ICS SP

Dear parent,

When's the last time you really looked at your child? Not just glanced at them on your way out the door really looked.

Here's the thing most people don't realize kids in distress usually aren't hiding it well. We just don't always recognize what we're seeing. A quiet mood. Skipped meals. A door that stays closed more than it used to. It's easy to tell ourselves it's nothing.

Last year alone, we trained over 300,000 parents and caregivers in skillful parenting which means more than 300,000 homes where a parent now knows how to build a safe, nurturing space for their kids. That's roughly 4 children per household. Think about that for a second the ripple effect on entire families.

Want to start today? Three small things you can do every single day:

💛 Ask about their day and really listen put the phone down

💛 Spend 10 minutes with them, no distractions, just the two of you

💛 Tell them out loud that they can come to you with anything

And the impact is real. We're talking about children who are happier. Hopeful. Confident enough to speak their minds without fear. Kids doing better in school simply because they finally feel safe enough to show up fully.

We're proud of that. But we can't do it alone this only happens because of key collaborations with our partners, donors, community facilitators, and the families we work with.

Join the movement, partner with us through donations / support a family today: https://www.icsafrica-sp.org/

Gender equality doesn't start when we're adults. It starts in childhood.

Kids learn what it means to be a girl or a boy at home, at school, and in their communities long before they grow up. The way we treat them, what we expect of them, and what we show them shapes how they see equality, respect, and their own worth.
At Investing in Children and their Societies (ICS SP), we believe you can't fix gender inequality by only looking at the end result. You have to change the norms and relationships that cause it in the first place. Gender inequality limits opportunity. It fuels violence. It holds families and communities back. When girls and boys are both supported equally, families grow stronger and communities become safer.

Here's how we work, at every stage of a child's life:

🏠 Parenting — We help parents build homes based on respect, safety, and equality, free from harmful gender stereotypes.

🛡️ Preventing violence — We work with communities to break the silence and stigma that let gender-based violence continue, and connect survivors to real support.

🌟 Supporting girls at risk — We provide education, mentorship, and skills training for girls facing child marriage, teen pregnancy, or child labour helping them build a future on their own terms.

🏫 Safe schools —We help schools become places where girls feel safe, supported, and able to succeed with mentorship, menstrual health support, and safety measures in place.
In 2025, we equipped more than 328,000 parents and caregivers with the skills to build safer, more nurturing homes. This represents 328,000 conversations changed. 328,000 homes where girls and boys can grow up without limits.

The real question isn't whether we can afford to invest in gender equality. It's what our future looks like if we don't.

👉 Want to help build that future? Donate / Partner with us / Learn more on the link: https://www.icsafrica-sp.org/make-a-donation/

This week, we’ve celebrated breastfeeding, but we’ve also been reminded that supporting mothers is everyone’s responsibility.

The 2026 theme was “Breastfeeding for a sustainable start in life: Strengthen what works.”

And the progress is encouraging: 48% of infants under six months are now exclusively breastfed globally, up from around 37% a decade ago. But we are still short of the 60% global target for 2030.

So, what did we learn?

That we know what works and support makes a difference.

Skilled counselling, supportive health systems, paid maternity leave, breastfeeding-friendly workplaces, and supportive families and communities can all improve breastfeeding outcomes.

At ICS SP, this is part of how we work: supporting maternal and child health through maternal nutrition, breastfeeding, appropriate complementary feeding, parenting support, and stronger health systems because a healthy start begins long before a child can speak for themselves.

Now, as we close World Breastfeeding Week, we want to hear from you:

What would make the biggest difference for breastfeeding mothers?

🟡 Family & community support
🟢 Better maternal healthcare
🔵 Breastfeeding-friendly work
🟣 Better information & advice

Vote. Then tell us what you think.
Because breastfeeding may happen between a mother and her child but the support that makes it possible belongs to all of us.

Breastfeeding is one of the best starts a baby can have.

