One of the major project of Womankind Kenya is Umulkheir Girls Home, this home was established in the year 1995 due to felt need and it is a home for orphaned and destitute girls from the region. The home provides education for the girls, health services, standard meals, accommodation, and clothing as well as reading & learning materials. WomanKind Kenya supports an orphanage centre for girls with an enrolment of 146 girls. The girls are drawn from destitute families or are orphaned by HIV/AIDS,support excursions and exposures for women, so far over 2500 women were exposed to other parts of the country to replicate good practices from different communities.
Generally the Somali community is a patriarchal society that puts less value to girls education both religious and secular knowledge, as per government statistic only 20% of girls in the community attend schools leaving out a very large portion of the society.
The home is the only orphaned and destitute girls’ facility in the region that serves six counties in Kenya with a total population of over three million, however the facility can only accommodate a one hundred and fifty girls at a go.
Since its inception seven girls from home have finished their university education and currently working, ten are currently in the university, sixty nine are in secondary schools in different parts of the country while one hundred and twenty girls stay in the home attending primary school, the home offers integrated learning where the girls are taught both Islamic religion and secular knowledge for them to be all rounded.
Womankind Kenya had been receiving support toward the girls home from a Swedish medical doctor who later registered Ekman Foundation just to support the girls home, however due to advance age his fund raising ability have reduced and this have affect the expansion plans and quality of services to the girls.
Based on the above experience Womankind Kenya wish to undertake several measures to safeguard the interest of the girls both in the short term and the long term, this will only be possible by expanding our partners and getting more well wishers contributing toward the achievements of the set of objectives for the girls home.
