Gender Equality Kenya Project #21657

Nakuru Safehouse for Kenya Women and Children

by Springs of Hope Foundation

Nakuru Safehouse for Kenya Women and Children

Project Report | Mar 3, 2025
A Fairy Tale Wedding & a Year of Joy at Kijiji Mission

By Jennifer Hughes-Bystrom | Founder/CEO

Purity leaving Kijiji Mission on her big day

Dear Friends,

What a year 2024 has been for Kijiji Mission! It has been a time of incredible growth, heartwarming celebrations, and remarkable achievements. We have watched former students reach new heights and current students embrace the opportunities before them with boundless enthusiasm. None of this would have been possible without your steadfast support, and for that, we are deeply grateful. One of the most touching moments of the year was the wedding of our former student, Purity (name changed). Her journey has been nothing short of inspiring, and seeing her step into this new chapter of life fills our hearts with joy. Purity's future mother-in-law had a special request: she wanted Purity, along with her bridesmaids, all twelve of them, including the flower girls, to spend the night before the wedding at Kijiji Mission. And so, our mission home became a place of joyful chaos, filled with laughter, last-minute dress adjustments, and, we suspect, very little sleep! The excitement of the young women was palpable, and while, unfortunately I wasn’t there to witness the big day itself, I have no doubt that it was a beautiful and unforgettable celebration. Purity's story is one of transformation. Purity was born deaf. As a deaf young woman, her life could have taken a very different path, but with the support of Kijiji Mission, she had the opportunity to dream, grow, and ultimately build a future filled with love and promise. Seeing her walk down the aisle was a true fairy tale ending—one that was made possible by this incredible community.

As we reflect on 2024, we celebrate all the lives that have been touched and transformed through Kijiji Mission. Your generosity and commitment continue to create opportunities, change destinies, and bring hope where it is needed most. Thank you for walking this journey with us. Here’s to an even brighter 2025!

With gratitude and joy,

Jennifer Hughes-Bystrom

Springs of Hope Foundation

The bridal party who, All spent the night with us.

Very excited flower girls leaving our guest house

Our students getting ready to go to the wedding

Links:

Permalink

Nov 18, 2024
Empowerment! It's not just a buzzword!

By Jennifer Hughes | Founder/CEO

Empowerment extends far beyond a simple buzzword; it is a powerful, life-altering process that influences individuals, communities, and society as a whole. The Springs of Hope Foundation’s Kijiji Mission in Nakuru, Kenya, was founded as a vocational training center to change the lives of young women across Kenya who come from highly impoverished backgrounds. In these communities, poverty and lack of resources fuel high rates of teenage pregnancies, unsafe abortions, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, substance misuse, gender-based violence, and school dropouts due to the inability to afford fees.

For twelve months, young women reside at the Kijiji Mission facility free of charge, where they receive life-changing training in life skills, small business management, financial literacy, computer skills, and tailoring. This vocational training is paired with guidance on health, sexual and reproductive rights, and counseling to support trauma recovery and resilience building. The counseling component helps these women overcome personal, family, and community challenges rooted in trauma, which can often hinder growth and confidence.

Through this comprehensive support, young women shift from feeling unworthy to developing self-confidence, standing tall, and meeting others with renewed self-respect. This inner strength and resilience form the bedrock for lasting transformation, enabling them to reshape their lives and contribute meaningfully to their communities.

MEET JOSEPHINE (not her real name) one of our recent graduates.

Josephine, a 21-year-old and the eldest of four siblings, grew up in challenging circumstances. Her father abandoned the family when her youngest sibling was born, leaving her mother as the sole provider. Her mother worked tirelessly as a seasonal laborer in the fields, struggling but determined to support Josephine's education. Despite long absences from school due to unpaid fees, Josephine managed to complete her high school education.

After graduating, Josephine stayed home for several months until a friend of her mother offered her a job as a cook at the local prison. Although the pay was only 300Kenyan shillings a day (approximately $2.35 USD) she accepted the position. However, she eventually had to leave as the earnings were insufficient to meet her needs. She then took a job as a house helper, workinghard and saving some money to help support her family.

Josephine’s life took a positive turn when her aunt told her about Kijiji Mission. In her interview, Josephine shared her lifelong dream of working in fashion and design. Thrilled by the opportunity, she dedicated herself to the program, quickly proving her commitment. Her hard work led to her appointment as class prefect during her year at Kijiji Mission. After graduating in September 2024, Josephine received a three-month attachment at Daraja 360, a company specializing in school uniform production.

