Jijenge Sanitation Youth Group

Jijenge Sanitation Youth Group “Giving Hope to the Hopeless” Some of the most lucrative industries in the world relay on waste products for recycling. They have requested for assistance. H.I.V.

Jijenge Sanitation Youth Group is Self-help Group registered by the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Development in Nyeri District. This group has been in operation for six months and has 82 members who are scavengers (Mostly Mature street children with street families) and poor members of the society. They specialize in collecting of recyclables which include plastics, papers, bones, metal,

animal feed which they sell for an income. The group is managed by a management team whose duty is to empower group members by enabling them befit fully from their resources. This is by assisting them bring their products together and sell them directly to the industries cutting the middle men, negotiate with local authorities to recognize them as stake holders in garbage management, rehabilitate them, look after their welfare and also assist them, save, invest and access credit facilities. VISION
“To enable poor members of the society get financial freedom through Solid Waste Management.”

MISSION

Be the most effective poverty eradication initiative in Kenya that empowers, street children and low income earners create wealth and improve their lives through solid waste management. OBJECTIVES
• Change attitudes and promote solid waste management as a respectable sector.
• Provide technical, entrepreneurial and related skills to manage solid waste.
• Improve the living and working conditions, particularly for the street children and street families by improving their capacity to deliver basic solid waste management services.
• Increase employment opportunities and higher income through solid waste management services.
• Rehabilitate and look after the welfare of the workers in solid waste management.
• Promote the participation of the manufactures in assisting the management of waste produced by their used products. These industries include, steel, paper, plastic industries etc. Ironically, the gathers (scavengers) of these products are the poorest in the communities. If these community members were empowered, they would end up owning the recycling industries. Due to the fact that the group members are on rehabilitation, getting them more value for their products may not necessarily be empowering them. It may also mean that they will afford and consume more drugs and alcohol. To avoid this, when group members present their collection, they will get a part payment (the same amount that they receive from the middle men). The products will later be sold to the industries. The full amount will be banked and divided to the members appropriately at the end of the month. The management will also assist members manage their finances. This will be by paying their house rent, educating their children and also save. The savings will assist group member’s start other income generating activities which will include tree nurseries, rearing of livestock e.g. Rabbits, Goats, Pigs, Chicken and eventually open recycling factories. CHALLENGES

Drug Abuse
Street children abuse drugs to run away from reality and the most practical way of tackling drug abuse is by changing the reality in showing concerned by giving them hope and empowering these unfortunate members of the society. Drug abuse is a reaction – we tackle the action. Crimes
When joining the group, the members give their full information and a passport photo is taken. This reduces the chances of the members involving themselves in criminal activities. By accruing dust coats the members will be easily identified. Astonishingly 30% of the people who work in the dump are intelligent members of the society and they have confessed that they use the trade as a camouflage to hide after collation with the law enforcers. I want to request for negotiations with the probation office towards coming up an agreement where the outlaws will write statements of their crimes and the relevant authorities will decide whether to assist by making them serve a non custodian sentence and committed to community service. This will greatly increase their productivity. Street Families
Most of the group members live in the streets but eventually this will change as the project continues because houses and school fees will be paid by the management. and AIDS
This has been a big challenge to the group members since they are at a high risk. The formation of the group has put a mechanism in place that will give accuses to relevant authorities to educate, test and assist the infected and affected members. National I.D.s
This has been a big challenge but after forming the group we were promised by the authorities that they will assist us as a group to acquire identification for those without. This will be motivated by the fact that members have to open a bank account to benefit fully from the project. Police Harassment
This has really gone down because the relevant authorities are aware of our activities and the members are not harassed when they produce their group identification. This has lead to many more members joining the group. New Members Enrolment
We have stopped enrolling new members since we have not received any funding to proceed with our projects. This was to avert the anxiety or uncertainty within the members. We are sure more members will get on board once the project has fully been implemented.

22/02/2012
14/01/2012
14/01/2012
14/01/2012
14/01/2012
14/01/2012
The Group Chairman representing the Street Children at the Nature Challenge Competition
14/01/2012

The Group Chairman representing the Street Children at the Nature Challenge Competition

30/12/2011

THANK YOU FOR HAVING INTEREST IN JIJENGE SANITATION YOUTH GROUP.
The group is made up of scavengers (mature street children and extremely poor members of the society whom some have street families). They specialize in collecting recyclables which they sell to get an income.
The group’s mission is to assist the group members accumulate their recyclables in a yard and sell them in bulk directly to the industries cutting the middle men and eventually to open their own recycling industries (See more on face book info).

