Report from BHW Kenya Partnership Facilitators

Key Person: Jacklyn Ogutu

Unfortunately, we have not been able to visit Kenya this year but Jackie has reported that they are grateful things are back to normal after Covid. The programmes are doing well and so are they as a family. 

Recent Events

Sanitary Pads and Health Programme (WASH)

Talks and tournaments have been going well and reaching out to more than 200 girls every term in 4 schools with a total of 800 girls in the last year. The WASH programme has been very successful at all four schools.

Jackie has reported that the girls she works with are performing better at school and the attendance rate is continuing to improve with more girls staying until grade 8 where they can transition to high school. There is still the ongoing issue of school fees for higher education. 

They were very grateful to be able to partner with Beyond Waters Global who have put in 11 toilets and urinals for students at the schools Lean on Me works with (photo bottom right). They will also be providing water tanks to the school. Having these in place means that Jackie can continue her work within the schools teaching the young people about hygiene.

Jackie notes that they have not had any of their girls get pregnant over the last year which she praises God for.  

IT Training Centre

Jackie has reported that the centre is doing well. Gilbert who runs the IT Centre is feeling more confident now that the solar panels have been installed and they no longer need to worry about power outages which was impacting business. The community are now becoming aware of this and bring in their devices for charging. They are also providing printing, photocopying, generating documents and selling phone accessories. 

Training of vulnerable girls in IT has not developed any further however and Jackie is strategizing how to get this off the ground.  

Chicken Project

Last year they piloted a chicken rearing project with 50 chickens. Although they lost a few chickens the pilot was very successful, and they have since purchased a further 200 chicks. The women involved in the programme have been able to sell the eggs from their chickens as well as have them to feed their families. Their perspectives have now changed as they originally did not consider poultry farming as a source of income.  

They had a high number of deaths with their second lot of chickens as they were not able to get their scheduled vaccines on time from their supplier. Their third lot are doing great. Jackie’s mother, who is taking care of the project, is keeping records of all their vaccines etc. 

The table banking women are requesting chicks to start their own poultry businesses. Jackie is looking at establishing a hatchery to be able to get more chicks for women to raise. They are continuing to train more women on poultry feeding and vaccinations to equip them to begin. This project allows women to have a source of income from selling the eggs and the chickens and also have a food source for their families. 

Table banking 

Jackie is happy to report that her table banking groups are doing well and continue to save and borrow from within their established groups.  They prolonged their fund repayment cycles to allow time to stabilize from the setbacks of the last two years (Covid and floods).

Recruitment of new members and groups continues. 

 

Partnership's Influence within the Community

Jackie’s influence on the community continues by supporting young girls to stay in school instead of dropping out when they get their periods. This has seen a decrease in young pregnancies with more girls staying in education. 

The table banking and poultry projects are providing those involved with an income and food source. 

Current Issues and Challenges

The demand from other schools for Jackie to bring the programme to them continues to be high. This is a need that Jackie cannot meet as they are already at capacity. 

The access to vaccines for the chickens in sufficient time is challenging which has resulted in the loss of a few of their chicks. They need to purchase a fridge to be able to store the vaccines for 2-3 days before they are due. 

They also need to find a way of producing their own poultry feed as the local suppliers for this have not been reliable. They are now having to travel further which has increased costs. 

There has been an increase in girls staying through to grade 8 but there is still the challenge of school fees for the girls to continue in further education. 

Prayer and Praise Points

Jackie would love prayer for the ongoing success of the projects, and for energy and strength as she continues to support and enlighten her community members through the projects. She prays for an inward transformation through the love of Jesus for those she works with. 

Praise God for all the success they have had so far. 

Comments

Jackie is requesting Bright Hope World help fund the purchase of a fridge for the poultry vaccines. They are also requesting financial support in purchasing a chicken feed milling machine to produce their own feed which will save on outgoing costs. These requests will be considered by the BHW Executive Committee.