Strength of a Woman - IWD 2012

Special Edition for

Strength of a March, 2012

Special Edition for

International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day

Ghost of discrimination comes back to haunt

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By Jane Godia

hen boys were going to school, girls were fetching firewood and water as well as cooking for their families. The girls were also getting married to raise school fees for their brothers through bride price. When push came to shove and it had to be decided between two children who would drop out because the money was not enough, the girl would be the casualty.

However, these actions that were seen as being in the interest of the family have returned to haunt the women who made sacrifices so that their brothers could go to school.

As we mark the International Women’s Day this year, ahead of the general elections in Kenya, the ghost of discrimination of the girl child in education has returned to haunt the country. continued on page 5

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Special Edition for

International Women’s Day

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Dear Reader,

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oday is yet another opportunity to celebrate the International Women’s Day. A significant day in which we make merry over a remarkable story of ordinary women making history. The day is rooted in the centuries’-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men.

Nowhere in the world is this more relevant than in Kenya today. Having promulgated our new constitution almost two years ago, the struggles of according equal opportunities to both men and women came to fruition. However, the ghosts of past discrimination, such as discrimination of the girl making it difficult for her to go to school in favour of the boy child have now returned to haunt us.

In view of the theme; Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures, this year marks the 101 years of IWD celebrations. It is the right theme as we find that many girls have been disillusioned to the extent that they do not get inspired to see a need for leading better lives.

This issue of Strength of a Woman, carries inspiring stories that should get women and girls in this country making an about turn on how they think about themselves.

In politics, those who have been there are encouraging

the amateurs with words of mentorship. Pioneers of politics like Mama Phoebe Asiyo, have words of wisdom, ‘we have come a long way and must never give up’.

Yet they are also young and upcoming politicians who think they can make a difference not only in their communities but for the nation Kenya. Read their stories and aspirations. Best of all, one of the youngest presidential aspirants, tells us in her own words why she deserves to be the chief executive officer of this country.

In education, one woman who was married as a child bride 20 years ago has gone back to school, and you know what, her husband has also decided that moranism is not helping him and his family, he is also back to school, courtesy of his wife’s spirit of not giving up.

These are joined by the women in Kibera Primary School, who can only afford to attend adult classes, just so they can improve their levels of enlightenment and may be get jobs or join careers that can improve their standards of living.

Health remains a big issue for women. But with the right information, girls will not get pregnant, and will have their sexual debut at a time when they are ready and armed with the right information. However, the challenge of poverty

among families remains a big problem, as teenagers are out in the streets prostituting not only to feed their families, but also to buy sanitary pads. There are also those who use rocks, for the menstrual flow as they have no access to pads. How can the national budget factor in this issue?

HIV and Aids remains the biggest burden that women and girls carry in society. However, it remains a challenge to parents who have children who were born with the virus, are not aware of it but are already engaging in relationships with the opposite sex.

However, it is not all sad news, we learn that even fields that were previously treated as men only are now by infiltrated by girls and women. These include football, film production and cooperative savings and credit societies.

All these make a mix of good read that should not only inspire women and girls but also help change the patriarchal attitude that has dominated thinking within society. We must accept that what a man or boy can do, a girl can do better.

Jane

Have yourself a good read.

Contents This is how it is done, amateurs tipped by those who have done it

Trail blazer who has the world at her feet

Walking in her father’s footsteps

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page11

page8

Where girls use rocks as option to sanitary pads

page15

Adult learning gives women a second chance

page12-13

Under the veil of secrecy, fingers used to chop of baby girls’ clitoris

page17

Dilemma of daughters who are HIV positive

page24

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Special Edition for

International Women’s Day

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Connecting girls and inspiring futures through the women’s movement

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oday, the word women’s movement sounds archaic and many a times, it is referred to as a dead cause.

Recently, several women organisations from Eastern Africa met in Kampala, Uganda to interrogate the notion of women’s movement and its place in the 21st Century. Most importantly they wanted to look at how to re-energise the cause so it becomes part of the national agenda.

Under the theme of Strengthening The Women’s Rights Movement, the meeting organised with support from Ford Foundation and Wellsprings, offered an opportunity for the women to look at themselves in the mirror and ask hard questions. They queried facts like what it means to be part of the women’s movement; how does one know when they get there and how does one know then they see and most importantly how can the women’s movement be made sustainable.

Foresight Agreeing that women’s movement have been based on a vision, almost 114 years later, the women are in agreement that the movement did over the years has helped them bond.

This then made them realise the need to strengthen the articulation and orientation of women’s rights organising on a feminist principles, ideologies and politics.

As Dr Jacinta Muteshi-Strachan observes in her paper entitled Continuing Relevance for African Women, with the women’s decade, more women

By Rosemary Okello

organisations and NGOs were started and they began to play an important national, regional and international role with the United Nations, which granted some of them an interactive role with the creation of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

“The NGO presence at the world conference would henceforth provide numerous opportunities over the course of a conference for diverse stakeholders from around the world

to exchange experiences, knowledge and develop strategies intended to influence their governments and international community for the advancement of women,” notes Muteshi.

Indeed women leaders are cognisant to the fact that without the movement, such spaces, voice and even resource around women’s rights and work could not have been realised if there was not formidable movement reminding leaders of their commit-

Indeed women leaders are cognisant to the fact that without the movement, such spaces, voice and even resource around women’s rights and work could not have been realised if there was not formidable movement reminding leaders of their commitment to women’s issues.

ment to women’s issues.

For example this year’s, 56th Commission on the Status of Women whose theme is; the empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenge, are some of the spaces women’s movement have been able to open.

It is noted that the women’s movement still has the power to connect girls, women and society to inspire the future through increased fulfilment of women’s rights driven by a transformative and inclusive movement.

Just like the women did in 1868, when the global women’s movement started in Geneva with the first transnational women’s organisation the Association Internationales des Femmes which was founded by women organising on suffrage and secular education, today’s movement in East Africa should be concerned on how they can frame the women’s vision based on local realities.

“This entails coming up with a frame, problem statement and figuring out what we are going to articulate well, strategy for actions and ways we can make others to take part,” observes Usu Mallya, Executive Director of the Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP).

However, most importantly is how the women’s movement in Eastern Africa will ensure government’s accountability on women’s rights.

Ndanatsei Tawamba, Chief Executive Officer for Urgent Action Fund-Africa argues that if Governments can commit themselves to women’s rights using an international framework that exists, then national discourse can enhance social justice and recognition of women’s rights.

Policies “We are talking about laws, policies, involvement of women in government and ensuring that every woman feels connected with the women’s movement no matter where they come from,” notes Tawamba.

This will be done by showcasing the impact of the women’s movement in East Africa, identifying policy agenda and building on what exists.

The women will also develop a clear strategy for action as well as take advantage of opportunities which they can use to build a vibrant women’s movement in the region. This way, the younger and future ‘generals’ will have found a platform from which to spring to greater heights.

Sexuality education will inspire a bright future

By Jane Godia

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s we seek to enhance girls’ potential by inspiring them to better livelihoods in the future, nowhere is it more warranted than in their sexual and reproductive health rights.

Girls who get pregnant when they are hardly into their teenage, end up losing in opportunities such as schooling. They get into desperate situations where they normally end up in forced marital circumstances.

At this point in their lives, they do not have the ability to make informed decisions over their sexual choices. They may not be aware of safe and protected sex. They cannot negotiate for safe sex or ask their partners to use the condom. They know nothing about the pill or any other method of preventing pregnancy.

Complexity They do not understand the complexities that go with counting safe days. They in all innocence have no knowledge of sex and its consequences. Where these girls get married, they cannot stop their husbands from being in multiple relations, this compounds the need to negotiate for safe sex. Those whose bodies have not matured for giving birth end up being victims of fistula and in the long run get chased from the homes they are living in.

These are the girls who are defiled by close family members including their own biological fathers and brothers. These are the girls who are defiled by their teachers and neighbours.

While the society hush hushes the con-

sequences of lack of sexuality education, girls who get pregnant whether from lack of knowledge or some semblance of knowledge will most probably attempt to procure an abortion.

In most instances it will be unsafe abortion because they do not have the money to seek help from medical facilities and trained health personnel.

They are misled by the people who have impregnated them into drinking some concoction of poisonous substance. If they do not die, they end up at Kenyatta Hospital with an incomplete abortion. The damage is usually enormous. Either they get some form of disability from the action, or they leave without their uterus and hence will never be able to have children. Some of them leave the hospital with the aforementioned consequences as well as HIV infection that was inflicted on them by the men.

As the world seeks to inspire girls and connect futures, serious consideration must be given to the point at which girls get sexuality education. The traditional systems where this information was imparted by aunties and grandmothers have been broken down. Families no longer live in the rural areas and visits to the village and spontaneous and sparse.

The little that they learn from their peers is often misleading information.

It is therefore important that girls get knowledge information that can allow them delay sexual debut. However, if they must have sex, then it must be from an informed position where they are able to make decisions that will protect them not only from getting pregnant,

but also from being infected with HIV and other sexually transmitted illnesses.

Everyone here is a stakeholder in ensuring that girls have an inspiring future. Everyone must play a role in ensuring that girls are not taken advantage of. From mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, aunties and uncles, neighbours and teachers, we must all desist from taking advantage of girls simply for the fact that they are girls.

We must strive to equip girls with the right information to enable them make decisions

We must strive to equip girls with the right information to enable them make decisions from an informed position. But most of all, information on their sexuality and how to protect themselves must come before their debut into teenage or the onset of their periods.

from an informed position. But most of all, information on their sexuality and how to protect themselves must come before their debut into teenage or the onset of their periods.

Sexuality education must not be left to teachers who spend most of them time with girls who are our daughters. It must include talking at home, in school and any other fora that are available. It is said that when something is drummed into our heads so much, it sticks there.

Sexuality or sex education refers to formal programmes of instruction on a wide range of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, and other aspects of human sexual behaviour.

Health campaign Common avenues for sex education are parents or caregivers, school programmes, and public health campaigns. If we use all available platforms to give our girls sexuality and reproductive health information, they will be inspired to delay sex, and if they must have it, it will be from an informed position where they will be able to prevent unwanted and unplanned for pregnancy.

Their schooling will not be interrupted because they got pregnant. They will be able to aspire to complete schooling at the highest level possible. By the time they decide to get married or have children, they will surely know what they are doing.

Special Edition for

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International Women’s Day

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Bridging the leadership trans-generational gap

By Rosemary Okello

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any are anxiously awaiting for the election date to be agreed upon, one group is quietly coming to the conclusion that it is their time to

lead.

This time round, they plan to use their numerical strength to capture a majority of seats as stipulated within the Constitution of Kenya 2010.

The young people — both men and women — are convinced that the older generation has done their bit and they should leave leadership positions to them so that they can bring in new leadership styles.

However, even as they are confident about their mission, they find themselves in a unique position in that not many have been mentored into leadership. As a result, they know very little on what it means to run for a political position.

Gender forum This came out very clearly during the monthly Gender Forum organised by Heinrich Boll Stiftung under the theme: Women and Leadership: Bridging the Trans-Generational Gap where the younger generation of women expressed their views on how the older generation is neither playing its mentorship role nor creating room for the younger women to participate in leadership.

But Rose Waruhiu, Chair of Policy and Strategy of the Democratic Party of Kenya, allayed the fears of the young women. She told them that this is not the time to blame the older generation but to find ways of working together.

“This is the time that we need each other more than ever. Kenya is going through a transitional motion and both the young and old need to work together and support one another,” she noted.

Waruhiu, who is among the few leading women to have been nominated twice to Parliament told the young women that politics during

her time was not for the faint hearted.

According to Waruhiu, instead of the younger people especially the girls dismissing the older people, this is the time for young women to forge links with older women to benefit from the opportunities which are now available, courtesy of the new constitution.

“I urge young people to start creating a dynamic network that will impact change at all levels both at county and national level.”

The same sentiments were articulated by Leah Kaguatha, an Advocate of the High Court and law lecturer at the Kenyatta University. Kaguatha said that women need to work together to change the rhetoric that women made bad leaders.

“Now that the Constitution is firmly in place, it is important to increase women’s effectiveness in leadership through social and political means,” observed Kaguatha. She added: “This can only be done through engaging women leaders of all ages and all walks of life.”

Kaguatha reiterated that the young leaders need the in-put of the older generation for training in political effectiveness, to share experiences on the past and to remind the younger leaders not to take for granted the gains of the new Constitutional dispensation.

Mentorship She was categorical that this cannot happen without effective mentorship. “Time has come for an effective mentorship and training to be established between the young and older women in Kenya,” she says.

A participant in a forum to discuss avenues to bridge the leadership gap between the young and older leaders.

— Photo: Strength of a Woman Correspondent

According to Susan Kariuki, Chief Executive Officer, Youth Agenda, there is need to sit back and take stock on what kind of leadership Kenya needs.

“It is not just a matter of it is time for the youth to take on leadership,” noted Kariuki.

She posed: “When Kenyans were voting for the Constitution of Kenya of 2010, did they want youth in leadership or women wanted women in leadership?”

I urge young people to start creating a dynamic network that will impact change at all levels both at county and national level.”

— Rose Waruhiu, women leader

Kariuki posed again: “Do we want women in leadership or women who are leaders?”

She cautioned the young person against being fixated with the issue of it is their time to lead without taking the necessary steps to nurture themselves to become better leaders.