There, she honed her skills in speed and craftsmanship and impressed her supervisors with her strong work ethic and mastery of industrial sewing machines—a skill she developed at Kijiji Mission. Daraja allowed her to work on commission during her attachment, giving her a valuable income stream and more experience. She is now saving to buy an electric sewing machine, with the goal of opening a school uniform shop in her rural community. This venture would save local families from traveling to larger towns like Nakuru or Nyahururu for school uniforms.

Josephine is deeply grateful to the Springs of Hope Foundation supporters for enabling her to follow her dream and equipping her with skills that set her apart from her peers, who had only trained on manually operated machines.

Beyond the skills training, counseling, and peer group services that the Springs of Hope Foundation offers, perhaps the most valuable lesson these young women learn is; "I Matter". For many, this is the first time they are respected, loved, and encouraged. The first time they are recognized as important, able, and worthy. In many cases, the journey to empowerment starts when someone says, "I see you". This is how old stories end, and new ones begin.

With huge thanks and blessings,

Jennifer Hughes-Bystrom

Founder/CEO

Springs of Hope Foundation

Over the years, we have had the privilege of witnessing countless life-changing and heartwarming stories—moments made possible by your steadfast support. For this, we are deeply grateful.

Did you know that less than 2% of charitable giving goes toward women’s empowerment organizations? That’s why I’m asking for your support. Join me in making a difference! Your support is critical in ensuring that every girl knows her story
—and her future—matter.

Links:

Permalink

Oct 28, 2024
I love reporting about the success of our graduates

By Jennifer Hughes-Bystrom | Founder/CEO

I love hearing good news stories from our graduates whenever I'm here. The girls love to stop by to say hi, share their success stories with us, and inspire the current group of girls to work hard and set goals to achieve their dreams. Purity, (name changed) who graduated in December 2023, is one of those girls. Purity was born deaf. Any form of disability is usually shunned upon in East Africa, and the family will hide their disabled child from society. Her natural father abandoned the family soon after she was born. Her mother remarried a man who was extremely violent, forcing her to run away, leaving Purity to be raised by her elderly grandmother. Purity was one of the very fortunate girls. From primary school, she attended the renowned Ngala School for the Deaf in Nakuru City as a boarding student, graduating in 2022.

Along with three other girls from Ngala, Purity joined Kijiji Mission in 2023, graduating in Dec. Now with a well-rounded education and marketable vocational skills, her mostly absent father and family members wanted her to return to their interior rural land as Purity would bring the family a high bride dowry, and yes, that does involve the exchange of a few cattle, FGM and marriage to a much older man. A destiny we were all desperate to avoid. Despite the daunting employment prospects for the hearing impaired, Purity was unwavering in her determination to succeed. We were able to find her a six-month attachment at a school uniform manufacturing project, honing her skills by making uniforms for free. She continued to reside with us throughout this period, commuting to the project daily. During this time, she met a boy at Church who was also hearing impaired. Purity came by the other week to tell us that she’s getting married in November. The boy’s family loves Purity and is excited to welcome her into their large family. They had sent their son to barber college and now plan to set the two up in a joint barbershop and fashion design business. We are thankful to God that she has landed into the caring hands of loving in-laws who are looking forward to the wedding and welcoming their new daughter into their family and willing to give them total support in their business success. Every year, we are able to include hearing-impaired girls referred to us by Ngala School of the Deaf. This is only possible because of our wonderful head teacher, Marther, who is fully versant in Kenyan sign language. I'm not aware of any other vocational training school in Kenya that offers such intensive vocational training for the deaf.

All of our girls learn so much during the 12 months they live with us at Kijiji Mission. Of course, they learn a trade, tailoring. However, they also learn beginning computers, business and money management, household management, health, and hygiene, including reproductive health, just to name a few of the valuable services we provide. Since our humble beginnings in 2008, the Springs of Hope Foundation has made great strides forward in Kenya. We are so very grateful for the continued support of our donors. Without you, none of this would be possible.

Asante Sana.

Thank You.

Warmest blessings,

Jennifer Hughes-Bystrom

Founder/CEO

Links:

Permalink

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ... 14 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.