A JOB FOR THE YOUNG MOTHERS OF MATHARE

Mathare is one of the largest slums in Kenya. Valter Baldaccini visited this place on the outskirts of Nairobi in 2006. He was so overwhelmed that he immediately started the remote support project in collaboration with the Joab Omoto and KenToledo Social Service Club, which, to this day, allows 40 children and teenagers to attend school and have the concrete possibility of building a better future.

Still in the slum, Valter Baldaccini met the sisters of Mathare, a group of women who, with great love and patience, take care of minors living on the street every day, families in conditions of extreme poverty and people with mental illness and addictions. Every day they put themselves at the service of others, knowing they can’t solve all these problems, but they remain enthusiastic seeing many small seeds of concrete help sprout for these people.

From the collaboration between Joab Omoto and the sisters of Mathare, a new socio-educational project is born today: "A job for the young mothers of Mathare" designed to give an opportunity for liberation to 15 very young mothers of the slum.

The plight of women in the slums

The backbone of African society is women, who bear the greatest responsibilities and the main problems. One of the most dramatic aspects of the African female condition is the denial of the right to freely have control of one's life.

There are many causes which include cultural factors, lack of adequate information, lack of access to education and family and social pressures that push girls and preteens to early marriages. But there are also economic causes that influence women's choices: poverty often pushes very young women into prostitution, in exchange for food or protection.

The consequences are even more dramatic: there are numerous pregnancies of young girls and adolescents. These births have the effect of perpetuating the cycle of poverty, further reducing the possibility of individual, social and economic development.

The effects of the pandemic

One of the worrying consequences of the pandemic is the increase in pregnancies among minors and young women. Between January and May 2020 in Nairobi County alone, nearly 12,000 girls between the ages of 10 and 19 turned to maternity health services.

In this time of global emergency, hunger and the struggle to meet basic needs have become even greater problems for many families and, unfortunately, many girls and young women have been forced into prostitution.

A project designed for young mothers

The only way to fight hunger and counter the current crisis is to invest in these 15 young mothers, placing them at the center of an aid and capacity-building program. Some of them have given birth a few months ago or have babies who are starting to crawl and others are pregnant again.

For one year, two days a week, thanks to the project, the young women will receive job training. They will acquire new skills and create small local handicrafts and they will receive compensation and a weekly allowance. They will also begin a path of psychological support, which helps them to have confidence in themselves which is also supportive for the growth of their children, hygiene, prevention of the spread of diseases.

The project is only possible thanks to your support

The young mothers of Mathare need your help. Please provide these girls and boys a real opportunity for redemption.

Donate now

- € 10 for weekly shopping (rice, flour, sugar, oil and tea)
- € 30 for medical care for mothers and children
- € 50 for training and the local crafts workshop
- € 100 for psychological support

Thank you so much.