For generations, caregiving has often been seen as a role reserved for women, rooted in the perception that nurturing comes naturally to them. However, this traditional view is gradually shifting, thanks to the transformative work of Kidogo.
Kidogo, a social enterprise, is reshaping the landscape of caregiving in East Africa’s low-income communities by improving access to quality early childhood education, challenging stereotypes, and empowering caregivers regardless of gender.
Through its innovative programs, Kidogo is empowering caregivers of all genders, with 13% of its 2,000 “mamapreneurs” catering to the needs of 50,000 children being men, a significant step toward redefining caregiving roles and promoting inclusivity.
However, as noted by Franciscah Nzanga, Kidogo’s Chief Operations Officer, men weren’t as free in the network, as they are today.
“We’ve observed an increasing number of men joining the space, interacting with mamapreneurs and occupying their space as papapreneurs. However, in the beginning, many would opt to sit at the back during gatherings where women were the majority,” says Nzanga.
Kidogo is happy to support papapreneurs in running their daycares for their existence in the space is a great indication that childcare can be done by both men and women.
The idea of Kidogo was incepted ten years ago when Sabrina Habib, Chief Exploration Officer (CEO), Kidogo almost stepped on a child in a Mlolongo daycare, that neither had lighting, nor ventilation.
“Horrified, I picked up the child and saw babies everywhere, but not making a sound. If you’ve ever been with babies, one or two who are awake, they are always making some sound,” she says, noting that the babies were severely neglected and in some cases they were given piriton or Changaa (local brew) just to silence them throughout the day.
Noting that the situation for children in the Mlolongo daycare is replicated in many parts of the country, she emphasized on the importance of investing in the young ones for they are a pathway to a thriving economy and country.
The children in care centres are within the zero to three age bracket, an age where brain development happens. The quality-of-care children in these age bracket receive determines how they wind up in life.
“Kidogo is all about providing safe, stimulating, nutritious experiences for children in their early years, to transform their quality of life, and by doing so, we can transform the quality of communities, and of the country as a whole,” the CEO states
After ten years of ensuring that childcare works for everyone; giving mothers piece of mind knowing that their children are well taken care of, and mama/papapreneurs earn a dignified life by doing the caregiving work, Kidogo now aims to expand their network to fifty thousand mamapreneurs, reaching one million children by the year 2030.
“Imagine the impact of a million children who have got a bright start to life, to grow up and be the citizens of our country, become the future doctors, artists, musicians and maybe even the next president of this country,” Habib states, noting that Kidogo’s aim is to make childcare a norm, so that no mother has to make a decision of where to leave her young child, as she goes to work.
The name “mamapreneur” according to Sabrina is very intentional, for the nurturing, loving qualities of a “mama” are needed in order for one to run a good childcare center.
When looking for daycare operators therefore, Kidogo looks for people that have both the love for children and the ability to care for children as their own, but also, the ability to look at the daycare as a microbusiness.
“This is important because, it is the sustainability of the business that will encourage them to do the work year in, year out,” she states
The mamapreneur program involves three step; Firstly, daycares that are already running and possess the qualities mentioned above are identified. They then undergo a caregiving training, are certified as caregivers and connected to other mamapreneurs to provide the peer-to-peer accountability. Lastly, is the quality assurance.
According to Sabrina, quality is not all about the infrastructure but about the everyday experience and there are non-negotiable quality standards that every mamapreneur has to maintain.
“We are hoping to grow closely with the government to create quality standards for the sector, so that when parents send their children to a childcare center, they know it is of a certain level of quality,” she says, thanking the government for the partnership they have had over the years
Every year, Kidogo brings in about one to two cohorts of around 500 to 800 mamapreneurs, and the number of men keeps increasing.
Nzanga states, “As long as you have the passion to actually care for children, it’s not a woman’s work, and it’s not a man’s work. If you really want to start a daycare and want to care for kids, go for it. Kidogo is here to support you on your journey.”
