Young Mother's Can

Empowering young mothers economically

The Star Girls Program began with the objective of empowering in and out of school teenagers through comprehensive Sex and Reproductive Health Education to end teenage Pregnancy in Mukuru while at the same time offering psycho-social support to pregnant teens and support teenage mothers and young mothers below the age of 22 years to be self reliant.

Teenage pregnancy limits educational achievement and ultimately the life opportunities for girls and socio economic status of women and also their mental status.

Our interventions are wired to empower each cluster depending on the need. Our aim is to ensure teenage girls have an opportunity to go back to school and complete primary and secondary school education for age (13yrs -18yrs) through onsite daycare and constant communication with parents of these teenagers. For those already out of school, we aim to link them to vocational skills training opportunities to empower them with hands on skills(18yrs -22 years).

We have a group of young mothers who we are aiming at empowering them economically through various Income generating ventures and linking them to employment opportunities to grow their self reliance and reduce the risks and vulnerability that comes with dependency.

We have started small with a fruit parlor business engaging six of our young mothers aiming to empower them with entrepreneurship skills. In partnership with Mukuru Employment agency, we are also incorporating table-banking skills, marketing skills and other essential skills. This is a venture to support them to achieve economic freedom and improve the nutrition status of their children through a constant income.

 This is just but a small beginning as we look forward to our five-year strategic plan. Ruben Centre is in the process of coming up with a new strategic plan for the year 2021-2025. The new Growth area is on Youth empowerment a component that Ruben Centre has not explored so much in the past.

Our advocacy is often shaped by arising need, emerging issues, research and the constant changing environment. Through partnership with Cities Rise, the Salama Youth Hub was born with a focus of empowering Youth in areas of Mental Health by creating safe spaces for the Mukuru Youth

Kenya has a population of 53 million with a mean age of 19 years and a population where half the people are under 35 years. Youth according the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) face a myriad of challenges that truly impact on their lives.

·       Lack of affordable secondary and tertiary education opportunities.

·       Unemployment

·       Domestic and social violence, which threatens their mental wellbeing.

·       Little financial support to initiate financial self-reliance and sustainability.

·       Cultural and religious bias, which deprives the youth of essential knowledge about relationships and choices, associated with reproductive health.

However, our greatest challenge still remains to be funding, as all these activities require funds to ensure continuity and comprehensive empowerment for Youth in areas of Education, Economic Empowerment, Mental Wellness, Building resilience and other activities. Into the future, there is also need to expand our Vocational training centre to incorporate other trendy trainings such as catering, hairdressing and beauty, IT among others.