situated in Laikipia North Sub-county and constituency: The Safe house is the OMDCF Flag ship project for the survivors of Sexual and Gender Based violence especially Samburu Beading, child pregnancies,Child marriages, FGM and other sexual related violence. Since inception,more than 2500 girls have been rescued and rehabilitated through Education and skills empowerment.
The organization was founded on the principles of United Nations Convention on Children`s Rights (UNCRC) and African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of Children (ACRWC) as a tool for realizing positive change for Kenyan child. Under this program, the organization implements and builds capacity on the children`s rights and participation aimed at securing, protecting and promoting children’s rights in Kenya. We offer consultation and conduct training workshops and seminars for duty bearers and care givers as well as the ultimate beneficiaries ie Children. For children, we employ CTC ie Child to Child strategy. WE ALSO SIT IN Court Users Committees to champion the rights of children and also in the Education Board where we sit as advisors on the same.
In Laikipia, most children are trafficked for servitude, sexual slavery, child marriage, forced labor, drug peddling and debt bondage. Others are children born by children out of the notorious Samburu beading practice and if they survive the crude abortions, they are then trafficked out. We have such cases of minors with children or pregnant out of this arrangement. We ensure safe custody, counselling and safe deliveries and after that the child mother is enrolled in school as she breastfeed the young one.
Child sponsorship helps provide life-giving basics like food, clean water, medical care, and education — giving children the chance to simply be kids. To date the organization has helped a total 3,000 children and families with sponsorship for their educational needs, medical and dental care services, Nutrition, accommodation and clothing. The biggest number of the beneficiaries lives with guardians in the slums and rural poor where most of them are elderly grandmothers. Sponsorship takes care of all kind of children the organization undertakes to help as children in need of protection and care.
This strengthens family relationships to effectively care for and protect children by providing counselling, psycho-social support, and facilitation of family reunification with support for income generating activities. The programme is premised on the recognition that the best place a child can ever be is in its original family. OMDC also undertakes mediation activities among parents who might be in conflict for whatever reason, separated, or estranged and, as such, causing the children suffering due to inadequate maintenance and attention. OMDC provides counselling to such parents with the aim of having the child’s needs adequately addressed by both parties. Parents and guardians are divided into several groups; they are trained and facilitated to register self help groups with bank accounts in banks of their choice. These groups are periodically enhanced through grants to boost their projects and later, the
Before a child is reunited with the family or exited from the program after formal education and as a successful exit strategy, they receive skills training e.g Life skills, advocacy skills, leadership skills, entrepreneurship and talents promotion eg Music as a career as well as a healing therapy .
We run a fully equipped centre in Laikipia North for Youth-friendly services aimed at providing healthcare, education, and support services to the most underprivileged adolescents and youth while Encouraging future health-seeking behaviors among youth.
Coupled with this, the community suffers from low literacy level, high incidences of drugs and substance abuse, absence of a health centre that can provide sexual and reproductive health friendly services and also traditional/cultural resistance to providing adolescents with Reproductive Health and rights. The practices leads to many mental health related issues and this program comes in handy to seek to address the problems before,during and after.
Much of the practice in the areas we operate in is violence against Girls and women which has a major public health and human rights issues. In the context of sexual and reproductive Health(SRH), Sexual and gender based violence(SGBV) has been linked with risks of unwanted teenage pregnancies, pregnancy complications leading to high mortality rate, gynaecological disorders, unsafe abortions, fistula and sexually transmitted infections including the deadly HIV/AIDS. Hence this activity which takes place in schools,within the community and at the YFC.
Self-help groups are an effective way to improve women's health by increasing their knowledge and awareness of health concerns, as well as giving financial stability for alternative livelihood and family rehabilitation. For every child we meet for help,the parent is enrolled in a self help group where they are enabled to learn about businesses and helped to access entreprise funds and grants. We have 15 such groups spread through out the counties we work in. They also help in advocacy against harmful cultural practices and help women to yarn for leadership positions.
Humanitarian and emergency response programming helps us protects especially women and children and their dignity through advocacy and partnership. Responding to crisis situations in a way that protects , especially those who are most vulnerable, necessitates thorough assessments and coordinated actions which we do in partnership with like minded partners. Examples are Health crisis eg COVID-19,where we were able to reach over 500 women and girls with sanitation items,food and medicines.
Gender-based violence both reflects and reinforces inequities between men and women and compromises the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victims. It encompasses a wide range of human rights violations, including sexual abuse of children, rape, domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment, trafficking of women and girls and several harmful traditional practices.The project aims to end violence against children, women , girls, promote gender equality, and empower survivors through a multi-faceted approach. By implementing community-based interventions, advocacy campaigns, and rescue initiatives, we aim to create a safe and inclusive society for all.
THROUGH:
a. Lobbying, Awareness creation and advocacy..
b. Legal Services to the survivors
c. Alternative Dispute Resolution
THROUGH:
a. Increasing the capacities of the Board of Directors,Staff and project beneficiaries for the sake of proper resource mobilization,utilization,value addition and sustainability
