NOW me! Nurturing Opportunities for Women: empowerment program for vulnerable young women in Kenya
Kenya
Status
ImplementationAid type
Project-type interventionsKenya
Location
-
€ 1,920,432
Committed
Committed
€ 1,344,302
Used
Used
Description
The project "NOW me! Nurturing Opportunities for Women" (Pathways to Economic Empowerment for Young Women and Vulnerable Mothers in Kenya) aims to address the empowerment and employability challenges of vulnerable women and girls in three densely populated suburban areas of Nairobi with the goal of reducing inequalities and achieving inclusive and sustainable economic growth, in harmony with MDGs 8.5 and 8.6. The project promotes women's labour inclusion by accompanying them out of vulnerable street situations, and supporting their access to market-oriented vocational training and training-to-work transition pathways, as tools for empowerment and resilience, in line with OSS 4.4 and 4.5. Gender markers are prioritised. Female unemployment, especially in informal urban settlements, is a priority for intervention identified in the Italy-Kenya Development Plan 2023/2027; the situation among young women in Nairobi and Kajiado North counties highlights an urgent need for targeted interventions. The female unemployment rate recorded by the last national census (2019) is 22.73% in Nairobi and 17.49% in Kajiado. In addition, 34.61% of women in Nairobi and 25.57% in Kajiado are NEETs, i.e. not engaged in education, employment or training, which underscores the need for effective training and (self)employment programmes. Unemployment in 2022 was reduced by one and a half points nationwide, but youth unemployment remains endemic, while the income inequality index - i.e. how much women are poorer than men - has been steadily rising for several years now (presently 39.8%). The project focuses on women and girls, both mothers and non-mothers, who are in actual or potential street situations due to severe socio-economic marginalization. The goal is to improve their employability and selfemployment in sectors with high employment potential for the specific context. The project's integrated approach is structured around three pillars of intervention: (R1) removal of obstacles that hinder women's full personal, social and economic realization (rehabilitation and reintegration in local communities, acquisition of basic life skills, community support); (R2) access to inclusive and market-oriented training opportunities (including cash transfers and scholarships) that include digital skills particularly relevant for the high potential sector in the country; (R3) positive transition from learning to earning through a sustained support program for employment and entrepreneurship, with a focus on establishing mentoring networks. Direct beneficiaries will be young women and mothers in current or potential socio-economic marginalized situations who will benefit from pathways to empowerment, vocational training, and job transition; government officials, project staff, staff of training Allegato 2_Modello Documento Unico di Progetto_DUP_Bando Promossi 2023 9 institutes, community radio stations, and local small and medium-sized businesses who will increase their awareness on gender equality, and will be able to transfer the principles of inclusiveness to their own contexts; and local communities who will benefit from the gender equality awareness campaigns and economic activities generated by the project. The initiative stems from Amani's more than 30-year collaboration in Nairobi with Koinonia Community, the Kenyan partner, in the rehabilitation of children and youth in street situations. AIDOS will consolidate the skills of the project actors (institutional network, training centres, companies, partners and operators) in the gender transformative approach, with a view to sustainability beyond AICS funding; Comunità Nuova will provide support in the transition from learning to earning, while Storielibere will collaborate on the production of podcasts that will give voice to the beneficiaries, helping to raise awareness in the community on issues of gender equality and women's empowerment.
read more
close
| Year | Committed | Used |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | € 1,920,432 | € 1,344,302 |
Agency
| Type | Name | Channel code |
|---|---|---|
| Government | AICS - Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development | 11000 |
Channel reported
| Type | Name | Channel code |
|---|---|---|
| National NGO | ASSOCIAZIONE AMANI ONLUS | 22000 |
Project data
Sectors
Policy markers
SDGs
-
-
-