Kathleen McGarvey OLA, Sophia Nshushi (Programme Manager, Mikono Yetu) and Sr Regina Opoku OLA
Kathleen McGarvey OLA, our Provincial Leader is currently visiting Tanzania, which is a Region of the Irish Province of the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles.
Last week she had the opportunity to visit Mikono Yetu Women and Girls Empowerment Centre in Mwanza, where Sr Regina Opoku works.
At Mikonu Yetu, girls and young women, aged 9 to 20, who have dropped out of school at an early age, are encouraged to dream and have a vision of what they would like to do with their lives. They are then provided the training to help them achieve their dreams.
Training offered includes: seamstress, artist, soap making, hairdressing, yogurt making and much more.
The Centre also has outreach centres in the villages. For older women, they have similar programmes to empowerment.
They are very passionate about care for the earth and so work with and support many projects such as the use of herbs and recycling.
Sr Kathleen accompanied Sr Regina to visit the communication centre where young women are studying journalism and media. The centre has it’s own local TV channel sharing the activities taking place at the centre as well as programmes on women and girl empowerment.
The photos below were taken outside the centre. The motto is ‘A Girl is an Eagle, not a Chicken’.
In the photo are Sr Kathleen McGarvey, Sophie (programme manager), and Sr Regina.
The photo of the tree shows a plastic bottle transformed into a means of natural pesticide to keep insects etc away from eating the fruits and leaves etc.
You can read more about the work being done at Mikono Yetu here: https://www.olaireland.ie/mikono-yetu/
Kathleen McGarvey OLA, Sophia Nshushi (Programme Manager) and Regina Opoku OLA
Kathleen McGarvey visiting Mikono Yetu
Kathleen McGarvey OLA with students at Mikono Yetu
Bottles used in the trees as a natural insect repellent.