Index of Updates from the Field
Letter from Doreen
By Stella Amojong - Director, August 22, 2008 12:25 PM
Hi pals!!
Long time..hope you are all fine.
I just wanted to share a letter I received from Doreen, a project beneficiary who is now self-dependent.
When she joined us, she had just given birth to a bouncing baby girl though she had been expelled from school.
She attended our Teen Mum program and was trained as a tailoring designer. With a small start-up capital of $200 from GlobalGiving, Doreen has finally made it!!
Read her exciting story. Its just one among many that will be coming your way.
We appreciate all your continued support and as usual, keep those comments and questions coming.
Enjoy your reading!!
Attachments:
Special Appeal
By Stella Amojong - Director, June 17, 2008 06:26 PM
Dear friends,
GEMINI has always tried to keep you informed of how your donations are being spent. Every step of the way! The aim is to make you own part of the process and feel actively involved in empowering poor communities.
We thank all of you for your continued support.
After the post-election violence in Kenya, a lot of women/girls were, unfortunately, sexually abused. Most continue to languish in camps, with little medical and psychological support.
With your donations, we responded to the crisis. Now that its over, we need to reach out to all the survivors of sexual violence with confidential, free HIV testing.
We are carrying out a Special Appeal that seeks to mobilize funds to set up a specialized VCT center that will provide women/girls with these services.
But we need you help.
We are kindly requesting you to read the attached newsletter that provides some background information on this very important project.
And we are also requesting you to act and make a donation to any of GEMINI projects to enable us accomplish our goal.
Thanks so much and please, remember, any donation will be highly appreciate.
Attachments:
Beatrice bounces back!
By Cheptoo - Project officer, June 09, 2008 06:58 PM
Beatrice is a typical teen mum: confused, angry and disorriented. She joined our program a few months ago, her 4-month daughter strapped on her back.
"This is not the end of life," she told me a few days ago.
Well, with your support, Beatrice, and a host of other teen mums, have a second chance in life.
Go on, read her story.
Attachments:
Milka's "Never say die!" attitude
By Emily Cheptoo - Project Officer, May 20, 2008 08:21 PM
A recent government report showed that over 10,000 girls are expelled from school each year after getting pregnant.
With little fall-back options and faced with stigma, teen mums have nowhere to go.
Milka's story is just one among hundreds of teen mums that have rediscovered a passion for life.
And with your help...they are raring to go!!
Please read Milka's experience and as she aptly puts it, without your support, the options become minimal.
Enjoy reading!!
Attachments:
Its not yet over until its over!
By Stella - Director, May 08, 2008 07:15 PM
As we started the year, we reported that some of the teen mums we have been nurturing had scored good grades in their national exams.
Even though most of them suffered heavily during the post-election violence, we still reached out to them by offering psychological counseling, spiritual healing and providing them with basic needs like sanitary towels.
As the country's heart-beat starts pumping again, we need to reach out to the hundreds of girls who were sexually assaulted during the violence.
You can go through the attached report detailing our activities in the post-election period. More still needs to be done and we know that with your support, we will accomplish more.
Thanks so much for your support and we still cherish you as our valued partners.
God bless!!
Attachments:
Our girls made it!!
By Stella - Director, March 19, 2008 05:33 PM
A few months ago, we reported that we were providing special academic tutoring and extra classes to 12 girls who had been suspended from school due to pregnancy.
Well, the jury is now in. Their verdict? 8 of the girls passed their exams with over 350 points out of a possible 500!! The rest managed a respectable average of 240 points.
"It was tough..and in my condition, I was not sure I could think straight!!" Says Caro, one of the students.
"Its not yet over...I'm preparing myself for secondary exams and this time, I promise I won't mess around!" She adds, a smile on her face.
Two of the girls have already given birth to bouncing babies.
"I was tempted to call my baby GlobalGiving Atieno!" quips Benta, one of the teen mothers. ''I appreciate all the text books, exam papers and tuition that I received courtesy of all of you at GlobalGiving."
At GEMINI, we can only say a sincere Thank You for all your continued support, confidence in us and let's keep the fire burning.
Empowerment Month for Teen Mothers
By Joe - Communication, December 10, 2007 05:48 PM
Its been a hectic year for our Teen Mothers project!
As earlier reported, some of our beneficiaries sat for their national exams last month and we are hoping for the best when the results are announced.
Last month was an Empowerment Month for teen mothers. We carried out a community-wide exercise that reached out to village elders, religious leaders, policy-makers and school heads.
The main objective was to sensitize them on the need to equip the teen mother with necessary skills, resources and information that would enable them find their niche in society.
"I had no idea child mothers go through this kind of hell!!" remarked David Omuchuma, a local teacher. "I've only heard about them dropping from school but apparently, their problems are more than just missing on educational opportunities."
His sentiments were unanimous as all the participants shared and provided alternative solutions to this social problem.
GEMINI has now formed a community Task Force that is mandated to collect and collate information on Teen Mothers, document abuse of their rights and generally incorporate a community response in finding a lasting solution.
We have planned for an end of the year party that will showcase some of the success stories, challenges and opportunities for Teen mums.
Thanks for all you continued support. Let's hope for a more promising year in 2008!!
Enjoy your Festive Season
Ambitious Lifeline for Teen Mothers
By Stella Amojong - Director, October 01, 2007 05:23 PM
Hi friends!
In Kenya, you could correctly group stigma in the same league as racism or apartheid. The net effect is the same.
But for teen mothers, it is even worse. Young girls, barely 13, are sexually abused every day, raped and left for dead. Our society, for whatever reasons, blames them!
Our project has been reaching out to such abused girls, providing them
with hope by expanding their life choices. We have just started fundraising for some start-up capital to enable a group of 15 girls launch an ambitious income-generating project.
It involves baking cookies, fresh fruit juice, yoghurt and selling fresh milk.
We are hoping that this will provide the girls and their families with daily income and thus empower both their economic and social status.
It is our hope that you will join us in sourcing for the start-up funds and thus give these bold girls a lifeline to restart their lives once again.
Thanks for always siding by us!!
Beneficiaries prepare for exams!
By Joe - Communication, September 17, 2007 06:04 PM
Approximately 70,000 girls are expelled from school in Kenya annually after becoming pregnant, translating to about 190 per day.
GEMINI has been providing remedial classes for 12 such girls for the past six months. The time for reckoning is here!
Beginning next month, they will join other candidates in sitting for their final national secondary exams. Part of their training included going through mock exam papers with the help of volunteer teachers.
But it was not just books, books, and more books! The girls were also taken through an informal sexuality education curriculum that empowered them with life-skills.
"I feel so different after attending these meetings," says Milka, one of the beneficiaries. "Given a second chance, I would not make the same mistakes I made because I now know how to be more assertive."
The beneficiaries jointly believe they are much stronger and ready to face the future.
"I know more about setting life goals and working towards meeting them. I will not let having this baby hinder me from attaining my goals," says Caro, seven months pregnant.
GEMINI hopes the girls will live to their own expectations and pass the exams with flying colours!
All the best!!
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