Christine Mulinge is a 28-year-old former DREAMS girl living in Kiambiu informal settlements, Nairobi. She has four siblings and is a mother of a 6-year-old son.
Before joining the CONNECT DREAMS Project, Christine’s life was a struggle. Due to financial constraints, she dropped out of college, where she was pursuing a nursing course and began hustling as a caregiver at various health facilities. In 2017, she heard about DREAMS through word-of-mouth in her community and enrolled in the Kiambiu site office.
It was at this point that her life began to change. Christine benefitted from the DREAMS package of services targeted at young women of her age, including education on contraceptives, Pre and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP and PEP), correct condom use, financial capability training, entrepreneurship training, HIV Testing Services (HTS), and accompanied by her mentor attended Social Asset Building (SAB) sessions to gain life skills.
As part of the Economic Strengthening package of services, DREAMS offers a business start-up kit or boost to existing businesses. Christine chose to receive a business start-up kit of KES 6,000, which she used to start a cosmetics business. However, her real passion was medicine and healthcare.
“I have a passion for community wellness and fitness. I was a first aider from a young age. Using the profits saved from my cosmetics business and an additional financial boost from DREAMS, I opened a pharmacy within Kiambiu.” She says.
Her pharmacy became very successful, as it is one of the few within the community. In a decent month, sales can reach KES 50,000.
Christine is the breadwinner in her household and caters to all her family’s financial needs. She pays her sister’s school fees and provides upkeep to her whole family, including her son, mother and father, and other siblings. Her interest in medicine does not stop at her pharmacy; she also works part-time as a Locum Healthcare Worker in a nearby private hospital.
“The knowledge I gained in DREAMS through training in business management, financial capability, and financial discipline is the reason for my business success. My dream is to graduate and become a licensed practicing nurse,” she says.
Christine urges adolescent girls and young women to pursue their dreams and take any opportunity to go to school.
“I am so grateful to DREAMS. I pray that other girls will benefit as I have.” She says.
