Mentoring 16 orphan and needy girls in Kenya

Jan 26, 2016

Dear Global Giving Friends,

As the year 2015 came to a close, we looked back with gratitude as we counted the many direct and indirect beneficiaries of our project. We will celebrate graduation from university of two of the first group girls at the end of this year. Many others have been impacted positively by the two. Besides, other beneficiaries have joined the informal sector and doing well, some as employees while others are doing their own businesses.

One of such girls is Glory who came to SAWA in December, 2012 after completing her high school education. During her two months mentorship and training period, she was prepared to face the world as an adult now that she was out of school and do activities that would make economic sense to her. As she completed her two months experience she had this to say  “This training has changed my perspective in life, I only thought of employment as a career, but with the skills I have acquired, I can identify a business idea, write a plan and implement it efficiently.  I am confident that no matter how my KSCE results will be, I will not be stranded in life,  thanks to SAWA.”

Three years later, I visited Glory in December 2015 to find out what she was doing. I found her in a Hair Salon/Beauty Palour where she works in a nearby town. She was quick to tell me that although she was employed, she wanted to raise capital and start her own beauty shop where she can train other disadvantaged girls who do not make it to go to the university. She is still thankful to have been part of SAWA to learn that one can do any kind of a job to earn a living. SAWA built her confidence to handle what she is doing.

Glory and another mentee, Caroline live in the same town and attend the same church where they hold leadership positions in their youth group. They have become strong leaders and mentors to the other youths who look upon them for guidance. The mere fact that the two travelled all the way to Nairobi for a mentorship program has given them recognition by the youth, besides the guidance that they provide. They hold social activities at the church where they meet to discuss challenges facing young people and encouraging each other to avoid unplanned pregnancies and early marriages. When schools are closed and many youths are at home, the group invites motivation speakers, who coach and mentor them as they focus them in organized social lives, education and careers.

With my sincere gratitude for your support in this effort to improve the opportunities for young girls,

Catherine Kaimenyi

Links:

• PATHWAYS Leadership for Progress

October 2015-10-25

Dear Friends,

I am exited to see such impacts our mentoring program have had on Caroline, one of the first girls we mentored. Please see her recent report below. 

It all began slowly and now have improved my skills to extentent of getting myself a better job and a good position as per my career. 

Over the past year my role has encompassed the following:

• The overall management of board processes.

• Ensuring members’ and directors’ meetings are properly called and held.

• Provision of agendas for general meetings and directors’ meetings.

• Providing minutes of meetings.

• Ensuring records of members’ and directors’ meetings are kept in compliance with the rules of the Company.

• Ensuring that any directors’ interests or conflicts of interest are recorded as stated

I started with simple work of recording and admitting new students in college and am grateful that have now progressed to better part of life. Through the training I have received both at work and in college to become a competent secretary. I have learned and still have a lot to learn from my colleagues and over the past years they have given my great support and knowledge of the building of my career.

This is a good exercise to highlight the successes and review the obstacles

which I face in my career, but for real this gives me high hopes and keeps me going in this journey. I also sometimes play the part of the employer and ensure they satisfy their work experience report criteria. Am so proud of myself now because I also attend a meeting with the work experience and reflect back on my work

Above all, I have experience that a secretary needs to be well-organised, capable of turning their hand to a variety of tasks and unflappable, no matter how stressed your boss might be.

Also, it's not a job for someone that isn't interested in their company or even their co-workers names, as you’ll need to have a thorough knowledge of the business to do your job effectively.

A year ago I made up a vision for the future of my life and am so determined and not ready to give up at all. I was somehow new to the job. Now, a year later, I'm here to provide a progress report on my efforts.   

I thank my mentor Catherine Kaimenyi and the family for once again providing me with the advices and for the better part of it, she was my mentor and helped me to pursue my career. Catherine is a wise supporter, advisor and mentor. She means a lot to people like me. I could not govern without you. Thank you for everything that you did to me.

Life for sure is how you want it to be, and become more enjoyable once you pay attention to your advisors just as I did to my Coordinator Catherine, were it not for SAWA maybe I would not be this far, It’s where I build my skills first and felt that I should not look down upon myself whereby I usually underestimated myself not aware that I am very vital and capable person in my community.

Back in my village I managed to form a group of twelve young women whom I have assisted to take their lives positively and that of the society after them failing to proceed with education due to lack of fees, They have gained courage after seeing my point of view and joined different courses, Hairdressing, Tailoring and their those who have gone a step of starting their own business, which encourages me very much. I am the coordinator and I do balance between my job and that of the group. For example below is one of my group members who pursued a career in Hairdressing and managed to complete her course.

I take humble time with them and make sure we discuss other important topics about their own lives, early marriages and other related topics. I try to make them understand that nothing is impossible because I remember very well during the internship everything to me seemed difficult, even my language was not fluent and felt like giving up because having studied in a local day school it was not all that good, but I thank God my Coordinator was by my side all the time, the majority of interns I worked with were very good in English. Therefore I was very reserved in communication at the beginning, but within a short period of months, through interaction and encouragement by others I improved.  Today my English is so good well spoken and written that I am proud to play the role I have as a secretary in my company. I like socializing to learn new things since life is full of learning and for real that has become very easy, SAWA is where all my confidence, Courage and knowledge came from, through workshops we attended and the trainings we lead in. Have put all this into action back in my village and all is working out well. In future I think of venturing into farming business but I will first take time to come out with a clear idea and plan on how to carry it out. Thanks to SAWA a million times because it made me to be the person I am today.

My well built foundation and confidence, I can proudly say is from this mentorship program. –Caroline Pioneer Beneficiary Girls’ Mentorship Programme

Thank you for supporting our girls’ mentoring program.

Catherine Kaimenyi

Project Leader

Links:

• PATHWAYS Leadership for Progress