Livelihoods

The Mwelu Foundation has recently started a livelihoods programme to educate children in Mathare on reproductive health issues and to build life skills. To avoid problems such as domestic violence, prostitution, alcoholism and crime, children must have a basic set of skills and education in order to make better decisions and to help them achieve their goals. We also believe that this will help children achieve higher attendance rates at school and hence achieve a better all-round education.

How it Works

A typical 2 hour weekly session follows the following structure.
  1. The facilitator introduces the topic for the session through a short presentation highlighting the main issues and facts.
  2. The children are then split into groups to discuss the issue amongst themselves. They are encouraged to talk about their own experiences and discuss practical solutions to the problems.
  3. The groups each present what they have discussed to the rest of the class, either through a spoken presentation or by acting out a role-play.
  4. The facilitator then summarises the lessons learned during the session to help provide the children with clear changes they can make to the lives of themselves and their families.
Example topics include morality, decision making, assertiveness, communication, use of contraceptives and HIV/AIDS education.

Success So Far

The Mwelu Foundation is already reaching approximately 200 young people through after-school sessions run once per week at Valley View School in Mathare. The response has been very positive and there is demand from parents, other schools and churches for a quick expansion of the programme. We are currently looking for funding to assist us in this process. We hope we can reach 1000-1200 children per week.