Undergarments and Pads to Keep Girls in School
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Local solution
By empowering 5 young women with tailoring skills, OLCAP is tackling youth unemployment while also ensuring that schoolgirls can continue their education uninterrupted during their menstrual period, promoting a brighter future for all.
The project participants hail from Ikolomani Constituency, one of Kenya’s poorest regions, characterised by high unemployment rates. Many lack formal education, entrepreneurial skills, and capital to pursue self-employment. Recognizing these challenges, the women themselves proposed this training initiative as a means to address their specific needs.
In a 6-month training; 3 days per week, the 5 women will be trained by a tailoring specialist and pad’s technician. They will also be trained in financial and entrepreneurial skills to enable them thrive in the trade. Upon completion of the training, OLCAP will employ them. Additionally, participants will be encouraged to join a savings group, which will enable them to access loans, invest their earnings, and eventually scale up their businesses. OLCAP will procure tenders from existing markets that purchase undergarments, school uniform and sanitary pads as gifts for school girls.
With remarkable success, OLCAP has empowered 40 women to overcome extreme poverty through projects funded by iMPACT direct. What sets OLCAP apart is its unique approach: it pilots small-scale initiatives first, learning from the experience, and only then expands the project. Building on this foundation, OLCAP has also established a social welfare association, known as the Kitty Fund, which enables project participants to take ownership of their income and savings. Through the Kitty Fund, participants can access loans to grow their ventures, fostering long-term sustainability.
Lives improved5 young women gain tailoring skills, which earns them income that covers 70% of their basic needs. Moreover, this increased income has a ripple effect, benefiting 20 family members by providing them with access to nutritious food, secure housing, and medical care, ultimately enhancing their overall standard of living.
Community impactWithin the next 12 months, young women entrepreneurs will provide training, mentorship, and support to at least one young person, equipping them to create employment opportunities that positively impact their community.
BudgetThe budget for the following activities is KES 1,260,105 (or € 8.947). The donation will be used to:
- Conduct baseline studies and needs assessment.
- Facilitate tailoring training cost.
- Funding Tailoring Equipment and Start-up Expenses
- Tracking progress through monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
- 5% to iMPACT direct for facilitating direct donations to local solutions (covering our costs for the website, financial costs of direct donations, and basic costs to support NGOs in promotion and fundraising.)
Own Contribution; OLCAP will not only provide a dedicated training space for the program, but also assume the role of project administrator and implementation overseer
“OLCAP empowered me to break the cycle of poverty by teaching me tailoring skills, providing a machine and supplies. I’m now a confident entrepreneur, specialising in tailoring and sharing my knowledge with others. Thanks to OLCAP, I can afford school fees for my children, daily needs, and even save in a table banking group. I’ve used these savings to improve our living conditions and buy essential items. My next goal is to invest in a goat, providing additional income and sustainability. I’m grateful to OLCAP for their support and believe they can make a similar impact on many more women’s lives. I hope they’ll continue training and empowering women to start their own businesses, breaking free from poverty and building a brighter future.”
Project Details
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ProjectUndergarments and Pads to Keep Girls in School
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NGOOLCAPWomen-led
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LocationKenyaIkolomani-Kakamega, Western Kenya
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Sustainable Development Goals
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No Poverty, Quality Education
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Start dateSeptember 1, 2024
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End dateAugust 31, 2025