MAKINI INITIATIVE-KENYA WORKS

Kenya Works mission is to foster collaborative partnership with the people of Kenya to create educational, vocational and financial opportunities that enable people to reach self-sufficiency and diffuse generational poverty.  Their mission is to bring opportunity with dignity to the people of Kenya.  Kenya Works was started as Kenya School Project in 2004 by Mary Stusek, a Wisconsin native.  In 2008 the program became known as Kenya Works.  Cosmas Ochieng is the Kenya Works Project Coordinator.  Cosmas has initiated many impactful programs within his local community, as well as communities throughout Kenya. Julie Schaller-Schmidt is the Executive Director.  Julie looks for new and powerful ways to support communities throughout Kenya by listening to communities throughout Kenya and finding ways to partner for positive, empowering change.  The last member to present to our club was Joe Wachira, Partner and Consultant.  He is on a mission to uplift the community of Ongata Rongai, Kenya with the serviced offered at VICODEC, a Community Based Organization he founded and directs.  The Makini Initiative started because of the lack of proper menstrual supplies being a roadblock for education for many Kenyan adolescent girls.  One way to improve school attendance for this population is to provide needed sanitary supplies.  In 2013, Kenya Works supplied 145 eco-friendly reusable sanitary napkin pads and panties to girls at Kotonje Public school in Homa Bay, Kenya.  School attendance improved and was uninterrupted, allowing girls to fulfill their academic potential while also learning about the biological development without shame and stigmatization.  Kenya Works is planning on to continue their partnership with Afripad brand of reusable pads, based in Uganda.  In addition to the environmental benefits of the product, Afripads offer employment opportunities for the women who sew the pads, providing them financial independence.