Let me take this opportunity to you for your continued support of the work we do to support vulnerable girls and young women in communities in Kenya. You have made it possible for us to have touched the lives of many people in our community. We’re so pleased to be sharing with you today that Year 3 of our 3-year skills training programme with International Peace Initiatives in Meru County, Kenya has hit the halfway mark! Because of your continuous support, 45 young women are looking to graduate with a diploma in Hair & Beauty this July!
As a brief reminder, the aim of this three-year project is to equip a total of 105 young and vulnerable women with beauty and hairdressing skills they need to secure an income without risking their future and that of their children, and to provide sustainable livelihoods. The course includes a Leadership and Mentoring Programme, designed to empower the women to share their new awareness and knowledge with other vulnerable women in their communities. The course also included sex education, entrepreneurial skills, yoga, meditation and other vital life skills. Each of the women are also offered individual counselling by a qualified counsellor to help overcome past traumas.
2022 was a busy and blessed year for our Vocational Skills School community. The students have been very consistent in attending classes throughout the year. A few students had family issues but we were able to work with them so that they could fully be present to the program. These challenges included matters like family/in-laws not wanting the ladies to go to school and become financially independent, and some illnesses.
After a long Christmas break, the 45 women in Year 3 of the training returned to their lessons on the 23rd January 2023, and are expected to graduate in July. While on holiday, they have been using the skills gained so far to help them start earning money while learning. Some have found temporary jobs in local salons; others have begun working from home or going to their client’s houses. One young woman even uses some of the money earned through braiding hair in her community to also make and sell food for her community and fellow students to increase her opportunities for income. The ladies are progressing very well with their studies, and are excited to put their skills to the test during their work placements (April – June).
There is still £8,000 needed to make sure our 45 young women and mothers can graduate this July! We understand the money might be a little tight right now with the current economic climate, but a little goes a long way in our projects!
If you’re able to donate today, please do, and together we can make it possible for more women and children to succeed and break away from living in poverty.
We are pleased to report that despite delays due to the coronavirus, Year 2 of our 3-year project has been a success. Thank you, we couldn’t have done this without your generous donations!
As a brief reminder, the aim of this three-year project is to equip a total of 105 young and vulnerable women with beauty and hairdressing skills they need to secure an income without risking their future and that of their children, and to provide sustainable livelihoods. The course includes a Leadership and Mentoring Programme to empower the women to share their new awareness and knowledge with other vulnerable women in their communities. The course also included sex education, entrepreneurial skills, yoga, meditation and other vital life skills. Each of the women were also offered individual counselling by a qualified counsellor, to help overcome past traumas.
With year two of the course now completed, all 35 young mothers who were enrolled onto the Hair & Beauty course this year are now fully trained in Hair & Beauty skills and graduated with an accredited diploma in August 2022.They have been fully equipped with communication and entrepreneurial skills to help manage their own business and earn an income to enable them to care for their children. They also share their new knowledge and skills after being empowered to share their new abilities with other women.
In addition,
The women and young girls who took part in this year’s course were either:
All struggled to provide for themselves and their families, unable to guarantee their children a basic education and 3 meals a day.
With your support, our skills training has made it possible for 40% of the women to move from zero income to between 10,000 and 30,000 KSH per month (£240 - £80) by setting up their own salons. The remaining 60% have moved from zero income to between 8,000 and 2,500 KSH per month (£64 - £20) by finding work with a local salon or casually working from home.
They are now earning enough income that they can build brighter lives for themselves, afford a good education for their children, and provide enough food to no longer experience hunger. The women with alcoholic husbands are either being supported as they leave their husbands due to abusive domestic conditions, or are helped to keep their income safe from irresponsible spending.
Your donations have made it possible for 35 vulnerable young women to take control of their lives and are now building better brighter futures for themselves and their children.
Women like Dynah, who is 22 years old with a 5-year-old son and a 2-year old daughter. She is so thankful to you and for the opportunity to learn with us at International Peace Initiatives,
“My life was not very good. I wanted to have something that I could do for my own, like have my own business. Now my life has hope. I have a skill that will assist me to make a good living so that I can take good care of my child. I want to help other women like me, who have nothing for their own. I want to work to make my life better and now I have that opportunity.”
We’re also excited to also share with you that our final year of skills training began at the start of June 2022, with 45 women enrolled onto our final hair & beauty course. Their progress is coming along very well and they are enjoying learning new skills in such a supportive environment.
We’re still searching for funds so that the 45 women who began their course in June can complete their training and graduate next August! Half the course has already been paid for, but there is still £12,000 to be raised! We understand the money might be a little tight right now with the current economic climate, but a little goes a long way in our projects!
If you’re able to donate today, please do, and together we can make it possible for more women and children to succeed and break away from living in poverty.
Links:
We’re celebrating #InternationalWomensDay on 8th March.
There’s no better time to support gender equality with our incredible match-fund opportunity for you!
