About Us
Pillars for Resilience Kenya is a local grassroots and Trans gender women led Non-Profit Organization that was establish in the Year 2018 by a group of Trans gender women (GBV survivors) with passion in addressing human rights, Sexual Reproductive health and livelihoods issues among Sexual Gender Minorities, adolescent Trans gender girls and marginalized Teen Mothers.
We work towards creating a safe space for engagement of adolescents, teen mothers and Trans gender women to discuss and debate issues affecting them. We empower them with accredited skills and knowledge on assertiveness, communication skills as well as sexual and reproductive health education. Offering them career guidance and managing their dreams and aspirations is our mandate
In this changing world, Trans gender women are seen as propellers to the progressive narrative in entrepreneurship. Our programming at PFR brings into context the outcomes derived from creating a conducive environment for Trans gender girls and rural women to channel their skills and hobbies towards meaningful income generating activities and enlightens them on crafts, value addition, and business management to support their families. PFR has established a hub where beneficiaries collectively contribute to the enhancement of products and thereby improvement of livelihoods and reduction of stigma and gender discrimination.
Pillars for resilience Economic Empowerment Program for Trans gender women in rural settings ensures decent pay for beneficiaries from their crafts hence identifies trainers among beneficiaries to ensure the design resonates with the women’s ideas and further supplements the supply chain guarantying transparency to consumers. Our hands on approach at community level by peer coordinators who conduct visits and monitoring schedules ensures that the assisted rural-based artisans are meeting standards of production. Skilling Trans gender girls and women opens opportunities for income generation, paves roads of self-sustainability and builds dignity as women are seen as economic growth drivers. PFR prides itself in its Teen mothers’ Vocational Program which provides beneficiaries in rural areas and out of school with a second chance to education in Business Management, Fashion & Design, SRHR, Computer Literacy and Mental Health.
is creating enabling society where women’s and girls have right and power to express their interest ensuring normal continuity and maximum fulfilment of life.
is creating an empowered society to self-mitigating challenges associated with women and girls.
PFR’s unique experience includes; community mobilization for hard-to-reach populations including transgender, women and youth aged 10-24 years in Tharaka Nithi County of Kenya. PFR’s innovative approaches include Social Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) using evidence-based peer-centered approaches, advocacy, Ambassadors of change, linkages, networking and partnerships. Our sustainability goal is to ensure graduands access business start-ups and apprenticeship.
Our programs
1. VILLAGE SAVINGS AND LOANING ASSOCIATION
By supporting women for financial inclusion, financial literacy, business startup and management. The better ways are to lend, loan and save their money, we encourage stability, we foster empowerment and help mitigate Gender Based Violence
The good news is that the way to make this possible already exists and it is called Village Savings & Loaning Association groups (VSLA). We are passionate about putting skills & resources directly into the hands of women – they invariably seize the opportunity to transform their lives and improve their children’s futures.
Therefore, belonging to a VSLA has great rewards in terms of access to Loans, diversified livelihoods income sources, learning of new skills especially in Cash Book and building strong social bonds among community members.
2. WOMEN ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
Pandemic pushed communities to be more resilient despite the limited resources. It helped our communities to build stronger connections and drive actions towards better change.
Truly, Pillars for resilience -Kenya women groups developed Economic Empowerment Program in this line of baskets weaving as an Income generating activity to demonstrate how passionate and creative, they were amidst the pandemic which helped towards mitigation Gender Based Violence.
For effective fight to Economic Justice among women in rural communities, our women Economic Empowerment Program activities focus on creating products and services which rural women can deliver on the market.
These are used as weapons to fight economic injustices, gender inequality, climate change and better education, health, welfare of their children. Some of the sets and colours are just magical.
3. TEEN MOTHERS ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
Due to the consequences of COVID-19, girls were exposed to new risks – including early pregnancy & forced marriage, most teenage and young mothers cannot continue with their education because they have babies to feed for yet they are without any accredited skills.
Pillars for resilience -Kenya chose to give them hope by skilling them in various skills under Tailoring, Fashion & Design Vocational Program.
Skilling girl child opens opportunities, paves roads of self-sustainability and builds dignity. Our Teen mothers Vocational Program provides rural out of school with second chance to education in Business Management, Fashion & Design, SRHR, Computer Literacy and Mental Health.
We extend our gratitude to TUI Care Foundation & Aid to Artisans for supporting us through our journey of creating a group of peers who are well empowered with information that trickles down to the rest of the community for the betterment of the society.
4. SEXUAL REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHT FOR ADOLESCENT
We carry out this program among students in schools and through this intervention, we are spreading information and knowledge to different stakeholders about the challenges of reproductive health faced by teenagers of school going age. The organization has programs on Sexual Reproductive education running in some schools. These are aimed at empowering adolescents with the right information about puberty and behavioral change in general as well as how they can keep themselves safe from teenage pregnancy and child marriage.
5. MENSTRUAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT
In the move to keep girls in school and complete their education, we reach out to vulnerable girls in rural schools and provide them with reusable sanitary towels which are meant to take them for a year before they are given other packets. The number of girls that need support keeps growing as more schools keep seeking our intervention.
We train the girls on how to use these pads and how to keep them clean to avoid infections. Our dream is to be able to train more teen girls on how to make the reusable sanitary pads themselves for skills development and economic empowerment.
In the last 3 years, we have been able to support 22436 girls from 56 schools in rural Kenya with reusable sanitary pads and now they are able to attend school every day of the term without being limited by menstruation.
6. GENDER EQUALITY
Gender inequality persists worldwide, depriving women and girls of their basic rights and opportunities. It has been repeatedly proven that empowering women and girls has a multiplier effect and helps drive up economic growth and development. Achieving gender equality will require greater efforts, including legal frameworks, to counter deeply rooted gender-based discrimination that often results from patriarchal attitudes and related social norms.
We stand against inequality and discrimination of Trans, women and Girls because we believe that everyone should be able to achieve their true potential no matter their gender. Sustainable Goal Number 5 is our focus as we commit to empower all women and Girls.
7.SCHOOL CLUBS
We have introduced the “Girls Matter Clubs” in schools with an intention of creating spaces where girls can easily share and discuss issues that affect them. In these clubs we share age-appropriate information with girls that specifically addresses their sexual reproductive health issues and how well they should take good care of themselves.
Through the clubs, girls are able to take part in debates and make presentations at community level so that their views can be captured by the community leaders for further action. They are also empowered with information on how to report crime as opposed to being silenced by those who exploit them. This way we are able to identify the wrongdoers in society and take them to the courts of Laws.
The Clubs also include boys so that they are educated about the need to support the girl child to stay in school. Boys are educated about menstruation matters and the fact that it applies to every female including their sisters, cousins, aunties, and mothers therefore they should not humiliate and embarrass the girls once they accidentally stain their uniforms.
This has helped to reduce the level of school dropouts among girls. The clubs have also helped to improve the self- esteem and confidence levels for students. That way they can be able to stand up for their rights and protect themselves from exploitation.
8. SCHOOL COUNSELLING SESSIONS
Through the counseling programs and school clubs, we are able to guide students about their day to day lives and how they are expected to behave both in school and at home. We sensitize them about the consequences of engaging in early sex and we encourage them to say NO to sexual advances from men as well as report cases of abuse by calling Toll Free 116. Information on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights is shared and this has helped to build their confidence and self-esteem.
We use the same program to educate boys and girls about the dangers associated with child marriage and teenage pregnancy so that they are able to stay in school and complete their education. These programs are also extended to parents and teachers so that they can know the value that comes with educating and keeping the girl child in school. This is done through Parents Teachers Association (PTA) meetings at school and community dialogues with community leaders.
9. CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION
Climate Action is urgent at the moment and we are working in partnership with schools to promote Climate Justice and ensure that students in schools get actively involved in planting fruit trees. We are Partnering with 55 schools in Tharaka Nithi County Kenya with whom we shall be able to plant 5000 fruit trees. These will not only protect their school environments but also provide fruits to the students. We are looking out for partners to support our programs on climate education and advocacy.
10. KEY POPULATION
Pillars for Resilience supports a peer led key population (KP) programs in most homophobic communities of Kenya. The program conducts community specific activities that are aimed at increasing demand and access to preventive and care and treatment interventions to the LGBTIQ groups. The model uses the peer-to-peer approach which requires the mobilization of peers to the safe space. Our formative community activities include mapping of LGBTIQ hotspots, once established, the peers are involved in identification, management and utilization of the safe spaces. Through continued active sessions, demand creation activities are conducted by a trained peer educator through utilization of IEC and audio-visual tools at the safe space, Pillars for Resilience identifies socio-health interventions as the key foundation to ensuring LGBTIQ access resources and are able to foreground their needs in an environment that is wholistic. At the safe spaces, peers get to share their socio-health expectations and these suggestions are used in the design of the program activities. The set up of the safe space allows for indoor and board games that go a long way to create a conducive space where peers can mingle whilst getting access to commodities and screening for HIV, PrEP, GBV and other safety needs. Pillars for Resilience offers GBV response by providing LIVEs to LGBTIQ survivors of violence, the program also provides temporary shelter for individuals who are at an ongoing risk of GBV and Stigma related shortcomings. The program serves hard to reach LGBTIQ through the Extended Peer Outreach approach (EPOA), Social Network Strategy (SNS) and Risk Network Referral), these three approaches are a mobilization approach that are complimented by COME WE SHARE and theme days activities that serve to mobilize peers to safe space for socialization and uptake of services.