Equip 200 young mothers with business skills.

The Covid-19 pandemic has left many people jobless. In Kenya, over 1.5 million people have lost their jobs since the pandemic started. This means that more and more families cannot be able to get a daily meal or afford basic needs. Women and Children are the most affected.

Rose was married at the age of 19 years. As a young girl with so much dreams, her life was cut short when her parents died. This forced her into early marriage. Unfortunately her "husband" left her with one child in Kibera slum. Rose did not have an option except to start provding for herself and her young child. Because of her low level of education, she could only secure casual jobs which are not well paying. 

When the pandemic hit, she was one of the 1.5 million Kenyans who were rendered jobless. Her employer could not allow her to continue with her job. Rose was forced to sleep in the streets with her child for several months. During this time, she knocked on several doors for jobs, but unfortunately nothing was forth-coming.

Rose was later introduced to our young mother's economic empowerment program by one of the well wishers who had heard of her plight. She succefully went through the program and  was given a start-up capital to start her business. Rose is currently running a profit making business in Kibra  and she is able to provide for her family. Her son just started school.  

Apart from her business, Rose has dedicated herselft to mentoring young people on various issues that affect them in the community. 

Jane is a single mother of 6 biological children. Her husband passed on in January 2019. This situation forced Jane to step in and become the bread winner in her family. Sometimes her children would help her in putting food on the table, a situation that forced them to miss school. They live in a single room in Kibra slum where access to clean water and better housing is a challenge. 

In October 2020, Jane was adversely affected by Covid-19. She was let go of her employment because of the upsurge of Covid-19 cases. She was mainly depending on casual and manual work. "I didn't know what to do, how my children will eat or go to school. I was also afraid that I would be locked out of my house becuase I could not afford to pay rent" Jane says. 

She shared her story with a close friend. Luckily, this friend was a benefficiary of our the women economic empowerment. She quickly refered her to join the program. As a passionate business woman, Jane did not have a challenge going through the classes. "I realized that this is what I needed after I was let go of my job during the pandemic"

During the sessions, Jane designed a fruit and vegatable vending business. We supported her by ensuring she has enough finances to launch her business. Jane currently runs a sustainable business. She just enrolled her third born in high school. 

Thank you for your continued support to mother's like Jane. From September 13-17, you have an opportunity to make a difference. Your donations of $ 50 towards this project will matched at 50%.