Economic Growth Kenya Project #7743

Provide Job Skills to Kenyan Slum Youth

by Shauri Yako Community Youth Support Centre (SYSC)

Project Report | Jan 12, 2016
2015 Year End Report

By Joe Mwai | Chair of the Board

local youth outside SYSC's training centre

Dear friends,

My warmest wishes to you and your families at the start of this new year. We begin 2016 with an on-going commitment to support the youth who reside in the slums around Nyeri town. We are hopeful this year will bring success in our efforts to raise funds, expand our programming, address the vast need within this community and unlock the potential of the youth we serve.

As a really small community-based charity, SYSC relies entirely on the funds it raises through Global Giving to support its operations. In 2015, your generosity allowed us to run two projects: reproductive health education and computer skills training.

Although we raised only a third of the $3000 dollar budget planned for the reproductive health care project, we are proud to have provided education, including the distribution of free family planning materials, that reached over 500 people. We continue to use leftover educational materials within local youth, and are happy to report they are very interested in this information. This gives hope that we may be able to help turnaround the serious issues that youth are experiencing from lack of education, like high rates of teenage pregnancy and sex trade participation.

The $1300 dollars raised toward job skills training this year were used to deliver a computers skills training program for 24 youth. Thanks to your support we were able to secure internet connectivity and include web literacy in our project for the first time. This is a hugely popular training program amongst youth, who know how important computer skills are to finding secure work. To reach more participants, we will are seeking funding so we can buy six additional computers to expand the program. This will be one of our priorities for 2016.

We also continued to run our music program, which teaches youth how to play an instruments, provides some music theory and offers the many side benefits proven to come with participant in the arts, like increased morale and self-regard. Without funding, the program has been on and off due to the difficulty of finding a volunteer teacher. But we are thrilled to have now secured a volunteer teacher from Kimathi University, Nyeri. To cover his travel expenses of approximately $25 USD a month and be able to sustain the program, we have advertised lessons in all town schools for those who can afford to pay for $1 a lesson. We will also continue to provide free lessons for those without means.

Quote from Joyce, 17 years old unemployed mother of one:

“I have very little education, but if you train me to do something with my hands that can earn me a living, I will also train five others.”

It is people like Joyce and donors like you who encourage Shauri Yako Community Youth Support Centre to do what we do.

Bless you abundantly.

Joe Mwai

Chair

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Oct 12, 2015
Training Slum Youth to Meet the Demand for Skilled Trades People

By Joe Mwai | Chair of the Board

Welding and Metal Fabrication Training

Dear friends,

With the $13,146 you have helped us to raise since joining Global Giving, we have been able to provide job skills training for 82 youth in computers, tailoring and entrepreneurships. We've supported the completion of Global Giving micro-projects like building a new program centre that gives our youth a reprieve from the streets, and installing sanitary toilets for a community accustomed to sharing pit latrine amongst up to 30 people. We assisted those trainees interested in starting small business/self-employment with access to micro-credit loans from Uwezo Fund. 65% of those trained are directly employed and others are in self-employment. And every program participant has received HIV/AIDS education, testing and counseling.

However, we are still striving to raise the remaining $9,560 of our target, so we can train 160 more youth. We aim to purchase equipment and run a six month welding/metal fabrication skills training course. According to 2015 government report, Kenya's 47 counties are facing an acute shortage of qualified construction sector trades people, like electricians, masons, plumbers and welders. Labour cost have climbed to 25% of total building costs, according to the Institute of Quantity Surveyors of Kenya. To achieve the development goals in Vision 2030, Kenya will need to train 250,000 trade persons. In the meantime, we will use our small computer lab to deliver computer training, offering youth a highly employable skill.

Are you able to make a donation? With enough support, we will buy welding and metal fabrication machines and hire a trainer. Do you have access to old computers that would allow us to train dozens of new youth? Could you spare some time? SYSC relies heavily on volunteers to sustain its programs. There are many ways you can volunteer with us. We would welcome you as a skills trainer at our centre, in the areas of computers, music, fine arts, etc. We could also really use your help as a grant writer, advisor and fundraiser from where you live. We also value Friends of Shauri Yako, a group of people who are able to promote the work of SYSC through their networks, raising awareness and support for our work.

Lastly, we're pleased to let you know we will be partnering with Nyeri Micro Enterprises (Jua Kali) to start Youth Training Placements Pilot Project in 2016. This is an innovative pilot project that will place 12 youth for 3 months to gain training in shoe making and metal fabrication. With the goal of enabling self-employment, they will gain hands-on training in entrepreneurship, including how to sell the products they make. SYSC needs to raise $2,310 to contribute tools and 2 grinding machines for trainees, work wear and support allowance. We are excited about the new opportunities and possibilities this partnership will create.

If you have ideas for us, or would like to volunteer, please reply to this email or contact Joe joseshauriyako@gmail.com.

Together we are making a difference.

With thanks to you and your families for your generosity.

Youth training to make shoes for Nyeri Market

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Jul 20, 2015
Two Days Left: Can you help us help slum youth?

By Joe Mwai | Chair of the Board

Dear Friends,

Today I am writing to both thank and update you, and to ask for your help. Our micro-project to raise funds so that we can give local youth access to reproductive health care has just 2 days left.

Thanks to Global Giving donors, we have raised $830 to provide free family planning services, reproductive health information and condoms to youth living in the Shauri Yako and Manjengo slums. But we have just 2 days left to raise the remainly $2100. Can you help us to get the word out about our campaign? (here's the link: http://www.globalgiving.org/microprojects/provide-job-skills-to-kenyan-slum-youth/)

How We Are Spending Your Funds

We've started a Reproductive Health Education Program in the slums that targets adolscents
We've put two volunteer trainers in place
We've made arrangements with local schools to train peer trainers to provide information to youth
We are providing access to condoms
We've use Scout troop meetings and gatherings to educate youth and build advocates.

Why We Still Need Your Help

AIDS is the leading cause of death of teens in Africa
Kenya has the fourth highest AIDS infection rate in the world
Teenage pregnancy is rising sharply in rural areas where teens lack access to information and services
Early motherhood can affect the health of the teen mom and the child, often causes school drop out and can entrench the cycle of poverty
A government bill to address reproductive health care as a national concern is still stalled a year later by debate and heavy criticism by groups who are worried about the 'corruption' of young minds
With the full $3000 target reached, we could partner with FamilyHealthOptions.org to implement a complete one-year program at a far lower cost.

Quote from the reproductive health education program beneficiary

“The reproductive health education is of great help to us women; however, it’s equally important to educate our men. Some of us have little control when it comes to this affair, men have the power, and that is why the condom is necessary. For our younger women, they are vulnerable because of ignorance and poverty” - Atanasia N.

Thanks for all you have done to help . Together, we are making a real difference in lives limited by poverty but filled with potential.

Sincerely,

Joe Mwai, Chair

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