Family Futures

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teachers to enhance their professional skills for optimum

performance while providing an increased awareness of the

important role of teachers in children’s development. The

school also runs short seminars for child-minders. Since

many parents work outside the home, child-minders and

home-helps play a vital role in the upbringing of young

children. The school therefore runs a seminar programme

to help child-minders acquire skills for effective early

childhood development. The school currently attracts and

influences 500 families every year.

Since 2006, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,

the Association for the Family (AFA) continues to work

to defend and promote the family. The main activities take

place around two schools supported by the association: the

Lycã Minzoto for girls and the College Bilombe for boys. To

date, these two schools have had 990 students, representing

nearly 200 families chosen on the basis of parents’ personal

involvement in their children’s school education. AFA is

very involved in the training of parents. Accordingly, it

organized study days on the family, a programme on family

orientation in which 50 couples have already participated,

and a club providing training for the school’s mothers and

their friends. Nearly 200 women participate every month

to discuss topics such as the care of small family matters,

family budget management and the involvement of chil-

dren in school life.

In Côte d’Ivoire, since 1989 the Family and Education

Association has trained about 1,560 couples in the cities

of Abidjan, Yamoussoukro and Yopougon. Since 2000 the

‘Ivorian Family Day’ has been held on the first Sunday of

December each year, attended by 450-500 people. The asso-

ciation has also established two schools: the Etimoe girls’

school and the Makoré boys’ school. Today, these two schools

total 378 students from around 200 families. Most of the fami-

lies have participated in the association’s family enrichment

courses and attend various training programmes to develop

their abilities as parents and educators.

Kianda Foundation was set up over 53 years ago to reduce

levels of poverty through empowering women, who are

the bedrock of the family. In Kenya, 45.9 per cent of the

population lives below the poverty line. Consequently there

is a huge population that has little or no access to basic

human needs such as education, health, housing and water.

At the time of the foundation’s inception very few women

had access to education because society was highly patriar-

chal. The foundation initiated the Kianda College project

in 1961 and currently supports several projects within the

thematic areas of education, economic empowerment and

health. The projects include the Kianda School, Kibondeni

College, Kimlea Girls Technical Training Centre, Tewa

Training Centre, Gatina and Maramba Nursery Schools,

Kimlea Clinic, Children’s Health Program (CHEP), Trainer

The story of George Gitahi

Twenty-four-year-old George Gitahi is from Outering estate in Eastlands,

Nairobi. He is the sixth of nine children in a family that is not well off. His

father works at many odd jobs while his mother sells mitumba (second

hand clothes) at their doorstep. With many mouths to feed, paying school

fees was not the family’s highest priority.

Despite these challenges, and the negative peer pressure that saw

two of his primary school friends were shot down soon after they began

stealing, George managed to complete his high school education.

But even those who are fortunate enough to acquire some tertiary

training often have to overcome the challenges of poor professional

preparation because of the irrelevant courses they took, or lack of

capital to start a business.

George came across these challenges after high school. His tough

schooling experience impacted negatively on his final results and

going to university was ruled out. He tried his hands at many things.

“I once sold key holders, worked for a courier firm, did volunteer jobs

among others, until I got the opportunity of joining the Informal Sector

Business Institute,” he says.

Like many other students, George learned about ISBI through his

friends. He enrolled for classes at ISBI’s Eastlands Centre, which

opened up horizons for him: “It is like my vision was clouded, but now I

can see clearly,” he says.

At ISBI, George enjoyed learning how to use the computer, receiving

entrepreneurial ideas and attending the life skills sessions. He

specialized in electronics, which gave him the most memorable

experience both in classes and his ongoing internship.

George feels that he has improved ethically thanks to the business

ethics class, and he is grateful for the practical advice he received to

help him solve day-to-day problems: “I used to be very shy. I couldn’t

face people and when I did, I was very casual with them, both the old

and the young. Thanks to the programme, I have overcome that.”

George now has his own electronics supplies and repairs shop where

he has one permanent employee and takes on casual workers when

needed. He plans to bring his family out of poverty and to help his other

siblings achieve their dreams.

Studying at ISBI has enabled George Gitahi to set up his own electronics

supplies and repairs shop

Image: VOFA