Shanzu Transitional Workshop for Disabled Young Women

On the grounds of Kenya Girl Scouts Association in Shanzu (close to Mombasa) a sewing school for handicapped girls was established in 1992: Shanzu Transitional Workshop for disabled young women.  The girls live independently on the premises and learn how to sew and make jewelry. When they have completed the training, they can usually continue to work there and earn a small income.

The sewing school brings together girls and young women from different tribal backgrounds and with different disabilities. While learning, the students support and encourage each other.Whatever their handicap is, here they discover what they are capable of. And they experience that a disability does not mean total inability.The girls have to prepare their own meals individually, for which they have to pay other than the very basic ingredients.

In 2016 the Maendeleo foundation commenced setting up a vegetable garden at the school premises. There the girls learned to grow vegetables themselves. This was a success at first, during the rainy season. Howeve,  9 months a year there is no rain, and  soon it turned out that the water in the existing well was too salty for growing vegetables.

We also support the school workshop in the marketing of the products that the girls make. For example bags, school uniforms, shawls and clothes.Maendeleo foundation thinks along with them about (renewal of) the product range and different designs and alternatives for marketing.