The group has been in operation for the past seven months and during this period we have successfully managed to liaise and network with relevant Government Authorities that have uploaded our initiatives and effort in changing our image. Unfortunately we have not received the much needed financial assistance to empower the group members so that they can benefit fully from their resources.

I take this opportunity to honestly thank the following individuals and organizations for their support in deed and kind.
1. The OCS Nyeri – For allowing the group members hold public gatherings without being harassed.
2. The Nyeri town Clerk – Mr. S.M. Mulanga – for giving us an opportunity to carry on with our project.
3. The Nyeri D.C. – For advising us and allowing us to carry on with our activities.
4. The NEMA District officer – Mr. Oras Muriithi – For his continuous encouragement, advice and support.
5. The Nyeri District probation officer – Mrs. Njue –For believing in our project and meeting the members with the view of coming up with a strategy to assist the group members.
6. The Nyeri Justice Court users committee for organizing and inviting the public to an open forum with Justice Actors where we were really enlightened on our rights in courts.
7. Nature challenge Africa – for inviting me to Nairobi for a free training.
8. The Members of Jijenge Sanitation Youth Group for putting their trust in me and for making our project successful.
9. The Nyeri residents for their encouragement and support in deed and kind.

MY VIEWS
1. Recycling Industries are some of the most lucrative business ventures. Ironically, the gatherers of their raw materials are the poorest in the communities.
2. Recycling Industries are the main contributors to the existence of street children. By providing a market for used products the industries provided an income for the street children which make them stay in the streets and in garbage dumps in search for these products. Unfortunately the money they get is only enough for a meal that is why they turn to drugs and alcohol to endure in this frustrating venture. This has really been a big contributor to redundancy and a hindered to development in our country. The beneficiaries of these ventures are the middlemen and the manufactures at the expense of the street children. They have made them their stooges.
3. Prison reforms have been a big success. By sending street children to prison is like taking them to a holiday camp. Unfortunately Street children are the most venerable members of the society and in prison they meet hardcore criminals who can easily recruit them to join their gangs.

MY VISION

1. To ensure that all recycling industries buy waste products only from registered collectors (scavengers) groups.
2. Empower all street children to rent houses and take their children to school using their own resources
3. To initiate change that will make all the collectors (scavengers) become share holders in the recycling industries.
4. Negotiate with the justice actors with a view to ensure that street children serve non custodian sentences and are not taken to prison.
5. Use solid waste management to attain vision 2030 by cleaning the environment and greatly reducing poverty.
6. To make all street children be recognized as environment scouts.
7. To campaign towards making street children are recognized by local authorities as stakeholders in garbage management.
8. Request the government to introduce a policy that ensures all Government buildings and projects fund by the government including CDF projects are constructed using plastic poles where possible. These poles should only be supplied by the said collectors industries.
9. How can Street Children ever get out of poverty if they can’t get a loan from any Bank, The Youth Fund, Yes Jump, Women enterprise Fund or even be recognized by the local authorities?
10. Request the government to setup a fund that can easily be accessed by the collectors (Street Children groups).
11. We don’t need handouts, we need empowerment. WE ARE ALSO KENYANS and in The Kenyan Constitution – The bill of rights – Part 2 – Rights and fundamental freedoms - Equity and freedom from discrimination – 27 – 4. The state shall not discriminate directly against any person on any ground, including race, s*x, pregnancy, marital status, health status, ethnic or social origin, colour, age, disability, region, conscience, belief, culture, dress, language or birth. Part 3 - Youth – 55 - The states shall take measures, including affirmative action programs, to ensure that the youth –(d) are protected from harmful cultural practices and exploitation.
12. Being unfortunate is not a crime

Thanking you,
Joram G. Gichuki
GROUP CHAIRMAN
JIJENGE SANITATION YOUTH GROUP

Mr. Kanyi – A former Street Child in Nanyuki – He transformed the Nanyuki dumping site to a productive farm.
15/12/2011

Mr. Kanyi – A former Street Child in Nanyuki – He transformed the Nanyuki dumping site to a productive farm.

Address

649/10100
Nyeri
254

Telephone

+254722154826

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