Marjorie's Story
“Today I have recognition in my family and my community.”
Marjorie was still in primary school when she realised she was pregnant. “I was driven away by my parents for what they referred to as ‘shame in the family,’” says Marjorie. “I stayed with friends until I delivered and started selling food for the upkeep of me and my daughter.”
A chief in Marjorie’s community recommended her for the Future Focus Foundation programme, an intervention that Marjorie describes as a ‘golden opportunity to change my life.’ She joined 30 young mothers aged 15 to 25 who, like her, had missed out on school and were struggling to earn enough money to care for their children.
The women were offered seven months’ vocational skills training in tailoring, embroidery or hairdressing. At the start of the training, the Foundation discovered that 60% of the women were illiterate and the remaining 40% had received very little formal education. So the Foundation added a literacy and numeracy component to the training.
Marjorie and her fellow students all completed the training and gained confidence in themselves and their ability to support themselves and their children. “Today, I have recognition in my family and my community,” says Marjorie. “I can now earn income from my trade and my life is improved.”
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