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By Omondi Rodgers
Busia-Young people in Busia County are benefiting from fashion design and tailoring training aimed at addressing gender-based violence (GBV), school dropouts, and unwanted pregnancies. The training is aimed at equipping them with skills for economic independence.
The project, funded by Freedom Fund and SHOFCO and implemented by Dhamira Moja, also provides beneficiaries with sewing machines and financial support to help them establish businesses and earn a livelihood.
Dhamira Moja Director Sarah Martha said the initiative was giving vulnerable young people a second chance by equipping them with practical skills and linking them to available economic opportunities.
“The project is helping to give our young people a second opportunity in life by empowering them with skills, thereafter connecting them to existing opportunities. We are also helping them with machines and financial support to enable them to start their own businesses for self-sustainability,” she said.
Martha noted that the project was targeting young people affected by gender-based violence and school dropouts, with some girls forced into domestic work and other forms of manual labour.
“There are many cases of gender-based violence among girls and youth. School dropout cases have also been on the increase, with young people being used as maids, among other manual work. We are looking for these youth and giving them another opportunity,” she said.
She said the programme, which began in June, was being implemented in partnership with technical and vocational training centres (TVCs) in Busia County, where beneficiaries undertake their examinations.
Martha said the first cohort comprised 15 young people, including 13 girls and two boys, and that the project was currently training its second group.
She called for increased partnerships with both levels of government to expand such initiatives, noting that economic empowerment would improve the position of girls in society.
“The position of a girl child in the community is not in the kitchen, but when we empower them, they become powerful people in our society. We are calling for more partnerships with both governments through projects such as NYOTA to ensure that many youths in Busia are helped,” she said.
One of the beneficiaries, Zipporah Shikuku, a single mother of one, said the training had given her an opportunity to earn an income and support her child despite the challenges she had experienced growing up.
“We have been raised in families that make illicit brew, and living in that environment has not been easy. The environment has never been conducive to the girl child, and this made life difficult for me and created a desire to learn a skill that can help me earn a living. This project is helping me because it has equipped me with skills that I am using to get my money and support my child,” she said.
Jacklin Akinyi, a beneficiary living with a partial hearing disability, said the fashion design skills had boosted her confidence and ability to become financially independent.
“This has opened opportunities for us and made us self-dependent. Many times, we have been considered vulnerable, but with this, we are able to work by ourselves, and this reduces cases of GBV and unwanted pregnancies. It is also giving me an opportunity to help those living with disabilities by teaching them the knowledge and skills I have,” she said.
Another beneficiary, Collins Obonya, commended the initiative for prioritising girls, saying the training was helping them overcome discrimination and become economically independent.
“Our society has not recognised girls as required. This initiative is giving girls another chance to train and positioning them at the centre of self-dependence. The skills are helping them to earn a living, which will help in addressing many challenges they experience,” he said.
