The Family Group Foundation has graduated the fifth cohort of young women in technical and vocation skills in electrical and plumbing, marking a total of 600 beneficiaries.

The programme, implemented by World Vision Kenya, provides young women from Nairobi and Kiambu counties aged 18-24 years with a six-month hands-on training, equipping them with market skills for the construction industry.

Speaking during the graduation ceremony of 78 graduates, Principal Secretary State Department of Social Protections and Senior Citizens Affairs Joseph Motari commended the impact of the USAID Tumikia Mtoto project in supporting job creation especially for women. 

“The government appreciates programmes geared towards the welfare and rights of the child from all social environments as well as establishing mitigation measures to assist children in emerging situations and poverty. Giving skills to these young people is very impressive,”  he said.

The initiative addresses the vulnerabilities that young women face, including the risk of HIV, gender-based violence, and economic instability with the goal of strengthening the health and human capacity of households to care for and protect orphans and vulnerable children.

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“We believe that an investment in women ensures that we close gender equality gaps, avail opportunities for growth and create a conducive environment for women to thrive. With an investment of KES90 million through our social investment arm, we are pleased that this shared value initiative has seen over 80 per cent of these young women transition to the job market,” said Family Bank CEO Nancy Njau.

In addition to technical skills, the graduates are accredited to practise by the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) and the National Construction Authority (NCA). They also benefited with construction starter toolkits and financial training. What’s more, they were empowered on sexual and reproductive health besides soft skills such as confidence building and public speaking.

"I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to our donors, PEPFAR and USAID, for making this transformative program a reality. Through your generous funding and unwavering support, we have equipped these young women with essential skills and empowered them with the resilience and confidence to rise above life’s challenges," said World Vision Kenya Chair Dr. David Githanga.

The programme is currently training the sixth cohort of 86 young women from Kangemi, Kihara and Njiru.

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