Photos: @euvouepronto
A project of the Springs of Hope Foundation, the Kijiji Mission is supported by the Rotary Club of Brisbane Mid-City. The Mission is located in Nakaru, Kenya, and is committed to empowering Kenya’s growing number of young, single mothers, who have some basic education skills, by teaching them the skills needed to become self-sufficient and able to support and educate their family.
At the mission the women undergo a one-year course that teaches them to become tailors and learn business practices. Once they graduate from the program they receive a small business loan allowing them to purchase their own treadle sewing machine. They are then able to start their own tailoring business and earn an income that can support their family. Earning an income allows mothers to keep their children in school and removes the need to force marriage on their daughters at a very early age.
The Rotary Club of Brisbane Mid-City assists the mission by raising funds for essential equipment for the students to learn textile and design skills. During May, members hold fundraisers and call for online donations.
Kenya is a country devastated by AIDS and many young children are left with only elderly relatives to care for them. And with 44 per cent of Kenyan women living below the poverty line, they are often at risk of being trapped in the sex trade or brewing and selling illicit and dangerous home brewed alcohol in order to feed their children. This project offers a sustainable solution to poverty, child labour, and exploitation of young girls.
