Let's give girls training for a vibrant future

Four months into the Training Centre Agricultural project and the girls are not looking back. At present, there are 16 girls in the program who are in their late teens and early adulthood. Having arrived at the Centre in January they seem to have learned a lot in just the past four months and are exuding great confidence. Their teachers have given positive reports about their progress and say the girls are willing to learn, are learning well and coping well with the manual work.

A rotational basis is used in this project thus each girl has an opportunity to manage at least one crop from planting to harvesting. As such, each girl is not only being empowered with agricultural skills but with basic farm management and supervisory skills. While some of them were growing crops in their rural homes, their knowledge was not so vast and the types they grew were few. Currently, the 6 greenhouses donated by AFCAIDS have the following plants in them: red pepper, yellow pepper, cherry tomato, cabbage, english cucumber, cauliflower and broccoli.

Conversations with the girls revealed that before joining this program, the majority of them were sitting idle in their rural homes and unable to find employment. Some had completed their ordinary level education whilst others had failed to do so as a result of financial constraints. Thanks to AFCA, these girls have been given a second chance and have been afforded the opportunity to learn new skills and grow. One 22-year-old expressed gratitude in the following remark, “Joining this program made me realise that I can do some work with my hands and I do not have to depend on anyone. The training has been very helpful and I can now manage my crops without supervision”.

We have extreme gratitude for the continued support given to our girls by AFCA. Thank you for helping us to empower young women and girls and by so doing contributing to their overall well-being and protecting them from engaging in exploitative work. At Sandra Jones Centre, we strive to positively impact the world around us.

The team here at the American Foundation for Children with AIDS thanks you for supporting this project and the work we do for the children in Africa.  As you start to make decisions regarding your giving this year, please keep us in mind so we can continue our good work through 2023 and beyond.  If you would like to learn even more about what we do or how you can meet some of the children you have helped, please contact Tanya Weaver at tweaver@AFCAids.org.