Help Us Empower Teen & Young Mothers to Build Dignified, Independent Futures

My name is Habiba Juma, and I am the Founder of SORAYA – Nurturing Teen Moms and Females, a grassroots, community-led organization working in Kibera and Mathare, Nairobi.

SORAYA exists to ensure that teen and young mothers are not left behind. We support them to rebuild confidence, gain practical skills, and become economically independent through a holistic approach that combines mentorship, skills training, psychosocial support, and community engagement. At the same time, we work closely with schools and communities to prevent teenage pregnancies, promote the value of education, and equip girls with knowledge on menstrual health, reproductive health, and life skills.

SORAYA was born in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, through a community feeding initiative in Kibera. What began as emergency food support for orphans, widows, the elderly, and vulnerable households quickly revealed a deeper and more urgent challenge: a rising number of teenage mothers navigating pregnancy and motherhood without guidance, resources, or safe spaces.

In response, SORAYA evolved from relief support into a structured empowerment program for teen mothers. Since then, we have successfully implemented six cohorts, each supporting 30–35 teen mothers, and have trained over 200 women across Kibera and Mathare. By 2021, we expanded our work to Mathare, engaging both teen mothers and school-going girls in six-month training programmes focused on personal development, entrepreneurship, reproductive health, mentorship, and psychosocial wellbeing. As demand continued to grow, we strengthened our presence by establishing a second branch in Kibera, allowing us to reach more young women within their own communities.

Today, SORAYA is a trusted community hub where young mothers are supported not only to survive, but to heal, learn, and build sustainable futures for themselves and their children.

Our Impact So Far

Since our founding, SORAYA has supported and trained over 400 teens and young mothers through our empowerment program in Kibera and Mathare.

Through these programs:

45% of our graduates are now employed or earning income and applying financial literacy skills to manage their earnings and support their children

25% are running small businesses and steadily growing them

20% are currently being supported to either start businesses or continue their education

10% are volunteering with us in training the new classes.

Beyond skills, we have helped rebuild relationships between young mothers and their families, strengthened community awareness around teenage pregnancy, menstrual health, and parenting, and created safe spaces where girls feel seen, supported, and hopeful again.

What We Do Today

Our 9 month intensive program includes:

Why We Need Your Support

SORAYA has been sustained through support from well wisher, friends.

Today, we are reaching out to our community and wider network for support so that SORAYA can continue its daily operations and reach even more young mothers.

Your support will help us cover:

Our Goal

We are fundraising to ensure that SORAYA can continue running its empowerment programs sustainably, support our trainers and volunteers, and reach even more young mothers who are working hard to change their lives and those of their children.

Even if you are unable to donate, sharing this campaign with your network will help us reach the right people and keep this work going.

What We Need

Supplies for each teen mom: sanitary pads, pampers, essential food items and other immediate necessities to be able to participate successfully.

Stipend pay for trainers: Our trainers are invested in our community and the success of SORAYA students, they will do this work without pay but we feel it’s important to honor the immense amount of time and resources they continue to pour into each cohort and would like to at least adequately reimburse them for their expenses, if not the industry standard they would get teaching at a well funded institution.

Training materials for each skill: flour, sewing supplies, soap making necessities, beads, etc.

Needed Operational Costs: wifi/data subscriptions, electricity cost, transportation for essential staff, as well as a minimal stipend for essential staff.

Graduation! We really feel it’s important for the community to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of each cohort. It would be easy to say that Graduation expenses are a bonus item but we strongly feel it is essential for moral and community awareness. Graduation includes not only food for the SORAYA Cohort but also the invited community members, transportation, and a substantial final gift of supplies for each participant.

This means the total amount that we need for a successful 9 month program to support 30 teen moms is $4,090. This is one of those projects where every single donation helps. Even $10 has an incredible impact. Community work takes community support and we are so grateful for yours!

A Final Word

Thank you for taking the time to read our story and stand with us. Together, we can continue restoring dignity, opportunity, and hope for teen and young mothers who deserve a fair chance to thrive.

On behalf of the SORAYA girls and team, thank you for believing in us.

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