Safe futures - self-reliance for 675 Kenyan girls

It is unbelievable how fast the year has gone by.  At Seed of Hope, it has been a busy year full of activities and engaging the students and community in decision making for projects that affect them.  It is the end of the school calendar year and all the students at Seed of Hope centres are preparing for their internal and external exams before breaking for the Christmas holiday.  The homecare management course students at Kariti Seed of Hope centre have been released to go for work experience placements after completing their syllabus to get a hands-on experience in what they have been trained on in the last eleven months.  The rest of the students will be starting their internal exams next week and those who have registered for the government grade test with National Industrial and Technical Authority (NITA) will have another week to sit for grade 3 test before the centres close on the 11th December 2019. 

One of the girls who has been the best in her course of study and is not afraid of sitting for two exams is Rebecca from Kangweni Seed of Hope centre in Kitui County.  Rebecca joined the training centre in 2018 after going through a rough patch in life having taken the decision to get married at a tender age with the belief that she will escape poverty that robbed her of the opportunity to advance in her education.  After three years of marriage and blessed with a child, Rebecca was still not happy with life as there was a missing piece that she needed to find in order to fill the gap, yet her options were thinning out!  She felt hopeless and desperate to change her family's living condition, particularly for her parents.

Rebecca suggested to her husband that she go back to the village to find work in order to contribute to meeting their daily expenses, and to be able to support her parents. Instead, Rebecca's husband suggested she finds a course she is interested to train on so that she can have better chance to earn a living through employment or self-employment.  Rebecca had heard about Kangweni Seed of Hope which is not very far from her parents’ home and when she walked in to inquire about the skills training, she did not hesitate to register herself in fashion and fabric design course and was excited to get started!  

Being a young mother, Rebecca was initially shy to interact with the other students as she joined a class of very young girls who had just come out of primary school or high school.  But through empowerment programmes like Amuka, mentorship, guidance and counselling, Rebecca was imparted with knowledge and skills that changed her personality and more so brought out her natural leadership traits.  Her self-esteem and confidence blossomed and she became the star of the school hence being elected the school captain towards the end of her first year.  

Rebecca’s husband and parents have been very supportive since she joined the training and she has never missed classes which has helped her to concentrate and become one of the top students in her course of study.  What is more exciting is that Rebecca is now ready to sit for her grade test and then join her sister-in-law who runs a dressmaking business in Kitui town.  Her star continues to shine bright now that she has completed her final project before graduating in January 2020, and I believe she will be earning a good income that will enable her to alleviate poverty in her family.

As we end our interview, Rebecca had this to say and I quote “I finally found the missing piece which took so many years of desperation and unfulfilled dreams and shame to find.  I am now empowered with knowledge and skills thanks to Seed of Hope for this opportunity that has changed me to a better daughter, wife and mother.  I am ready to go out and compete in the market place and achieve my dreams.” What a way to end a conversation! We wish Rebecca all the best in her forthcoming exams and her future plans.

In other news, the Seed of Hope graduation will be happening in January instead of the usual December. This will give the students more time in December on the new syllabus course work, ensuring all topics are well covered in preparation for their exams and that they're ready for working in a competitive market.  I believe this was a good move as it has created an opportunity for new enrolment of students especially at the Nairobi Seed of Hope centre who will be joining the class of 2020.  There are at least 5 girls like Violet who already joined in October and more are coming to register themselves for the coming year. 

On behalf of Seed of Hope, I would like to say thank you for being our greatest supporters and cheerleaders in transforming the lives of needy and hopeless girls like Rebecca who had dreams of being able to change her future which she is now fulfilling. Your generous giving towards this programme has been instrumental in providing the teaching, lunch programme, learning materials and other essentials.  We look forward to another year of positive impact and transformation as we continue to equip and empower more girls with skills and knowledge that will open doors to brighter future.

On behalf of everyone at Raising Futures Kenya - thank you and best wishes for the holiday season.

Seed of Hope provides more than skills training to our young people across the counties we are working in Kenya.  The majority of the young people have said that Seed of Hope has enabled them to grow; spiritually, mentally, emotionally and also in different skills.  The graduates also tell us how Seed of Hope has built their confidence, self-esteem and character, which has transformed their lives positively. 

Currently we have girls who have taken up leadership roles thanks to various programmes implemented like the mentorship, Amuka, peer education, and focused group discussions that help to bring out the inner strength and confidence from our girls just like in the case of Esther, a fashion and design student.  Esther joined the Seed of Hope Nairobi centre in the second term of 2018 after trying out casual jobs in order to support her father.  When she enrolled, she would come into class very early and sit alone at the corner where nobody will recognize her presence.  She was softly spoken and shy but managed to stand out among other girls with her mode of dressing, makeup and hair styles. 

It was when Seed of Hope moved to its new premises that I got the opportunity to know more about Esther since she was among the few girls who remained behind as the other students went for their industrial attachment.  As I interacted and got to know our students better, I learnt that Esther is the last born in a family of two.  They were raised by their father after the death of their mum when she was 15 years.  Her father remarried so that his daughters could get motherly care, advice and support but this did not last as they separated when Esther was about to complete secondary education.  This affected her thus she did not perform well at the end of secondary school exams.  For the one year she stayed home, Esther was lonely with no hope of going to college as her father, who works as a security guard, had struggled to pay for her secondary education and it was obvious that he would not afford the college fee.  This forced her to go out and look for any job in order to meet her personal needs, as well as support her father in paying the bills.  According to Esther, this was the best decision she made because it was during her daily duties as a house help that she met one of Seed of Hope graduates who informed her about the programme and the courses being offered.  Esther shared this news with her father who decided to inquire further by vising the Seed of Hope centre.  He feared the fee payment but at the same time he did not want to disappoint his daughter.  After getting positive feedback from the Seed of Hope project administrator about the free courses, Esther’s father did not hesitate and asked his daughter to enrol immediately. 

At Seed of Hope, Esther has greatly transformed from the shy girl at the corner of her class to this bold, confident and responsible girl.  She was anonymously elected by other students as the Head Girl since she has led students to participate in different activities within the school and also with our partners.  She is also in charge of the dressmaking, fashion design class and the teacher has entrusted her with the role of assisting other students as she has worked hard to perfect her skills.  

In the last few weeks, Esther has been attached to one of our Seed of Hope graduates called Rosebella.  When I asked her teacher why she chose Esther, she said; “I have trained so many of our girls at Seed of Hope and I could tell the potential each one has.  Esther has shown interest and commitment in her course by working hard to improve her skills.  I want her to learn more from professionals like Rosebella who have been in this business for a long time so she too can build her own empire in future.”  When I asked Esther about her ambition in life, she said; “After graduating, I would like to start my own fashion business that will be recognized regionally but also internationally. I also want to support other young girls like me who have lost hope and face challenges in their lives.”  We wish Esther all the best even as she prepares to graduate at the end of the year.

In other news, the Seed of Hope centres took a short recess beginning of August but they will be resuming in the first week of September.  Apart from the Amuka programme, our students were given the opportunity to voice their concerns, share ideas and suggestion on how we can improve the programme through the focused group discussions.  They also participated in visioning meetings for the Nairobi new build project as we plan for the future growth of the Seed of Hope programme.  We believe that by engaging our students, their concerns, views and suggestions will significantly bring change, growth and development as they are the reason that Seed of Hope programme exists.

On behalf of our girls, teachers and management we would like sincerely thank you for the generous contribution towards this programme as we would not have made it this far without your support.  I believe that you will walk with us in this journey of transformation as we give hundreds of girls hope and opportunity to become change makers in their own lives, their families and the community they live in.  In as much as the impact is measurable, there are still many young girls who are unreachable and are in need our support to become self-sustained hence raise their standards of living.  

Thank you again for your kind support!

Sherry Waweru
Senior Programmes Officer