Having helped build capacity of young leaders at the Youth Agenda, Kariuki advised the young women to first prepare themselves as leaders and this requires patience and the willingness to learn and perfect their skills.

“Leadership will not be offered on a silver platter simply because you are a young person,” she cautioned.

According to Kariuki, the political game is not easy and the youth cannot win it alone. “Unless you get into political parties and become rooted in one of them and help create an impact in that political party, there is no way the youth can succeed in political leadership.”

Women chart the course for transformative leadership

By Rachel Kagoiya

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he time for Kenyans to fully tap into the unequivocal strengths of women leaders within the political arena is now.

The 2012 General Elections are just around the corner and although the dates are yet to be confirmed, Kenyans everywhere are calling for peaceful and fair electioneering process.

Women are also calling for transformative leadership and governance that will propel their representation and participation in leadership in all spheres under the new 2010 Constitutional dispensation.

Constitution Currently, the National Assembly comprises of 224 members. That is, 210 elected members of Parliament, 12 nominated by parties and two ex- officio members — Attorney General and the Speaker).

With only 22 women out of 224 members, women hold less than 10 percent of the seats in parliament. Of this, only six women are in the Cabinet out of a total of 40 ministers.

The Constitution of Kenya (2010) recognises women’s social, economic, cultural and political rights in all institutions of governance including political party structures and other organs of decision making.

It entrenches the two thirds principles for either gender in all appointive and elective

positions. This ensures that women are not marginalised in the public arena.

Within the devolved government provided for by the Constitution, Kenya will have representatives for the National, Senate and County assemblies.

The National Assembly will have 349 members. That is 290 elected members, 47 women county representatives and 12 nominated members.

The Senate will have 68 who will include 47 elected members representing the counties and 21 nominated members that will include 16 women, two youth representatives (one male and the other female) and two members representing people with disabilities (male and female) and a speaker.

The County Assembly will include 47 elected members from each of the counties and nominated members appointed by the parties. In fact, political parties are required to ensure that for every three party members presented to vie for political office, one must be a woman, and if she fails to be elected, the party must nominate a woman.

Recently, over 1,000 women leaders, including women political aspirants, drawn from the 47 counties in Kenya met during a two-day National Women Leadership Platform for Action 2012 organised by the Women’s Empowerment Link (WEL).

From the onset, the rallying call was on the need for women to be aware of the opportunities presented by the Constitution

of Kenya 2010. The need for the women to be vigilant in monitoring the implementation of the new laws was also stressed.

Emphasis was laid on the need for women leaders to use issue-based politics in their campaigning, especially around performance, accountability and delivery of services that impact on the welfare and empowerment of the most vulnerable sectors in their communities.

The meeting which was graced by the women MPs namely Lina Hon Charity Ngilu joins scores of women leaders at Bomas during the launch of Jebii Kilimo, Wavinya Ndeti, the Kenya Women National Charter.

— Photo: Strength of a Woman Correspondent Millie Odhiambo, Elizabeth Ongoro, Cecily Mbarire, Prof Hellen Sambili, Dr Joyce Laboso, Marwho is the chairperson of Maendeleo ya have been spreading rumours that womtha Karua Sophia Abdi Noor. Dr Naomi Wanawake. The Charter will be used as a en can only vie for the reserved women’s Shabaan and Charity Ngilu offered an op- campaign tool for the women seeking for representative seats and not for the comportunity for sharing. political positions in the upcoming gener- petitive and the most-eyed seats for Goval elections as well as act as a benchmark ernors, Senators and County Assembly Networking for the women leaders during their tenure. representatives,” noted Ngilu.

The legislators shared their experiencClarity was, therefore, provided for all The Charter will provide clarity and es on some of the most successful strategies timeline demands on the realisation the women leaders and they were manthey have used including resource mobili- of the women gains as stipulated in the dated to go share with their communities sation, networking, community activism, Constitution. that women are eligible for both elective mentorship/role model, engagement with Ngilu who is the Minister for Water and appointive positions in their Counties. political parties and strategic engagement called on all women aspirants to utilise So far, two women have presented with the media. their numerical advantage and mobilisa- their candidature to vie for the highest The meeting culminated with the of- tion skills at the community level to gar- office in the Country namely; Martha ficial launch of the first Kenya National ner seats as MPs, Governors, Senators and Karua, Gichugu Member of Parliament Women’s Charter, presided over by for- County Assembly representatives. and Ms. Kingwa Kamencu, a young stumer MP Julia Ojiambo and Rukia Subow “Some greedy or ill-informed leaders dent currently at the Oxford University.

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Special Edition for

International Women’s Day

5

Hurdles set too high for political dreams

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By HENRY KAHARA

lizabeth Kirua wanted to be a ward representative in Kilgoris. However, her dreams were cut short by the new Constitution that raises the academic level for those aspiring for political leadership.

Kirua’s dream was nipped in the bud by the fact that she doesn’t have Form Four certificate.

She did not complete secondary schooling.

She knows that with the expanded political space she could have been able to make a difference and transform her constituency if qualified.

Dilemma Kirua is not alone in this dilemma. She joins a majority of women who will not be able to sit in the assemblies because they are disqualified due to their low level of education.

Lack of education remains a challenge to many women leaders especially from marginalised communities.

Kirua was among the women leaders who converged at the Bomas of Kenya during the launch of Kenya Women National Charter.

According to Kirua, her ward has been sleepy and she believes this is their turn to rise and shine.

For long they have been abandoned by the leaders they have been electing every five years.

“We elect them every five years but imme-

diately after election we don’t see them again,” she says.

Kirua, who hails from Kilgoris notes that the region has lagged behind because the current crop of leaders have not paid attention to their plight.

Many of the people they elect into leadership positions have their roots in Kilgoris but reside in Nairobi. “They usually flock the area during campaign period but immediately after elections we don’t hear of them,” Kirua observes.

She notes: “We don’t need people who are very educated, we just need an honest person who is ready to work with the people.”

Kirua, a mother of six and a businesswoman, says lack of developed infrastructure has affected growth in the area. She has personally witnessed pregnant women dying for failure to reach hospital in time.

Although she is aware of a stereotype belief that women cannot be leaders, Kirua is ready to test the waters.

“I am aware that my culture does not allow women to address men but I will have to contest,” reiterates Kirua.

For her now, the most disturbing issue is that she doesn’t have a Form Four certificate which is the minimum level of education one must have to vie for a ward representative seat. However, despite this setback, Kirua believes she is the best person who can fit in it.

“I have not decided whether I will go back to school or use another avenue to qualify,” observes Kirua who keeps on repeating that her area doesn’t need people who are very qualified academically.

“During our time girls were never given a chance to pursue further education.

We would be sold without our knowledge,” she explains.

Challenges Kirua blames early and forced marriages for persistently afflicting the girl-child in the area. For now Kirua looks at academic qualification as the only serious stumbling block that will bar her from accessing the office.

“My people are gradually embrac- Elizabeth Kirua who desires to be ward representative ing peace and I believe this is the time. in Kilgoris but whose dream may not materialise.

For now culture is not as serious a bar— Photo: Henry Kahara rier as qualification,” she says noting “If somebody is in a position to get the support of that her community has now changed the youth and women you even don’t need a lot from being pastoralists to crop farmers. “The fact of money to campaign,” she notes adding that her that now youths are supporting women I feel bethusband is ready to support her. ter placed if only I will get a chance,” she adds.

According to her the fact that she is among Kirua says that young people from her County the well informed women in the area many womare very different from the older generation for en have been going to her for help. they believe in them (women).

However, she is not giving up and will fight to This is made better by the fact that womfind her place in political decision making. en are ready to support their fellow women.

Ghost of discrimination comes back to haunt

continued from page 1

With the new political dispensation, coming in the heels of the new constitution, girls and women are now crying because the space created for them within the political arena is going to suffer simply for the fact that they never went to school.

According to Monica Amollo of Women Shadow Parliament, the country must find a way of making sure that affirmative action is given with regards to education for women political leaders so that the gains made are not lost.

Amollo, who has waded through the murky field of politics in Ndhiwa Constituency, is speaking from the experience of not only herself but that of other women who have been actively involved in politics. Among these women are political leaders and activists who do not have the academic qualifications for certain positions within the new dispensation.

Requirement According to Amollo, the requirement for certain education standards such as degrees will prevent women from benefitting in politics.

“Women who are going to be councillors or ward representatives need to have attained at least Form Four education,” notes Amollo.

However, she adds, majority of women who are most politically active did not get to Form Four. She regrets that the clause in the Constitution will fail vibrant and politically active women.

“Women who have suffered in the political circles, those who have been in the struggle for the women’s space will be left out,” laments Amollo.

The Constitution states in Article 27 (3): “Women and men have the right to equal treatment, including the right to equal opportunities in political, economic, cultural and social spheres.”

However, the education requirement that those seeking to be ward representatives have at least Form Four level of education and those aspiring to be members of the National Assembly or Senators have a post secondary education has put women in a catch 22 situation.

The Constitution says in Article 100: “Parliament shall enact legislation to promote the representation (a) women; (b) persons with disabilities; (c) you; (d) ethnic and other minorities and; (e) marginalised communities.”

The Constitution also says that 47 women will be elected by registered voters of the Counties to the National Assembly. These are referred to as the women representatives.

It also goes on to state on Article 98 1 (b) that 16 members of the Senate “will be women nominated by political parties according to their proportion of members of the Senate...”

While many women leaders especially in the grassroots have been active in politics, there are fears that they may not make it to the County Government or National Assembly.

However, according to Dr. Owuor Olungah, a research fellow at the Institute of Anthropology, Gender and African Studies at the University of Nairobi, the bar of leadership has been raised across the board with the education requirement. He says this will not only affect women but men as well.

Olungah says most women have been in politics courtesy of grassroots connections and this cannot be ignored.

He reiterates that these women can still be influential without being in the national and County assemblies.

Leadership However, he notes, Kenya now requires leadership in intellectual and social awareness. Previously politics placed little value on education.

However, the requirement for certain levels of education before one seeks political position will encourage more women to be in school.

“This is not only for women, but men as well,” says Olungah. He adds: “Initially politics only attracted the illiterate. However, now a conscious critical mass of educated Kenyans will engage in political spaces provided within the new Constitutional dispensation.”

“What is leadership?” poses Olungah. “In the new geo-political dispensation, it is inevitable that education counts in the whole process.”

He stresses that despite being in a catch 22

These girls have a reason to smile because unlike many others they have an opportunity to better themselves through education.

— Photo: Strength of a Woman Correspondent

situation, we need not bend backwards. While little value was previously placed on education, Olungah opines that the situation now should encourage more women to be in school.

His sentiments are echoed by Grace Mbugua of Women Empowerment Leadership who says women should not seek for amendments on the constitution simply because of the education factor.

According to Mbugua, women must go for adult education classes. Those not able to join politics now must go to school to be able to engage in the next general elections.”

She poses: “Why should women be given a different angle? They need to justify that when men were going to school they were busy taking care of household responsibilities in the family.

The challenge is also said to lie on women from marginalised communities who suffered under cultural practices that left them victims of early and forced marriages.

However, Olungah believes that even among

the marginalised groups there are women who qualify. He notes that there are women from the marginalised communities who were dissected by the harsh environment. “These went to school but ended up being married in other communities. The new dispensation should allow them to go back to their original homes and be part of the process.”

The inspiration for girls who would like to follow into the empowered footmarks of women who were in political and decision making, is that the country can no longer afford to have the girl child being the casualty when funds are not enough within a family.

Now more than ever before, the issue of education has been laid bare. It must be equal for all and girls must no longer be the sacrificial lambs.

The situation now calls for the need to have equal opportunities in education and politics among other spheres for both girls and boys so they will no longer be panic attacks such as the one that is being created now.

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Special Edition for

International Women’s Day

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

This is how it is done, amateurs tipped by those who have done it

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By Henry Owino

ven though the political space has been expanded for Kenyan women to engage in with the coming into place of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, the new comers will have to still master the game.

Politics as it is known is not a game for the weak. It is a game that requires the players to be tough, bold, fearless and strategic.

Giving tips to those who want to plunge into the murky field of politics, women Parliamentarians bore it all when they spoke at a conference that brought women leaders from the 47 Counties together.

The parliamentarians spoke to a crowd that had huge expectations as they attempted to inspire new faces of female aspirants that included the young and the old.

Wise counsel The parliamentarians were led by veterans such as Charity Ngilu, Naomi Shabaan and Linah Jebii Kilimo. Others were Wavinya Ndeti, Elizabeth Ongoro, Sophia Abdi Noor, Joyce Laboso and Hellen Sambili among others. Those who have retired from active politics such as Phoebe Asiyo were there to give wise counsel.

Leaders of women’s organisations that have been at the forefront in building skills of women on the political arena also shared words of wisdom.

All in all the message that came across is that whether one is young or old, rich or poor, the fact that she is a woman political aspirant puts her on the tough side of the murk.

Giving her story, Elizabeth Ongoro, MP for Kasarani said she began her political career at the age of 31 in 2007 when women were considered trespassers in the political arena as men dominated.

Despite this being more than 40 years since Kenya attained independence, Ongoro noted that any woman who attempted to capture a political seat would be labelled prostitute among other names by political opponents.

“Politics is a dirty game and, has been treated as if only men are allowed to address people in rallies,” observed Ongoro. She reiterated: “The truth of the matter is that politics is not about men but for all people regardless of gender, race, tribe, age, culture and background.”

