Skills Training to Empower Women in Meru, Kenya

by Ecologia Youth Trust
Skills Training to Empower Women in Meru, Kenya
Skills Training to Empower Women in Meru, Kenya
Skills Training to Empower Women in Meru, Kenya
Skills Training to Empower Women in Meru, Kenya
Skills Training to Empower Women in Meru, Kenya
Skills Training to Empower Women in Meru, Kenya
Skills Training to Empower Women in Meru, Kenya
Skills Training to Empower Women in Meru, Kenya

Project Report | Oct 14, 2020
The next steps for our Skills Training programme

By Robyn Cooper | Project Development and Marketing Officer

Collecting food parcels at IPI during the pandemic
Collecting food parcels at IPI during the pandemic

I think we can all agree that the past few months have challenged us in ways we couldn’t have foreseen. Here in the UK, people have worried for their health, their jobs, and their loved ones.

It’s been a similar story overseas in Africa as well.

In March 2020, our partners – International Peace Initiatives – unfortunately had to close their doors to comply with the lockdown in Kenya. That meant that the 25 women who were close to finishing their accredited Diploma in Hair & Beauty, were asked to go home.

Lilian, Enda, and Rose are 3 of the women who are waiting to return to their studies at International Peace Initiatives. They say, “There are no jobs, schools are closed, and we cannot even go to church. All we do is stay at home. We would have already finished our training by now…we don’t even know whether we’ll definitely be able to finish! The economy is bad, everything is so expensive now. There is simply no money, because there are no jobs. We stay at home in fear, but we really want to come back and compete our course. We were learning so much and now we feel stuck.”

With no other jobs available and no means of an income, their situation was bleak. Food prices were increasing on a daily basis and other provisions were becoming hard to come by. That still is the case, but thanks to donors who supported our Emergency Appeal, we were able to raise enough funds to support the 25 women and their children. We provided them with masks, soap, food parcels and money to cover their rent so they don’t become homeless.

Thankfully, we are now in a position to say that the restrictions are being lifted in Kenya.

The 25 women engaged in our Skills Training have been supported throughout the pandemic, and we are happy to let them know that they will be finishing off their Diploma in January 2021. With only 3 months of training left, Lilian, Enda, Rose and the other women on the course will be trained Hairdressers by April 2021, ready to grow their own businesses.

However, they have no income until January 2021. This is where you can help, to support them and their children until they are able to qualify as professionals.

We’re excited to let you know that our second cohort of students for next year’s course are currently being selected! In January 2021, 35 women will be taking their first steps towards a new life of equality and independence. No longer will they have to turn to commercial sex work to provide for their families. Instead, they will spend their time learning Hair and Beauty techniques – a respected and profitable skillset in rural Kenyan communities. 

Despite the hardships that this year has brought us, we’re very optimistic about what the future holds for the women in our skills training programmes.

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Jun 8, 2020
Some good news during a challenging time

By Robyn Cooper | Project Development and Marketing Officer

Feb 12, 2020
Women benefit from training towards independence

By Liza Hollingshead | Director International Projects

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.

Sign up for updates

Organization Information

Ecologia Youth Trust

Location: Forres, Moray - United Kingdom
Website:
Facebook: Facebook Page
Twitter: @EcologiaYouthTr
Project Leader:
Robyn Cooper
Forres , Moray United Kingdom

Funded Project!

Combined with other sources of funding, this project raised enough money to fund the outlined activities and is no longer accepting donations.
   

Still want to help?

Find another project in Kenya or in Gender Equality that needs your help.
Find a Project

Learn more about GlobalGiving

Teenage Science Students
Vetting +
Due Diligence

Snorkeler
Our
Impact

Woman Holding a Gift Card
Give
Gift Cards

Young Girl with a Bicycle
GlobalGiving
Guarantee

Get incredible stories, promotions, and matching offers in your inbox

WARNING: Javascript is currently disabled or is not available in your browser. GlobalGiving makes extensive use of Javascript and will not function properly with Javascript disabled. Please enable Javascript and refresh this page.