THE ROAD TO THE GIRL POWER CHILD-ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION: JUNE

GIRL POWER CLUBS AFRICA TAKES A BOLD STEP TO BUILD AND SUPPORT BUSINESS INITIATIVES AMONG CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS.

Joy and excitement fill the minds and hearts of members of Girl Power Clubs Africa as we draw near to the competition day which is on the 22nd of June 2024.  In the previous weeks the participants have been grouped into different groups and with the help of their facilitators have been able to come up with outstanding business ideas. During the group formation, the facilitators were keen enough to put the participants in groups without bias and in a way that everyone was comfortable. The facilitators mixed the students in the upper classes with those in the lower classes, those who are quick to learn and who take time to learn a new concept. Each group got to select a leader amongst themselves and the group leaders received instructions from the facilitators and they pass the information to the rest of the group.

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Key areas that will be looked at by the judges focus on teamwork. This will be to see whether the group worked together to develop one idea. Other things to look at will include communication skills in the group, how organized they are, and their confidence while presenting the idea.

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PRICES FOR THE WINNERS

The start-up competition is aimed at evaluating the business ideas that the participants have and selecting the ones that qualify to receive financial support. A total of Ksh. 20,000 has been set aside to be distributed to the winners on this level. This award will motivate the participants to do their best and also help them to begin to realize that their dreams are achievable even at a young age. The winners will also get a chance to get one-on-one mentorship with some of our partners in the business department.

By Medrine

Girl Power Business Formation Groups

Girl Power Clubs Africa members across Nairobi are thrilled about the opportunity to receive business education from our dedicated facilitators. This initiative aims to equip young girls with essential entrepreneurial skills, fostering their creativity and empowering them to explore their potential. The students have been organized into groups of about seven, based on their unique skills and abilities, ensuring a diverse range of talents and perspectives within each team.

Within these groups, the girls engage in dynamic brainstorming sessions, exploring various business ideas they can start at a young age. Some of the innovative business ideas presented by the girls include selling snacks like mandazis to their peers during break time and offering mending services for torn school uniforms. These ideas reflect the girls' keen understanding of their immediate environment and the practical needs of their fellow students.

The girls are confident that, with the support and guidance from the facilitators and teachers, they can successfully implement these business ideas. This confidence is nurtured through hands-on learning experiences and mentorship, which provide the girls with a solid foundation in business principles and practical skills.

As seen in the picture, some Girl Power members are actively discussing their business ideas, demonstrating their enthusiasm and commitment to this initiative. The discussions are vibrant and filled with creative energy, as the girls exchange thoughts and refine their concepts.

Lillian, one of the students, expressed her excitement about the program: 

"When I grow up, I want to become a businesswoman, so getting a business education right now will help me become responsible and achieve my goals in the future."

Her statement highlights the profound impact this program has on the girls, inspiring them to envision a future where they are empowered, responsible, and successful.

This initiative not only provides the girls with valuable business knowledge but also instills in them a sense of responsibility and ambition. By nurturing their entrepreneurial spirit at a young age, the program lays the groundwork for a generation of empowered women ready to contribute positively to their communities and the broader economy.

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Written by Medrine Kidavae

Girl Power Clubs Africa Celebrates the Menstrual Hygiene Day 24

The Menstrual Hygiene Day is observed to create awareness and to act to address the challenges and hardships faced by women and adolescent girls during menstruation.

Thematically, the 10th Menstrual Hygiene Day celebrated on the 28th of May 2024, underlined the commitment to making menstruation a normalized and respected aspect of life. The focus was on ensuring that by 2030, no one is held back because they menstruate. This vision aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to health, education, and gender equality. 

The Girl Power Clubs Africa joined the world in making this day a memorable one specifically in Kenya around the Kibera neighborhoods.

The facilitation of menstrual hygiene.

 Every organization was doing it in its own way. For Girl Power Clubs Africa, we went to one of the schools which we partner with, to talk about how society views menstruation and if fathers and other stakeholders in the society were involved in creating awareness to everyone in the society to be part of it and help the girls during their cycle by providing sanitary towel and any basic thing

 

The girls were given a forum to share their views on how society viewed menstruation, it was the negative response that most fathers are not involved furthermore they view it as the mother’s responsibility to handle such issues, what if a girl doesn’t have a mother who will help her during this journey? This question keeps ringing in the girls' minds and community as a whole.

The mentors facilitated proper hygiene to the girls during their cycle, disposing of used sanitary towels and how to wear them, and what challenges they are facing during their cycle and is a lot of challenge that needs to be addressed so that our girls overcome this menstrual stigma.

By Laura Adera, Sadili

 

Child Mentorship - The Long Awaited GIRL POWER CLUB Program Resumes

What if your children could learn the basics of starting a business and even have mentors to follow them up to make even as small as 10 dollars per month as they pursue their education at a young age? Imagine your child of 8 in 10 years. __Read through

After school reopening had been postponed for two long weeks thanks to heavy rains, the Kenyan government through the Ministry of Education announced that all schools re-open and students report back to school for their second term. But this was only after the heavy rains from April 18 till date had gracefully reduced.

Girl Power Club on a visit to Miracle and Victory Educational Centre 

What does this mean for the Girl Power Club?

This means we again have the chance to continue empowering the girl children through high-class mentorship and sports.

This week from 20th to 25th May, we started our weekly visits to the schools we partner with. As seen in the picture, this is one of our facilitators engaging with the girls during a session at Miracle and Victory Educational Centre in Kibera, Nairobi.

The girls are happy to be back in school and even excited they will continue to be empowered through the girl power sessions.

