Here is a flavour of activities and events during March 2023.
Business Trainings – there were many during the month in various locations and with different groups aiming to set up their own income generating projects.
The trainings provide skills, information, knowledge, resources and follow up support once the projects are up and running. These trainings are so important to encourage and support households to find ways to bring income to their families.
Kenya is experiencing a dramatic rise in poverty as a result of drought, global conflict and the impact of COVID-19. Many families are hungry and often skip a meal as income is so scarce. These community based workshops offer hope and encouragement as well as the practicalities.
These women from Mugutma Womens’ group completed a three 3 day business training at the start of March. They are already actively doing table banking and fruit farming and they want to venture into sheep rearing. They were thankful and happy to have sharpened their skills in book keeping and discuss their plans.
Later in March, 12 members of Cheramor Umjoa village youth group took part in a 3 day business training. They are interested in growing and selling maize and beans in their location. They are doing small scale farming now and ‘merry go round’ savings scheme. There were very happy with opportunity to learn business skills and keen to learn more about the other programmes available to them e.g. sexual reproductive health and rights. So many young people dropped out of school during the COVID-19 school closures and these courses help safeguard their futures and provide them with peer support and options.
We have run Life skills courses since 2002 where participants explore values, relationships, communications in a safe space, they learn about sexuality and reproductive health. As different needs and issues arise in the community new modules are added to the course to address them – for example Nutrition, Mental Health, Drugs and Addiction and Safeguarding have all been added over the years. The course is delivered using participatory methods so that every participant is encouraged to take part no matter what age, literacy skills or language they speak.
This group from Jambo farm completed their 5 day Lifeskills course early in March.
International Womens’ Day is celebrated on March 8th we marked the day with celebrations and continued throughout March with
community workshops. Men and women took part at six different locations across the county. They discussed the challenges women in the community are facing and looking at how these challenges can be turned into change for the better. They imagined a more gender equal world free of stereotypes and discrimination and talked about the myths and taboos in their own communities that they have the power to break. Each year International Womens’ Day carries a different theme and this year it is #EmbraceEquity We were delighted to have photographs of our work exhibited at the French Embassy in Nairobi as part of their celebration of International Women’s Day.
During the month, field days took place at Kapkeburi dispensary, Ainamoi Health centre and Kipranye Dispensary where people came from the localities to get health information on HIV/AIDs, TB, malaria, nutrition, hands hygiene, healthy homesteads, covid-19 awareness and vaccination and mother and child health. They also heard about the programmes that Brighter Communities Worldwide can offer their communities.
There was follow up training and mentoring about Essential Obsetrics and NeoNatal Care for the health care workers at Kamasega, Kaitui, Mokyolok, Kiptere and Magire dispensaries and Kipsitet Health centre. The staff really appreciate for the opportunity to keep their skills sharp. Skills reviewed included maternal resuscitation, newborn resuscitation and breach delivery.
Teachers took part in Teacher Training as part of the Healthy Schools Programme. This training is to prepare them to introduce sexual reproductive health and rights to their students as an expansion of the existing menstrual health programme.
March 24th is World TB day and Kericho county health team marked the day with a celebration involving a rally, planting of trees, song and dance and speeches from ministry of health Kericho county. The main speaker
was Dr. Betty Langat, Director of Health Services Kericho and she thanked all health partners supporting the ministry, including Brighter Communities Worldwide, who work together to combat diseases like TB.
March was an exciting month for an area called Belgut where students, teachers and board of management members took part in training to become part of the Healthy Schools programme with Brighter Communities Worldwide. We have started to work with communities in their part of the county and the students are looking forward to putting plans in place and taking action to create healthy and safe school environments for their peers.
Trainings also took place for Teldet Secondary and Kiplalmat Primary schools and for four schools in Ainapkoi where 104 children and adults attended the training.
Activities in Ireland during March included –
Date set for this year’s Kenya Ball – September 30th at the Radisson Blu in Little Island – tickets will be on sale after Easter – meanwhile all enquiries welcome to admin@brightercommunities.org
Watch this space for a new and exciting fundraising challenge to be launched in late April …. get your walking shoes, running shoes, swimming hats ready!
Enquiries, information sessions and lots of questions and answers during the month with volunteers preparing their applications to take part in Harambee – our overseas volunteer programme – the October team is taking shape and we are looking forward to meeting the volunteers and getting preparations underway.
