FHI Project Empowers Kenya’s House Girls

MARCH 2009 — Nancy Mukiri, 21, entered into paid domestic work in 2003, having dropped out of primary school in Class 7 at the age of 15. She has been in domestic work continuously since then, doing laundry, ironing, scrubbing floors and bathrooms, cooking, and taking care of children. Her day starts at 5:00 a.m., and often she doesn't get to bed until after 10:00 p.m.

Nancy is one of an estimated one million young girls in Nairobi, Kenya's capital, where it is estimated that half of the 2.3 million households use the services of a domestic worker. Four in every five of these workers are female, commonly referred to as house girls. According to one report, 98 percent of the house girls in Nairobi are under 18 years of age; some are as young as 12. Most of them live with the family that employs them. In most cases they have no regular contact with their own families, and are rarely able to visit them.

In Kenya, women in general are more vulnerable to HIV/ AIDS compared to their male counterparts. The working conditions of house girls put them at increased risk for HIV – they are hard to reach with information about HIV prevention, and are socially isolated with limited social support. In addition, they have poor economic status; strong evidence suggests a direct link between women's low economic status and their HIV vulnerability and exposure.

Responding to an Urgent Need
Since 2007, Family Health International has been implementing a project in Kenya to respond to the information and skills needs of house girls. The project is based on the findings of an assessment in 2007, which showed that house girls are just as vulnerable to HIV and unintended pregnancy as other girls their age. However, the conditions of the domestic labor sector make them hard to reach with information and services on HIV prevention, and expose them to an increased risk of sexual abuse and coercion. The assessment revealed that house girls' knowledge of HIV transmission and prevention was low, as was their knowledge and use of contraception and condoms. Other studies have found that 84% of the house girls in Nairobi have had little or no formal education.

Through funding from the President's Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), FHI collaborated with Kenyatta University and the Bahati Martyrs Church in Nairobi to design a church-based intervention targeting house girls and other members of the church community. The project aims to raise awareness among the local community about the vulnerability of house girls to HIV and unwanted pregnancies and to train the girls in essential life skills, focusing on sexuality, reproductive health, and personal care. To boost their job performance, the girls are taught first aid, childcare, and household security. They also receive training in personal financial management to get them to accrue savings, appreciate their jobs, thus improving their self-esteem and self-image.

Increasing Competence, Inspiring Confidence
Nancy Mukiri's experience demonstrates how the training has helped empower the girls involved. Before training, she found herself unable to save any of her salary because she thought it was too little to budget. "I used to use all my salary to buy things that appealed to me, but now I try to save," she says. "I have opened a bank account and I save almost 2,000 shillings a month. I want to start a small business one day, so I have to save. I also send some money to my mother sometimes."

Another house girl, Colletta Mukii, says the training helped her to secure a pay raise. "My employer increased my salary after she saw how my work had improved, and now she is pleased to have me work in her house, unlike before." In her free time, Colletta has begun attending classes to learn about computers, and she plans to join a dress-making course to improve her future employment opportunities.

The girls also feel more confident. "Now I can stand in front and teach other girls how to take care of themselves from HIV and how they can save money for the future," says Colletta. They report feeling less marginalized and better able to express themselves, especially when they have a problem. "My employer listens to me now because she has seen that other people appreciate me, and I can tell her when I'm not happy," says Nancy. "Even her daughter now likes me and treats me like a big sister."

Teaching Girls to Protect Themselves
Some of the girls report that the training has improved both their knowledge about HIV/AIDS and their health services–seeking behavior, especially in relation to reproductive health. They also report that they're more aware of the risk of HIV infection and how to protect themselves. "I have gone for voluntary counseling and testing at Eastleigh," says Esther, a participant in the training. "At first, the counseling was scary, but they talked to me and reassured me that everything will be OK no matter the result. I have also decided to abstain, and my boyfriend appreciates this because I have told him the reason."

Last year, the project expanded to two more faith-based organizations in Nairobi, and there are plans to extend technical assistance to five others interested in initiating similar activities. Using a group of 50 trained house girls as peer educators, the project anticipates that it will reach an additional 500 girls in 2009. A mass media campaign began in 2007 will continue to air HIV and unintended-pregnancy prevention messages to reach more girls and the communities in which they work to increase awareness.

PHOTO: Nancy Mukiri, 21, has worked as a domestic worker in Nairobi since 2003. (FHI/Kenya)