Answered DREAMS

DREAMS Girls Graduation

Thirty DREAMS girls from Ruma and Lusi Safe Spaces graduated on 10th April 2018 at Ruma ACK Church in Rarieda Sub-County, Siaya County.

The girls have joined the community of DREAMS girl graduates having graduated on Financial Capability.

During the graduation ceremony officiated by Rarieda Sub-County Administrator Mr. Dan Aketch, the girls were awarded Certificates and Gift Hampers.

Also in attendance were Rarieda Sub-County DREAMS Coordinator, Ruth Onyango, Ruma Facilitator for the Entrepreneurship Program, Mrs. Juliet Okoth, and mentors from the two safe spaces; Mrs. Winnie Odhiambo and Mrs. Damaris Olawo.

Mr. Aketch congratulated the girls and urged them to put into practice what they had learned so as to better themselves and their surroundings. These sentiments were echoed by Rarieda Sub-County DREAMS Field Coordinator, Ruth Onyango.

The DREAMS Program is a strategy meant to complement the Kenyan Government's social and economic protection programs. Their main target is young girls aged twenty-four years and below who either dropped out of school due to early pregnancy or got married at a young age.

"The main aim of DREAMS is to reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in your community thus we want to make sure you are empowered to make the right choices," said Ruth Onyango while addressing the new DREAMS Graduates.

Some of the DREAMS activities include Financial Capability (FC) and Entrepreneurship training, SASA intervention and the Families matter program.

Financial capability and Entrepreneurship training basically entails education of the girls to equip them with skills that will enable them to start and sustain their businesses.

The Families matter program, a parent-focused intervention, targets parent with the aim of increasing awareness of child sexual abuse and gender-based violence. Here, the emphasis is on the promotion of positive parenting and effective parent-child communication on sexuality and sexual risk reduction.

SASA (Start Awareness Support Action) intervention focuses on the reduction of violence against women and young girls. The girls are educated on Gender Based Violence (GBV), what it is, actions that can be taken in case they are victims of such. They are also encouraged to speak up, advocating against GBV.