Education is a basic human right. Education is more than reading and writing. Education empowers the most vulnerable and marginalized individuals in society and gives them the basic skills they need to sustain themselves. Most children in slum areas are underprivileged in education rights due to poverty. Children are delightful their innocence, playfulness, and imagination make them unique, and their energies always draw people around them. Sadly not all children have this opportunity. Slum children are faced with trauma and suffering at a young age. They are usually exposed to child labour, sexual exploitation, illegal activities, early marriages and are sometimes trafficked to be soldiers in war. Other challenges that still affect children education in the slum are sexual abuse, pregnancies, and gender inequality.
The levels of cruelty faced by slum children at young age affect their growth and development. Despite our Government making primary and secondary education free, tuition fee is still necessary to run the schools. Most households in the Githogoro community can only afford a small percentage of the tuition fees for their children. This financial constraint on the parents and caregivers leads to a high dropout number of children and others not being enrolled due to poverty. We believe every child must have an equal chance at a quality education. Our Education Program will cater for poor children in the community who cannot afford to pay tuition fees, buy school uniforms, shoes, and stationeries. Your donation helps us support every child with their school needs. Education protects children from poverty, abuse, and violence. Education gives them the necessary basic skills and critical thinking skills and protects them from manipulation. Our focus is mainly on the poor children within the community. We believe when children get an education, it breaks the cycle of poverty in a community
According to FAO, in Kenya 46% of the population lives on less than $1 a day, 35% of children below 5 years are chronically malnourished, and 36.5% are food insecure. In the Githogoro slum, food insecurity is prevalent. The number of family conflicts and violence reports filed at the chief’s office in Githogoro shows a strong connection between food insecurity and violence. Children are usually caught up in these violent states and are left devastated and in extreme cases homeless. Food insecurity in Githogoro households is due to financial limitations and unemployment. Our main aim is to reduce all forms of poverty within the community. We aim to strengthen the community’s capacity to improve their livelihoods. We will train the women on the basics of financial literacy, micro-finance, vocational skills and traditional skills that will generate a sustainable income source.
We will invite mentors and skilled trainers who will educate, train and inform the community on the importance of sustainable social-economic change. This helps them build up resilience during tough times. To guarantee the sustainability of the program, we will be supporting the women to develop business plans and start up businesses that will both benefit them and our organization. When a household has a stable income, there’s both household security and food security. This in return provides a healthy and safe environment for the children to grow up in. We believe in creating sustainable livelihoods that can withstand the stress of changing circumstances.
According to the Violence Against Children Survey, 2019 by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, 16% of girls and 6% of boys experience sexual violence by the age of 18. There are different forms of risks and emergencies within slum communities- SGBV, SHRH, physical abuse, exploitation, epidemics et cetera. Slum children are at high risk of being victims of violence- physical and sexual due to their unforgiving environment and timid state that makes them easily manipulated.
Our Health Program will promote and advocate for HIV/AIDS, Sexual and Reproductive Health and the rights of women and girls on issues of sexual exposure and reproductive choices
There is a lot of shame and stigma for the people affected by HIV/AIDS among slum dwellers and marginalized communities. Most community members living with AIDS in this set up find it difficult to let others know their status. This puts everyone in danger of contracting the virus when they get involved sexually with the infected persons unknowingly. We will advocate and campaign for HIV/AIDS education among the community members to reduce the stigma and help them cultivate self-love.
Health According to WHO the sexual rights of all persons must be protected, respected, and fulfilled. We will promote sexual health education among teenagers. We will encourage girls to learn more about their bodies, teach them how to prevent unwanted pregnancies, STI's and importance of sexual health education. This helps to build up their self-esteem and self awareness on sexual health importance
To achieve this, we will work closely with children, parents, caregivers, schools, the community and the local authorities to ensure every child is protected from abuse- physical and sexual. Protecting children takes an entire nation. We believe in creating a safer environment to promote their growth, health and wellness.