In January of 2017, the Pangea team set out again for Kenya, with the purpose of training Nairobi’s and Western Kenya’s cooperatives in Women’s Reproductive Health. The team consisted of Julie, Nicole, Ivana, Beth, and Khalil (Ivana’s fiancé) who came along to document the expedition.
After being warmly welcomed by Collins, a Pangea Field Officer, and his gift of many chickens, Julie began the training
. Being a retired nurse from Atlanta, she educated the women within eleven cooperatives — Ngomongo Tailoring, Odwadu, Mother’s Union, Star, Omboki, Osiepe, Advocates, Kinda, Kibera Pangea, Nema and Sauti ya Wajane — on all subjects pertaining to women’s reproductive health, including:
- Development of the female body
- Female and male reproductive systems
- STI’s – warning signs and protection against
- Monthly cycle: ovulation to conception
- Stages of pregnancy
- Nutrition during pregnancy
- The birthing process
- Care of mother and baby during and after birth
- Menopause
Rachel, chairlady of the Luanda cooperative, was proud to hold the health training in her home. She is a widow and supports herself through a business of renting tents and chairs. To her, the training was particularly important because one of her grandchildren died a few months prior; she is a huge proponent of gaining this knowledge. Every day, when the Pangea team entered her home, we were greeted with song and dance, followed by many stories of child deaths and stillborn babies amongst the group members. With this we understood how dire the situation was, and just how crucial this training was to their community.
It became evident that the training was a total success, as women began approaching us and offering their personal testimonies of how applicable this new information would be to them and the lives of their family members. The following are accounts of some of the women who have interacted with Pangea Network for a significant amount of time:
“What we have learnt for these two days is more information than we have gathered in most of our lives. We will not only apply the information in our lives, but we will pass it to our sisters and daughters that can benefit from it.”
Caroline, Ngomongo Tailoring Women Cooperative
“I come from Kibera. I thank God for this day. I didn’t know anything about giving birth. I’ve always been afraid and don’t know how to help. This training makes me feel strong. I can give advice to my two girls. I won’t be afraid to talk to them. Thank you for this. My son died after he was born due to nutrition. This training will make it not happen again or happen to my girls.
Jeniffer, Kibera Women’s Cooperative
“Pangea should have given us this training long ago. Now we know how some things work and can call body parts by their right names. I will ensure to share the information with those I know can benefit. We will forever be grateful to Pangea.”
Abigail, Kibera Pangea Women’s Cooperative
What my group has learned will help us and our daughters and ALL those who come next. Thanks for continuing to help us improve ourselves and our lives.
Monica, Mukuru Women’s Cooperative
Furthermore, while at Rachel’s, a voter registration commissioner came by. Many of the women, after taking Pangea’s class on civil engagement, decided to register to vote for the upcoming election so their voices could be heard. Many individuals, especially women in impoverished communities, do not see the point in voting. But with Pangea training, the women in our cooperatives were now eager and hungry to fulfill their civic responsibility; they are ready to speak up. It was a beautiful event for our staff to watch.
Based on the questions, interactions with the women, and their testimonies after training, we believe this training will change their lives and that of their children. Each woman is dedicated to sharing the knowledge she received with others in her community and we are confident that they will be able to take the information they learned here and successfully train others on the subject in the future. After seeing the success of this informational session, we are excited to include this training in our official curriculum moving forward.
Partnership with Daystar
In addition to the rewarding informational health session, we are excited to announce an amazing new partnership with a well-known and prestigious university in Nairobi. Daystar University is now offering summer programs for students who are in between secondary school and university.
Six Pangea students completed their secondary education and received their results in December. These students, Sharone, Margaret, Kevin, Kelvin, Nicholas and Javan were enrolled into the mentorship program at Daystar University starting January 2017, in the hopes of giving them a head start in the world by educating them on communication, soft skills, life skills, career advice and computer basics.
So far, 2017 has been a very prosperous, fulfilling year, as we see the powerful impact that knowledge and arising opportunities can have on a community, and we look forward to many more throughout the year.
