Providing holistic and diverse skills training to Kenyan women

Kenya

Grace grew up in a quiet fishing town on the western coast of Kenya, in a family that provided her with the opportunities she needed to flourish. Her father was a respected businessman in the area, and her education was a top priority for her family. Grace was one of the fortunate few who experienced the simple pleasures of a well-rounded upbringing - including nutritious meals, a quality education, and unwavering support. This solid foundation allowed her to dream big and strive for a great future.

Growing up, Grace observed the stark contrast between her path and the challenging realities faced by many of her peers, especially young girls. It was not uncommon to witness her friends dropping out of school due to early pregnancies and early marriages. The future seemed bleak for these girls, trapped in a cycle of intergenerational poverty with limited access to education, opportunities, and basic necessities.

Grace could not stand idly by while her friends and countless other women in her community struggled to break free from the constraints of poverty. Her determination and sense of responsibility led her to become a teacher. For eight years she taught children in Rwanda, but her heart was still drawn to addressing the challenges faced by the women in her community.

It was during this period that Grace laid the foundation for Asembo Skills for Hope, an organisation with a clear mission: to empower women through vocational training, mentorship, and holistic support. She believed that by providing women with skills and confidence, they could escape the chains of generational poverty.

Grace’s students learning to become seamstresses.

Grace has established a 10-month program for a group of 20 women at a time. Currently, these students are engaged in learning tailoring. She is in the process of determining the vocational skill that the next group in her community will acquire. This thoughtful planning aims to prevent an overabundance of tailors in the community and instead foster a diversity of skills among its members and the communities they live in.

But it's not just about skills training. Grace takes a holistic approach to addressing both economic and emotional well-being. Her programs encompass vocational skills training, entrepreneurship education, and family planning, all aimed at creating confident, self-reliant women. She also offers ongoing support through savings programs and counselling services to help women manage life's challenges.

Among the many success stories coming out of Grace’s program, one particularly special example is Dorcus, a woman who not only completed Grace’s training programme but went on to become her assistant trainer. Dorcus’s lived experience shows her students that safe, stable and meaningful work is possible for them too.

Grace’s passion and dedication to her community are the driving forces behind the transformative impact of Asembo Skills for Hope and she’s already making a significant difference in the lives of countless women. Her longer term vision is to establish a social enterprise to provide sustainable employment opportunities for the women they train. By forging partnerships with local companies and government agencies, Grace aims to secure employment for the women, significantly increasing their incomes and improving their livelihoods. She also plans to replicate her current training centre model in nearby towns given the strong success of the holistic program, turning it into a scalable model. She’s determined to expand her important work until every woman and girl has the opportunity to realise her full potential, free from poverty.