Improve the wellbeing of 10,000 Orphans in Kenya

OPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN MAPPING

Due to the poverty level of the pupils in the schools that WE REACH has been supporting in the WASH project, the organization saw the need to start the program of the orphans and vulnerable children in the five schools that are in the rural area. WE REACH had already engaged the school administration led by the head teacher and the local chief in the area to conduct a research and come up with four pupils who are most vulnerable 2 boys and 2 girls.

The organization will support the orphans and vulnerable children/learns with learning materials that is books, pens, uniforms, bags, shoes among other learning basic needs. Caregivers of the children will be trained on basic skills of starting a small business and also on kitchen garden. The purpose of the garden is to provide food to the family and when the harvest is in surplus they can sell and buy other family needs. Most of these orphans cannot afford three meals in a day, breakfast is missed frequently. Breakfast is very vital when it comes to a child development and concentration in class. WE REACH hope to address that issue through training and sensitization of the caregivers on proper nutrition and development of children.

The schools administration were very much grateful to the organization for the noble act to support the orphans and vulnerable children in their schools. They said it will really help in a bigger way because those kids will have an easy time now to concentrate in class and to improve their performance in academics. Lastly they requested WE REACH if the can add the number of the orphans to support due to the large number of them in their schools.

ACTIVITY PROCEEDINGS

The purpose of this activity was to increase sustainability by ensuring the beneficiaries have owned the activity for long and will continue doing after WE REACH exits. WE REACH conducted a training to Orphans and vulnerable Children (OVCs) caregivers on kitchen garden and how to start a small business in their community that will be able to sustain them and the children they take care of.

Training of OVCs Caregivers on Kitchen garden.

Kitchen garden

The caregivers were trained on how they can start and maintain their kitchen garden. It was made clear to them that a kitchen garden is a small shamba or garden near their houses, where they can plant various vegetables and fruits. It was vivid that not any other shamba or garden can be called a kitchen garden.

It came out during the training that a kitchen garden can play a very vital role in sustaining the family need such as food basket and also financially. The caregivers were urged to use the kitchen garden as a source of income generating activities by selling part of their produce in the local market. This will enable them to acquire other essential needs like clothes, shoes, school fees among others.

 On managing and maintenance of the garden it was discussed and agreed that they can use traditional method in yielding more produce by boosting the fertility of the soil by using animal waste and ash to prevent pests from damaging the crops.

The caregivers who did not have the gardens were encouraged to start developing their own because it’s an important initiative in the homestead. This cuts down the budget by 50% of the house. Therefore, making it a nessicity for each and every house hold to embrace.

How to Start a Small Business?

Having or owning a business is one of the ways of earning a living apart from being employed. Owing the current situation in the country and the world on the Corona virus pandemic, most of the population have lost their jobs and some are getting half of their salaries. Therefore, participants saw the importance of owning a business in the current crisis of unemployment.

Some questions like what need is there in my community? What can I do to address the need? And also where can I get the capital to address the need? The aspect of getting out of your comfort zone was emphasized in a way that, it gives them motivation to pursue the unknown hoping for a better ending.

Discussion and brainstorming was used to bring out the business opportunity available in their community which are; poultry keeping, selling fruits, vegetables, masks and liquid hand washing soap among others. Some caregivers have businesses this helped in the discussion on how they started their businesses, their challenges and achievements.

They were later trained on how to identify and pick an appropriate location for the business, how to set their prices and how to keep records on what they sell in order to account for profit or loss.    Caregivers are important as they can be role models to the children. They are critical in ensuring that the children food and other basic needs are available.   

WE REACH took the contact of the caregiver and the schools which their children attend in order to follow up on their academic work and wellbeing. This will help the organization in planning and coming up with strategies to address their problems.

LESSONS LEARN

• Training the caregivers on kitchen garden helps boost the nutrition of the family.
• Business can be a source of employment.
• Kitchen garden can reduce the budget of the house by 50%

CHALLENGES

• Lack of starting capital for the business for some of the caregivers. But WE REACH challenged them to start doing small saving.
• Lack of enough space to set up a kitchen garden.
• Not enough knowledge and skills to start and manage a business.
• Most of them lack exposure and experience in running a business. WE REACH used those who already have small business to share their experience so that others can learn some lessons.
• Lack market of the produce. WE REACH guided the caregivers ideas like having a small kiosk in the village market.

5.0: RECOMMENDATIONS AND REQUIRED ACTIONS.

• The caregiver should find ways of resource mobilization like fundraising from family members or borrow from micro-finance institutions.
• They can plant the vegetable in bags or tins if they have no space.
• They can liaise with the extension officer in the best approaches in boosting their produce of their farm.
• Conducting a market research first to have knowledge which products are on demand and their sustainability in the area.