Over the years we have witnessed many of the children and families we work with achieve so much from very difficult situations. Here are a few brief case studies of some of those children.
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CASE STUDY OF C.B.
C. grew up in Museve, approximately 20 kms from Kitui Town. She is the fourth born of a family of five. Her parents lived in extremely poor circumstances and struggled to send their children to school. C. succeeded in attending secondary school although her attendance was very erratic because she would have to frequently engage in casual labour to provide food for the family. Having dropped out of secondary school at 16 years of age, she became engaged full time in doing shamba/farm work, cultivating, harvesting, fetching water, and washing clothes for approximately €2 per day. In 2014 the Area Chief approached PROTECT the Children of Kenya seeking assistance for this child. C. fulfilled the selection criteria and was enrolled in a three-month Vocational Preparation Training Programme and proved to be a suitable candidate for placement in a two-year Catering & Hospitality course being offered by Migwani Youth Polytechnic commencing in January 2015. Her school reports were excellent, she undertook her attachment in a hotel in Embu town and received a very favourable report from management. She was described as hardworking, honest, and dedicated to her work. C. opted to look for hotel employment in Nairobi and worked there for some years. She is now married and the mother of a baby boy. C. is very appreciative of the assistance given to her by PROTECT and the Irish community who sponsored her education where she can now live a life of dignity with her family. CASE STUDY OF A.T.
A. belongs to a family of ten children, seven girls and three boys, one girl is deceased. She was born in 2002 and is the last born of the family. A. is the first child in the family to be educated. Her older brothers and sisters never had the opportunity to avail of education due to poverty. All her siblings live away from home however some have sent their children home to be cared for by their grandparents because of economic circumstances. A’s attendance in primary school was very erratic because she was forced by her parents to engage in casual work and spent some time working as a house maid. She was withdrawn from child labour in October 2017 through the intervention of the Area Chief. Having met the PROTECT educational programme selection criteria she was enrolled in the Preparation for Vocational Training Programme for a period of three months and secured a place in Mulango Training Institute to study Fashion Design and Garment Making for a period of two years. A. sat for the Grade 111 examination with the Kenyan Industrial Authority Institute and was awarded a certificate of competency in December 2019. A. proved to be a very dedicated and hardworking student during her time in Mulango Training Institute and succeeded in getting a good report from her attachment supervisor. She was always cooperative with the staff of PROTECT, attending all Life Skills Trainings and mentoring sessions. She is employed as a dressmaker in a local town and appreciates the assistance provided to her by PROTECT the Children of Kenya and the Irish people. |
CASE STUDY OF D.N.
D. is the fourth born of a family of five, four boys and one girl. The family was raised by their single mother in extremely poor circumstances in Mwingi, Kitui County. The family survived by doing casual labor which involved burning charcoal and digging trenches in people’s farms. D.’s mother died in 2007 and the family was left in abject poverty. At 8 years of age, D. was exposed to child labour to feed himself and occasionally a neighbor would provide him with food. This lifestyle deprived D. of his childhood. His school attendance was erratic which affected his academic potential and ultimately his performance in his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education, however, he obtained 215 marks out of a total of 500. He got an admission letter to join a local day secondary school and with financial assistance from some well-wishers, he was able to attend school for the first term but unfortunately, D. could not raise funds to continue his study any further. He dropped out of school and once more fell into child labour, burning charcoal, herding goats and doing any manner of casual labor he could lay his hands on. D.’s life took a turning point in November 2015 when M., his older brother, approached PROTECT to seek assistance for him. After investigating the case of D., it was decided to give him the opportunity to undergo a Vocational Preparation Program and if successful he would be supported in Skills Training. D. successfully underwent a one-month Vocational Preparation Program and personal counselling. He was enrolled in Migwani Family Helper Youth Polytechnic in Jan 2016 under full sponsorship of PROTECT to undertake a two-year Program in Food and Beverage Studies. During his two-year training, D. excelled in his exams scoring a Distinction in his first-year exam and an overall Credit in his final year. He undertook his final exams with the Kenyan National Examination Council in December 2017 and was awarded a certificate in Hospitality and Catering. In 2018, D. was enrolled in the PROTECT Post-Trained Support Program where he was assisted with Curriculum Vitae Preparation, Interview Skills Training, and Preparation for the World of Work Training Program. D. secured a job in a local 3* hotel in early 2018 which was greatly aided by his track record of hard work, integrity and high discipline shown during his attachment. He continues to happily work there earning a basic salary of 8,000KSH (approx. €80) per month plus tips from customers. |
