Bridge to Empowerment for Girls in Nairobi (BEGIN)

The proposed innovation will provide 500 teenage girls who are pregnant and/or nursing children between the ages 0-3 years living in Mukuru Slum of Nairobi with knowledge and skills to promote their children’s brain and overall development. This will be achieved using a three-pronged approach incorporating the scientific, social and economic interventions. In addition, the project will utilise an Early Childhood Development (ECD) framework that will take teenage mothers through a process of: ECD Awareness, knowledge Acquisition, Action, Accountability, Assessment and Access to services. Initial Parenting Workshops will promote Self-Esteem and Positive Parenting and share key ECD messaging, followed by Sister Walk Groups (SWG) that promote support, learning and action. Parental outcomes will measure their Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices and Access to services. Child Developmental outcomes will be measured using the ‘Ages and Stages Questionnaire’ and BMIs.