Emergency COVID-19 support for Kenyan children

Hello,

I hope you have been staying safe and well.

Firstly I wanted to thank you for your incredible support to our emergency COVID-19 appeal to support children and young people in Kenya.  We have been able to provide immediate support to children and their families exactly when they needed it, thanks to you.

Whilst the impact of COVID-19 continues to impact unemployment and poverty levels in Kenya, many of our students in our two rural Seed of Hope training centres are now facing an even more devastating disaster.  Severe droughts this year have resulted in crop failures driving up the cost of food, as there is less available, making it even harder for families, already struggling, to make ends meet.  Wells have also dried up forcing families to buy water - another expense they can't afford.

Many of our students reported that the lunch we provide whilst they learn was the only meal they were eating all day.  Some students were even taking their lunch home to share with their younger siblings and parents.  We responded immediately and have been providing every student with a bag of rice each week to take home to their families, and we have started providing breakfast and fruit snacks for the students so they can focus on their lessons without being hungry.

The impact of the drought will continue next year as below average rains are forecast for the rest of this year which impacts the crop cycle and produce due to be sewn or sold for next year.  The regions most affected are those who have already been hit hardest by the impact of COVID-19 and are living below the poverty line.

Thanks to your generosity and kindness we have been able to quickly provide emergency support to families already devastated by COVID-19 who are now coping with drought too.

Thank you for standing by us - and these children and families.  This really is providing an essential lifeline for people who have nowhere else to turn.

We really value your support.

With best wishes,

Kirsty

Raising Futures Kenya Director
kirsty@raisingfutureskenya.org.uk

P.S. As a valued member of our Raising Futures family, we'd love to invite you to a special online event to meet the team. 

Join us on Wednesday December 1st 1-2pm (GMT) where you'll hear from Andy, our Chair, sharing stories of our Seed of Hope graduates. Mary (Operations Director) and Florence (Seed of Hope Manager) will join us live from Kenya to tell you what's happening in Kenya.  Myself and Vic will also be joining from the UK.

You'll have the chance to ask questions and make suggestions if you like, or just sit back and enjoy listening (it's not essential to have your video on/participate). 

To register to join us online please visit our website, we'd love for you to join us https://www.raisingfutureskenya.org.uk/meet-the-team-event/

Links:

• Register here for our Meet the Team event on Dec 1st 1-2pm GMT

Hello,

I hope you are well and have been able to get together with loved ones recently.

In my last email I mentioned that students were delighted to be back in the classroom. Sadly 2 weeks later Kenya went into another lockdown, thankfully this has now been lifted and the vaccine rollout is underway.

As I'm sure you understand, it will be a long time before things return to normal. Sadly unemployment has doubled in Kenya since COVID-19, with a staggering 1.5million young people now out of work. Many families live hand-to-mouth and the casual labour jobs they previously relied upon have been lost. We've seen firsthand the devastating impact this has had. With very few jobs available, self-employment can provide an opportunity to earn a living.

Mary, Florence and the team in Kenya have interviewed 300+ members of the community to assess the impact of COVID-19 on employment and business opportunities, and what training and skills are needed locally. The results showed we urgently needed to make changes to our Seed of Hope vocational training programme to cope with a huge increase in demand for technical and business skills training. This is coupled with a significant drop in funding available to international development charities, including cuts to Government funding, which we had previously received.

To address the increase in demand, and the drop in funding, we are now condensing our technical vocational training courses into 6 months instead of 12 months. Mary and Florence have worked closely with the training authorities to develop a curriculum which covers everything the students need, in a shorter time. This will mean students can learn their skill and start earning quicker, and it means we can train double the number of students at no extra cost.

We are also introducing a new Business, Financial Literacy and Computer Skills short course at all 3 centres which will run for 7 weeks and teach young people everything they need to know to launch a small business and earn a secure income.

These changes will mean in the next year we are able to support 900 vulnerable young people to build a bright, financially secure future, previously this was just 250. Within 3 months of completing the courses we anticipate 90% of students will have set up their own small business or gained employment, and within 6 months we anticipate they will be earning enough to live above the poverty line.

This new beginning for Seed of Hope starts this month with the new cohort of students joining us. We're really excited about the opportunities that await these young people with the right training and support.

This wouldn't be possible without you standing by us. Thank you for helping us get through the toughest year we have faced. We know this has been a difficult time for everyone and your support means the world to us, thank you. 

Linet’s story

We support young people like Linet, who had an incredibly traumatic childhood, experiencing ongoing sexual abuse and becoming a mother of twins at an early age. Despite performing well at secondary school, before joining Seed of Hope Linet struggled to make ends meet, with no practical skills or opportunities for further education or training.

“My life wouldn’t have been good without Seed of Hope. I’ve found everything that I’ve never had before. I don’t know where I would have been right now without it, I would have been demoralised, I probably would have died because of my low self-esteem and depression.” 

Linet joined Seed of Hope in 2019, completing a vocational training course and accessing mental health support through the programme. She graduated with a qualification in Fashion Design and is now a tailor at the company where she did her work experience. As well as supporting her twins, she is now able to send money to support her six siblings with their education and hopes to start her own business when she has saved enough. 

Stay safe and thank you once again for your incredibly generous and kind support.

Best wishes,

Kirsty
UK Director