Running since 2024
Dada Space
Safe spaces for girls aged 9–16 to learn, connect and grow.
The problem
She did not choose to leave.
Every barrier below is structural. None of them are about how much a young mother wants to learn.
Dada Space is a room, and the room is the point.
For girls aged 9 to 16 in Kibera, a safe space is somewhere they can be without explaining themselves, without a parent deciding, without an audience. Somewhere the questions get asked and nobody treats them as trouble.
It runs after school. It is free. It is staffed by women who are not afraid of a teenager's silence. And it is open to any girl who walks in — no referral, no means test, no waiting list.
Because the girls who never attend anything structured are the ones who most need somewhere structured to attend.
What we do
What dada space actually involves
After-school hours
A structured afternoon so there is somewhere to be between the end of school and dinner.
Trained facilitators
Women who are not afraid of a teenager's silence, because that silence is the usual reason girls stop attending.
Free and open to all
No referral, no means test, no waiting list. Any girl who walks in is welcome.
Safeguarding
A named safeguarding officer, and staff trained to recognise disclosure.
Mentorship pairs
An older girl paired with a younger one, so someone in the room is speaking her language.
Childcare support
For the girls who are already mothers, so attendance does not mean abandoning a baby.
What it has produced
Every figure below carries the period it covers.
- young mothers returned to school2025–26
- 19
- young women given start-up capital2025–26
- 23
- safe space, Dada Space, Kiberasince 2024
- 1
In their words
What changed
What it costs
KSh 250,000 funds a full term of Dada Space
- KSh 500
- school materials for one girl for one term
- KSh 2,500 / month
- psychosocial support for one young mother
- KSh 10,000
- a share of start-up capital for one young woman
- KSh 50,000
- a full re-entry package for one girl
Fund a re-entry
Fees, materials, a year of mentorship and follow-through. Paid directly to the school, tracked to completion.
Prefer M-Pesa? It is the fastest way to give in Kenya and costs you nothing extra.
Where we work