We have always maintained a cordial relationship with the community leadership around the schools. In 2019, we invited the Kanyasa member of the county assembly Madam Jacky Paul to grace one of our mentorship and pads distribution exercises in Obware and Adugo primary schools. The MCA was impressed with our activities and promised financial and logistical support in expanding our reach to more schools and girls. In 2021, the organization's activities have received another acknowledgment from the area Assistant Chief Mr. Samora Machell. Mr. Samora represents the national government at the community level and has assured the organization that he will use his office to support the community schools through the organization. The recognition from the local community gives us the confidence to know that we operate with the full knowledge and support from its leadership. This approach helps with community engagement through public participation by implementing projects that meet the unique needs of the community-based schools without imposing solutions to non-existent problems.
Additionally, the support from the Assistant Chief's office is essential in taming social problems that directly lead to teenage pregnancies. "I have banned idling around shopping centers by school-age kids and continue to sensitize older people to let students go to school by avoiding illicit relationships with the schoolgirls," Mr. Samora said in a recent engagement with Osiep Nyathi. It is vital to note that the local administration, including chiefs, assistant chiefs, and village elders, are critical in creating a behavioral shift that allows school girls to remain in school to avoid early pregnancies and marriages. The task force report submitted to President Kenyatta on education status following the Covid-19 pandemic has shown a worrying trend in teenage pregnancies and early marriages. This report shows that up to 160,000 girls did not return to school after resumption in January 2021 following the nine-month break. Therefore, partnership with community administrators will help trace some of these girls and prevent more school dropouts aligned with Osiep Nyathi's mission.