Primrose Wangeci is 21 years old. She resides in Riverside village, Viwandani informal settlement and a firstborn in a family of 6 children living with their mother – a single parent.
She joined the DREAMS project in 2016 while she was in her second year in high school. It was difficult to stay in school due to lack of school fees and many times she would be sent away. Her encounter with the DREAMS project would change her life. She received school fees support to sustain her in school and successfully complete her studies. She also received cash transfers to support her household with basic needs.
Her life is now completely transformed. Her self-esteem has improved through the support she received interacting with her peers within the Social Asset Building (SAB) sessions, where she was enlighten about family planning and making healthy choices through My Health My Choice sessions. The lessons on savings and money management and entrepreneurship prepared her to know how to handle her finances and she regularly accessed HIV testing and PrEP services.
“I feel empowered, safe from HIV and I am more focused in life. I am positive and not allowing anything to interfere with my dreams despite my background and the present circumstances” She states proudly.
The DREAMS project continued to support her after high school to pursue computer skills training within her village. She proceeded for internship at a Cyber café where she would earn a stipend during business peak times. She was always on the lookout for online job opportunities .One of her applications was successful and she got an offer to work as a waitress and front office assistant at a hotel in Dubai, an opportunity she quickly grabbed and now earns a monthly income of KES 63,000 per month.
‘My future plan is to save and start a business back home (in Kenya) and also support my 1 year old child. I acknowledge the DREAMS program for supporting me to achieve all this. May God enable many vulnerable girls in the informal settlement girls to access such opportunities through DREAMS” She concludes.