Aggression According to Ongoro any woman who is serious about getting into a political office must put aside all the tears. “Politics is not a bed of roses but about fighting, spending sleepless nights, networking on the ground, campaigning in hostile regions, moving from one place to the next within a very short time, selling your policies and convincing voters to vote you in,” advised Ongoro. She urged: “Prepare and prepare well as nothing good comes on a silver platter.”

Advising the women, Ongoro noted that there is psychological violence used by men to wedge out women from political office. “For instance, many will be asking why a woman is single, for the married they will question why no children, or why she is not giving birth and any other words that seek to demean women.

However, I urge you to forge ahead.”

The MP told the aspirants that they must manage their time well to reach all places within the wards, Constituencies or County since some areas are very vast and time might be limited. She called on them to strategise and make use of available time well.

Ongoro advised the women to go for seats they are sure of winning.

She told the women that another trick is for them to be steadfast and focused on what they want and remain firm so as not to confuse the electorate.

“Blow your own trumpet, have a decisive position and stick to it without changing it every now and then. If you keep changing goal posts then it will be a clear signal to your supporters that you are not serious in leadership but out in politics for selfish gains,” explained Ongoro.

Working out one’s strength and weaknesses before going out for campaigns is very crucial as it helps in building one’s capacity to give room for strategising.

Another tip that the women were given was the issue of branding. This was said to be a particularly important benchmark for women during campaigns.

Outlook appearance during presentation is a key factor in politics and women politicians must dress up without exaggerations.

According to Wavinya Ndeti, a young politician and Mp for Kathiani, the choice of political party does not matter a lot but when people like the ideas that one has and know their development agenda “they will always vote you in regardless of the party affiliation”.

Ndeti was voted on the little known Chama Cha Uzalendo (CCU) when the ODM-Kenya wave was sweeping across Ukambani. She says people see her as being among the young legislators in the 10th Parliament. Ndeti asserts that her age does not mean she is young in ideas and cannot contribute constructively to legislations that will move the country forward.

“Therefore, I challenge the young women in this country to come out and vie for the various position as this is the right time,” urged Ndeti.

Hon. Joyce Laboso, Wavinya Ndeti and Naomi Shaban (L to R) cross check a point during the launch of the National Women Leadership Platform for Action 2012.

— Photo: Strength of a Woman Correspondent

She encouraged those with political ambitions not to run away from their electorate if they emerge victorious no matter the circumstances because once in office, a leader is deemed to serve those who supported them as well as those that opposed.

“Go down to the level of the woman at the grassroots as it will cost you nothing but it is vital because when they see you walk, talk, eat, socialise and match like them, voters will like you, giving you a higher chance of winning any position you aspire for,” advised Ndeti.

She warned the women not to promise heaven on earth but to pledge what they know they can deliver since empty promises will always return to haunt them once in office.

Understanding She pointed out that most voters are aged 35 years and below, so understanding their lifestyle and language is important as well otherwise when they disappear the whole composition of voters leaves as well.

The MP said above everything the aspirants must put God first since knowledge and leadership comes from Him as no seat comes through human efforts alone.

Ngilu, a veteran politician who was the first Kenyan woman to vie for Presidency was greeted with a rousing welcome when she arrived. She is seen as a role model by many women across the political divide.

Addressing the women, Ngilu reiterated that it was time women of Kenya led the country and not just to be led by men in all government of-

fices. She reiterated that it is very unfortunate that most government offices are headed by men especially key Ministries.

“Women should not just be Deputies in government positions but they can also head departments, parastatals, Ministries or be Permanent Secretaries as well,” observed Ngilu. She added: “Women have been treated badly by the Government for long and it is high time they were empowered to hold big public office jobs.”

Referring to the Constitution, Ngilu reiterated the fact that Article 27(b) states that 30 per cent of the jobs must be given to one gender yet this factor was being overlooked as though women do not exist or are not qualified to hold the positions.

Ngilu vowed to support any woman running for any seat regardless of political party affiliation because in the end it’s the numbers that matter when making decisions either assemblies whether national or county.

“We need women in the next government, so please go for seats and if men block you in their parties’ nomination, you are highly welcome to my political party, National Rainbow Coalition (Narc),” Ngilu assured the women.

Support

She reiterated that women do not need sympathy support but rather require backing as aspirants vying for positions that will help develop the country.

She informed aspirants that they should be prepared for both positive and negative criticism in the build up to the campaign period.

“You must clearly outline your mission, vision, agenda and manithat stipulates issues of the youth, Go down to the level of the woman at the festo women, men, children and people in ” advised Ngilu. grassroots as it will cost you nothing but it is general, She tipped the women to map vital because when they see you walk, talk, out an area of jurisdiction, as this is important for easy reach. As we eat, socialise and match like them, voters mark the international women’s day today, we are at peace as we know will like you, giving you a higher chance of that all women promised to support each other, conduct peaceful camwinning any position you aspire for.” paigns as well as respect their oppo— Wavinya Ndeti nents whether women or men.

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Passing on the baton with words of wisdom

By Odhiambo Orlale

K

enyan women and girls need not look far for one of their own, a trailblazer in the national arena for the past half a century.

Literally speaking, Phoebe Asiyo, has seen it all both in private and public life thanks to the decision during her childhood in Karachuonyo in Homa Bay County, never to settle for second place in her education and the real world.

Indeed, Mama Asiyo, as she is commonly referred to, has been more involved in the women’s movement and struggle for recognition and rights throughout her adult life. She is a household name having dedicated half her life fighting for the rights of the girl-child and women as a whole.

Success Since then, Mama Asiyo has successfully ventured into the corridors of power locally and internationally, thanks to her charisma, charm, leadership and oratory skills.

Mama Asiyo has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations and a consultant for UNIFEM now UN WOMEN. In 1974, Asiyo made history as the second woman to be elected to Parliament to represent Karachuonyo Constituency for three five-year terms. Earlier, she had served as the first chairman of the umbrella women’s organisation, Maendeleo ya Wanawake (MYWO) on the eve of

independence in 1959. She later served as a Commissioner of the historic Constitution of Kenya Review Commission in 2003-2005.

Currently, Mama Asiyo is the chairperson of Caucus for Women’s Leadership, a leading local NGO. She is respected in the women’s movement and is a major feature at their national and regional forums as an inspirational speaker and role model.

Early in the year, Asiyo was among the dignitaries honoured to address the National Women’s Leaders’ Forum for Action Programme, held at Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi.

In her speech, the soft spoken politician urged women to ensure that they capture all the seats reserved from them under the new Constitution and then fight for the others with male rivals.

“As women, we must now start patting ourselves on the back from today henceforth because for too long our efforts have not been recognised by our brothers and sisters and the society at large,” intoned Mama Asiyo. “We now have an opportunity to shine under the new progressive Constitution.”

The former legislator has so many firsts to her name. In 1963, she resigned to take up a senior job in the public service as the head of women’s prisons in Kenya’s Prisons Department under the Ministry of Home Affairs. She was the first African to head that department.

In 2010, Asiyo’s efforts in the women’s

Special Edition for

International Women’s Day

movement were recognised by the Luo Council of Elders who crowned her as the first woman elder.

Asked what made her decide to join politics, the former MYWO boss says it was because of the many injustices she had seen meted against women.

“All the injustices against Kenyan women made me decide to join politics. All that built up and I decided to run for office. The British had de-humanised our people, especially women, and the same was continuing under the Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Moi regimes,” recalls Asiyo.

Some of the major issues she championed for or against during her parliamentary tenure concerning women was the banning of a birth control drug, Depo Provera, which was being used in Kenya while it was banned for health reasons in the US where it was manufactured.

Champion In her parting shot to her fellow women, the former Karachuonyo MP says: “I must say Kenyan women have done extremely well and have remained united. I am glad that I have played my part in moving the women’s agenda.

“I look back with pride that as women we have come a long way, and that as leaders, we have groomed many young professionals to take over from us,” said Asiyo. She added: “I am also extremely glad that I have played my role in the women’s movement and passed the button to young women to move on with it.”

I look back with pride that as women we have come a long way, and that as leaders, we have groomed many young professionals to take over from us.”

— Phoebe Asiyo, Pioneer, woman politician

Maru has a lot in store for Turbo constituents

By HENRY OWINO

K

enya will be holding a unique General Election in 2012 for the first time after the Constitution of Kenya 2010 opened up political space to women among other marginalised groups.

Many women have come out in the open and declared interest on the various political posts.

Winnie Maru has declared her interest in the newly created Turbo Constituency, which has been hived off from the larger Eldoret North, currently William Ruto’s jurisdiction area in Rift Valley Province.

Maru may not have it easy in Turbo.

She is going for a position that is being held by a very influential man who has done so much for the constituency and beating anyone he endorses might not be easy.

Influence While she knows that it will not be easy, Maru is banking on the fact that Ruto promised not to support any aspirant since it will be up to the constituents to decide who will represent them in next Parliament.

Turbo and Soi constituencies have been formed from the large Eldoret North constituency and the boundary demarcation puts the young female aspirant in Turbo.

Maru believes she has what it takes to represent her constituents.

“The reason why I am going for a parliamentary seat as a young woman is because of the passion I have for women,” explains Maru. She adds: “Women’s issues in this country have been neglected by the 10th

Parliament. I would like to promote them regardless of culture, race, tribe or political party affiliation.”

Maru says her first task will be to fight for women’s rights especially in reducing or ending completely gender based-violence.

She reiterated the importance of women’s health as being very sensitive. “Issues to do with health are sensitive more so to women and, there is a need for someone who is passionate about it, to push for it daily until it is passed as a law,” reiterated Maru.

She would ensure that health centres are well equipped. She poses: “Why should mothers die giving birth in the 21st Century? Maternal health sector must be given priority as Constitution stipulates in the Bill of Rights with regards to right to health care.”

For Maru, education is key in today’s life, yet most girls in the constituency are married off by parents who want to get rich quickly ignoring the fact that every child has a right to education.

“I am not opposing the cultural ritual in any way, the FGM. It is a practice in our community as rite of passage that people go through but I am saying that parents must let girls go back to school. I respect culture but let education be given to all girls,” Maru reiterated.

Having a clear understanding of the issues she would like to address, Maru stresses the fact that poor environment management has been a big problem in the Rift Valley Province and Turbo Constituency will act as a mirror for other constituencies to emulate.

“The big problem is the reduced num-

The reason why I am going for a parliamentary seat as a young woman is because of the passion I have for women.”

— Winnie Maru

Maru is promising that every girl in her constituency will go to school. She will ensure they complete schooling as she will work towards eradication of early and forced marriages that have hindered many girls from the Rift Valley from realising their dreams.

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ber of trees in the region unlike in the past since people have cut down trees ruthlessly without replacing them and this has affected rainfall patterns,” she observes.

Maru is promising to start reforestation programmes in schools since most of them no longer have trees to provide shade

when parents visit their children.

“Every child should be encouraged to carry at least one seedling as they go to school each term to plant, water and take care of these trees for the first two years,” advises Maru. She explains: “This will help the pupils know the importance of trees.

It will also be part of constitution requirement of 10 percent forest cover for every piece of land one owns.

To the youth in Turbo constituency, Maru assures them of finding sources of employment either directly or indirectly by networking with other investors to expand their businesses to the region, promote local labour instead of importing labourers from outside the province and train others for international commerce.

Employment Despite the fact that Rift Valley is the food basket for this country, it has only got one milling industry yet maize is grown in large scale meaning those employed are few. Maru says once the devolved government gets into effect, she will push for more milling factories to be built as this will offer employment opportunities to the youth and provide for cheaper processed flour.

Farmers in the constituency will benefit in that they will not have to wait for long before trucks come from other regions to pick the cereals.

There is much in store for the people of Turbo Constituency that Maru will unleash for them once she is elected.

“That is the weapon that I want to use against my opponents but it is too early to reveal everything from the stockpile,” she says.

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Special Edition for

International Women’s Day EDITORIAL

For girls to be inspired, affirmative action must start at the bottom

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Walking in her father’s footsteps Susan Mboya gives bright girls a second airlift

I

t is good news to Kenyan women that affirmative action has been entrenched within the laws of this country. The Constitution says that not more than two thirds of the same gender should hold public or elective positions in institutions.

However, while this is indeed encouraging, the girl at the bottom who is yet to get to school and complete to post secondary level remains disadvantaged.

That is why even with past discriminations and inequalities, women are having a challenge as to whether they will be able to take all the positions that have been availed for them within the new constitutional dispensation. Men are crying out that lack of education, which was not a choice of their own, but because of discriminatory cultural practices, has left them at a disadvantaged position as they seek to occupy political and decision making positions.

This then calls for the need to have the affirmative action barometer extended to the lowest levels especially in relation to education.

To inspire girls and connect futures, affirmative action must start at the bottom. That girls need to be given more chances at less demanding qualifications to enable them be at par with boys.

Model examples If Kenya could copy what goes on in Mozambique, then our girls will move to greater heights not only in political and decision making but also in other spheres.

In Mozambique, the government identifies a girl in each poor family and sponsors her education. This way, bright and poor girls have opportunities to education and career development. They do not have to drop out of school for lack of school fees with early marriage as the only option staring at them.

If what is happening in Mozambique were to happen in Kenya, we would inspire girls greatly and the country will see more women in the job markets and aspiring to get jobs and training like men.

