Like many places in the world , Kenya is in lockdown at the time of writing , with a disproportionate impact on the poor and deep concerns as to how children and families living in the slums will cope . Eighty per cent of the workforce in Kenya is employed in the informal economy and the majority of our families have no savings or social support networks to fall back on . In Nairobi , where 2 million people live in crowded settlements , we have to find practical measures to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 .
We are currently repurposing our strategy of transforming the lower-income childcare market to alleviate the impact of Covid-19 on the communities we work with , while many daycare centres are closed and families forced to stay at home .
The pandemic has forced us to think creatively about how , like most community-focused social enterprises worldwide , we can still deliver business and learning support in practical and impactful ways , despite social distancing . Our core activities include improving access to health and hygiene such as handwashing stations in every daycare centre , nutritional support with food donations , and information and guidance on education , mental wellbeing and general tips on how to navigate Covid-19 .
Emma Caddy ( OS 1990 ) has an MBA with Distinction from the Saïd Business School where she was a Skoll Scholar in Social Entrepreneurship . In 2014 she founded Tiny Totos , a Kenyan social enterprise providing elevated , affordable and standardised preschool care for children and working mothers in slums . It supports 60 centres for thousands of children and families in Nairobi .
We have provided take-home play packs and digital guidance content delivered via WhatsApp for the children in our network ; advice , counselling and support to managers and parents alike such as a 24-hour free hotline , text tips and home visits by community health volunteers equipped with full PPE . We are collaborating with the Nairobi City Council to ensure accurate information is available to communities framed in ways they can understand .
As we adapt our model to a more tech-based approach , we are taking the opportunity to understand the extent to which technology can replicate discontinued face-to-face activities such as leadership coaching and mental support .
www . tinytotos . com
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