At Ecologia Youth Trust, we know that helping women and girls unlock their full potential is key to building a brighter future...which is why every day we work with our partner, International Peace Initiatives, to support vulnerable young mothers in Meru, Kenya, to build stronger, sustainable futures for themselves and their children.
Women just like Shani, who is a domestic abuse survivor. Shani is one of the many women in Meru who have taken part in our accredited Hair & Beauty skills training course that is being delivered by our grassroots partner, International Peace Initiatives. Women who have been victims of sexual abuse, domestic violence and forced marriage at a young age.
Shani says, “I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to learn with Ecologia and International Peace Initiatives. They supported me and my young child, and I live with a single mum who was on the same skills training course as I am. With my new skills in Hair & Beauty, I can afford to send my daughter to a good school. She can get the education I never had. I will be the best role model I can be for her. I will show her that she is capable of so much.”
This International Women’s Day, we're inviting you to stand with Shani and the other women on our skills training courses by helping us provide 105 women in Meru County free access to skills training so that they can provide for themselves, their families and change their lives for the better.
In celebration of #InternationalWomensDay, a generous donor has offered 100% match-funding on all donations (up to £500). A donation from you today will have DOUBLE the impact and give even more women the way to step away from poverty.
Donate today to support vulnerable, young women build brighter futures: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/skills-training-to-empower-women-in-meru-kenya/
You can give women and girls in Kenya the opportunities they deserve.
Let’s build a gender equal future together.
In our last report, we were so excited to let you know that 35 women were progressing well with their Hair and Beauty skills training course, despite delays from the pandemic.
Today, on their behalf, I am asking for your help.
In March 2021, 35 single young mothers took the first steps on a journey to a new life. Like Julia, most of these women had turned to commercial sex work in order to provide for their children. With no education, family support, or any other options available to them, they did what they could to survive.
But you gave them hope. Because of your generosity, we were able to provide them with a 1-year skills training course. This course included an accredited Diploma in Hair & Beauty, the training to grow confidence and entrepreneurship skills, as well as valuable education in reproductive health.
Because of you, these 35 women have flourished. They are able to put their newfound skills to use, earning them a good, secure income to provide for themselves and their children. They can make sure their children can now get the school education they never received.
Because of you, these 35 women have the confidence and determination to build their own businesses and succeed. They want to share their knowledge with other women and girls in their communities, providing job opportunities for them.
Because of you, none of them have returned to commercial sex work, and they are supporting other women to grow sustainable lives, away from violence and discrimination. They are educating communities about gender equality and teaching young girls that they have every right to chase their dreams.
Today they need your help, now more than ever. We have been unable to secure the full £22,919 it costs to run year 2 of our 3-year project. They are due to finish their training in February 2022, meaning they only have one more term left until they finish their 1-year course.
But we need just £3,000 in order to cover the final costs of their course. This will see them through their final lessons and exams, while also helping them to buy the equipment necessary to start their own businesses from home to secure their future for the long-term.
Please, act now to secure the futures of the women in our skills training course.
Donate today and help make Julia's dreams come true.
In our last report, we were so excited to let you know that in February 2021, Year 1 of our 3-year project was finished! As a result, 23 women on our Hair & Beauty Skills Training course successfully completed their 1-year course at International Peace Initiatives (IPI) Polytechnic. Many have set up their own businesses at home, and have already began putting their skills to good use. Because of your support, they have transitioned from single mothers working as commercial sex workers, living in poverty and in constant fear of violence, to certified hair & beauty practitioners. They are now an integral part of their communities, earning a good income and able to support their children and send them to good schools. Because of you, these 23 women are living a better life, and can now secure a brighter future for their children.
Today, I’m even more delighted to let you know that we have since began Year 2 of our 3-year project. In February, 35 single mothers began their lessons at IPI Polytechnic. So far, they have learnt about different braiding techniques, different methods in cutting men’s hair, and the technical skills for pedicures and manicures.
They are eager to learn. However, lessons had to come to a halt in March 2021 when the Kenyan Government announced another lockdown in order to reduce the rising number of Coronavirus cases in the country. The women were sent back home, unable to continue at IPI until the lockdown was lifted.
These vulnerable young mothers have no regular income to survive on. And with prices soaring in Kenya, it is becoming even more difficult for those in poverty to buy food supplies, medications, and necessities such as hand sanitiser or soap. Thankfully, the women had learnt enough to put their new-found skills to use. The past couple of months, they have been earning a small income by braiding hair of women and children in their local communities. But they cannot yet earn enough money to help them survive another lockdown.
Will you please help them? Will you donate today to support the 35 women on our skills training course, so that they can provide for themselves and their children while the pandemic continues to create chaos in African communities?
Dr Karambu, Project Manager and Director of IPI says, “We all take one day at a time in these challenging times. I cannot say that it has been easy, but your support has made a huge impact and helped these women remain hopeful for their futures. The difference these skills training courses have made in the lives of women in Kenya and their children is phenomenal.”
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