Educated girls are able to make informed choices over their lives. They get to decide what careers they want and follow their dreams; they get to decide whether or not they want to get married and have children; They get to decide the number of children that they think they are able to support.

These are girls who can stand firm and argue for their rights without being down trodden. This action will encourage and inspire girls who were born with and are living with HIV to know that they do not have to look at a miserable life ahead of them. This will encourage and inspire girls who are physically disabled that their condition is not inability and that something good can come out of their lives.

This will only happen if affirmative action is applied at the bottom, in the beginning at primary level and not at the end when they are grown women who have missed out on chances for education.

By Odhiambo Orlale

T

housands of girls excel in secondary education but their future is left in a limbo because of their socio-economic standing.

These are the girls whose future has been gloom because of lack of resources and connections with individuals who can offer them scholarship to further their education.

However, the plight of such desperate girls is being addressed by a daughter of former freedom fighter, trade unionist and Cabinet Minister, the late Tom Mboya, through an award winning mentorship programme called Zawadi (Swahili word for reward).

Since she started helping girls, Dr Susan Mboya-Kidero, has turned around the lives of 140 girls from all corners of the country. This she has done in a similar way like her father did over 40 years ago to hundreds of Kenyans from of all walks of life.

Beneficiaries The beneficiaries of the Tom Mboya airlift of the 1950s and 1960s to the leading universities in the United States include the who-is-who in Kenya and even in the United States. These include the father of the US President, Barack Obama, and the first African woman to win the coveted Nobel Peace Prize, Prof Wangari Maathai among others.

Susan’s is a success story in her own right and is an inspiration to all women as they celebrate International Women’s Day this year and to all the beneficiaries of her Zawadi Africa Educational Fund.

She was appointed by Coca-Cola Company in September 2008 as General Manager: Franchise at Coca-Cola South Africa. Before that she was the Global Marketing Director for Oral B Brushing at Procter and Gamble in Cincinnati, USA. Her illustrious career at Procter and Gamble started in 1995 after she had obtained her Masters and PhD degrees in Industrial Pharmacy from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in Boston, USA. She obtained her first degree, a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, from the University of Connecticut, USA. In a recent speech to university students under the Women Students Welfare Association entitled: “Step up to stand out”, the soft spoken

pharmacist had the following words of inspiration for them starting with her favourite quote

by Marianne Williamson: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves: ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your “playing small” does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone of us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Susan believes deeply that in ability of an individual to be powerful beyond measure, as she has seen it played out time after time.

She joined Procter and Gamble in the US and began to work in an environment where there were few females, fewer blacks and no Africans, a triple threat.

Dr Susan Mboya-Kidero, who has turned around the lives of 140 girls from all corners of the country.

Scholarship So when the idea was floated to her, to do what her father had done, including starting a scholarship programme, she said “why not?”

But like with all of the other challenges in her life, she gradually got the hang of it, and began to get grants. So far she has been able to send over 140 bright young women to top colleges and universities in the US, and Africa, and secured scholarships valued at over $20 million, which translates to KSh2 Billion.

So far, the founder of Zawadi is proud that the girls who make up the programme have

— Photo: Courtesy

shattered every single pre-conceived notion that exists, about girls, and poverty and the role of women in Africa, both in terms of what they are capable of, and what others in their communities expect of them.

In the Zawadi Africa Programme, they are extremely selective, because they can take only one in 10 applicants, and those girls represent the top two percent in the country academically.

They tell the girls how to apply, and what schools they can apply to based on carefully calculated statistics of ‘acceptance rates’ and other factors.

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Free primary makes ‘mboch’ not so easy to find after all

I

By Duncan Mboyah

n urban homes where they work as house helps, they are nicknamed aunties, nannies or mboches. However, in rural areas they are called by their real names.

Originally uneducated, the village girls who were literally transported thousands of kilometres to Nairobi by bus to come and work in support of their parents and other siblings ended up in homes, for a meagre salary. Their salary would end up being sent to their parents in rural areas to help educate their brothers.

However, courtesy of the universal initiative that ushered in free primary education in 2003 and the role played by some organisations, this trend is fast changing for the betterment of the house helps, signs that women’s emancipation is at last bearing fruits.

Iliteracy Today it is not easy to find an illiterate girl in the village. Many of them have gone upto Standard Eight.

However, the biggest challenge for urban dwellers is that they can no longer rely on poor children who have dropped out of school for lack of school fees as they no longer exists at the primary level.

Word out is that if you go to the village looking for a school dropout you will not find one.

Most parents tell you their children are in school and will only allow them to work in homes if they cannot afford fees for secondary schooling or unable to get bursary.

On the other front, employers are also now demanding for housegirls who can speak Eng-

Special Edition for

International Women’s Day

9

lish and help their children with homework when their parents are still at work or have been delayed in the traffic.

“I completed fourth form in western Kenya and came to Nairobi to tarmac only to get a job as a maid,” says Mary Abonyo in her Lucky Summer estate where she works.

Education Abonyo who is an orphan and scored grade C- through sponsorship from a maternal uncle, has been working as a maid for the last six months with the hope that one day she will save enough to enable her enrol in a college to acquire further education.

Just like Abonyo, many girls who were initially unable to seek education had left their jobs and reported back to school leaving their roles to be picked up by form four school leavers who takes up the job as they wait for college admission.

In a move to make their lives better, the Government too gazetted the new rates of payment for house helps that is supposed to start at KSh7,000 hence empowering the girls who were initially exploited.

There are also organisations that have come up with training programmes for the young women who provide domestic help.

According to Major Alice Baraza, the Superintendent at the Salvation Army sponsored Nairobi Girls’ Training Centre, an institution that trains house helps, today they enjoy many rights that were initially unthinkable.

Baraza observes that the centre is a pioneer in training house helps in the country having started in 1964. Today, the Centre has 32 secondyear students and 28 first years.

A househelp goes on her daily chores as the children she minds looks on. But for her and many others, more education has raised their employers’ expectations of them.

— Photo: Strength of a Woman Correspondent

Interestingly, the students are booked several months by employers even before they complete their studies.

“Employers have already booked 24 girls who are due to graduate in November leaving only eight unbooked,” Baraza revealed.

She observes that all employers sign a contract with the centre that commits them to care for the house helps and also pay them in time as is stipulated in the agreement that is co-signed by the centre.

“In the contract form, the employers commit to give the girls off duty every Sunday to enable them attend a church service or generally just take a break from the heavy work that they do,” explains Baraza. “They are free to bring them back if dissatisfied by their behaviour.”

In the same form, the girls are also required to give a month’s quit notice if they intend to leave their employer and also to report to the centre if they feel mistreated by the employer.

But Baraza revealed that through the centre’s strict rules, house helps are today respected by the children of their employers who initially hated and abused them as their parents did very little to save them.

She noted that most girls admitted in the centre have history of being abused by relatives and therefore they drop out of school early.

Founded on the church principles, a background that makes employers scramble for them, the centre trains them on housekeeping, child care, knitting, catering, first aid and hair dressing.

In between their two year training, the girls are placed on attachment in people’s houses where the hosts are expected to write a report on daily basis on how they perform their duty.

Clad in blue and white uniforms, the girls cheerfully undergo their lessons with happiness signs that they like their training and are set to become role models.

Future not so bleak as support efforts are initiated

By Odhiambo Orlale

T

he future of the girl child looks bright, thanks to the many well-wishers and organisations that have come up with programmes and scholarships to aid them.

Three major factors have been identified in the past as causing the low completion rates at primary school, they include the education policies and institutional processes, schools and community related factors.

However, all is not lost for the thousands of girls whose future is threatened after sitting for the KCPE and failing to access secondary education.

A number of local and international organisations have come up with programmes to address their plight.

The most renowned is Equity Bank which sponsors the top girl and boy in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) students in each of the 47 counties as part of its corporate social responsibility programme.

In 2010, the bank’s Equity Group Foundation scaled up its partnership with MasterCard foundation by rolling out the ‘Wings to Fly’ programme in a nine-year initiative that aims to provide comprehensive secondary school education and leadership training to 5,600 academically gifted yet economically and socially marginalised young Kenyans.

For the girl child, their biggest saviour is the Ambassadors Girls Scholarship Programme which is implemented by the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE).

Currently, FAWE has programmes all over the country, with the majority of beneficiaries hailing from North Eastern Province, Wajir and Mandera in particular as well as in Coast and nearby provinces.

Through that programme, FAWE Kenya provides scholarships to girls in primary and secondary schools who qualify based on the HIV/Aids infection or affection, poverty, orphans and those needy and challenged by any special need.

Initiatives One of the oldest local initiatives is by Jomo Kenyatta Foundation (JFK) which has set up a fund to assist bright but needy secondary students in the public secondary schools.

It was started in 1968 and has to date assisted over 10,000 needy Kenyan students pursue secondary school. The JFK is currently supporting 1,280 beneficiaries in various secondary schools across the country.

Another high profile programme is Zawadi Africa, started by Dr Susan Mboya-Kidero, and geared towards providing exceptional young African women from rural and disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to attend some of the best universities in the United States.

Future not so bleak for these young minds with companies offering corporate social responsibility.

— Photo: Strength of a Woman Correspondent

Tumaini Scholarship for Vocational Training supports young people pursuing vocational training such as carpentry, tailoring, mechanics and masonry among others. The goal of this programme is to alleviate poverty by empowering youth and equipping them with the necessary skills to compete in the job market, reduce unemployment and support their families.

UNICEF Canada has also established a Kenyan girls’ scholarship programme targeting nomadic girls. The scholarship provides bright young girls with enough funding for four years

to cover all costs related to secondary education including uniforms, school supplies, transport, housing and the guidance of a female mentor.

Year in, year out, the media is flooded with stories of performance of the best students and schools in the country. The announcements are covered live and the Minister for Education glows in the limelight as the man of the hour as he reads the results flanked by education stakeholders and officers from the Kenya National Examination Council.

However, two months after the

dust has settled, the plight of the thousands of pupils who miss places in the secondary school is forgotten by the media as they focus on the political and economic issues affecting the country.

Last year, a record 776,214 candidates sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education and recorded one of the best results in the past three years.

Out of that number, the gender ratio stood at 51.6 per cent in favour of boys and the remaining 48.4 comprising of girls.

The good news for the gender equality advocates is that the top student in the country, Christine Muthoni Kagiri of Tender Care Junior Academy in Nairobi’s Komarock Estate, made them proud by leading the pack and tying with Martin Irungu Waiharu of Moi Education Centre, with 442 marks.

However, the top positions nationally were dominated by boys, with nine of the 14 candidates being male and the majority of the 47 counties having a 50 to 80 per cent ratio of the top 10 candidates as male.

So far, several studies on the national crisis have revealed that many pupils, who enter the school system at the primary level, do not complete the cycle and drop out at various stages of the education system, especially in Standard 6, 7 and 8.

The situation is grave and worsening, a trend which contradicts the national goal of promoting literacy and fighting against ignorance.

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Special Edition for

International Women’s Day

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Football no longer a boys only game

L

By Sarah Forde

ilian Mbeyu raises her hand in the air, then blows the whistle for the end of a football match. Her hair is neatly tied back; her black referee’s uniform is spotless with her socks pulled up to her knees. The players from both teams come to shake her hand in the centre of the football pitch and thank her for a job well done.

Mbeyu has officiated over 500 football matches in the last five years since joining Moving the Goalposts, a girls’ rights organisation in the Coast.

Moving the Goalposts began as a small girls’ football and development project in Kilifi town in 2001 with just four teams. Ten years later, the organisation reaches out to 3,000 girls in over 150 teams in 23 football leagues in Kilifi County.

Empower The aim of the project is to empower girls by giving them the chance to organise and lead their own activities and get practical experience of decision making. All leagues are run by girl committees at their football fields, matches are officiated by girls and each football team has its own girl coach.

Mbeyu has become a role model within Moving the Goalposts but her journey has not been without challenges. She found herself on a path well worn by many a girl in rural coastal Kenya when, at 16, she realised she was pregnant.

“I was very scared,” she recalls. “My parents were very strict and I decided not to tell them.

Only my boyfriend knew and he wanted to marry me but I wanted to stay in school.”

Mbeyu’s parents eventually found out about the pregnancy during midterm holiday when she could not hide it any longer. Having already paid her school fees, her father was furious and wanted the boyfriend to pay for having messedup her education.

However, Mbeyu was one of the lucky ones. Her mother agreed to look after the baby as she returned to a different school to complete her education.

Many girls do not get such support and in Kilifi County less than 20 percent of girls who finish primary school go on to secondary school.

Their health and well-being is hit hard by early pregnancies, unsafe abortions, early marriages

and gender based violence.

While employment opportunities are thin on the ground for everyone, they are even rarer for girls. Many end up as low paid domestic workers, sex workers, hawkers or casual workers with no security and no rights. Others marry young men in similarly insecure work and begin the job of child bearing.

When Mbeyu left school, a neighbour encouraged her to join Moving the Goalposts where she was trained as a referee and a peer counsellor. This gave her the chance to become a leader, provide mentorship for younger girls and to think about what she wanted out of life.

She decided to take her refereeing more seriously and that meant she would have to officiate men’s football too.

“In some matches I have been harassed,” she says. “They tell me ‘You are a woman and you are pretending to know the rules better than us’.”

“But I told myself, ‘Lilian, you know the rules of football are the same for men and women and if you want to be the best referee you have to keep going’. One time a player came to me after a match and said, ‘Eh, sister, you have done a better job today than the male referees’. And that gave me courage to keep going.”

