Gender and Youth Programme Newsletter

About Us The programme was first established in the Archdiocese of Nairobi in 2000 with an aim to empowering women by providing micro credit and entrepreneurial training through donor funding. The programme then grew to tackle prevalent gender issues.

The overall objective of the programme has since taken a different course to incorporate the two genders in becoming self-reliant. It was recently developed into the Gender and Youth Development Programme to take care of a larger scope of our societal issues.

Our Intervention Areas The programme seeks to work especially with marginalized communities in the slums of Nairobi, many of which face social injustices and conflicts. These areas include Mukuru kwa Njenga, Mathare, Lang’ata, Bahati, Karuri, Riruta, and Mangu; all of which are in the parishes in the Archdiocese of Nairobi (Nairobi and Kiambu counties).

We choose to work with residents of these areas because they are considered marginalized and

Main Focus Areas

ignorant to gender mainstreaming thus allowing inequities to prevail.

The programme coordinates interventions combating gender inequalities and inequities.

It focuses on empowering women and men by enabling them access financial assistance to establish small scale businesses and simple activities for their well-being.

Main Focus Areas Men & Women The programme develops strategies to communicate to men and women and consequently building their capacities. This is meant to help them realize their potential and societal roles for smooth coexistence.

Many women success stories have resulted from the programme with members running various small scale businesses which include: chicken rearing, tailoring and farming among others.

Men in the CMA group have started a microfinance programme under Caritas Nairobi currently spreading to 10 out of the 13 deaneries in the Catholic Diocese of Nairobi.

AYEP AYEP (Archdiocese Youth Empowerment

Programme) is a partnership between Caritas Nairobi and the Youth Enterprise Development Fund. It centres on an initiative to engage and empower the youth for socioeconomic development. It equips youth in the Archdiocese with knowledge and the tools to create their own small businesses as a means of gaining self-sufficiency and alleviating the cycle of poverty.

The AYEP partnership, a first of its kind, sets learning and networking platform for the youth in our communities while at the same time taking advantage of the existing opportunities offered by YEDF and other County and National government initiatives.

PROMIC

GBV Gender Based Violence among the people with HIV is prevalent mainly among the HIV discordant couples. The violence is sexual, physical and verbal among others. Infected men tend to be more violent. Also, the typical African socialization poses a lot of threat to gender equity.

This program sensitizes the residents on gender issues and the laws surrounding these. The programme also provides HIV related interventions including empowerment that takes the form of general capacity building, associations with Community Health Workers (CHW), nutrition support and providing access to micro-credit services to economic empowerment.

PROMIC (Promotion of Microfinance) is currently working within 30 parishes in the Archdiocese of Nairobi through sustainable development. It is beneficial to members who do not have collateral that they can offer as security for loans. As such a member is guaranteed by other group members.

This makes it easy for members to access affordable loans for development.

Apart from benefiting from savings and credit, members also get opportunity to access training on various areas. Members are trained on handicraft skills and how to utilize them to enhance their capacities to make products like baskets, mats, ceramics, beads and jewelry. These are sold off to generate income for the members.

Contact Us: Caritas Nairobi | Archdiocese of Nairobi, 7th Floor Cardinal Otunga Plaza, P.O. BOX 41353 – 00100, NAIROBI, KENYA. Tel: +254 -20-4950000 caritas@caritasnairobi.org | www.caritasnairobi.org Facebook: Caritas Nairobi