A meeting and a cancellation

Today we met with Terry for several hours to discuss more detailed ideas of how to get the young mother and infant program going. The meeting was good (exhausting, but productive), but it is now apparent that we will need more money than we initially thought. If you would like to see the full cost break-down, or if you are interested in supporting this project, please email us: palkovitz (at) gmail (dot) com (type that like a normal email address… we are avoiding spambots). Also, if you have any questions / comments, we would love to hear your thoughts. You can use email or the comments section and we will try to reply to you ASAP.

All members of the Go Team will be receiving a break down of expenses, so look for it in your inboxes!

Prior to attending today’s meeting, several people offered some valuable feedback about the program. During our time with Terry we addressed some of the questions that we had.

Some of the issues that we addressed were:

1) How do we select the mothers?
2) How do we make sure that the mother’s will want their babies after the duration of the program?
3) How do we prevent this project from becoming something that enables irresponsible behavior in teenagers?
4) How do we address the developmental/attachment needs of the babies?
5) How will money securely be transferred and allocated?

Answer to 1:
There is a much greater need here than we would even attempt to fill at this point, so we will need to come up with a list of criteria that mothers will have to meet to be considered for admission into the program.
These criteria would be part of a legal agreement that the mothers will sign upon enrollment into the program.
Additionally, in the upcoming months, before the official program is started, Terry will begin holding meetings at Pamoja with mothers/expectant mothers. This way Terry will gain a better assessment of who in the community would be ideal candidates (based on who attends regularly, general character evaluations, and an expressed interest).

Answer to 2:
This will be one of the criterion in the legal agreement that the mothers sign upon enrollment.

Answer to 3:
In addition to choosing mothers initially who have shown in some way that they would be ideal candidates for the program, we will also be involved with the mothers as part of this mothers/infants project.
We will emphasize and require regular visitation hours and involvement with their infants.
We will build in a monthly cost for each young mother to either return to school, or receive vocational training (another requirement of the program).
We will also try to implement some classes with the women on general sex education, healthcare, etc.

Answer to 4:
Initially, there will be one Digo mama (live-in care giver) for every 3 infants. The total number of infants will be 9 to start. The same Digo mama will be assigned 3 infants for the duration of her care giving. We will ask the Digo mamas to commit to a certain amount of time prior to accepting this role. The Digo mamas will receive free room and board as well as a monthly allowance.
Additionally, each young mother will be required to interact with her infant on a regular basis. These interactions would increase in frequency and duration as the young mother prepares to transition to becoming the full time caregiver.

Answer to 5:
This project will be registered with the ministry of social services, and a permit will be secured. A board of directors will be established, a Kenyan bank account will be opened in the name of the project. Receipts will be provided for all expenses.

In other news:
Thursday’s presentation of “True Love Waits” was canceled. The head of the school here in Diani was excited for the material to be introduced, but apparently the American woman who funds the school did not approve of the content of the material. I am still foggy on the details of why this American woman objected—I don’t know if it was because it advocated for abstinence, or if it was because it explained “safe sex” practices as part of the material, too—but at any rate, she did not approve of the presentation.

Melissa will be forging ahead in this area, however. She will be pursuing different schools from now until October; after October, the Diani school will no longer be funded by this particular American woman, so Melissa and the head of this school will revisit the possibility of introducing the program there.