Today Mbeyu is a full time employee of Moving the Goalposts and was elected to be the vice-treasurer in the Football Kenya Federation, Kilifi sub-branch elections last year.

“I went for that role because I wanted a woman to be in the Football Kenya Federation, beyond the women’s football representative, who would push for more equality in the game,” she says.

League Mbeyu adds: “At a recent meeting they were talking about the men’s league and I said what about the women’s game? And they gave me the role of pushing the agenda for provincial and national leagues that will include women’s teams from our area.”

Mbeyu is just back from the Aspire Academy in Qatar where she met with youth leaders from across the world, learning about how to engage young people with disabilities into sports programmes. This, it seems, is the next challenge she wants to take on, alongside furthering her education.

“There’s no-one working with children with disabilities around here so I want to finish my

Lilian Mbeyu has made a mark in football having officiated over 500 football matches in the last five years since joining Moving the Goalposts.

Below; young women in action at a football match.

Photo: Sarah Forde

Diploma in Community Health and enrol for a degree so that, one day, I can start my own organisation to help young people with disabilities,” notes Mbeyu. “They are discriminated against in our community and I want people to

know they have rights just like the rest of us that should be respected,” she adds.

“Judging by what Mbeyu has achieved so far it is quite likely that she will put her dreams into practice.

Young people must be protected from unsafe abortion

By Jane Godia

T

oday marks a day that women take to reflect on the road towards empowerment and freedom from violence and discrimination among other pertinent issues that affect them — the International Women’s Day. As we mark this day under the theme Inspiring Girls, Connecting Futures, it cannot escape our minds that despite the steps taken towards women’s rights, health rights remains a major challenge.

Culture Women remain victims of culture and traditions when it comes to their reproductive and sexual health rights. They cannot fully make decisions that touch on these.

This is why as Kenya buries 8,000 women every year who have

died from consequences of pregnancy related complications, unsafe abortion remains a leading cause of these deaths. Among these are a huge number of young girls who have either suffered sexual violence, lacked access to family planning or did not have the right sexuality information that would enable them make a right decision over the kind of sex to have.

Unwanted, untimed and unplanned pregnancies remain a huge challenge. Laws that do not allow women to decide whether to keep a pregnancy or not remain a stumbling block to reducing these deaths.

Lack of sexuality education in our schools curriculum remain a challenge to girls and boys ability to make informed decisions over when to have their sexual debut as well as when to make a decision on safe and protected sex.

While unsafe abortion is usually an incident that takes place with

knowledge of the girl and the man who impregnated her, the woman remains a victim suffering its consequences alone.

Lack of accessible youth friendly reproductive health services remains a deterrent to many girls who fall pregnant and do not have somewhere to turn to.

In this case, many girls are dying from unsafe abortion and a time when they have not even gone a quarter of their expected life span.

According to Dr Jean Kaggia, a leading gynaecologist in Nairobi: “The womb ought to bring tears of joy, and not tears of sadness.” However, for the women who are victims of unplanned and untimed pregnancy, the womb remains an enemy and the source of great misery.

Addressing the Kenya Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Scientific Conference in Nairobi, Dr John Ny-

amu of Reproductive Health Services, says actions and strategies must be put in place to eliminate unsafe abortion.

“Family planning, post-abortion, legal abortion care and policy are factors that must be put in place as unsafe abortion strategies,” observes Nyamu.

While the laws of Kenya do not allow for termination of a pregnancy unless the mother’s life is in danger, these same laws do not protect women even when their lives are in danger.

Dr Guyo Jaldessa, of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) and secretary of the Kenya Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society (KOGs), says that FIGO has set an initiative for prevention of unsafe abortion with 43 countries all over the world where abortion is high and unsafe. The goal of the initiative is to reduce maternal mortality occasioned by unsafe abortion.

According to Jaldessa, the world of gynaecologists would like to see a circumstance where women with incomplete abortion are not discriminated against.

“Discrimination against with incomplete abortion is high and they die because it takes long before they can get care.”

Complication FIGO claims that: “A woman we treat for pos-abortion complication is there because she could not get contraceptives, we have failed her: If she leaves without family planning, we have failed her twice.”

Unplanned and untimed, pregnancy, are events that will normally culminate in abortion. These remain a social problem whose root cause must be addressed through social solutions that are acceptable to the relevant populations.

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Special Edition for

International Women’s Day

Trail blazer who has the African continent at her feet

I

By Jane Godia

nspiration is defined as the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

And this what one gets from the story of Dr Christine Martey-Ochola, co-founder and President of Sub-Saharan Africa Chamber of Commerce.

Last month Ochola was recognised and awarded by the White House for her achievements as a leader, a change maker, an innovator and a trailblazer in the Diaspora Community and for addressing global challenges and building stronger communities through the champions for Change Programme. She was recognised for her enormous intellectual acumen and integrity in service to citizens from all walks of life.

In the speech, Denis McDonough, Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama said: We congratulate Martey-Ochola and thank her for outstanding service in the sphere of economic development and International trade promotion facing Africa.”

As we mark the International Women’s Day, this recognition should be an inspiration to many girls and women who feel that they cannot make simply for the fact that they are women.

Ochola and two other Kenyan women — Irene Mumbi Ndungwa and Esther Ndegwa — are co founders of the Sub-Saharan Chamber of Commerce that was started in 2007.

Service Ochola serves as the President of the organisation where she is charged with the responsibility of coordinating key governmental leaders meetings with ambassadors, presidents, mayors and other private sector leaders.

Many women fear engaging in fields that are often regarded as male territory such as the chamber of Commerce.

For Ochola and her colleagues, they saw a gap that they took advantage of to cut a niche for themselves.

According to Ochola, as an organisation they have spent a lot of time working with the US and African governments on business needs assessment, connecting small businesses in sub-Saharan Africa on best practices.

“We have looked at how one can go about establishing partnerships with US firms as most American businesses fear of partnering with African organisations for fear of corruption,” says Ochola, adding that they have been working towards changing this perception.

“We have gone on creating an understanding that Africa is not a bad place. It could be out of these conversations that maybe the White House felt they needed to recognise what we have been doing,” says Ochola.

She notes that the US government has been pushing for more companies to recognise Africa as a business destination.

She notes: “Under my leadership, the

11

Chamber has been able to run multiple trade missions into Kenya and South Africa for US and East African companies seeking trade/or investment in Kenya and South Africa.”

Ochola remembers how the first time they came up with the concept they were being dismissed just as any other women’s group. They were regarded as a group of women who just sit over a cup of tea and mandazi but which have also revolutionised the table banking industry.

“The first time when we came up with the concept and approached the Kenyan Embassy in Washington DC, we were regarded as a women’s organisation,” recalls Ochola. This did not deter them and they went on to be the award winning organisation that is recognised by the government of the United States of America.

Perception She observes: “There is this perception that when an organisation is headed by women it is a women’s organisation.

While the Chamber does not look at women’s issues per se, Ochola says they have been looking at how to address the needs of women at home and in the US. “It has been important to address the needs of women run businesses at home and in the US. We want to ensure that women in the firms have their voices heard,” explains Ochola. She adds: “We work with women in negotiating leadership. As a Chamber, we as individual I tend to gyrate more to women but as a Chamber we care more about creating programmes for women in leadership.”

The Sub-Saharan Africa Chamber of Commerce works with both men and women and when negotiating, Ochola says, they bring to the table men and women who are gender

There are girls who get As and do not feel empowered to get to university and just want to be like their mothers. As mothers, we need to portray a different image so that our young girls understand that there is more to life than marriage and children.”

— Dr Christine, Martey-Ochola, President Sub-Saharan Africa Chamber of Commerce

Dr Christine Martey-Ochola who was recognised and awarded by the White House for her achievements as a leader, a change maker, an innovator and a trailblazer in the Diaspora Community.

— Photo: Courtesy

sensitive.

The Chamber also works with men who understand how to work with women, especially younger women so that women can be sensitive and proactive in ensuring equity in their conversation.

The Chamber is sensitive towards women entering business. They mentor women particularly those who are interested in understanding bilateral relations.

“We currently have three interns who want to learn about how to play in the global bilateral field,” explains Ochola.

In a roundabout way, she says, they empower women in the Chamber and those they work with, reaching to organisations.

According to Ochola, working with women is very empowering as long as there is synergy.

“There is a glitch among women business people as they tend to have a sense of not being sure from the business point of view,” she says.

She notes that most people look at business as masculine. “Women tend to block a jump if it means getting out of their comfort zone to allow for the business to grow,” observes Ochola.

“Women tend to be possessive over their business and hardly allow them to grow. We have to work with women businesses to encourage them to give themselves room to grow bigger.

Giving the example of mama mboga, Ochola says, this woman will sell her one sack of vegetables in the morning and when done she will go home by 10 am. Why can’t she add an additional three to four sacks and sell until 3pm to grow her business?

Ochola says women need to think big and grow beyond putting food on the table. “They

must let their guard down and ask for resources needed to grow.”

According to Ochola, it is a bit of a frustration when women do not think.

“Women owned business tend to have a holistic environment impact where if one has a visionary woman at the helm venture can grow,” she observes, speaking from the experience of what she has seen in Kenya, South Africa and Democratic Republic of Congo.

In the US majority of small businesses are owned by women but majority of small to medium sized business are owned by men.

Disempowered Ochola has also worked on programmes that empower and mentor young women into leadership. I have been working with women in high schools who feel disempowered. “There are girls who get As and do not feel empowered to get to university and just want to be like their mothers,” notes Ochola. “As mothers, we need to portray a different image so that our young girls understand that there is more to life than marriage and children.”

According to Ochola both young men and women have to trust their capability and be prepared to be empowered in the area where they have incapability.

“If they want to achieve whatever it takes to, they have to be prepared as it just will not happen irrelevant of the socio-economic status.”

And if young women and girls in Kenya need a role model, they need look no further than Dr Christine Martey-Ochola, Irene Mumbi Ndungwa and Esther Ndegwa. These are women who believed in themselves and have brought themselves to a point where the world now believes in them.

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Special Edition for

International Women’s Day

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Adult learning gives women a second chance

O

By Ruth Omukhango

n visiting Kibera Primary School at 4.00 pm, one is caught up with the magnitude of noise of jubilations from children as they carry their bags back home to rest after a long day of hard work.

As they look forward to a new day, they are oblivious of the fact that their departure from school is a blessing in disguise for the young and enthusiastic women who are attending adult learning programme with evening classes beginning in late afternoon.

For them, this is an opportunity that adult learners guard zealously as a second chance to better their lives.

In one of the classrooms, supposedly class seven, there are 15 women seated in a circle struggling to understand a mathematics assignment that they were given the previous day before the arrival of their teacher.

Regardless of timing and the daily chores, many of them, strive to observe punctuality and look forward to two hours of learning as the class ends at 6.00 pm.

Learning For 20-year-old Awino, a hairdresser at Makina Market in Kibera, attending evening classes is more than a sacrifice but for a worthy cause. She is grateful that the adult learning programme has provided her with an opportunity to be in school and hopes that she will achieve her dream of becoming a nurse.

For her to make it to school, Awino has been forced to turn down jobs offered to her during late afternoons that would interfere with her evening classes.

Awino lives with her mother in Kisumu Ndogo, one of the villages in Kibera slums.

Being the only child of a single mother, a domestic worker in the Upper Hill area, Awino was born when her mother was only 15 years old. This explains why she has had to contend with various challenges that accompany teenage mothers which include access to quality and consistent education.

Having completed her Standard Eight in 2005 and sat for Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations, she attained 230 out of 500 marks, but this marked the end of her education.

She did not get an opportunity to proceed to secondary school due to lack of fees and has never stopped envying her friends and classmates who joined various second- It is never too late. These are some of the ary schools and have now completed their women who have gone back to school to Kenya Certificate of Secondary School Edu- get more education in various parts of the cation (KCSE) and proceeded to college. country. They spare a few hours in between “My desire to continue with education their daily busy schedules and family to achieve my career was cut short as my demands to fulfill longstanding dreams. mother could not afford to pay my fees and — Photo: Strength of a Woman Correspondent instead she enrolled me for a hairdressing course in a local saloon at Makina Market where I was attached for six months,” excontinue to live in this vicious cycle of poverty,” plains Awino. she observes.

Like many other women, Awino is a Skills beneficiary of the Kibera Women’s Network Having gained skills in hairdressing, Awino now works in one of the saloons within (KWN), an umbrella community based organMakina market where she is paid on commis- isation that covers 100 women groups and 15 sion basis — an arrangement she considers youth groups in Kibera.

Kibera Women’s Network was established to be very tricky especially during the week when business is very low and sometimes she in 2007 for the purpose of economically emcan go back home without having made any powering women and youth through an integrated literacy and alternative learning initiamoney in the day.

“I am confident that this learning will open tive. Some of the literacy programmes offered up new opportunities for me to achieve dreams include basic literacy, post literacy and nonbecause I realise that without education, I will

continued on page 13

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Adult learning gives women a second chance continued from page 12

formal education.

In order to operationalise their literacy programme which began in January this year, Kibera Women’s Network has entered into a partnership with the Nairobi City Council who has allowed them access to Kibera Primary School and provided one teacher who is paid by the council.

Five other teachers are paid by the programme which is donor funded, who also provide the reading and writing materials.

However, this will soon be a challenge as there will barely be enough considering the number of members interested in joining the programme.

