Hundreds of residents living in Mathare and Embakasi areas in Nairobi are set to benefit from a Sh7 million donation for flood relief.
The donation, made possible by a partnership between Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Kenya and Standard Chartered, was unveiled Friday at Mathare Vocational and Training Center.
The funds, according to CRS Kenya will be distributed as cash transfers to the affected residents with a special focus on the youth.
During the event, Standard Chartered and CRS also handed over donations of food and non-food items to more than 200 people affected by the floods.
The support aims to restore hope and improve the lives of those who were affected by floods, at a time when their focus has been reduced to their predicament.
Speaking at the event, CRS’s Communications Manager for Kenya and Somalia, Angela Muathe expressed her happiness about the partnership with Standard Chartered.
“As we invest in the promising futures of young people in alignment with the government of Kenya’s education and training plan within the social pillar of Vision 2030,” said Muathe.
She also underscored the role of CRS in empowering communities affected by crises by providing immediate relief and long-term development assistance to ensure sustainability.
Apart from the donations, the event included activities like tree planting, discussions on financial literacy, mental health, and income opportunities through waste recycling.
Standard Chartered’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing, Kenya and Africa Joyce Kibe voiced similar sentiments saying they are delighted to partner with CRS Kenya in supporting the youth.
Globally, 282 million young people are not in education, training or employment.
Future Makers by Standard Chartered is a global youth economic empowerment initiative, supports young people, especially women and people with disabilities, to learn, earn and grow.
"Today, we have offered financial literacy skills to youth as a way of equipping them with knowledge to improve their economic participation," she said.
"This donation will further support youth with much-needed skills to navigate the unemployment challenge,” she added.
The emergency response initiative will be embedded in CRS’ Wezesha Vijana program.
Here, the participants will receive market-driven skills and investments to enable them to secure decent employment and start successful businesses building their pathways to self-reliance and economic prosperity.
CRS was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States to serve World War II survivors in Europe.
It has been operating in Kenya since 1965.
While its mission is rooted in the catholic faith, the operations serve people based solely on need, regardless of their race, religion or ethnicity.
The current areas of focus are youth, health, nutrition and social services, water, sanitation and hygiene, livestock and climate change, and agriculture.
Standard Chartered is an international banking group with a presence in 52 of the world’s most dynamic markets.
Its purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through unique diversity, and heritage and values are expressed in its brand promise, here for good.
It is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchange
