Supamama Yvonne Oerlemans-Jeneby, owner of Safesteps magazine

Safesteps Magazine is a bimonthly parenting magazine, meant for parents of children aged 0-12 years.

It provides a platform for today’s parents who are looking for information on all things parenting-from birthday parties to food battles, from school choosing to bedtime routines. Safesteps is sold on the supermarket shelves countrywide, and is also distributed to over 200 private schools in the greater Nairobi area.We take a look at the Supamama behind this Magazine.

Yvonne, who is Dutch in origin, came to Kenya over 10 years ago, having done a stint at Nation Media Group for her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism.

She decided to make Kenya her permanent home after meeting with her husband, who is Kenyan. She took on several jobs in research and media before settling on Safesteps. ‘I was pregnant with my first child when Safesteps came on my path’, Yvonne tells.  ‘Because I was in need of lots of information at the time, Safesteps felt like a totally natural thing to do’.

Her daughter is now 8 years old, (she also has a 5 year-old son) and she is still growing stronger with Safesteps every day. ‘It is a brand I truly believe in. Researching and writing about parenting is so much fun, and because I live parenthood every day through my own children, the ideas never end. It is also very fulfilling to be able to provide other parents with stories that amuse, inspire and uplift them as parents’, says Yvonne.

Apart from the Magazine, Safesteps organizes several annual events in conjunction with schools. ‘We organize a yearly pre- and primary schools Expo at the Sarit Centre, and we hold the same in Mombasa in the Nyali area every year. We realized that looking for a good school can be quite a daunting task for a parent. We decided to make it easier for them and bring schools together in one place. It also gives schools an opportunity to market themselves to a different audience.’ Safesteps has carved a niche in the hearts of parents, teachers and schools and intends to grow bigger and better in the years to come. ‘My dream is to make the magazine monthly, to have an engaged online social community and to be holding even more events that cater to the needs of parents as well as schools.’
We will sure be following this Supamama on her journey with Safesteps!