Currently the students do not pay fees since this programme is a pilot project for the organisation. Through an agreement with the school management, they have also been able to use the facilities free of charge on condition that they assist the school by conducting several repairs.

According the Asia Suleiman, a programme officer at Kibera Women’s Network, the need to establish a literacy project was identified by the community members themselves.

A needs assessment conducted by the organisation revealed that most of dropout within Kibera was between classes seven and eight of which most were women.

As a result, many have been subjected to petty business in order to earn a living.

Currently, the programme has registered 25 students in both classes seven and eight and 60 students in secondary school level. Their classes range from Standard Seven to Form Two according to the needs of the students.

Opportunity Before enrolment, each student is scrutinised and placed in a relevant class according to their ability. For those is secondary school, they have to ensure that they produce KCPE certificates before admission.

“Many of our members only realise the importance of having completed their basic education level when an opportunity arises.

A case in point is when a person is given job offer but has not been able to get it because they lack minimum qualification,” Suleiman notes.

Worse still, they are not able to access employment opportunities provided despite their experiences and skills and hence the need to enrol for the programme.

Notwithstanding the challenges in the recent economic times, many have realised that education is the only option to achieving a better life especially for women. Adult learning provides this opportunity for them to improve their lives as well as enable them to play their parental role which includes taking care of their children.

According to Suleiman, the awakening

I am determined to be in school because I have realized that I don’t know many things which include helping my children with their homework.”

— Caroline Miruka, adult learner and mother of two

Special Edition for

International Women’s Day

13

has also been brought about by the new dispensation where women have realised that in order to harness the opportunities and rights offered in the new Constitution, they need to acquire a required level of education that will enable them to acquire space that will change their lives for the better and many of them are willing to go back to school.

Determination For 26-year-old Caroline Miruka, a mother of two aged eight and five years, her determination is to change her life from just washing clothes for people to earn a living to becoming a professional woman. Better still, her greatest challenge has been instigated by her children who question her ability to help them with their homework.

She has many times been forced to wait for her husband to help the children, a great embarrassment she does not want to encounter again.

For her to make it to school, Miruka who lives in Kisumu Ndogo within the sprawling slum has managed to make a local arrangement with a neighbour who takes care of her children by preparing for them some tea and ensuring their safety until she returns in the evening. She confides that she sometimes meets her children on their way home.

“I am determined to be in school because I have realized that I don’t know many things which include helping my children with their homework,” she said.

Miruka said that she has to stay until late in the night to complete her assignment after completing all her household chores.

A study conducted by UNESCO in the State and Development of adult learning in Sub-Saharan Africa, has been cited to have foundl correlations with low productivity, low incomes and poorer health as it hampers national development efforts.

Kenya being a signatory to the Education for All Framework for action adopted at the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal in the year 2000. Despite the enormous growth in free universal primary education, drop-out rates from primary schooling remain high. The number of people needing adult basic education still grows and few resources are left over from primary education for children. The report noted that adult education sub-sector of state education systems remains relatively marginal and under-funded, in spite of the good economic progress in many countries since the mid-1990s.

Vision Indeed, Kenya’s Vision 2030 which envisages increased adult literacy rate from 61.5 percent to 80 percent by the year 2012 thus implying that the necessary funding shall be available from the public, private and corporate sectors as well as from bilateral and multilateral development partners.

However, according to a 2006 survey conducted by UNESCO although the government has been the main provider of facilities for adult education programmes, accounting for 41 per cent followed, by faith-based organisations (FBOs), at 31.3 per cent, there were challenges that include insufficient resources such as classrooms as well as teaching and learning materials.

Among the strategies recommended was for adult literacy programmes to benefit from alternative funding sources such as the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and Local Authority Transfer Fund (LATIF).

This indeed would support some of the noble initiative such as those provided by KWN and therefore curb the challenges of retention by establishing proper learning programme where students can be accountable.

When Lorna Simel, 35, decided to go back to school she was taunted by some of her children who could not understand where she could have possibly picked such a seemingly ridiculous idea but that did not deter her. — Photo Macharia Mwangi.

Child bride seeks education after 20 years in marriage

By MACHARIA MWANGI

W

hen she first decided to pursue formal education at an advanced age, 35-year-old Lorna Simel was taunted by some of her children.

They could not fathom how their mother arrived at such a decision. However, the mother of six remained unperturbed.

The older children equated her move to a sick joke coming from the predominantly conservative Maasai community where education for the girl-child is relegated to the backburner.

However, nothing could derail Simel’s burning ambition to enrol in school, not even from her siblings or own children. “I really wanted to join school in my formative years,” she said during the interview with Strength of a Woman.

Just like is the norm in her community, Simel was married off at 14. She was barely out of her teens and was wedded to a man 10 years her senior only at a time when a well wisher from her locality had offered to educate her.

It was a devastating moment for the adolescent girl. Nobody dared raise a finger against the decision. Simel’s innocence was traded off for a paltry KSh3,000 and her fate sealed in the most brief ceremony ever witnessed at the homestead.

Seeing her brother and sisters excel in the academic arena kept ringing in her young mind with incessantly. She was bereft of peace.

“I could not understand why my parents decided to marry me off at such an early age while others in the family were left to pursue education up to the highest level,” she complained.

After several years of soul searching, a rare opportunity presented itself. “I was invited to give a speech at a ceremony attended by the Naivasha District Commissioner, Hellen Kiilu on the challenges young mothers in the Maasai community face especially on the educational front,” Simel narrated.

Her mastery of the Kiswahili language despite academic limitation and her own experience drove the administrator to tears. “She offered to educate me and made arrangements for me to join formal schooling,” she says.

The year was 2010. After finishing up with the logistics, Simel joined adult education programme at her native Namcha area in the outskirts of Naivasha town and her star has been shining since them.

Despite enrolling late in school, she has remained unbeatable and is now in Standard Four since she joined school only a year ago.

“I have been excelling in all my class work, leaving teachers with no choice but to move me to the next class,” she says.

The affable mother has been studying hard to ensure she makes up for the lost time and has been burning the midnight oil to ensure her dreams of becoming a lawyer remain alive.

At par with some of her children, they have been comparing notes and exchanging tips. “We conduct studies together and assist each other tackle our homework,” says Simel.

She says her first born daughter who completed high school at Mai Mahiu Secondary School within the same locality has been her source of inspiration since she decided to enrol for schooling.

“She has been very helpful and my teachers are also very supportive,” notes Simel.

Her husband of more than 20 years, jolted to the core by the turn-around in the family also decided to sign up for schooling eager not to miss the boat. He is now also a Standard Four pupil at Namcha Primary School, attending the same lessons with his children.

The wind of change sweeping in the family was too strong to resist, with the middle aged man fearing becoming the dark horse in the ambitions nuclear unit. The bold resolution by Simel is working miracles for the family that is clearly moving away from the traditional bondage that continues to shackle many of her ilk.

“We can now discuss matters affecting the family in a sober manner. In fact, the issue of family planning was never to be raised by a woman but I can freely bring up the subject without attracting the wrath of my husband,” she says of the positive attributes.

Hygiene in the family has been taken a notch higher and diseases that strike are no-longer regarded as a curse. Intervention measures and preventive procedures are adhered to.

Archaic traditional practices that continue to yoke most members of her community like Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) are not part of the family vocabulary.

Simel’s drive to study law emanated from the retrogressive practices like FGM and early marriages to be able to tackle the issues head on.

As the world marks the International Women’s Day under the theme Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures, she remains an inspiration to many girls who had a dark cloud cast over their head through (FGM) and forced early marriage.

“It pains me to the core to see some of my age mates continuing with the repugnant cultural values that add little value to their life,” observes Simel.

Older men conducting land transactions in the drinking dens will not be spared her fury once Simel dons the wig.

She is viewed as a “goodwill ambassador” in the education sector and has been traversing the vast constituency encouraging women, especially from her Maasai community, to embrace modernity.

The District Commissioner is full of praise for the young mother and promises to educate her to university.

“I will keep my promise to educate you up to the university level,” Kiilu told Simel during the occasion to mark World Literacy Day. Naivasha Adult Education Officer, Virginia Kuria, while conferring certificates to the middle aged mother heaped praise to Simel, saying she was out to revolutionalise education among the Maasai.

“She has done us proud,” noted Kuria.

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Special Edition for

International Women’s Day

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Making the shilling count for girls

By Joyce Chimbi

F

or those who can afford a sanitary pad, life goes on uninterrupted, but not for thousands of girls in various parts of the country who do not attend school for at least a week every month due to lack of sanitary pads and to, therefore, avoid the consequent embarrassment of soiling their uniform.

“Without sanitary pads life in school is difficult. We are subjected to very embarrassing and humiliating incidences especially from the boys. Tying a pullover around your waist to hide the soiled patch behind our uniform in case the tissue leaks is a dead giveaway.

We chose to stay at home,” explains Dorothy Akinyi, 13, a Standard Seven pupil in Kibera, the largest slum in subSaharan Africa.

Allocation Akinyi’s story is similar to that of many girls whose attendance and performance in school is affected by simple and natural biological process.

However, this is bound to change since the ministry of finance has already allocated KSh300 million within the current budget to make free sanitary pads available to school going girls.

“This is gender responsive budgeting at work. Being sensitive to the distinctive needs of men and women while allocating and spending public funds,” explains Jacinta Nyachae, Executive Director of Kenya Aids Law Project and human rights advocate.

Increasing the enrolment of girls and boys in school which the Government has attempted to achieve through the Free and Compulsory Primary Education is only one part of attaining Millennium Development Goal two of achieving Universal Primary education. Narrowing the gap between boys and girls in school is another.

With the free sanitary pads, this objective can be achieved. Since not only will girls enrol in schools but they will also attend school uninterrupted.

Significance This is a significant aspect of budgeting with the distinctive needs of both boys and girls in mind to ensure that financial allocations meet the needs of all. It is also in keeping with this year’s theme for the International Women’s Day, ‘Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures’. These are some of the practical ways in which the national budget can make sense to the lives of thousands of girls who need sanitary towels to stay in school.

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. It is a day that has come to receive significant attention and many countries spend this day looking back at how far women have come. Special attention is given to the millions of women in developing countries who continue to face insurmountable odds just to make ends meet.

Obstacles For millions of girls in Africa alone, going to school remains a toll order as is remaining in school.

In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam, Bulgaria and neighbouring Uganda, International Women’s Day is a national holiday.

It is against this background that it becomes important to take stock of the various efforts and initiatives that have been established to give women and girls a fighting chance.

“The establishment of the Women Enterprise Fund to enable women access micro-finance has seen women in the informal sector become economically empowered,” explains Dr Wilfred Subbo, a lecturer in Gender and Development at the University of Nairobi.

He observes: “This is important because poverty is gendered. Men and women experience poverty in very different ways. Research has shown that there are more women living in poverty than men because more women are illiterate and this limits their chances at exploiting employment opportunities that can afford them decent living.”

Commitment The national budget is an opportunity for the Government to show its commitment in raising and spending resources.

“Gender budgeting response doesn’t mean that Treasury develops two budgets — one for women and the other for men. It means that the Government shows an awareness of the fact that some problems are peculiar to men and others to women,” expounds Nyachae.

“Women face serious reproductive health problems that can incapacitate them. The budget should reflect these challenges as it did by allocating some funds to deal with these challenge,” reiterates Nyachae. She adds: “Public funds should be spent on uplifting the marginalised and the vulnerable in order to empower all citizens so that they can participate in development as equal stakeholders.”

About KSh64 billion has also been allocated to the health services to deal

Hon Uhuru Kenyatta during the reading of the current national budget that set aside 300 million shillings to provide free sanitary pads to school going children.

— Photo: Strength of a Woman Correspondent

with both curative and preventable diseases. Of significance to note is the KSh903 million set aside specifically for anti-retrovirals (ARVs) to enable Kenyans living with HIV/Aids to enjoy good health. Among these are young girls who were born with the virus or were infected by engaging in unprotected sex from an uninformed position.

According to the Kenya Aids Indicator Survey of 2007, HIV/Aids is still very much a woman story with women accounting for three out of every five people living with the virus.

The situation is graver for younger women with those aged 15 to 24 being four times more likely to be infected with the virus compared to their male counterparts.

The current national budget has allocated about KSh150 million to go into improving of testing and treatment of cervical and breast cancer.

“Cervical cancer continues to be a leading killer disease even though it is

Gender budgeting response doesn’t mean that Treasury develops two budgets — one for women and the other for men. It means that the Government shows an awareness of the fact that some problems are peculiar to men and others to women. Women face serious reproductive health problems that can incapacitate them. The budget should reflect these challenges as it did by allocating some funds to deal with these challenge.”

— Jacinta Nyachae, Executive Director of Kenya Aids Law Project and human rights advocate

the most preventable and treatable form of cancer. Statistics from Kenyatta Hospital show that at least 2,000 new cancer cases are diagnosed every year with a similar number dying from the disease annually,” explained Dr Brigid Monda, a gynaecologist and lecturer at Nairobi University.

Benefits With agriculture taking an all time high allocation of staggering KSH100 billion, it is expected that farmers can now expect to reap more as a result of extensive government subsidies on inputs such as seeds and fertilizers which can be funded from these money.

Agriculture is the bedrock of the country’s economy. According to Kenya’s Vision 2030, five million of the eight million Kenyan households depend directly on agriculture.

