About 400 youths addicted to drugs in gang-prone areas of Kisauni and Nyali sub-counties in Mombasa have been enrolled into a counselling and entrepreneurship project set to help their recovery and reintegration into society.
The 200 women and 200 men caught in the net of drug abuse have been enrolled, counselled and trained in an entrepreneurship and life-skills project funded by the European Union in collaboration with the Muslim Education Welfare Association (MEWA) and the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF).
According to MEWA Psychologist Ms Mariam Musa, 50 enrollees have successfully set up small business ventures to enable them earn a decent living.
“We were targeting 200 men and 200 women in Kisauni and Nyali sub-counties. We trained 50 on economic empowerment and proceeded to give them seed capital through EU and AKF. This is an area which is a challenge to the youths and we intend to continue mentoring them,” said Musa.
“It is our prayer that the 50 proceed with the projects we have done and in the activities they choose to do like selling second-hand clothes, catering and distributing products,” she added.
Musa noted that the project also focuses on the mental health of the youths, while also preparing their families and community to receive and accept them after recovery. She said the youth in the programme are taught how to utilise as little as Sh500 to start off and build a lucrative business.
She revealed that the youths have received identification cards, a move which she says has been instrumental in searching for job opportunities and getting back to society.
“We are acting as a bridge to bring the youth closer to the community and authorities for them to feel safe and know they are part of the community and can get services,” said Musa.
Aga Khan Foundation Programmes Coordinator Stella Maris said the project has so far benefitted 20,000 youth and women from Lamu, Kilifi, Kwale, Mombasa, Nakuru and Kisii whose livelihoods were adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Maris said through working with 12 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), the project has improved the livelihoods of the women and youth from vulnerable communities faced with mental health issues as well as Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV).
Family Aid Initiative Response coordinator John Kamau said the project has helped support several poor families in Nakuru West.
“We have to tell the youth to change their mindset from relying on handouts to exploiting little resources in groups to make a dependable and sustainable livelihood project,” he said.
CSO Regional Technical Advisor Cynthia Odhiambo said that Sh56 million has been used to support the project that also extends to Tanzania and Uganda.
