Working with street connected Proud Moms in Kenya

Challenge

A single young street-connected mother is one too many to be on the streets. It has been identified that family conflicts, dropping out of school, financial hardship, Identity exploration & peer pressure are the main causes of young mothers being on the streets. Once on the streets the majority of these girls end up getting pregnant from a young age, are addicted to recreational drugs, are sexually exploited & abused and get to the age of 18 with minimal education or economic empowerment.

Solution

We focus on educating the mothers on their rights, training them in positive parenting, nutrition, life skills and basic literacy or school continuation for those interested and in a position to attend. We offer addiction and trauma counselling and create and promote socio-economic opportunities. We facilitate ID card application for those who are of age and arrange for basic accommodation as they move away from life on the streets. Ongoing support assists in their empowerment and independence.

Long-Term Impact

We strive to reduce the number of mothers and children on the streets. We look to improve their livelihood through self-sustainability, better parenting and to reduce the chances of their children ending up on the streets again. With improved health awareness, social & life skills these young women can become more productive members of society. During their time with the programme there is also learning from their interactions with others who are in similar situations to them.