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COMMUNITY CHANGE OF ATTITUDE IN KILIFI COUNTY
Date: 19-01-2022
WIMA CBO women empowerment community-based organization was started in 2019 and registered with the department of social security, gender and social services with a certicate number SS/KFI/N/LR/CBO/BAH-D/57/2019. WIMA organization has representation in the entire Kilifi County. The organization with support from CREAW is implementing Usawa Kwa Wote Project in the seven (7) Sub- Counties of Kilifi County. One of the activities within the Usawa Kwa Wote Project is to enhance community participation on community issues through community dialogues with different stakeholders.
Before the Usawa Kwa Wote Project, young women within the Kilifi County community felt helpless since they did not have any substantive information on the existing employment opportunities offered by the government. However, the support from CREAW Kenya enabled WIMA organization to create awareness to the community on the rights of young women but further highlighted on some of the existing employment opportunities available through the government of Kenya. After the awareness sessions, some of the participants decided to try applying the knowledge they had received from the awareness sessions.
One of the persons who attended the awareness sessions on the existing employment opportunities was Mariam Chengo from Mikiryiani village of Kaloleni ward.
Mariam Chengo is a young mother and a hair dresser by profession who has been struggling to make ends meet for herself and her daughter. Life has not been that easy for her and the COVID 19 pandemic impacted negatively on her business. However, after attending a session organized by WIMA through the Kaloleni young mothers where she heard about the available opportunities offered by the national government programme known as Kenya Youth Employment Opportunity Program (KYEOP), Mariam Chengo got interested and applied for a grant from the government programme.
Mariam Chengo was one of the fortunate ladies who received the first phase of the grant worth Kenya Shilling Twenty Thousand (Kshs. 20,000) . Mariam Chengo used the grant to restock her salon business and gave it a new face. The business is now doing well because apart from salon services she also sells other beauty products which she bought using the grant money. Mariam Chengo is also a beneficiary of the KYEOP craftswomen trainers. She received six students whom she is training under the KYEOP program where she is paid Kenya Shilling Seven Thousand (Kshs. 7,000) per trainee per month for six months. This therefore serves as another source of income for her.