Som A Soma Community Centre is a community school located along Homa Bay- Asumbi Road, near Imbo Centre, Homa Bay County. The centre provides a community library and mentorship activities to children and youth to expand their horizons. It also hosts a women’s entrepreneurship hub, where women advance their skills in business and entrepreneurship to help them thrive. The centre also runs a Climate Proof Farmers’ Hub rooted in Integral Ecology that trains farmers on ways of farming that are resilient to climate change. Som A Soma Community Centre provides a vibrant hub tailored to solve some of the most pressing societal needs in a sustainable manner.
What are the problems?
- The Youth Question
(a) Teenage pregnancy remains a major challenge: 23% of girls aged 15-19 in Homa Bay have ever been pregnant, compared with 15% nationally. This highlights the need for sustained mentorship, informed decision-making, and support to continue learning.
(b) Community learning spaces: Homa Bay County (population of 1.3 million) does not (yet) have a public library. Communities depend on community libraries to access resources to keep learning.
(c) Persistent unemployment: Many literate youth are unable to secure meaningful employment after school; hence the need to reskill and upskill to create jobs or take advantage of new job opportunities virtually.
- The Women’s Question.
(a) HIV remains a great challenge: Homa Bay County has among the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Kenya at 11.6%. Many children live as orphans, and women as widows.
(b) Few women with practical skills: Women accounted for 853 of 2,394 learners- approximately 36%- enrolled in county vocational training centres in 2023.
(c) Inequality persists: Despite considerable progress, women in Homa Bay are still marginalized from key opportunities to thrive.
- The Farmers and Fishermen’s Dilemma
(a) Climate change is a threat to livelihoods: Prolonged droughts, flooding, pests, declining soil fertility, declining fisheries, and dependence on rain-fed agriculture lead to hunger and desperation
(b) Household nutrition remains a concern: 13% of children under five are stunted, indicating chronic undernutrition. Improving access to diverse, nutritious food remains a priority.
(c) Practical farmer education is a county priority: The county climate plan identifies farmer field schools, climate information, drought-tolerant crops, and agroforestry as approaches to strengthen agricultural resilience.
How Som A Soma Community Centre is solving these problems
- Future-Ready Youth Program
(a) Books and a place to learn: A community library, access to books, learning activities, mentorship, and life skills to support literacy, curiosity, and independent learning. Addresses SDG 4 Quality Education; Target 4.6: youth and adult literacy.
(b) Mentorship for life and work: Support personal, educational, and career development through mentoring, career guidance, digital skills, and entrepreneurship training to help young people prepare for their future. Addresses SDG 4, Target 4.4: relevant skills for work and entrepreneurship.
(c) Confidence and responsible citizenship: Activities develop critical thinking, communication, creativity, collaboration, citizenship and character. Addresses SDG 4, Target 4.7: knowledge and skills for sustainable development and global citizenship.
- Women Thrive Program
(a) Practical skills for earning: Three-month fashion and design training cycles develop sewing, garment-making and product-development skills, prioritising women facing social and economic barriers. Addresses SDG 4, Targets 4.3 and 4.4: access to vocational education and livelihood skills.
(b) Support to turn skills into enterprise: Financial literacy, marketing and business mentorship prepare participants to establish individual or group businesses. Addresses SDG 8 : Decent Work and Economic Growth; Target 8.3: entrepreneurship and small-enterprise development.
(d) Digital tools for women’s businesses: Training in digital marketing and customer communication supports women’s participation in economic opportunities. Addresses SDG 5 -Gender Equality; Target 5.b: technology for women’s empowerment.
- Modern Farmer Programme
(a) Demonstration farms for learning by doing: Farmers test crop diversification, soil conservation, water harvesting, and climate-resilient practices. Addresses SDG 2 -Zero Hunger; Target 2.4: resilient and sustainable food production.
(b) Knowledge that strengthens resilience and adaptation: Practical training and farmer-to-farmer exchanges combine local experience with climate information. Addresses SDG 13 – Climate Action; Targets 13.1 and 13.3: adaptive capacity and climate education.
(c) Skills for stronger farm livelihoods: Training in farm enterprise, value addition, and diversified production supports household food security and income opportunities. Addresses SDG 2, Target 2.3: smallholder productivity and incomes.
(d) Integral ecology: Rooted in Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’, integral ecology unites care for God’s creation with human dignity and the common good, calling farmers to nurture the soil, safeguard water, and sustain livelihoods so that present and future generations may flourish.
Beyond Homa Bay:
Homa Bay is strategically located near Uganda and Tanzania, connected by Lake Victoria. Som A Soma Community Centre is open to learners from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania around the Lake Basin
Som A Soma Community Centre is an initiative of Writers Guild Kenya inspired by Laudato Si’, building on 12+ years of experience in transforming communities through learning.
What’s happening so far? See pictures and videos here
