Safe futures - self-reliance for 675 Kenyan girls

Seed of Hope had an eventful term where by students were involved in various activities with the aim of making their learning interesting. We all know that being confined in classroom throughout the term is not an easy task, therefore the Seed of Hope administration came up with activities to allow their students nurture their skills creatively through learning from other professionals. For Nairobi Seed of Hope’s Fashion Design students, there was an opportunity to leave the classroom and be immersed in the world of Fashion Design for a day.

The tour was an eye opener for students as they got to learn from people who have succeeded in the competitive world of fashion industry. Their first stop was at a shopping mall where they visited several shops to look at how clothes are displayed, variety of designs from wedding gowns to high street fashion, different types of crafted materials and products.

Their next stop was at two work stations that is Kiko Romeo and Kache collection who are among the Kenya's top designers and are running successful business . The Managing directors of these businesses took time to share their journey in fashion industry and the students could not hide their joy when they interacted with employees and heard of their experiences.

Teresiah a first year said “I met a former student who had graduated from Seed of Hope and now working at Kache collections. She made me realize that I am in the right place and doing the right course. The madam told us that we need to believe in ourselves and everything that we do in this life in order to become successful and that everything is possible if we do our best.”

They made a final stop at Joy Vision fashions a business established by Rosebella who is a Seed of Hope graduate. Rosebella has be instrumental in mentoring the first year students at Seed of Hope as well as allowing graduate students to join her business during attachment. There was great excitement among the students when they came back and shared their tour adventure with the rest of the girls.

Lilian is a second year student and had this to say “I learned a lot about business marketing, key resources and customer relationship as some of the important elements of a successful business . I was inspired by Rosebella when she told us that in order to succeed in business, one needs to have interest in their work, satisfy your clients and be strong when faced with challenges”.

Apart from the fashion day tour, other highlights that made the term successful were:

• The"Amuka" programme was run for second year students at the Nairobi centre after the success of the pilot programme for first year students .
• A team of teachers from a School in Scotland ran a "Step Up Skills Camp" for forty students from all Seed of Hope centres. Workshops were held on practical skills such as embroidery, felting and printing as well as personal development sessions to build self-esteem and develop marketing skills
• The same teachers also held a workshop for all Seed of Hope staff to train them on various styles of teaching.
• Second year students in Fashion Design have sat their Grade 2 NITA (National Industrial Training Authority) exams.
• 15 new laptops have been delivered to Seed of Hope Centre in Kitui for new courses in Computer Packages and Business Administration.
• A new workshop has been completed at the centre in Kisii which will house the course in welding and metalwork.
• Students preparing to graduate have begun working on their business plans. Some have even had the opportunity to pitch their ideas to potential investors.

We spoke to few girls on the impact of being at Seed of Home and they shared their journey.

Beverlyne shares her journey so far...

"My name is Beverlyne. I am a first year student taking fashion fabric design. Before I came to Seed of Hope I used to work as a house girl. My life was a frustrating one because of mistreatment I received from some of my employers. I never knew what happiness was.
I thank God for the opportunity to join Seed of Hope. It has given me reason to live again. The opportunity I had lost in life I have received it at Seed of Hope. Seed of Hope has impacted in me skills and knowledge that will help me reach my dreams.

Through Seed of Hope, I was able to attend the Step Up Skills Camp that gave me a lot of experience in the area of business, marketing and also the area of craft and new techniques that will improve my working skills.
My level of confidence, courage and self-esteem have grown to a high level because of the generosity of teachers who sacrifice their time to mentor and impact knowledge in us.
May God bless Vision Africa and Seed of Hope and all the sponsors, for they have transformed my life through the skills and knowledge I have acquired.”

Caroline also shared her journey as she prepares to graduate.
“I am Caroline a second year student at Seed of Hope. I never knew about Seed of Hope until the day my uncle came to the village. He told my parents and some of our neighbors about Seed of Hope and they all agreed that since we were idle after completing primary education, we should enroll in this program to acquire knowledge and skills. My uncle brought me and 5 other girls from the village to join Seed of Hope in Nairobi. He rented a house for us and our parent would have to send monthly support to enable us meet our basic needs.

Since I joined Seed of Hope, I have gained skills in my course of study, my self esteem have increased and I have become courageous. In my first year, I sat for grade 3 exams and passed well and this year, I did grade 2 exams which l hope to get good results. I can't wait to graduate in December and go for attachment since I want to also sit for grade 1 exams in order to pursue my dream career as a fashion design teacher.

My future plan is to establish a successful business before I advance in fashion design course at the university in order to be the best teacher and designer. I look forward to the time when I will be able to give back to the community by imparting the same skills that I received from Seed of Hope to other girls who are disadvantage and had lost hope to have a better life. I know I will become a better person, independent and successful.
I thank Seed of Hope for the many opportunities they have given me. May God continue to bless the good work in transforming lives of young girls like me”

Seed of Hope would not exist without the support received through your generous giving . On behalf of Teresiah, Lilian, Beverlyne, Caroline and the 303 other students we thank you for planting a seed and giving them the opportunity to improve their lives and that of their families.
Thank you all for your ongoing support of our