Empowering Kenyan teen mothers
Lifelong Kenyan Scout Ivy Akii Karushi is determined to empower teen mothers to develop personal and social skills with entrepreneurial leadership while engaging the community in creating awareness and mitigating the effects of teen pregnancy in Kenya.
In 2021, Ivy formed Gingko Africa during the COVID19 pandemic in response to the high increase in teen pregnancies that have and continue to be recorded during this pandemic — more than 152,000 teenage girls became pregnant (VOA, a 40% increase in monthly averages). Her vision for Gingko is to see the empowerment of African adolescent girls, to see them thrive in dignity, well-being, and financial independence, free from teen pregnancy, gender-based violence and injustice.
A Scout since the age of six, Ivy has honed a diverse set of valuable life skills — from teamwork and problem-solving to critical thinking and creativity — that she hopes to pass on to others through Ginkgo.
Gingko Africa has strategically created a support structure and a safe space for teen mothers to restore, remodel and revamp their confidence, resilience and courage despite their challenges, building resilience among teen mothers. Watch Ivy talk about two projects she leads in Kenya
Though it's tough to focus on schoolwork with all the challenges, I am determined to finish my high school education and pursue my dreams in supporting my child. Currently, I am equipping myself with entrepreneurship skills from the Gingko programme so that I can better cater for my family.“ Patricia, (19).
Gingko voices teen pregnancy by providing both male and female teenagers aged 13–19 years with the necessary knowledge, skills, and tools to create a positive impact on society.
Gingko delivers two skill-based knowledge programmes to enable young mothers to bloom through coaching, mentorship and learning by doing methodologies to create eco-friendly products to sustain their families:
Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights. This covers parenting and personal development, encouraging constructive conversations around sex education and teen pregnancy while cultivating the young persons’ personal growth and parenting skills.
Entrepreneurship, Business development and mental health. The Gingko Entrepreneurship programme is a commitment to enabling teen mothers to develop business management skills and become financially independent. This programme creates an opportunity for teen mothers to excel as all-around citizens and active participants in the global economy.
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206 hours of training sessions with pregnant teenagers and teen mothers
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72 Empowered Teen mothers equipped with entrepreneurial skills
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2000+ Direct and indirect beneficiaries in the community
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6 Schools are participating and taking action to educate teens on reproductive health
In 2021, Ivy’s exemplary community work earned her a well-deserved Messengers of Peace Hero Award.
I’m undergoing skill-based learning to make Ankara notebooks to empower myself so that I can be financially stable. This way, I look forward to offering my child a better life than mine.I’m now bold enough to accept that I can not change my past, but I will make the future I have always dreamt of. This is the time, and I can not wait!“ Phanice, (21).
Gingko intentionally ensures teen mothers’ voices are amplified, and their needs, priorities and aspirations are prioritised through their entrepreneurial learning and development at local and national levels.
After giving birth, I went back to high school. I’m currently in my final year. I am juggling between school, laying a foundation for a better future, participating in empowerment programmes to better myself and doing small businesses to raise money to support my child single-handedly as the father of my child neglected us. This experience had made me more resilient, courageous and hopeful for a better tomorrow.“ Redemtah (19).
Gingko is changing lives. In June 2022, Ivy shared the exciting news with eight young mothers that after just one month of business, the group had sold nearly enough products to cover a semester of school fees. While their unexpected pregnancies could have seen them drop out of school completely, the programme and network at Gingko made it possible for them to stay in school.
Visit the Gingko website to learn more and discover the handmade, sustainable and unique products that teenage mothers have created to support their families.
Thank you to every single BP Fellow and supporter who backed Ivy’s Gingko project to get up and running via the Scout Donation Platform. Your donation to the World Scout Foundation delivers more programmes like Gingko Africa, which are led by visionary Scouts and drive measurable impact for good in their communities.
Support more Scouts like Ivy to drive positive change by setting up a recurring donation to the World Scout Foundation here.
Thanks to WOSM and Gingko Africa for the content creation for this article.
Photo credits: Gingko Africa