By Sherry Waweru | Senior Programme Officer, Kenya
Linda is 36 years old and a mother of 4 adorable children. Things haven’t been easy for Linda, she had to drop out of school at the age of 16 due to pregnancy and got married at an early age, having a further 2 children. Sadly, as a result of domestic violence and an alcoholic husband, Linda was forced to run away for her own safety. Her three children, the youngest being Raymond who was just 7 months, were taken in by Linda’s mother but since Raymond was just a baby and needed a lot of care and attention, the children’s officer placed him at the baby unit in Kandara children’s home.
For two and a half years Raymond didn’t see his mother again until she was traced during the reintegration process. In 2017, Raymond was finally reunited with his mother and siblings after months of counselling and psychosocial support for the whole family. Happily Linda has now remarried, to a nice man called Peter, they have a daughter together and are now raising all four children together. You can see Raymond next to his baby sister in the photo with Linda.
We are providing finance and business training and a start-up grant for families like Linda, to enable them to start a small business and increase their income to provide for their children. Linda, who is a hairdresser, requested start-up capital to open a salon as she was previously engaged in small scale farming to support her family which didn’t generate much for them. The group of families formed and registered as a self-help group which enabled them to open a group and individual bank accounts which they are using to save monthly. Linda was among the first families that received the start-up capital in January so she has opened her salon (pictured). Being an industrious lady, Linda has combined her salon business with selling second hand baby clothes, making full use of the space she rents. She says that through this business she will be able to provide for her family’s needs as well as save for the future. We wish her all the best as she works hard towards a sustainable future.
Over the last 3 years the family strengthening project has seen 63 children move from institutional care to family care though a vulnerable child support programme and continues to work and walk closely with these families. All the reintegrated children continue to be supported to access education by fully paying their school fees and provision of other educational needs. In 2019, 4 students finished high school and 1 completed vocational training while the rest are continuing their primary, secondary and vocational education.
Sustainability
The project is working with the families of the 63 children (40 households), 10 families have completed their training and were given their business start-up grant in January - they are all doing well and supporting each other to make their businesses a success. The other families are continuing their training and will receive their grants in the next 2 months.
The purpose of the businesses are to enable the families to be financially independent, we realise it is disempowering to rely on external support so we’re working alongside the families to enable them to support themselves eventually. We anticipate that by the end of 2021 the first group of families will be earning enough to provide for all of the needs of their family. They’ll be empowered, not reliant on anyone else, and most importantly no child will be at risk of growing up in a children’s home because poverty forced their family apart.
All this would not have been possible without your immense support so, on behalf of the children and families, we would like to sincerely thank you for your generous giving towards this project Help 60 Vulnerable Children Stay in Their Families (4104) because it is through your continuous giving that Raising Futures Kenya was able to reunite children to their parents and relatives but also bring transformation in their lives through sustainable livelihoods.
By Sherry Waweru | Senior Programme Officer, Kenya
By Sherry Waweru | Senior Programmes Officer
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