Educate & Empower 1200 Girls in the Nairobi Slums

Since the beginning of this year, we have been able to pass health, social, economic information to girls, mothers, fathers and the community as a whole through our organization. The information is spreading widely in the community and creating a great connection with the community and thus improving the community way of understanding the issues concerning girls and giving them a reason to think positively about girls and women in the community.

This has been achieved by doing numerous workshops with the girls and outreaches with the community. We have since done three outreaches in the 2 slums that Safe Spaces Organization works with

n  In Kariobangi South

n  In Maili Saba

n  One joint community outreaches – Maili Saba and Kariobangi South

OUR OBJECTIVES

a)    To sensitize the parents and the community on the importance of girl-child education.

b)    To make the community understand what Safe Spaces does with girls in empowering them through education and sports and the special space they have for girls to share their issues and find solutions.

c)     To encourage the community on the need to have informed female leaders in our society.

OUTCOMES

a)    500 members of the community were sensitized on the importance of girl-child education and three quarters of them were supportive and needed support in educating their girls and also needed to have their space to be taught how best they could support their girls.

b)    800 members were taught in nurturing their girls from home in leadership, responsibilities and involving them in decision making and giving them roles like; planning family activities, encouraging them to speak up incase they have problems and consulting them before any family matter is decided on.

c)     1000 members of the community were encouraged on the need to include more girls in leading major community events, encourage the boys and men to support the girls and not intimidate them when in leadership, seek girls and women opinions before they make major decisions that affect the community and support girls initiatives in their community.

ACHIEVEMENTS

a)    Most of the parents in the community have allowed their girls to join the programme.

b)    The parents have been coming to the office to share about their girls improved behavior, leadership skills, taking up of responsibilities at home.

c)     The girls’ performance has improved in school due to their increased self esteem through the education program.

d)    The confidence of the parents and the community towards the program has increased because of the positive attitude shown by the girls who attend the program.

e)     The community support to the program has increased as some of the government officials like the chief has been working hand in hand with the program to ensure the safety of the girls in the community and also promising to organize for bursaries for bright students who are in the program to pursue further education.

CHALLENGES

a)    Due to increased number of girls coming to the program there is congestion due to limited space as we work on a rented space.

b)    Less education resource materials for references and teaching.

c)     There is need to support the girls with panties and the sanitary towels.

d)    Less sporting equipments.

TESTIMONIALS

“I am now a qualified peer educator and I have taken the role of facilitating to the young girls and the other girls of my age in the program”

                                                                DORCAS MACHESO 16 YRS

“The community outreaches have helped me to know that I can also lead my community and I can now believe that a girl can also do the things that the boys are doing, since Safe Spaces girls are leading and teaching us older people.”

                                                             ELIZABETH AKINYI 45 YRS

“Through the program I have been introduced to a new sport (basketball) which relates its drills to life skills and it helps me know how to go about my challenges as a girl growing up in the slum.” 

                                                                             IRENE AWINO 12 YRS

“Long time ago I believed that it was useless to educate a girl because eventually she will be married and take the education to her husband, but through attending the community outreaches led by Safe Spaces Organization, I've realized that things have changed and people without education are more poor and stupid and nowadays I'm seeing a lot of girls who have gone to school, working and helping their parents and now that my girl is getting education from Safe Spaces, I hope she will support herself and support me too.”

                                                                     GEORGE NZOMO 40 YRS

SAFE SPACES GLOBAL GIVING MINI REPORT  Tuesday, June 07, 2011 

Safe Spaces is a project run for and by adolescent girls and young women in the Eastlands slums of Nairobi, Kenya. The project offers female youth a safe space for discussion and exchange around the unique challenges they face as they grow through adolescence into womanhood, to build upon a diverse range of life skills education while creating a platform for sports and artistic expression through theatre, dance, creative writing and photography.

Safe Spaces is a forum through which adolescent girls and young females have the opportunity to express themselves, to build confidence, knowledge of self and leadership skills. This is a space where the young women of today collect the paintbrushes they need to paint the picture of their world, and help them to create their vision of the world of tomorrow.

The money raised by well-wishers and donors help support the girls in day to day steps towards what they want to achieve in life in future. The girls are able to stay in school and learn without fearing that day of the month when previously they had to stay home due to lack of sanitary towels. They are also able to get secondary education through the well-wishers support. This gives them more confidence to face the life challenges of tomorrow.

The girls are able to learn a new sport (basketball) which was perceived as the sport of the rich people and which is unpopular in the slums through the support of the well-wishers. As a result, the girls have been able to play in a local NBA (Nairobi Basketball Association) league which is a platform for corporate bodies and banks to get talented players to play for their teams and that is one way Safe Spaces is trying to eradicate poverty and empowering the girls to be independent. So far two girls have gotten jobs through this platform. Having proper kits for the game is motivating for the girls and we thank our well-wishers for their support in having the correct kits for the games and making it possible for the girls to get to the league matches through the transport support.

The girls have increased their self-esteem and confidence with themselves through the life skills and reproductive health trainings and awareness hence building leadership skills. All this would not have been possible without your support. We hope our partnership will be mutual and we are holding hands together for the welfare of the disadvantaged girls and community as a whole for development.

We are so grateful for your support and we hope to continue working together towards this noble course.

TESTIMONIALS 

“I am now a qualified peer educator and I have taken the role of facilitating to the young girls in the program” MACHESO 16 YRS

“Through the program I have been introduced to a new sport which relates its drills to life skills and it helps me know how to go about my challenges as a girl growing up in the slum.”  IRENE AWINO 12 YRS

  “I was afraid of going to school when I was having my monthly period because I was using old rags which were uncomfortable but not anymore as I get sanitary pads from Safe Spaces every month and am so happy because I don’t miss school anymore.” GRACE NYOKABI 13 YRS