Train 100 Young Teen Mums to Gain Skills in Kenya

Since 2017 Community Focus Group  project train 100 teenage mothers has been contributing to the youth Development workforce, it has achieved local ownership and demonstrated a sustainable systems approach to improving youth workforce readiness and employment. 

Our project has been unique as we have been working with teenage mothers and our initiative prioritized inclusive participation of both the mothers and the girls to endure the success of the initiative. 

We have faced alot of challenges because of the limited funding for trainers and equipment, however we soldiered on with the little we have ,hoping that things will get better .We hope in the coming months to be able to begin enrolling more teenage mothers who are very interested in our project and are very keen to get enrolled following the successful completion of their predecessors. 

Title : Project Ruth Name : Ruth County : Homabay Town: Oyugis Age:18 years Ruth began her training in hairdressing in 9 February 2022.She was very excited and anxious at the same having no background of hairdressing or beauty.The fear of not performing being a student who left class several years back as a dropout kept haunting her as she began her skilled based training at Elegance hair salon. On the orientation day she was introduced to other beneficiaries of the same program and they shared their stories and how the program has transformed their lives. It was enough to encourage her to have faith in herself and increase her self assurance that she can have a better future once she finalizes the training. In three months Ruth can attest that she has learnt a lot in hairdressing. She has a great report on the skills she has already acquired for this period for example retouching and fixing artificial dreadlocks, braiding and cornrow lines. It was impressive to hear she is able to handle a client by herself. She is also earning a commission from every client she handles. Achievements Ruth joined a small Chama (table banking) that the owner of the premise started for her employees. She is able to save the commission she gets and she was able to get some money and paid school fees for her youngest brother who is in school. In addition she is able to support her widowed mum to cater for a few bills and buy food.It is amazing to hear very encouraging stories of the progress she has made three months to this skill based development program initiative by Community focus Group. She is very grateful for the impact the program has granted her as a single mum.

100 Girls Initiative Progress Report

Year :2021

Cohort: 3

County: Homabay

Background

The 100 girls initiated is a program that was designed and implemented by Community Focus Group since March 2018 and has contributed a lot in the lives of teen mothers in Homabay county and other counties. The program’s main objective is to develop skills of teen mothers who have dropped out of school by imparting them with skills on hairdressing, tailoring, beauty, catering, basketry and jewelry making. The process and the training have brought a lot of changein the lives of teen mothers who have lost hope in life.

So far CFG has trained two cohorts in Homabay county from 2018 which included six participants from Homabay county.Homabay 2021 Cohorts In 2021 homabay selected 2 teen mothers to join the training on hairdressing at Elegance salon inOyugis town. They began their training on the 23rd March 2021 after their orientation by their instructor Pamela. Melvin and Sweery were grateful to join the skill development training after having a difficult experience as teen who dropped out of school.They joined the training on the 23rd March 2021 with no experience on hairdressing but with the zeal to learn and be productive participants. One of the girls joined when her self esteem was very low and it took her time to become social and start opening up due to traumatic experience.

This Is the work you supported us and was successful last year, we look forward to doing much more this year in transforming the lives of teenage mothers in Kenya.