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Over 2500 mothers are set to benefit from an economic empowerment program by the Association of Women in Agriculture, Kenya (AWAK) and The Coca-Cola Foundation through the Resilient recovery for vulnerable mothers living in urban slums program that has been launched today in the Coast region.
The Coca-Cola Foundation has invested a total of Kshs. 25.7 million in the program which is designed to provide long-term interventions to boost the income and nutrition of the slums households through mothers living in slums. It targets mothers in three informal settlements in the Coastal region: Kongowea, Kisauni & Changamwe and will provide beneficiaries with training on urban farming, food processing training, business development skills, briquette making and gardening kits.
“This program addresses a fundamental pillar for our company, which is the economic empowerment of women. We are delighted to be a part of this program because the benefits will be shared by the families and communities as well and therefore uplifting the standards of living for the communities,” said Saadia Madsbjerg, President of The Coca-Cola Foundation said.
The focus on a small scale and vulnerable farmers in Kenya resonates with the Big 4 Agenda and the Zero hunger sustainable development goals. Agriculture currently contributes 26% of Kenya’s GDP. The sector accounts for 65% of export earnings. It is, therefore, crucial to address the core of this fundamental pillar. Food security and economic empowerment for these women. The Covid 19 pandemic has decimated these efforts and more so in the informal settlements.
“The effect of the Covid 19 pandemic on the informal settlement households has increasingly been devastating. Recovery at the national level is gradually taking shape and we have taken it upon ourselves to assist communities to come out of the aftershocks of the pandemic and its effects on their livelihoods,” said Judy Matu, Founder and Chairperson of the Association of Women in Agriculture, Kenya (AWAK).
She added, “The Coca-Cola Foundation and AWAK have a shared interest in the economic empowerment of our women and communities. The beauty of this program is that it not only addresses the issue of economic empowerment of our women, but also the nutrition of their families which is essential for the general wellbeing of our communities.”
The 12-month program will offer economic empowerment to the women and their families, contribute to the food security in the settlements by offering readily available, affordable, and healthy food options as well as improve the livelihoods of the families by providing them with an alternative source of income.
The mothers will be trained on how to process superfoods like cassava, sweet and Irish potatoes into nutritious flours. They will also learn baking skills with the flour processed and also sell the flour.
Gardening groups will receive gardening kits which will comprise gardening bags, seedlings, and other inputs.
Another group will be trained on how to convert biomass waste into briquettes to help solve the pollution and waste management crisis in the communities.
The 2500 mothers will be expected each to train 3 other mothers bringing the total trainees to 7500 and indirect beneficiaries to 37,500.
