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Stop forced marriages through education in Guinea

Many thanks for your support, which meant we were able to complete the project successfully.

Stop forced marriages through education in Guinea

Project SummaryAt the KIRA tailor's atelier in Guinea, 15 young girls are currently doing an apprenticeship in tailoring. We would like to open a second atelier to make it possible for 10 more young people to get an apprenticeship. This we can only do with your support!

Background

"At 17, I ran away from home because I didn't want to marry a 58-year-old man." - Bintou, 20 years old, apprentice at KIRA.
This is a fate shared by many young girls in Guinea. The country is one of the poorest in the world. Over 60% of the population can neither read nor write. Many families in Guinea cannot afford to send their children to school. The daughters of the families are particularly disadvantaged. Without a basic education, they have no prospect of employment. To improve the family's economic situation, the girls are married off as early as possible - and often against their will. We have already been able to prevent the forced marriage of two of our students. But in the end, it is education that gives the girls the chance for a self-determined life.
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Idea

KIRA currently runs a training centre with 15 apprentices in Conakry, the capital of Guinea. The girls complete a three-year tailoring apprenticeship. They also learn to read, write and do simple bookkeeping. Our goal is for them to be able to earn their own living after their training.
The project has been very well received by the population and the waiting list for our workshop is long. That is why we are opening a second studio in 2023 to enable (for the time being) ten more young people to receive training. We need your support for this!
 
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Implementation

What does KIRA achieve in Guinea? Through our activities we protect young people, especially girls, from exploitation, abuse and forced marriage. We also offer these young people the opportunity for an independent and self-determined life. The girls gain self-confidence and are given a perspective for the future. Thanks to their education, the girls are perceived as profitable members of society.  An educated and employed woman can provide for her family and in turn send her children to school later.
In March 2023, the new studio is to be opened with ten learners, a master teacher and a teacher for literacy courses. For this we urgently need the following:
-10x Sewing machines (CHF 2.000.-). Each learner needs her own sewing machine to complete her tasks in a timely and efficient manner.
-Contribution to the salary costs of the teacher for the tailoring training (CHF 3,000.-): KIRA pays its employees in Guinea fair wages and thus guarantees quality work.
-Contribution to the salary costs of teachers for literacy courses (CHF 3,000): We work with qualified teachers who are specially trained to teach young people these important skills.
-Contribution to rental costs for the new sewing studio (CHF 1.200.-)
-Contribution to material costs (CHF 3.000.-): We need fabrics and accessories every year to run the training centre. We work mainly with African fabrics and our suppliers come exclusively from Guinea. This way we make a big contribution to securing the livelihood of small traders in Conakry.
-1x bench and 10x chairs (CHF 600.-) made in Guinea with local wood
-1x Tailor's table (CHF 380.-) made in Guinea with local wood
-2 ceiling fans (CHF 670.-). The average temperature in summer is 40 degrees in Conakry. The students' ability to concentrate is affected by this heat. That is why two fans are needed.
-4x irons (CHF 160.-)
In total we need CHF 14'010.- to cover the costs for the opening of the studio including the first year of training. For ecological reasons, we source all the equipment and materials locally.
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Initiators

KIRA is a non-profit association based in Hüntwangen, ZH. Saran Keita, founder and president of the association, is herself from Guinea. She has lived in Switzerland for 24 years. Since 2014, Saran Keita has been involved in various educational projects and youth development programmes in her home country. She is convinced that education is the best way to give children and adolescents in Guinea a better future. That is why she founded the KIRA association in 2018. In the meantime, the association has grown to 15 diverse members who work together for independence through education in Guinea.
Learn more about KIRA on our website www.vereinkira.ch
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1 year KIRA Atelier No. 2

Find out what happened in one year.

Dear supporters,

A whole year has passed since we opened our second studio in Conakry with your help. Thanks to your generous donation, we were able to open our new training centre in spring 2023. Twenty girls started their three-year tailoring training there last year.

After just one year, these young women have already made impressive progress. They can already sew simple items of clothing and confidently hold simple conversations in French. But their development goes far beyond sewing and language skills.

