Establish Girls' Empowerment Centre in Rural Kenya

"The upcoming Girls’ Empowerment Centre will help reduce the congestion at the current GEC Centre in Tom Mboya by accommodating the day to day increasing number of girls seeking vocational training services." ~ Milka Ofwa, Chair, Girls Steering Committee NIGEE

More girls continue to stream into our Girls’ Empowerment Center (GEC) in Tom Mboya for Vocational training services. The increasing number of girls at the centre inspired us to start the construction of a spacious GEC to accommodate these girls. The construction is yet to be completed at Kasule/Manyatta B, an informal settlement in Kisumu City.

 During the period April –June 2018 NIGEE continued to advance the GEC within Kisumu:

• So far we have reached 379 girls with the skills training since the inception of the program. In the period under review, we were able to enroll 19 new teen mothers.
• Currently there are 52 girls enrolled in computer classes, 41 girls in hairdressing and 22 girls in the dressmaking class.
• Our porridge program is doing great and currently 12 new toddlers are benefitting from the daily porridge at 10am; knowing that their children are being cared for and are close by, our beneficiaries can concentrate on their studies as the children play under supervision.  
• The GEC safe space continues to offer a temporary haven for girls and young women who have been exploited or sexually abused and are in immediate danger; we provide ongoing counseling and investigation with a goal of reconciling them with their families.  In addition to counseling, they are linked to appropriate sexual and reproductive health services as their cases are processed.
• To build self-esteem, the GEC continues to provide life skills training on a biweekly basis; to this end, the Centre has developed a life skill training manual for the mentors who act as facilitators.
• NIGEE is currently fast-tracking the construction of the new GEC as part of our strategy to address the increasing number of girls enrolling for courses given the limited space at the current centre; the new site will serve approximately 300 girls at one go.

 What the GEC Beneficiaries had to say about the upcoming new GEC Centre under Construction:

Many of the girls at the GEC centre could not hide their joy and optimism about the upcoming GEC Centre under construction. The girls who embarked on a tour of the site early last month were delighted of this spacious, modern and girl-friendly safe space that will help accommodate the overwhelming and increasing number of girls seeking vocational skills services.

Below are some of the quotes from the girls;

“The new upcoming Girls Empowerment Centre will help reduce the jam at the current GEC Centre in Tom Mboya by accommodating the day to day increasing number of girls seeking vocational training services.” ~ Milka Ofwa, Chair, Girls Steering Committee NIGEE

“As a beneficiary of the NIGEE GEC I would like to sincerely thank all individual donors under GlobalGiving for believing in us by supporting this course.” ~ Diana, Hairdressing student GEC.

“With the space for Early Childhood Development (ECD) and girls Hostel, I am optimistic that this centre will serve even young mothers like me as our toddlers would be enrolled to the ECD and even be hosted at the Centre.” ~ Quinter, a young mum and Computer student GEC.

“The GEC has really impacted in our life, I feel empowered and happy to meet other girls whom we share the same aspiration, I believe the new GEC will ensure that all girls in Kisumu are empowered as well” ~ Grace, a teen mother and a dressmaking student.