key Quantitative Outcomes (April Evaluation)
Through baseline to endline comparative evaluations, our team measured substantial progress across every core metric:
Personal Growth and Leadership
Post Msingi Pathways
With this transition, our first Msingi cohort has completed the full pilot pathway, distinct from the earlier program model under which past cohorts trained. Imarisha pilot training began in July for Track 1, Track 2 begins in August, and Tracks 3 and 4 follow in September.
2. Participant Spotlights and Life Stories
To respect participant privacy and maintain confidentiality, full surnames have been omitted, using first names only.
Spotlight 01: Navigating Career Pathways (Mercy)
Excerpt: "Raised by parents who sacrificed immensely through bursaries and local farming, Mercy scored a B average in high school. Initially set on nursing, she discovered during our Career Exploration modules that Public Healthcare aligned perfectly with her passions, guiding her higher education enrollment..."
Read Full Story: Mercy | Path to Public Healthcare
Spotlight 02: Leadership and Resilience (Eusila)
Excerpt: "Growing up as one of seven siblings in Kaplamai village, Eusila served as a student leader throughout secondary school despite scarce learning resources. Joining the Msingi Programme strengthened her agency, earning her a competitive scholarship and a spot in our Imarisha track..."
Read Full Story: Eusila | Leadership, Resilience, and Growth
Spotlight 03: Unlocking Unique Potential (Sheila)
Excerpt: "Facing comparison and self-doubt after secondary school, Sheila joined our center to explore creative and practical vocational strengths. Through hands-on digital skills and career guidance, she gained clarity on her path and restored her confidence..."
Read Full Story: Sheila | Embracing Unique Talents and Self-Discovery
3. Strategic Resilience and Team Achievements (May to June 2026)
Following graduation in April, our team shifted focus toward infrastructure, data automation, and community recruitment during May and June 2026:
Technical and Data Systems Upgrade
To streamline monitoring and evaluation (M&E) across cohorts, our team designed and deployed a unified relational database architecture in Airtable. The team migrated legacy records from Cohorts 1 through 4 and fully integrated Cohort 5 data, establishing automated student tracking IDs, interview outcome workflows, and real-time reporting tools for trainers.
Community Mobilization and Recruitment
Throughout June, our team launched structured community outreach across the county. By printing and distributing recruitment materials and hosting information sessions, the team completed Rounds 1 and 2 of market mobilization to onboard our next incoming cohort.
We are pleased to share that recruitment for our next cohort is now complete. Thirty new young women have been confirmed and will begin Msingi classes on August 5, 2026, marking the start of our program's next rolling cycle.
4. The Road Ahead and Call to Action
Thanks to your generosity, we turned $6,631 in seed funding into a fully operational first cohort, three graduation pathways, and real, measurable outcomes for 30 young women. But the Creative Lab that will carry this work forward, the one built to house our Graphic Design track and the full Stawi enterprise pipeline (Good Studio, Good Gatherings, and Good Foundry), is still only a fraction funded.
We are requesting our community to help us close the gap. Of our original $35,000 target, roughly $28,369 remains, and every gift, large or small, moves us closer to a permanent home for this pathway rather than a temporary classroom.
If you can contribute, or know someone who might be, we would be grateful for your support in building this space for the next generation of Kenyan creatives.
With gratitude,
The Good Kenyan Foundation Team
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