This sector is ranked even higher than industry and accounts for at least 24 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

With the feminisation of agriculture, where more women are involved in the sector but mainly as labourers, it is expected that they stand to benefit if this budget pushes for gender sensitive strategies and initiatives in the agricultural sector.

“It is estimated that over 70 percent of labour in the agricultural sector is provided by women. It is, therefore, critical that this industry drives critical reforms that can enable women to benefit from land,” explains James Kihara, a finance consultant in Nairobi.

The KSh109 billion allocations for roads projects has a direct link to the growth of the agricultural industry, when roads are accessible and fuel at reasonable prices, agricultural products can easily be transported from one region to the other at minimal costs.

Planning Gender responsive budgeting is a reflection of gender sensitive planning and practical solutions towards ensuring that gender inequalities in all facets of the society are addressed.

“Integration of all into the mainstream development process is in itself a realisation of the objective to achieve sustainable development. It is also a means to bridge the development gap between men and women,” observes Subbo. He notes: “It can also create transparency and accountability because women have been found to be efficient and effective implementers of public funds and resources.”

March, 2012

Strength of a

Woman

International Women’s Day

Where girls use rocks as option to sanitary pads

By Mercy Nangekhe

G

ender and cultural discrimination has been blamed for being the cause of girls’ poor performance in school.

In many cases girls are forced into Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as well as early marriage.

But when culture and gender discrimination are combined to reinforce certain beliefs on girl’s menses, then the results on their lives can be devastating. This is the case for the majority of girls in Baringo County.

“During our menstrual cycle, culturally we are not allowed to pass in front of men, eat with other people or even associate with them freely,” explains June Yegon from Muchongonyi Constituency.

This is the real situation facing women and girls in Kolowa division of East Pokot District who have demeaned themselves due to the humiliation they are subjected to because they lack sanitary towels. They are forced to abandon their daily chores at the onset of their menstrual cycle because they have no access to sanitary towels or panties.

Lack of empowerment so as to help them understand the working system of their bodies has greatly contributed to their ordeal.

Exposure Kolowa is a division with underdeveloped infrastructure including lack of shopping centres and poor road network. It is also still enslaved with culture that exposes a girl child to FGM hence exposing her to danger.

The residents depend on relief food brought by some non-governmental organisations but not often distributed. Rocks in this place have turned to sanitary towels and it is clearly evident by the red-coloured spots on the rocks.

Yegon explains shyly how they are subjected to stressful times during their menstruation.

“Since we cannot afford the towels we are forced to find where the rocks are and we sit on them as a cover up,” she explains.

Next to Yegon is 14-year-old Mercy Lorien who is faced with the same problem and this has forced her to abscond classes most of the time.

“I find it hard to attend classes regularly while I am on my monthly periods because to get a sanitary towel here is difficult,” says Lorien, a Standard Eight pupil.

She observes that the phenomenon is common among school going girls whose performances in class has been hampered.

“I am not the only one undergoing this but we are many and are worried if we will actually become respectable people in the society if this will continue affecting our studies,” notes Lorien.

At times these girls are forced to wrap themselves with rags so as to get a chance to attend classes a move that exposes them to health risks.

“What can we do yet we are determined to learn but poverty is affecting our bright future,” she observes.

Not only do they miss school but most of them have dropped out of school with the root cause being humiliation when they are caught unawares when their menses begin while they are in school.

“There are continued school dropouts among the girls in the region because they feel ashamed when they receive their periods while at school and the other pupils notice it especially the boys.

It is so embarrassing,” she says.

Baringo County boasts of the natural resources such as lakes Baringo and Bogoria as well as Perkerra Irrigation Scheme yet the proceeds from the resources have not benefitted the residents.

According to human rights activist Amos Ledaa, resources in the County are managed by the County Council of Baringo that does not have such a project to help girls get the sanitary towels.

“According to the new Constitution every-

It is unfair for a girl child in East Pokot to miss classes during her menstruation cycle because she cannot access sanitary towels yet she is equally competing in education with girls in the urban areas who have access to the facilities.

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15

one is entitled to good health and clean environment and the County Council should have esThese rocks are just part of the landscape for many women tablished a programme across the country but for some women in Baringo County they of providing the girls and help maintain dignity during those trying days. Below: The lucky women with the sanitary few carry bulks of free sanitary pads. towels through the prof— Photo: Strength of a Woman Correspondent its from the resources,” the country and affirmative action should be put observes Ledaa.

The move has encouraged polygamy since in place.

“It is not a regional problem but it is emduring their periods women are not allowed to meet with men because they are considered un- barrassing that in this century there are still clean and this paves way for their husbands to people who cannot afford to buy the towels,” notes Nzenge. cohabit with other women of their choice.

Poverty and retrogressive cultural practices “They are free to go with anyone and it sometimes ends up in marriage leading to polygamy,” have been cited as being the forces contributing to this problem. Most of the families are poor Yegon says. hence they cannot afford to buy their daughters Governance the sanitary towels.

When the NARC Government took over in “People are struggling to feed their families the year 2003, it was a sigh of relief for most of and the commodity is viewed as a luxury with no the girls in the country when the government extra money to spend on it,” observes Yegon. promised to introduce free sanitary towels in Yegon describes the high number of women public schools. who are housewives since the move has deprived However, the Government has not honoured them the right to leadership and better lives. its promise and the many women and girls are “How do you expect us to become leaders yet still grappling with lack of sanitary towels espe- we cannot complete our studies and actualise our cially in the remote parts of the country. dreams. Our girls fail in their exams to only stay Under Article 43 (1) (a) of the Constitution at home and get married at an early age. Where every person has the right to the highest attain- are our leaders among the girls?” Yegon asks. able standard of health, which includes the right She says that the community still views the to health care services, including reproductive girl-child as a source of wealth hence they are health care and the hapless girls who cannot ac- married off after they have been circumcised cess the towels are still waiting for the Govern- because they is no hope for them due to lack of ment to ensure that their dignity is uphold. empowerment.

When reading the 2010-2011 Budget state“If it was not for the lack of sanitary towels, ment, Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta said our girls could get empowered through attending the government had set aside KSh300million to school and become better people in the society,” fund the project of providing sanitary towels to Yegon adds. school girls.

It is unfair for a girl child in East Pokot to The programme is yet to be implemented miss classes during her menstruation cycle beand the affected girls hope that one day they will cause she cannot access sanitary towels yet she is be able to concentrate on their studies once it is equally competing in education with girls in the rolled out. urban areas who have access to the facilities.

“The Government should hasten the project Sitting on rocks and dried animal skins is unof providing free sanitary towels because most of hygienic to the girls’ health and is embarrassing the girls are not able to attend classes. We should to the Government which is yearning to actualise ensure that the foundation of girl child is laid well,” the goals envisaged in the Vision 2030. says Philip Nzenge, Uasin Gishu Children’s officer.

As the sun rises and sets, the women and girls He says that skipping of classes among the here hope that one day they will lead a decent life girls due to lack of sanitary towels is rampant in without humiliation but with respect and dignity.

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Special Edition for

International Women’s Day

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Women and girls continue to bear the burden of HIV/Aids

By Joyce Chimbi

O

n the first of December last year, billions of people marked the World Aids Day, held under the auspices of the theme “Getting to Zero”, for zero Aids-related deaths, zero new infections as well as zero stigma and discrimination.

However, perhaps what may be needed is zero tolerance to corruption so that funds required in the fight against HIV/Aids and creating awareness around the virus does not get siphoned away.

Creating awareness is important because often those living with the virus are stigmatised and labelled ‘extremely promiscuous’ for contracting the virus. Years ago, when people died of Aids, they were buried in polythene bags because nobody wanted to touch or be near them.

Stigma The stigma and discrimination was so high as no one would drink from a cup that a person known to be infected with HIV had touched.

Fortunately, over the years, Kenyans have become more aware of HIV/ Aids but that has not significantly reduced the stigma attached to the disease. Neither has it significantly reduced risky sexual behaviour. Some 1.4 million Kenyans are currently infected with the virus.

Of this, women unfortunately continue to carry the burden of the disease. According to the Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS) of 2008/09, HIV prevalence among women was twice as high as that for men at eight percent and 4.3 percent respectively.

The KDHS is the country’s most comprehensive survey on the status of health and livelihood of Kenyans.

The disparity is even greater in

spared; they account for 2.3 million of this figure.

Since years of research do not seem to have brought scientists any closer to discovering a cure for HIV/ Aids, the condition claims at least one million lives every year in the region alone.

If millions of people in Africa infected with HIV are still alive it is because of Scores took to the street to demonstrate the suspension of round 11 of the donor funding that makes it Global Fund whose resources has kept millions alive. possible for them to access — Photo: Strength of a Woman Correspondent life-sustaining drugs.

“There is need for more tating effect that this disease has had on ered misuse of funds in 11 countries, funding to provide treatment,” explains Mary Naliaka, a nurse in a mankind,” notes Ann Kariuki, counsel- totalling 44.2 million dollars. lor at an Jamii Bora, a mobile HIV/Aids clinic in Nairobi.

Even more unfortunate is the fact However, more funding is perhaps voluntary testing clinic in Embakasi, that an estimated 63 percent of misused not what African countries need. Wide- Nairobi. She adds: “In Africa, which funds were identified in four counspread corruption has made it difficult continues to bear the highest burden tries — Djibouti, Mali, Mauritania and for African countries to make any nota- of the disease, risky sexual behaviour Zambia. These countries have very high remains rampant.” ble dent in HIV prevalence.

HIV prevalence rates.

When the Global Fund was esProgrammes that popularise preEvidence vention of HIV/Aids by creating more tablished to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis According to Tiaji Salaam-Blyther, awareness of the condition, establishing (TB), and Malaria in January 2002 as a HIV programmes in health facilities public-private partnership, the aim was a specialist in global health, in line and providing free condoms are all af- to provide financial support for global with its policy of zero corruption, “the responses to HIV/Aids, tuberculosis Global Fund is reported to be seeking fected by diversion of funds. compensation of the funds and has al“People are extremely afraid of and malaria. ready recovered $4.5 million and subHIV but they make choices which don’t Provision mitted evidence in support of criminal reflect an understanding of the devasFor many African countries, this investigations in Mali, Mauritania and was an opportunity to provide treat- Zambia”. ment for ailing people who at that time At least 20 arrests have been made People are extremely afraid of HIV lived for an average of about six years in these countries as the Global Fund but they make choices which don’t with the virus. gets to the bottom of who bears the In poor countries, treatment for 70 responsibility of misusing funds meant reflect an understanding of the percent of HIV patients is financed by for people with HIV, TB and Malaria the Global Fund. devastating effect that this disease for personal gains.

However, evaluation of how the When there is a shortage of has had on mankind. In Africa, which Global Fund is spent in Africa has ARVs, it is the women and girls who revealed gross misappropriation of will be sacrificed. It must be rememcontinues to bear the highest burden grants, denying many people in need of bered that initially when ARVs were of the disease, risky sexual behaviour anti-retroviral drugs an opportunity to not easily available, women and girls live healthy and normal lives. were discriminated against in the disremains rampant.”

As of February 2011, out of 145 tribution. The challenge still hangs — Ann Kariuki, counsellor at an Jamii Bora, a mobile HIV/ poor countries that were recipient of heavily over them if the Global Funds this grant, the Global Fund had uncov- are withdrawn.

Aids voluntary testing clinic in Embakasi, Nairobi

young women aged 15-24 who are four times more likely to become infected with HIV than men of the same age. Kenyan women experience high rates of violent sexual contact, which is thought to contribute to the higher prevalence of HIV. Not only do women carry the burden of care as the HIV/Aids pandemic continues to ravage thousands of lives every year, they also account for the greatest percentage of those living with HIV/Aids.

Although HIV transmission is not limited to sexual encounters, it is responsible for majority of new infections that is driven by risky behaviour.

Preliminary results from the 20082009 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey revealed that of respondents who in the last 12 months had sex with two or more partners, only 32 percent of women and 37 percent of men reported using a condom.

The situation is, however, not limited to Kenya. Other African countries are in it too.

Statistics by United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) shows that an estimated 22.5 million people are living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. Slightly over half of them are women. Children have not been

Lifetime commitment opens ways for the girl

By EKUWAM ADOU

W

hat she saw when growing up, she made a commitment that in her lifetime she will work towards eliminating challenges faced by girls from pastoralist communities.

Today, she has taken the challenge of honouring that commitment.

“When I was growing up, among my community, the girl child was rated second, and was meant to be given away in exchange for brideprice. There was no concerted effort made to take her to school,” recalls Shoba Liban, who has taken to change the perception.

Stereotypes Having herself succeeded in defying repugnant cultural stereotypes, and succeeding in her educational and career aspirations, Liban vowed to do all it takes to eliminate discrimination against the girl child.

She quit a well paying job, not once but twice to concentrate on her passion to rescue the girl child from jaws of inherently repugnant cultural practices that have worked against women emancipation among pastoralist communities.

“Having struggled and endured discrimination in a largely patriarchal community where women are looked down upon, I made a solemn vow to ensure that inequalities in the

society are corrected.”

Liban went ahead and started Pastoralist Women, Education and Health (PWHE) organisation to champion the rights of women and girls in the community.

“The need for formation of the organisation was agitated by high illiteracy level, widespread poverty and unjust social systems that are an impediment to girl-child growth and women development,’’ she said.

In less than six years, her organisation has registered sterling success where girls have been rescued from early marriages and given a second chance to pursue their education.

