The Independent View: Community Focus Group 2018 Update

I am the U.S. Representative for Community Focus Group (CFG), a Kenyan Nonprofit/Charity. I created Community Focus Group International to expand the reach of this organization.

Our Mission is to Inform, Connect, and Mobilize our Community to Realizing their Human Rights and to Promote Sustainable Livelihoods.

It was founded by a friend, Pamela Ateka, a Poet, Storyteller, and Motivational Speaker, who got together with other Poets, Storytellers/Artists, and begun using their Talent to raise Funds for a Feeding Program, School Fees for HIV Orphans, and other Vulnerable Children in the Koyole Community. Many of these Children came from the Soweto Slum. They used Storytelling to Educate the Community on HIV/Aids.

They currently work in the following thematic areas: Women Economic Empowerment, The Aged and Ageing, Democratic Governance and Leadership, Human Rights, Education in the areas of Prisons/Health/Environment/Climate Change/Arts and Culture, among others.

CLICK HERE for more information about CFG.

CFG 2018 Funding Needs

CFG’s vision is to create a centre for teenage mothers, as part of our 100 Girls Project, that will support these young women in their new roles as mothers on the one hand, while at the same time help them to further develop their personalities, take control of their lives, and offer them a path to independence through professional training that will prepare them for a range of careers.

CFG has the opportunity to rent a space. In the first phase, this place will serve as a meeting point for teenage mothers. The centre will be fitted with basic furnishings. There will be a table and chairs; an area for newborns with all the necessary fittings; a small kitchen with a stove, oven, refrigerator and silverware; two or three sewing machines with fabric and trimmings; a computer and a laptop; a salon chair and hairdressing tools; as well as informational material on childcare and possible training opportunities. The centre must first be cleaned, freshly painted and furnished. If possible, the teenage mothers are already expected to help with this initial phase.

The meeting point will be open seven days a week and will pursue the following aims in order to offer the young women there a first step towards independence:

* The young mothers will receive support in their new roles and will learn how to properly care for their newborns.

* They will have a place where they can ask questions and share their worries, as well as somewhere to turn in an emergency.

* They will be offered childcare so that they can complete their high school diplomas or an apprenticeship.

* They will have a place where they can talk to other young mothers.

* They can prepare a meal for themselves.

* Targeted training courses in childcare, design, hairdressing and computer science will offer them a chance to get an education and learn new practical and professional skills.

* The infrastructure in the centre will allow them to acquire knowledge and gain a new skill set so that they can start to think about what they could make and sell (Nairobi has a large population. As a result, there is a very large market for services and goods.)

The meeting point can open immediately.

The one-time investment costs for the location and furnishings are around USD $5,000.

Community Focus Group requires your support to raise the initial USD $5,000 for this project.

We look forward for your support to help reach this goal.

CLICK HERE to donate for this 2018 request, as a new part of our 100 Girls Project.

The last point is a central aspect of the meeting place: to support teenage mothers and give them an opportunity to pursue their dreams and develop and test out business ideas so that these young women can one day lead independent lives. To this end, a microlending system is being put in place. This system will be used to support the teenage mothers’ small business ideas and initiatives (e.g. provide funds for them to purchase ingredients so they can bake pastries that they can sell at the market).

The ultimate aim is for the teenage mothers to create their own jobs so that they can cover the costs of caring for their children as well as the children’s expenses while also earning enough money to support themselves as well.

In the second phase, the centre will become more professional. The area for newborns will be turned into a crèche where the young mothers can train to become nannies (a service that is in high demand in Nairobi) while watching the other young mothers’ children. The kitchen will be expanded so that the mothers can learn basic cooking skills (one idea is to prepare a daily meal for the poorest members of the community). The girls will also learn the essentials of baking and either sell their products at the market or to couples who are getting married. They will learn how to design and make clothing and find places to sell their wares. This will offer these young girls a foundation for entering the job market and the centre itself can earn enough money to be self-sustaining.

The annual fixed costs for salaries, rent and maintenance are around USD $25,000.