Thanks to the workshops offered by KIRA on the topics of "sexual health" and "violence against children and young people", our learners are now better informed and aware of their rights. This valuable education has helped them to be more confident and self-assured in their daily lives.

Working together in the studio also gives the girls a stable daily structure, boosts their self-confidence and promotes their self-esteem. Since the start of their training, a positive group dynamic has been established among the girls, characterised by mutual support and a deeper understanding of each other. These valuable experiences make a positive contribution to the personal development of the young women.

Thanks to your help, our apprentices are finally on the way to a better future.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your trust in our work and of course hope that we can continue to count on your support in the future.

Follow us on Instagram (@vereinkira) or subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with the progress of our projects.

 

Kind regards

Saran Mischol

President of the KIRA Association

Niclas Merz 10,00 CHF
Anonymous 100,00 CHF
Sibylle Lambey 50,00 CHF
Philip Merz 80,00 CHF
Josephina Haarman 100,00 CHF
Anonymous 50,00 CHF
Françoise Strassburg Peluso 50,00 CHF
Madeleine Salzmann 50,00 CHF
Michel Vinzens 200,00 CHF
Brigitte Di Gallo 50,00 CHF
Michael Stadler 100,00 CHF
Daniel Lutz 50,00 CHF
Dorothea Maier 300,00 CHF
Biliana Zlateva 50,00 CHF
Martina Sarrats 50,00 CHF
Ramun Vital 100,00 CHF
Brigitte Blatter 50,00 CHF
Fotini Bellucci 90,00 CHF
Anonymous 170,00 CHF
Vermittelt durch Swisscom 155,00 CHF
Rolf Hess 505,00 CHF
Anonymous 190,00 CHF
Anonymous 50,00 CHF
Bruno Koch 330,00 CHF
Anonymous 225,00 CHF
Vermittelt durch Swisscom 500,00 CHF
Anonymous 100,00 CHF
Willem Nijmolen 50,00 CHF
Maurizia Damonti 210,00 CHF
Cäcilia Neidhart 200,00 CHF
Anonymous 770,00 CHF
Anonymous 195,00 CHF
Nadine Cornut 260,00 CHF
Anonymous 780,00 CHF
Graziella Fisch 160,00 CHF
Werner Thommen 100,00 CHF
Daniel Arnold 150,00 CHF
Anonymous 180,00 CHF
Vermittelt durch Swisscom 250,00 CHF
Anonymous 380,00 CHF
Marko Saul 50,00 CHF
Tobias Clemens 500,00 CHF
Fritz Bärlocher 333,00 CHF
Anonymous 50,00 CHF
Christian Trüb 75,00 CHF
Stella & Evonne Merz 50,00 CHF
Ruedi Schmid 200,00 CHF
Stephanie Csendes 100,00 CHF
Helga Dancke 100,00 CHF
Sandra Bornwasser 200,00 CHF
Lydie Stieger 200,00 CHF
Julia Eisenring 200,00 CHF
Christa Eisenring 100,00 CHF
Kiwanis Club Zollikon 1'000,00 CHF
Marcus Cramer 1'000,00 CHF
Ranil Jayanetti 200,00 CHF
Michael Stadler 13,00 CHF
Lukas Kaukomaa 10,00 CHF
Vreni Tanner 50,00 CHF
Ivan Mitrovic 10,00 CHF
Niclas Merz 30,00 CHF
Regine und Jay Eisenegger 250,00 CHF
Fotini Bellucci 200,00 CHF
Kathy Fawer 500,00 CHF
Katharina Fleischmann 150,00 CHF
Marcus Cramer 1'000,00 CHF
Currently, there are still no project partners if you are interested, please contact us via info@there-for-you.com.

Impact analysis by there for you specialists

Guinea is one of the poorest countries in the world. If a family lacks any financial means, daughters are often not only taken out of school, but also married off at an early age. Girls who are married off young, however, are particularly at risk of becoming victims of domestic violence and being exposed to social isolation. On the other hand, if forced marriages are prevented and young women can enjoy an education or formation, they become more automonous and their value in society rises. In the long run, society as a whole will benefit from this.

Primary Partners

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