Stacy Njeri is an 18-year-old young woman from Mwiki, Kasarani Sub-county in Nairobi. Her first encounter with SHE SOARS was through Sarah, a Community-based Trainer (CBT) who found her idling at home and encouraged her to join the project. and informed Stacy of what she would learn at SHE SOARS trainings, including life skills, financial management, and Sexual and Reproductive Health.
“Before joining the project, I had lost all hope. I had thoughts of getting married to escape my situation at home, and have a husband who would provide for my basic needs. My parents were both low-income earners and could not afford to take me to university,” Stacy says.
Not all hope was lost, as Stacy’s CBT encouraged her to seek an alternative path that did not include early marriage. After obtaining her parents’ consent, she joined the project and began attending sessions in her community.
Stacy joined a Youth Savings and Loans Association group through SHE SOARS, a decision which changed her life. At first, she struggled to raise the required 30 KES which every group member brought weekly to save. She volunteered in a Hair and Beauty Salon, and would learn beauty skills through on-the-job training. She began saving the tips received from Salon clients in her YSLA group, a practice which also taught her financial management.
Through her training, Stacy learnt different beauty skills, such as Nail Art. She took a loan of 2,000 KES from her YSLA Group to start a Nail Art business. She used the loan to buy a UV Nail Gel Machine, and with additional support from her parents, she also bought Gel nail polish and tips. They were encouraged by Stacy’s determination to improve her life.
In order to save on rental costs, Stacy decided to have her business operate through home visits. She would go door-to-door marketing her business. Her first customers were her friends, and she would ask them to market her business through word-of-mouth and referrals. This helped her gain more customers.
On a good business day, Stacy makes 700-800 KES. She is able to comfortably make her monthly loan repayments.
The Sexual reproductive health and rights sessions have also impacted Stacy’s life. She learnt about different contraceptive methods and how to protect herself against unintended pregnancy, while also gaining knowledge about the health facilities around her community where she could access contraceptives, such as Njiru Health Center.
“My mother was not pleased when she discovered I was taking contraceptives, as she believed it was for married couples only. I convinced her by mentioning how if I didn’t protect myself, she would be a grandmother too soon, and the community would be disappointed in me,” She says.
She is especially grateful that she does not need to bear the burden of becoming a teenage mother, like many of her peers in the community.
“Thank you to the donors, they are changing lives. If it wasn’t for SHE SOARS, I would be married with children, and yet I am so young. My dreams are still alive,” Stacy says.
Stacy’s dream is to return to school and be trained as a professional beautician.
