Tag: Kirinyaga

Tag: Kirinyaga

Our Income Generating Projects At Protect A Girls’ Image Kenya in 2022.

The majority of the inhabitants in Kirinyaga County live below the poverty line i.e. live on less than one US dollar a day. Additionally, the majority in this rural part of Kenya do not have access to basic services.

The high rate of unemployment in Kirinyaga has come up with its dose of consequences among the youth some of which include drug abuse. The epidemic has increased the number of people seeking health services and increased the cost of health care. Health care services drain family resources. Strategies need to be adopted to ensure that family assets are maintained and increased to help them cope with the effects of drugs and substance abuse.

The people of this area live in a vicious cycle of poverty, characterized by low incomes leading to low savings and investments and, therefore, low production. The majority of the residents of this area who are engaged in economic activities do not have access to financial services, thus seriously limiting their productivity, and investment ability, and resulting in poor living standards.

 

Over the years, we have come up with projects to boost our source of income since the CEO was the sole financial contributor to the organization’s income. The goal of this project is to generate income by focusing on pig farming, poultry farming, dairy cows, and goats. We also do rice farming, and maize farming so as to provide educational, nutritional, and medical support needs of over 40 children.

SEE Our Projects Below:

  1. Maize Farming. >>>>> See Video

maize weeding

 

2)  Pig Farming >>>>> See Video

 

 

3) Rice Planting >>>>>>See Video

 

4) Dairy Farming  >>>>>>See Video

Dairy farming

 

PGIO Kenya Community Programme will be under the umbrella of PGIO Mission of Mercy with a plan on how to assist the beneficiaries in our region of operation. Our target is to shape the children to be important members of the community and to assist the young people from landing into problems related to drugs, early pregnancies, and other family challenges. This can be achieved if we can provide various forms of support to these children and their Caregivers.

Our Core Values of the Project Are:

Focusing on feeding the children.
Being gender-responsive.
Enhancing utilization of local resources.
Strengthening existing structures and systems.
Promoting people-centered development.

 

From these Income Generating Activities (IGA), we are able to make sure our beneficiaries get two hot meals every day. Accessing nutritious food to over 40 children ensures good health and thus enables them to attend school without interruptions. On the farm, we sift the maize that we grow at the posho mill to get flour. We also use the maize cobs and husks to make animal feed to ensure there is no waste. Surplus milk is also sold to the locals for extra income.

We are working on setting up our own posho mill to reduce flour production costs. The posho mill will be open to the locals, hence creating an extra source of income. We will also process our milk to make homemade dairy products like yogurt, cultured cream,  butter, cheese, ice cream, and condensed and dried milk. These products will be packed, labeled, and sold to the locals for extra income.

Protect A Girls Image plans to get materials, financial support, and in-kind donations to help meet its objectives from individuals, companies, religious organizations, the business fraternity, friends of PGIO, external donors, and other organizations.

If you wish to make a donation, PLEASE DO SO HERE!

READ MORE:

Going further to transform the lives of children at Protect a Girls Image.

What should I teach my high school-aged teen about sex and sexuality? (Age 14- 19years)

Effects of Poverty on Education in Kirinyaga County- Kenya.

 

Juliet Wanja, Doreen Karimi  and Christine Wanjiru are all 15 year old girls who are not sure if they will join High School in 2020 due to lack of school fees. This is a reality for thousands of children in Kenya right now. Currently, the Kenyan primary education is free but still regular school attendance is a challenge mainly due to low family incomes.

For instance, over 1.2 million children of school-going age are out of school and involved in practices such as child labor to supplement family income. There is also a 27% primary school dropout rate related to poverty issues. Imagine having these challenges in primary education. We find that fewer children are enrolled in secondary school, with only about a 40% enrollment rate.

Ending poverty in all of its form everywhere is crucial to achieving sustainable development in the world. We encourage various stakeholders to invest in education of our Beneficiaries because there is a lot to be gained in terms of poverty alleviation since poverty is a challenge to education.

It’s a bit ironic that we are fighting for our children to go to school while at the same time, our poor quality education is another one of the causes of poverty in Kenya. A high number of children are cramped together in classrooms, there are minimal teaching materials and each class has a single teacher.

With a poor teacher to student ratio, children who learn differently end up getting left behind because the teacher does not have a chance to serve each child individually. Those children who are left behind remain enrolled in school until they can catch up, adding to the amount of resources needed, since there is not an even ratio of new students to graduated students.

However, Protect a Girls’ Image Organization believes that education has a direct correlation with income. The higher the level of education, the less likely the person is to fall below poverty line.

Educating girls in particular makes them more likely to take control of decisions relating to fertility, family welfare, health. This means that education is not just a need but a tool to alleviate poverty.

With Donations from well wishers like you in place this shouldn’t be a problem. It seems simple enough – at least on the face of it. Every child in our care between the ages of six and 17 has the right to compulsory education and this cannot happen without your kind donations.

Have you seen our latest Fundraising Campaign for School Fees for our 40 children in our care? Click Here>>>  https://t.co/rFenbUMW4w

 

What is the right to education?

Education is a basic human right for all and is important for everyone to make the most of their lives. Other human rights include the right to freedom from slavery or torture and to a fair trial.

Having an education helps people to access all of their other human rights. Education improves an individual’s chances in life and helps to tackle poverty.

 

Why does it matter?

Education reduces poverty, decreases social inequalities, empowers children and helps each individual reach their full potential.

