Projects and Activities

Current Projects

Health systems strengthening 2020-2024: Otto Benecker Foundation, together with Imarisha Kenya and Local steering committee on Health in Kajiado west, have since 2020-24 been co-creating a solution to a community - Ngurumani Village, with no hospital facility. Currently, under Afya Bora Mashinani Network (Better Healthcare Grassroot Network), are fundraising to construct a hospital facility to aide towards reduction of maternal deaths, fetal deaths, reduction of high HIV-infections and treatment of conditions among elderly, youth,  women and girls. 

We are currently fundraising to set up a rapid response center with a well-equipped ambulance to traverse the community and address health concerns urgently.

 

Read more and donate here. Forward this message to your contacts to help my campaign reach its goal! 

https://gofund.me/bbf99bb0

Mental Health Literacy School program (2023)

The Mental Health Literacy Project was a partnership between Aga Khan University - Institute of Human Development, Otto Benecker Foundation and public secondary and primary schools. In this project adolescents were trained on mental health literacy that enabled them to be aware of various mental states, how to address or where to seek help. Urgent cases of mental illnesses were handled by standby counsellors and life coaches provided by both insttiutions.

Talent Identification and Skills Development for Youth (2021-23-: Otto Benecker Theatre Group, started 2020/21, TV production of a programme series covering life of an adolescent in the urban and rural slums. It covers twists and turns of an adolescent boy and girl in the Kenyan context. The themes covered include: sexual exploitation, gender discrimination, nuclear and extended family break-up, early marriages, school drop-out and high non-transition rates, gangs and crime, boy child neglect by society and education as an empowering tool.

Child Rights and Violence Prevention Fund (CRVPF's) Sponsored Adolescent Girls Empowerment Project 2019-2024

The project brings together three partners working in a common catchment area. The partners include: Otto Benecker Foundation, Imarisha kenya and Kreative Generations who have formed Nairobi Adolescent Girl's Cluster as a vehicle for addressing adolescent girl's concerns in Mathare.

Some of the emerging concerns in the community include:

1. Teen pregnancy
2. School drop-out cases
3. Household Poverty
4. Young teen household heads
5. Child insecure home, school and community environments
6. Non-employable young mothers
7. Unsafe home, school and community spaces
8. GBV towards young mothers and girls

This is a Purely Child Protection and rights advancement project that hopes to empower the individual girl first (preventive) as opposed to traditional practice of addressing symptoms than the root cause.

Project Activities:

Relationship building

1. Cluster member's monthly meetings
2. Joint open space sessions with girls
3. Community entry

Mapping

1. Mapping community location
2. Determining status of girl
3. Asset mapping

Power Analysis

1. Power open sessions with girls
2. Power sessions with local leaders
3. Focus Group Discussions

Empowering  adolescent girls in Mathare, April 2019

Power analysis sessions with girls aim to determine their safety spaces at home, school and community and how identified gaps can be addressed. 

Other Projects

• 2015/16 ‘Single Mothers and Adolescent Girls Empowerment Project’, grant worth US $ 1,000 by US-Based Partner -The Pollination Project (TPP).
• 2012/2014 Barclays’ Bank Senior Challenge Cup Girl Child Education Project managed to pay school fees directly to 30 girls worth Ksh. 30,000 totalling US $ 9,000
• 2012/2013 – COPA COCA COLA Senior Challenge Cup Project sponsored 20 girls with direct school fees worth US $ 6,000.