I’m Emily, from Meru County in Kenya. I have experienced, personally, the joy motherhood brings and also the burden it can turn to when a pregnant woman is abandoned by their spouse and family. Through luck and help from others, I was able to turn my situation around and currently I’m gainfully employed. My hope is to turn my tough experiences and comeback journey, into a sustainable program that helps the very poor abandoned mothers, get back on their feet. My charitable foundation sets up small businesses for the women where they keep 80% of the profit made and also offers other services such as temporary shelter and food.
Budget Breakdown (approx)
We can connect you with the project owner if you would like to fund this project directly
Problem Statement
When I was pregnant, I was also jobless and my significant other did not offer any support. I was in dire need financially and had accumulated so many debts, including rent arrears that spanned several months. Even finding money to cater for basic needs such as food was an uphill task. Most of the time I took one meal a day, which wasn’t ideal for my health since proper nutrition is crucial during pregnancy. By the time I was giving birth, I lacked so many basic items including clothes for my baby – I had only bought a few items worth Ksh 450. I also had to extend my stay at the hospital as I waited for my mother to bail me out. Later, I realized there are many women within Meru County and its environs who go through the same or even much worse fate.
For most of them, just a little financial assistance during the trying moments can help reduce the stress they endure and also help them lead stable lives.
Why I can help the women
I’m uniquely placed to offer the help these poor, abandoned women need because of several reasons. First, I’m a mother who went through the same situation and overcame the challenges to lead a stable life again – financially and mentally as well. I’m also a trained nutritionist and pharmaceutical technologist, so I can offer guidance in matters relating to health and nutrition to the women at no cost. For the past 1 year, I’ve been in charge of the chemist where I work. My duties include stock management and bookkeeping, giving me direct insight on how to run a business successfully – the same skills I plan to utilize when setting up small businesses for the women.
The Likelihood of Success
The task is challenging because it involves assisting the women financially, boosting their self-esteem and ultimately helping them lead stable lives. I believe my foundation will succeed because I have chosen a self-sustaining approach whereby the women participate in income generation – they get well-stocked businesses to run and 80% of the income such businesses generate will be theirs so that they can cater for their needs. Supervision from my foundation will ensure they are properly managed. I will also provide each beneficiary of the program with a cheap smartphone, which will cater for different needs, including:
Communication: Through the smartphone, it will be easier to reach them for day-to-day communication as well as provision of uplifting messages that will inspire them to dwell on how to improve their lives. I will also use the same smartphones to pass on nutrition tips.
Biometrics: Through the smartphones, my foundation will be able to capture their information including photos, fingerprints and other information deemed necessary.
Monitoring: The phones will have an app to keep daily records of sales and other important information about the business. They will also place orders for stock through the same phones.
Project Details
The Targeted Beneficiaries
My foundation targets to reach the very poor or abandoned pregnant women and mothers. The idea is to help cater for their immediate basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, insurance and education in cases where they have school-going children. Then later, the businesses we set up for them will ensure they sustain themselves. My foundation will support them with direct basic needs for a year then later we’ll just perform a supervisory role.
Value that the Project Delivers
My foundation seeks to offer a unique service to the society that addresses most of life’s problems at the root. If you look keenly at the society today, a considerable percentage of the people involved in vices such as drugs, prostitution, and robbery did not have a stable background. When mothers are fighting extreme stress due to financial woes and abandonment by their spouses, they are not in the right mind to bring up children in a stable way. Some end up abandoning the children, falling into abusive relationships or engaging in prostitution. Assisting the very poor and abandoned women is much easier than addressing vices and other problems once they develop.
Reaching Potential Beneficiaries
My foundation will mostly rely on referrals by people to reach the women in need so that we can support them. Apart from direct referrals, we can also reach them through social media especially through fan groups that cater specifically for women’s needs. Such methods are free which will help the foundation run cost effectively. After reaching them, we will do background checks to ensure we only support those with genuine needs and personal willingness to get out of the situation.
Revenue Sources for the Project
The money that you will provide when you fund this project will cater for operations for 1 year. Within than time we’ll have started setting up the small businesses for the women so that the revenue they generate can sustain the program for many years to come. Each business is expected to make at least ksh5000 profit per month. The project will also rely on donations from well-wishers. We will publicize our successes to ensure the society in general sees the need a project like ours fulfills, so that they can support with donations. After all, the society benefits more of its members are financially and mentally stable.
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