SELF HELP ORGANIZATION FOR VULNERABLE WOMEN AND CHILDREN LTD

SILVER SPRING, Maryland, 20906 United States

Mission Statement

Our mission is to lend a helping hand to vulnerable women, children, old persons, and youth in need and give them opportunities to be productive members of society and thrive in life. We achieve this mission through supporting education of young people, providing poor women and youth with livelihood opportunities and helping poor and old persons with adequate shelter and security.

About This Cause

The Self-Help Organization for vulnerable Women and children in need (SHOWN) is a not-for-profit organization incorporated since 2019 in the United States. SHOWN was established to improve access to education, health, and social and economic empowerment opportunities, especially for women and children in need across sub-Saharan Africa. Although, the organization was initially started to provide direct support to Girls’ Soccer clubs, orphaned children, and people living with HIV/AIDS, more needs have been identified and scope expanded to comprehensively help lift poor families, elderly persons, and young people, and children stuck in a life of misery. In partnership with local organizations and leaders, SHOWN targets beneficiaries identified in poor communities. At present SHOWN is implementing activities in Kenya, mainly in Nyamira County and to some extent in Kisii County. in Western Kenya. Our major program activities include school fees payment for children from poor households to access secondary and post-secondary education; girls’ empowerment programs through sports and sexual health education; free health clinics in rural communities; and livelihood programs. SHOWN is managed through a Board of Directors to ensure that the organization operates within its internal policies and US government laws for not-for-profit organizations. Vision Our vision is to contribute to the reduction of poverty in communities by giving young people a chance to pursue their education and skills training and empower families with livelihood opportunities. Mission Our mission is to lend a helping hand to poor families with opportunities to support their neediest members including women, children, and the elderly to improve their well-being and thrive in life across Nyamira County and to some extent in Kisii County in the western part of Kenya. Core Values • Education breaks intergenerational poverty • Healthy is wealth • Lending a hand NOT handouts Objectives 1. Improving access to secondary and post-secondary education and skills training for children in need; 2. Improving access to livelihoods, social, and economic empowerment opportunities to members from poor families, especially women and youth; 3. Improving access to health services, safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and hygiene products for all family members, especially sanitary towels for girls. 4. Improving access to shelter, security, and food, especially for elderly persons. Our Programs a) Improving Access to Education & Skills Training Programs Access to secondary and post-secondary education for many students from poor families in Kenya is limited due to the prohibitively high school fees and other associated costs. Our program provides direct support to needy students that otherwise will not be continuing with their education or training. Education Bursaries/Scholarship: Over 1,500 students in secondary schools and colleges from Nyamira County have received bursaries through our local partner organization, Marwanga Foundation and community leaders towards their education. The students from poor households that meet set selection criteria for support are identified by local leaders and verified with the help of school administrators before tuition is paid. The beneficiary students are mostly supported to attend national and other regional secondary schools, and colleges until they complete their schooling. b) Socio-economic and Livelihood Empowerment Programs Improving access to livelihoods, social, and economic empowerment opportunities to members from poor families, especially women and youth. Women Groups: Our programs currently support farmers’ groups with agricultural inputs including animal feeds, seeds, trainings, and linkages to markets for their seedlings and produce. Youth Brick Making Groups: Our programs also support youth groups involved with brick making by providing inputs such as land leases and wood for firing the bricks. Girls’ Soccer: We provide support to girls’ soccer clubs. We have provided team uniforms, sports equipment, housing, and food during training camps. Also, we have provided travel allowances for the players to participate in matches. The girl players are also provided with hygiene sanitary towels and other basic necessities. c) Access to Healthcare, Clean Water, Proper Sanitation, and Hygiene Programs. Improving access to health services, safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and hygiene products for all family members, especially sanitary towels for girls. Free Community Clinics: Access to health services especially for preventative care is lacking in vulnerable communities, which limits early detection of health problems and diseases for proactive care and treatments. To address these issues, our programs provide free clinics in the communities for dental, vision, diabetes, high-blood pressure, and other health conditions check-ups and treatment. We also provide medical equipment including wheelchairs and walkers to those that need them for mobility. Clean Water and Sanitation: Our programs target vulnerable communities with messages to help create awareness about clean drinking water and adequate sanitation for all families through promotion of rain water harvesting and proper toilets. d) Access to Adequate Shelter and Protection for old people: Improving access to shelter, security, and food, especially for elderly persons became a major issue in poor families, courtesy of the COVID-19 pandemic that brought more constraints to families and they were not able to care for the elderly. Many old people live in unsuitable housing conditions and SHOWN was able to adapt and prioritize this issue. Houses: SHOWN builts simple houses with roofs built of Iron Sheets and walls are made of mad and then equip them with basic necessicities. Food: SHOWN provides maize and beans to the old people for emergency and then help them link to County services.

SELF HELP ORGANIZATION FOR VULNERABLE WOMEN AND CHILDREN LTD
13302 Tivoli Lake Blvd 13302 Tivoli Lake Blvd
SILVER SPRING, Maryland 20906
United States
Phone +1 2406435702 / +1 2406435698
Unique Identifier 843947792