It also brings significant economic returns for a country and helps societies to achieve lasting peace and sustainable development. Education is key to achieving all other human rights.

Education that targets poor populations like where our children live will bring change to many of the systemic factors that have contributed to the delay in poor communities’ development. Education can prevent the transmission of poverty between generations. Education also has documented effect on health, nutrition, economic development and on environmental protection (UNESCO 2104: Sustainable development begins with education).

Our goal in 2020 is to make sure all our children are enrolled in school with all the supplies which include ( school fees, a school bag, books, and writing materials)

Despite great progress we have made this year, 12 out of our 40 children are still not enrolled in school.

Would you like to help one of these children to be enrolled in school? We will be so grateful if you Give trough this link>>>>>>  https://t.co/rFenbUMW4w

 

 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD INVEST IN A CHILD’S EDUCATION.

Investing in Education yields significant development benefits.

Education reduces poverty, boosts economic growth and increases income. It increases a person’s chances of having a healthy life, reduces maternal deaths, and combats diseases such as HIV and AIDS. Education can promote gender equality, reduce child marriage, and promote peace. In sum, education is one of the most important investments a country can make in its people and its future.

Education is essential to the success of every one of the 17 global goals.

Formally adopted at the UN General Assembly in September 2015, the Global Goals for Sustainable Development frame the global development agenda for 2016-2030. The Global Goal 4 on education aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

Education is Critical during times of conflict.

In times of conflict and crisis, children are forced out of school, which contributes to higher drop-out rates and lower completion rates. Having a strong focus on education in these countries is critical, since education promotes stability, good governance, and peace. It can also provide a visible sign of a return to normalcy for children.

A Poor quality education is almost like no education.

Great progress has been achieved in enrolling children in school around the world. But it’s not enough to get children in school, we also need to ensure that they learn to read, count, and acquire the necessary life skills. A special focus has to be given to the most vulnerable and marginalized groups (including children living in fragile and conflict affected areas, children with disabilities and girls) who are most likely to be affected because of a lack of well-trained  teachers, inadequate learning materials, and unsuitable education infrastructure.

Achieving the Global Goal for education by 2030 cost US $1.25 a day per child in Developing countries.

It costs on average US $1.25  a day per child in developing countries (low and lower-middle income) to provide a full cycle of pre-primary through secondary education (13 years). The largest share of this cost, 88%, is borne by the developing countries themselves. The international community should help in filling the funding gap of just 15 cents a day per child.

Education has a multiplier effect.

Educated girls and women tend to be healthier, have fewer children, earn more income and provide better health care for themselves and their future children. These benefits also are transmitted from generation to generation and across communities at large, making girls’ education one of the best investments a country can make.

Children with disabilities are often excluded from education systems.

In many countries, a combination of discrimination, social attitudes, poverty, lack of political will, and poor quality of human and material resources leave children with disabilities more vulnerable to being excluded from education. It is essential that societies adapt their education systems to ensure that these children can enjoy their basic human right without discrimination of any kind.

Early childhood education is vital to lifelong success.

Investing in quality early childhood education brings the highest returns from individuals, societies and countries. Children who have access to quality early childhood programs do better in primary school and will have better education outcomes later. It is vital that low and lower middle-income countries invest more in affordable early childhood programs.

Read More: Operation: Help Send our 17 boys and 23 girls back to School in 2020.

Skills that Fathers should teach their 13 year old Daughters in 2020.

HIV/AIDS in Kirinyaga County

Like any other county in Kenya, Kirinyaga county continues to face many challenges as a result of HIV and AIDS. HIV/AIDS prevalence among the people of Kirinyaga County is 3.3 % compared to the national average. Most of those affected are women and young persons aged between 15 to 24 years of age.  AIDS-related mortality has resulted in an increasing number of widows, widowers and orphans. Young students drop out of school owing to the stigma and discrimination. The virus is being fueled by mainly sexuality among teenagers, economic vulnerabilities especially among women and youth, alcohol and substance abuse among others.

According to the Kenya AIDS Strategic Framework, the priority population for HIV in Kirinyaga county are as follows:

  • Female Sex Workers especially in the urban centres. Most of the women who are sex workers are employed or work in farms but often engage in sex work to boost their income. Due to stigma, most pose as customers in clubs while others engage in the vice in towns away from where they live. Their clients cut across the sector but most are those living away from their spouses like police, civil servants, truck drivers and business people.
  • Men who have sex with men are a group of the population that exists in Kirinyaga county. They are however not public due to the stigma. PGIO has identified a clinic in Mwea Town that caters for this group only. It floods with clients but especially at night.
  • People who inject drugs are another group which has risen due to the increased usage of drugs in the county mostly happening in schools and universities. There have been reports of persons injecting drugs.
  • People with disabilities in this county are also likely to be infected with the virus since they are unable to protect themselves from rape or sexual exploitation. They also lack access to HIV information.

Women are at a higher risk of being infected with HIV during sexual contact than men are. This is because the fragile tissues of the vagina can tear slightly during sex and let the virus enter the body. This is most likely among girls under the age of 18. Women who have HIV can pass the infection to their children during pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding. PGIO create awareness and educate women in Kirinyaga county to take the necessary steps to protect their children from infection.

PGIO is looking for Doors and well-wishers to help the organization to form units to address and mitigate the raging negative effect of the HIV epidemic. If you wish to help with regard to this issue please scroll down to the DONATE button or email us on info@protectagirlsimage.org . Every Dollar/ Shilling Counts.

By Caroline Wangechi.