United Community Development Youth Group - Groups - Action Tools

Details

Name: United Community Development Youth Group
Categories: Human Rights
Health
Environment

Description:

UNITED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT YOUTH GROUP

Introduction
United Community Development Youth Group is a Community Based Organization that was started in the year1999 by 5 members who had been faced with various challenges such as poor health, poverty, and illiteracy. The group was later registered by the Ministry of Gender, Sports, Culture and Social Services in the year 2000.

Objectives
• The group intends to reduce poverty among the poor members of this community through initiation of Income Generating Activities.
• Carry out awareness creation and advocate for the reduction of HIV/AIDS as well as Supporting the Widows and People Living with HIV/ AIDS.

Specific Programmes

Basket and Knitting
This is one of the activities that support some members because the sales proceeds are used to sustain the relevant families and even support the other dependants including the OVCs.

Rope Making
This is not only a source of income but provide an opportunity for older members to pass on the skills to the young people for self-sustainability.

Poultry and Horticulture Farming
The group is engaged in farming activities to improve food security. This includes horticultural farming where some members attend to their kitchen gardens for vegetable, tomatoes and onion production. The pictures below show vegetables farming at Onjiko to support food security.

The group members are interested in expanding their income to support the Vulnerable. However, we are faced with several challenges. Some of the challenges include inadequate financial resources to increase the level of activities as well as water shortage. We managed to receive a donation of water pump Ministry of Water and Irrigation, however we do not have reliable water source since the River Nyaidho is seasonal. It is the wish of the members that if we had a borehole, we would be at a position of farming throughout the year. Currently we rely on rain.

Home Based Care
In this programme we do home visits on weekly basis. We identify a few homes to be visited within a given period of time. We do counseling and refer those who need further assistance to health facilities and also advice the need for post and antenatal clinics for young mothers and children vaccinations. We also advocate for general cleanliness in order to avoid disease that can be a voided e.g. cholera. We have community trained health workers who do this. We sell basic drugs within the community.

Support for Orphans and Vulnerable Children
This has been a good programme due to the environment and level of poverty within the community. There are so many orphans and vulnerable children that have been left mostly as a result of HIV/ AIDS. We provide Child Counselling and Psychosocial Support. Buying of school uniform, books and paying of minimal tuition fee to enhance their education standard.

Support for Widows and People living with HIV/AIDS
The widows have poultry project where one is given a total of eight (8) hens by the group to keep with an intention of re giving another 8 also to another member after an interval of 3 to 4 months. We have already given to 10 members.

Conclusion:
Our activities are very successful and there is overwhelming community support, we will continue networking with partners such as Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Ministry of State for Youth Affairs, and Ministry of health among other organizations. There is community ownership and therefore we for see the members of our self-help group sustaining the income generating activities already started. Increased support to expand our work and be able to support all Orphans & Vulnerable children and widows within our area of coverage will be highly welcomed.

Contact
Mr. Stephen Ochieng
P.O BOX 207- 40101
Ahero
Tel: +254 0723 319389
Email:ucdev05@yahoo.co.uk
Kenya

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