Job Skills Training for Marginalized Kenyan Youth

Dear friends,

Since we last wrote, we've been busy responding to the overwhelming basic needs of our community, including food, water and health care. As the pandemic took hold here, we started a Covid-19 Response Project to support the most vulnerable. We are grateful for the donations and in-kind support that has allowed us to reach over five thousand families with food, soap, water, health information and counselling for families and youth. We also have been using community radio to share health information with residents.

You will not be surprised to read that the Shauri Yako Community Youth Support Centre has scaled down some of our programs in response to physical distancing requirements.  We have suspended activity at our Informal School and all sports programs, as both require gathering. But we hope you'll be heartened to learn that some of our programming is continuing - we know how important it is for youth to come out the other side of this pandemic with job-ready skills. 6 welding and plumbing trainees and currently apprenticing and will complete their training in December. 

We've also been given the green light from our county government's administrator to continue our tailoring and dress-making program with reduced class sizes.  The program is welcoming 4 trainees each morning and four each afternoon. 

And we've been delivering reproductive health education to youth (pictured), which has become a pressing priority -- teen pregnancy rates have climbed by 40% during the lockdown. Reproductive health information is hugely important to poverty reduction and improving the lives of young women, and we are seeking partners who can help us keep this project going. Please let us know if you can help.

We thank all our donors, supporters and friends who make the work we do possible. We know there are many important causes to support and are so grateful that you continue to choose the Shauri Yako Community Youth Support Centre.

Kind regards,

Joe