By EVA LOKKO | CEO
“Seeing, is believing” “Out of sight, out of mind”. These two sayings came to mind when I got ready to write this report. This made me realize that Totally Youth could easily become guilty of both perceptions where our vulnerable girls are concerned. When we first met the Kayayei – homeless girls, our hearts went out to them. We could not believe that girls as young as 8 years, can be sleeping in the open in their numbers, like a huge, open can of sardines. We were shocked and their plight pushed us into immediate action. We walked the markets and the lorry parks and met with seven (7) different types of Kayayei - those who were:
We believed their stories, because we saw the state they were in. We therefore sat down and developed a holistic programme that will:
Through our community work, we also came across another set of disadvantaged girls who only differ from the Kayayei, because they live in extended family homes with parent(s) or relatives, who cannot look after them. However, like the Kayayei, they sleep in the open, have no health insurance, are often raped, are either dropouts or illiterates, are unemployed, mostly single mothers and have no future. We therefore decided to bring this group of under-privileged girls under this same programme as the Kayayei. So yes, “seeing is believing”.
But since we started fundraising, our efforts have not yielded the expected results. Out of the US$24,560 required to support 120 girls a year, we have so far raised US$990 through Global Giving. We have to date been able to help only one local vulnerable girl – Hannah, who has been placed as a house-help. This surely puts us in the spectrum of “out of sight, out of mind” in the view of the many girls we interviewed and explained the project to. It is as if we have forgotten their plight, and this makes us very sad and dismayed. This programme can build a foundation for “youth creating jobs for youth” to improve the quality of life of disadvantaged girls. This programme will have a domino effect that will see disadvantaged girls supporting each other, to bring an end to poverty among girls/women. This programme must be implemented for the sake of these girls.
Thankfully, there is light at the end of the tunnel, yet! In the course of last month, we met an ex-Kayayo who had worked her way painfully through school through intermittent work as a house-help, selling little items and/or undertaking a variety of menial jobs. It was a hard life with numerous days of little or no food, but she completed her schooling and now helps other vulnerable girls. She has proven the concept of youth creating jobs for youth. She is however not out of the woods yet and is living from hand to mouth, which makes her support to her peers, unsustainable. She will be joining our Business Facilitation programme early April 2016. She will be our Project Manager and Ambassador for our Give Vulnerable Girls Employable Skills. With her on board, we can rejuvenate our programme and with your support, we will be able to help our two groups of girls.
We have not forgotten our girls. They are still in our minds and I trust that you have them in your mind too. Please help us through Global Giving, to help them. Together, we can lay the foundation for “Youth Creating Jobs For Youth” for our girls. You can donate through Global giving USA as well as Global Giving UK. We know we can count on you to give 120 vulnerable girls employable skills and gainful occupations, every year. Thank You and God bless.
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