But for many mothers, it's not always easy. Poverty, limited access to healthcare, misinformation, unsupportive workplaces, and a lack of community support can make breastfeeding a challenge. This , we're reminded that breastfeeding isn't a mother's responsibility alone. It takes systems that support her every step of the way.

The need for these systems is clear. In Kenya, nearly one in two children (47.7%) grow up facing multidimensional poverty, limiting their health, learning, protection, and well-being from the earliest years. Strengthening support for mothers is one of the ways we can help children get the healthy start they deserve.

What kind of support makes a difference?

🤱 Quality maternal and child healthcare before and after birth.

👨‍👩‍👧 Family and community support that encourages and empowers mothers.

💼 Breastfeeding-friendly workplaces with policies that make it possible for mothers to continue breastfeeding after returning to work.

🥗 Nutrition education and parenting support that equips families to give children the healthiest start in life.

When we strengthen these systems, we strengthen families, communities, and futures.
Partner with US to help build stronger systems that allow every mother and every child to thrive.
💛

What if every mother had the support she needed to give her child the healthiest possible start?

That's the question at the heart of World Breastfeeding Week.

Breastfeeding is more than nutrition; it's part of a broader journey of maternal and child health. When mothers receive the support they need during pregnancy, childbirth, and the early years of a child's life, families thrive. We help break cycles of malnutrition and poverty while laying the foundation for healthier, more resilient communities. The encouraging news? Support makes a difference. Over the past decade, global exclusive breastfeeding rates have risen from about 37% to more than 47%. It's a powerful reminder that when mothers have access to the right care, accurate information, and supportive environments, more children get the healthiest possible start.

At ICS SP, we know that every stage matters. That's why we work alongside families to promote good maternal nutrition, early and exclusive breastfeeding, and timely, nutritious complementary feeding, giving children the opportunity to survive, grow, and thrive.
This World Breastfeeding Week, let's continue to strengthen the support systems that empower mothers because every mother deserves support, and every child deserves the best possible start. 💛

We marked a significant turning point in the fight to safeguard our young girls. County Executives from diverse government departments came together in Kakamega to sign a landmark communiqué, reaffirming their collective commitment to reducing adolescent pregnancy across the county.

Ending adolescent pregnancy is not a challenge one sector can solve alone it demands a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach linking health, education, child protection, and social support.

Watch our Executive Director, Beatrice Ogutu, share key insights on KTN News regarding the necessity of this unified action:

"When children 10 to 19 years old get pregnant, it’s an impact not only to the girl, not only to the child, but to the entire community and county." — Beatrice Ogutu

Over the past three years, Investing in Children and their Societies (ICS SP) has proudly partnered with the County Government of Kakamega to implement evidence-based interventions that empower adolescents, strengthen families, and expand essential support systems. While joint efforts have already begun driving numbers down, this new communiqué signals an even stronger, sustained momentum for long-term impact.

Watch the KTN News coverage here: https://lnkd.in/dWAqZkwm

What if we stopped seeing child labour as someone else's problem?

Today began with the activation of 'Anyango' the Child Domestic Work Monument in Kisumu. A powerful reminder of the thousands of children whose lives and dreams remain hidden behind closed doors.

The conversations around the monument continued into the World Day Against Child Labour commemoration, where ICS-SP joined the County Government of Kisumu, the International Labour Organization (ILO), COTU, civil society organizations, and other partners under the theme:

Fair play for children. Decent work for adults.

Across every speech, one message stood out:

Every child deserves to be a child.

Ending child labour isn't simply about reducing numbers. It's about tackling the poverty, inequality, and vulnerabilities that push children into work while ensuring adults have access to decent work and sustainable livelihoods.

Because when adults have decent work, children have a better chance at the childhood they deserve.

👁️ because every child deserves to be seen, heard, protected, and given the opportunity to learn, play, dream, and thrive.

Learn more about the Not Invisible Anymore movement and how you can help end child domestic work: https://www.freedomfund.org/not-invisible-anymore/