“I am glad that our mentors teach us some things that we are not taught in class by our teachers." Levine, a girl power club member said.

Some said they always look forward to the club days in school as they know they get to meet and interact with their mentors from Girl Power Club, something they really enjoy; something that inspires and motivates them.

This term our focus is on Business education and our goal is to equip the participants with knowledge and skills that will enable them to start up small businesses even at their young age. We look forward to a successful second term with the girls while helping them acquire leadership skills through our activities.

You can partner with us and we walk this journey of empowering girls together for a better future.

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Comment your interest below or email us at girlpowerclubs@gmail.com

ANOTHER COVID-19 HITS HARD ON KENYA

 FEAR AND ANGER RISE WITH DELAYED DREAMS AMIDST SCHOOL POSTPONEMENT DUE TO FLOODS IN KENYA

Another COVID-19 - Like Consequence of FLOOD HITS Kenya in the GROINS!

For weeks now, heavy rains have continued to drag over half of Kenya with the humans therein. More than 163,000 residents in Nairobi have now been evacuated, some voluntarily and some forcefully, as the government announced Sunday(CNN).

Its severity has provoked the Kenyan government to postpone school re-openings until further notice on who is winning this talk of war. School resumption has been pushed from the initial date, 30th April, to an unknown date to be communicated as the rain is contained. Let’s take a look at the feelings on the streets of Kenya, how they have received this news, and what this means to examination classes.

The girl power mentors paid a visit to the slums of Kibera to a few club members to see how they were faring and to hear their views on the delay of school re-opening. We interviewed Meldrine a Form 4 student at Kibera Girls Soccer Academy. Meldrine who is supposed to sit for her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exams in November this year said that she was afraid that they would be left behind as far as the syllabus is concerned. Additionally, they will have no time to exhaust the topics programmed for the second term. Meldrine said looking sad...

credit: CNN

“What if the rains go on and on? That will mean we might not be able to go back to school soon and I may not become a doctor in the future as I have always wanted to be.”

Despite the fear, she hopes the rains will reduce and all the students in the country will return to school. 

We also spoke to Meldrine’s mother who is a single mother of five. She explained how the late postponement affected her financial plans because she had planned ahead of the term, now this is a big blow to herself and her children.

We spoke to Ivy a grade 5 student at Joseph Kang’ethe Primary School who mentioned that she has used this period to continue building her sportsmanship in soccer at a field near her home. She said that she looks forward to the school re-opening to resume her journey of becoming a lawyer. Her mother mentioned that although Ivy is happy to be using this time to play soccer she is afraid that by the time schools re-open she will have no money for her school fees since she has used her savings to provide meals and to keep the family safe during the floods.

Another parent added…“I just pray that this flood will not be like the COVID-19 pandemic where the kids stayed at home for almost one year. I hope they can go back to school as soon as possible and their dreams will not be delayed or shuttered by the catastrophic floods.” 

Our prayer goes to all the families displaced and affected in one way or the other!

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KENYAN CATASTROPHIC FLOOD LEAVES FAMILIES DESPERATE CLAIMING OVER 150 LIVES AND DISPLACING MORE THAN 40, 000 KENYANS

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A Natural disaster has broken its way into the daily lives of Kenyans. Many parts of Kenya have been experiencing heavy rains since the 18th  of April 2024. 

As one can see in the images, the heavy rain has led to floods leaving many people in distress following the ruins it has caused. The capital city, Nairobi and its surroundings, have been severely affected by this merciless flood. Low-income areas in Nairobi like Kibera, Mathare, Githurai, and Mukuru kwa Njenga have been severely affected due to lack of solid structures, poor drainage systems and infrastructures, and congestions. This leaves people homeless and at risk of contracting diseases like cholera, typhoid and diarrhea.

 

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Additionally, the Nairobi River and Athi River both broke out of their banks sweeping away houses along their paths and damaging nearby neighborhoods leaving about 40,000 people displaced and homeless.

A total number of 17 bridges have been destroyed, making it hard for people to cross from one side to another. In Mai Mahiu, about 60 kilometers from Nairobi about 50 people died after being swept away by the heavy rains as they slept at a dam nearby. Generally, across the whole country, over 180 people have been reported dead. 

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In the North Eastern part of Kenya where the main source of income is the keeping of livestock, the residents have lost their source of livelihood watching their cattle swept away by the oceanic rains.

The families in this part of the country also face displacement. While some of them camp along the Garissa-Nairobi highway, some people have camped at a nearby school, Jaribu Primary School to seek refuge.

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Farmers across the country lament their losses as they watch their crops flowing with the waters. They report that this comes after they have heavily invested their resources in buying seeds and fertilizers. Just when the crops were looking healthy, and they hoped for a better harvest. This is like a nightmare in their eyes.

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Due to the continuous rainfalls, the Cabinet Secretary for Education issued a statement that schools that were to re-open for the second term on 29th April 2024, now re-opens by the 6th of May 2024 hoping that the rains would have reduced. Some schools have been destroyed and brought to ruins. Even after the 6th of May, schools in some parts of the country like Busia County will not be able to open because the classrooms are left in bad conditions.

The government has made the public to understand that they are looking for ways to help the affected families and schools for life to return to normalcy.

Join us on March 8, 2024, for International Women's Day in Kibera!

 Join us on March 8, 2024, for International Women's Day under the theme 'Invest in women: Accelerate progress”, and take a stand with us using the hashtag #InvestInWomen.  Contact us through girlpowerclubs@gmail.com

Girl Power Clubs always plan ahead for the great day when they can express themselves!