Out of these 12 girls who are orphans or from destitute families have their school fees paid for. They are assisted with other necessities like uniforms and text books. Six of them have completed their secondary education out of which four are enrolled in colleges. ‘‘We rescued Maimuna from early marriage days after she completed Standard Eight examination. With assistance from Action Aid, this girl has now completed Form Four and is waiting to join college, explains Liban. ‘‘Community members who are educated visit the centre and give motivational lectures to parents who are discouraged from marrying off their daughters at an early age,” she observes.

There are 7,145 boys and 6,728 girls en-

rolled this year in primary schools in Isiolo while at secondary level there are 937 boys and 797girls. According to Liban about 50 per cent of girls from the pastoralist communities drop out of school to get married. ‘‘We have peace monitors in all volatile areas of Isiolo where we get timely reports on attacks like banditry and cattle rustling. We pass the information to the police and the provincial administration for action,’’ said Liban.

Conflict in areas such as Gambela, Kilimani, Shambani, Kambi Garba, Kambi Juu and Eremet with Isiolo Central have affected primary schooling where pupils from different communities take sides with their parents, thereby affecting the learning environment.

Conflict resolution PWHE formed peace clubs in schools, especially in conflict prone areas where pupils, teachers and parents are taught virtues of peace to create a conducive atmosphere for learning. ‘‘Conflict in Isiolo Central has strained relationships even among pupils and teachers.

Through the peace clubs in these schools, students, teachers and parents listen to talks from volunteers on the need to keep conflict out of schools,’’ observes Abdia Mohamed of Isiolo District Peace Committee who is also a member of PWHE. The organisation’s work has been slowed

down by inadequate finance, cultural practices, high poverty levels and conflict among the pastoralists.

Liban, 48, first worked as Advocacy and Gender Assistant with Action-Aid, NorthEast regional office whose headquarters is in Isiolo before she quit volunteering with local organisations working to help the girl-child in the County. ‘‘My job at Action-Aid was too demanding as I travelled all over northern Kenya. I quit after five years and decided to concentrate in helping the girl child and women in Isiolo County,’’ notes Liban.

In 2007, she joined Isiolo Water and Sewerage Company (Iwasco) as Public Relations Officer and was later promoted to Administration Manager. However, she quit the well-paying job to focus fully on helping girls and women from pastoralist communities from December 2010.

Liban is the founder and Programme Coordinator of Pastoralists Women for Health and Education (PWHE) that started as a community based organisation in 2005 and later transformed into an NGO a year later.

Married with four children, Liban wants all the girls from the pastoralist communities to get education.

Liban holds a Diploma in Public Relations and Community Development and has enrolled for a degree at a local university.

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Under the veil of secrecy, fingers used to chop of baby girls’ clitoris

International Women’s Day

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A

Circumcision “The baby’s clitoris is very tender and is easily pinched off by the circumcisers using fingernails,” says a health worker at one of the local hospitals who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The discreet manner in which the ritual is done exposes the survivors to many risks as neither safety nor health precautions are observed.

In most cases the heinous act is carried out under unhygienic conditions that could easily expose the babies to infection among other health hazards.

Health officials and child rights activists in the area interviewed have condemned the practice as irrelevant saying it was not only outdated but harmful and should be discarded.

The age at which the local girls are circumcised has been on a downward trend which could explain why none of them drop out of school to get married like it happens in some communities where the ritual is synonymous with a girl being ripe for marriage.

The girls are cut while still too young even before they attain school-going age which explains why the practice has not affected school attendance.

The Coalition on Violence against Women (COVAW) admitted in a report that the ritual was rampant in the area and was done behind a veil of secrecy to very young girls some of who had no idea as to what was happening to them.

Some of the girls grow up without knowing they were cut considering the tender age at which the operation happens.

Awareness COVAW is among the organisations that have embarked on a spirited public awareness campaigns on violence against women in the area.

The organisation has so far trained 18 paralegals who will shoulder the responsibility of handling cases of women victims of violence.

Girl circumcision at infancy has led to an unfortunate situation whereby some circumcisers resort to crude methods like using fingernails when performing the ritual instead of blades.

This sometimes causes serious bleeding and infections considering the casual and unsanitary manner in which the cutting is being carried out.

A case was mentioned of a baby girl in Mwatate division who almost bled to death after she was subjected to the cut. Medical personnel at Moi Hospital, Voi, where the girl was admitted in critical condition fought so hard to save her life.

Medical workers in the area took issue with some unscrupulous traditional birth attendants (TBAs) for perpetuating the vice. They blamed them for being behind the circumcision of infant girls in collusion with their mothers immediately after helping them to deliver.

However the TBAs who are now being phased out, protested their innocence saying those accusing them of complicity in the vice were wrong and out to tarnish their name.

The chairlady of Ukunga Women’s Group in Mwatate Mary Mbogho dismissed the claims saying only bogus birth attendants could commit such a heinous act on innocent babies.

The group’s secretary who is also a TBA, Sabina Kirigha said her two daughters who are both married were not circumcised and there was no way she could abet the practice.

Sensitisation The two said they had attended a twoweek birth attendants’ course organised by the Ministry of Health during which they were sensitised on among other issues HIV/ Aids, nutrition, breastfeeding and family planning.

A community health nurse at the Wundanyi Health Centre decried circumcision of girls saying it was a retrogressive and dangerous cultural practice that should be done away with.

The nurse said the practice was rampant in the region and that it was surprisingly being abetted by women, hence vindicating those who accuse women of being their own worst enemies.

Speaking in Werugha in Wundanyi division, the health official hit at parents particularly women for being a hindrance towards the eradication of FGM in the area.

Some women, she noted, subjected their babies to the ritual in the mistaken belief that it was a cure to itchiness around the private parts, a problem that could easily be treated with baby powder.

“Some mothers mistakenly believe the cut is an anti-dote for the itchiness and rush the poor babies to circumcisers whenever such a condition manifests itself,” she said.

The health worker noted that such babies could merely be wet with urine hence the itchiness that is best handled by a change of diapers or nappies and not by

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Despite law, girls remain victims of outdated practice

By Benson Mwanga

s the world marked the international day to end Female genital mutilation (FGM) on February 6, the practice is still prevalent in the larger Taita-Taveta District, leading to a high risk of health complications among girls.

It is being done under a veil of secrecy to avert detection and possible prosecution, the ritual is cunningly concealed from the discerning public eye and authorities.

Local residents who still cling to this outdated practice have resorted to conducting it secretly lest they be arrested and become objects of ridicule.

Though it has not led to a drop out problem among school girls, courtesy of the tender age at which it is being carried out, the practice exposes its victims to health risks and remains an issue of great public concern in the area.

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resorting to the cut.

At the same time the nurse said there was great need for everybody to speak openly against the practice if the war against it was to succeed.

“There is more than just telling people about the dangers of FGM. Let them be aware that the practice violates the law and is punishable like any other crime,” she said.

The rite is even compounded further by the emergence of HIV/Aids as its victims risk contracting the deadly disease through the use of unsterilised tools.

Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organization branch chairlady Joyce Mwangoji also condemned FGM as outdated and risky saying the area should be rid of the cruel practice.

She called on women in the area to be in forefront in the fight against girl circumcision.

Mwangoji said apart from health risks the operation also traumatised its victims and adversely affected their sexuality later in life.

“Everybody should oppose it as it is no longer a secret that it kills libido in women thus curtailing their enjoyment of sex which is a God-given right,” she said.

The women’s leader said the practice endangers the life of the girl child and should be confronted aggressively and without compromise.

“There should be a sustained war by the Government and other stakeholders against the retrogressive practice,” she added.

At the same time she challenged parents in the area to accord equal opportunities to their children irrespective of sex.

Mwangoji decried the tendency in the community to discriminate against girls citing instances where they were underfed and malnourished in favour of boys.

Tradition Elsewhere Nominated Councillor Jerusha Mdamu, however, said the practice was waning and that only the die-hard traditionalist were still clinging to it.

“The rite is still rampant in some parts of the district where cultural die-hards still look down upon uncircumcised women,” she noted.

Mdamu said the rite of passage was in the early days meant to tame sexual urges in women so that they could not be promiscuous and unfaithful. She said some local men shun their circumcised women in favour of uncircumcised ones from other communities who are better performers when it comes to the bedroom affairs.

The civic leader noted that the rite has no place in today’s society and should be totally rejected as it was a blatant violation of the right of the girl child.

By BEN OROKO

ven though many women and girls had a reason to celebrate last year when Parliament had passed a Bill and enacted a law prohibiting Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), to many other women in communities where FGM is practised, tears of sadness are still streaming down their faces as they weep in pain.

With the Prohibition of FGM Act 2011, the war against the vice is far from over, especially among the Gusii community of Nyanza Province.

Members of the community still continue subjecting their girls to FGM under the pretext of defending culture, a move that violates the girl-child’s education prospects and reproductive health rights.

Though Parliament has passed the law as a deterrent measure to protect girls and women from being subjected to the outdated practice, a lot needs to be done to change the communities’ conservative thinking about the practice. Girls need to be inspired that they can offer more to society than just marriage and bearing children.

Education experts blame the poor performance among girls from the region on the fact that after the cut, girls drop out of school and seek refuge in early marriage at the expense of schooling.

According to Mary Orwenyo, a retired teacher from Nyamira County, it is regrettable that girls drop out of school midstream to elope. This has affected the progress of girls in education.

Speaking to Strength of a Woman, Orwenyo who is also the District chairperson of Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organisation (MYWO) said it is regrettable that parents have continued subjecting their daughters to FGM under the guise of observing culture, ignorant of the fact that the outlawed practise impacts negatively on the girl’s rights, especially the right to education.

Practice “It is interesting to see local parents clinging to the age-old cultural practice like FGM which has outlived its usefulness in the changing society. I wonder what benefits girls get from FGM, since to my understanding and experience as a teacher and an anti-FGM advocate, the practice continues affecting girls in terms of their education performance,” observes Orwenyo. She adds: “A majority of them feel they are now women after the cut and drop out of school to get married at the expense of their education.”

Orwenyo regrets that though the new Constitution offers women a lot of opportunities, especially in the County governments, women from the Gusii community will not benefit from the opportunities if they do not take girl-child education seriously.

She challenged parents and the community at large to shun negative cultural practices which denied the girl-child her right to education.

However, Nyamira Children’s Officer, Sonia Jumba challenges men to take a leading role in the fight against FGM which has robbed women and girls of their reproductive health rights.

Jumba observes that given the position of men in the society as heads of households, they stand a better chance of influencing the fight against the retrogressive practice which she said contributed to social, health and physical problems to women and girls.

Speaking to Kenya Woman at sensitisation workshop in Kisii, Jumba challenged men from the Gusii community to exercise their protective role and ensure their daughters are not subjected to the outdated cultural practice that denied them future enjoyment of their womanhood.

“As much as FGM was traditionally seen as a rite of passage from childhood to adulthood, times have changed and our communities should be educated on the need of abandoning the outdated cultural practice on grounds of the dangers it exposes women and girls to,” observes Jumba.

With the enactment of the Anti-FGM Act 2011, she warns local communities clinging to the practice that it will be costly for them to pay fines imposed on anybody found subjecting young girls to the cut.

Jumba called on community, church and opinion leaders to partner with the Government and other stakeholders to educate the local communities and the general public on the dangers of subjecting girls to the cut to facilitate successful enforcement of the law.

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Special Edition for

International Women’s Day

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Why I’m running for the presidency of Kenya,

Kingwa Kamencu

I

announced that I was running to be president about five months ago and my candidature elicited varied reactions. It ranged from cynicism, scepticism, wonder, excitement, surprise and encouragement.

This was to be expected, our political scene being as it is. There has been the perception and indeed trend, that to run to be president one has to be of a certain age, usually in their 50s or 60s, of a certain gender, preferably male, and to be descended from the families of the political and moneyed elite. As it is, I am none of those. I am 28, female and from an average family.

We have been independent as a country for 49 years now but the state of our economy and socio-political state leaves a lot to be desired.

Among the things that me decide to run for president is the understanding of the low premium our leadership puts on life. It is telling of our misplaced priorities that as a country we are still barely able to meet basic needs for many, yet our MPs, president and prime minister earn among the highest salaries in the world.

Plight Last year, Kenya was in the throes of a famine, unable to feed its people in a drought which the United Nations declared among the worst the region had seen in 60 years. In addition, people who had been rendered internally displaced in the 2007 post election crisis are still out in the cold, sleeping in threadbare tents amidst inhumane and undignified conditions as the leaders who caused the conditions that had them evicted from their homes go on with business as usual. The state of these displaced Kenyans has been all but forgotten by the government and those in power.

Part of the regular discourse on development in Kenya revolves around the fact that at independence in 1963, Kenya and Malaysia were at par in terms of Gross Domestic Product. Now Malaysia is way ahead, its economy thriving, its people ably employed and taken care of while we in Kenya still lag behind. The biggest criticism people pose about my candidature is my lack of experience compared to the other candidates. However, I feel that perhaps the kind of experience those in leadership have is the kind that we do not need. If the country has little to show its people 49 years after independence in terms of better standards of living and economic opportunities, then it is clear that we need to start doing things differently. Kenya is a country rich in resources and full of strong able-bodied people.

However, the political culture which is steeped in corruption, negative ethnicity and violence as we saw in 2007 does not provide an environment for this potential to be harnessed.

Therefore, we will keep going round in circles complaining about poverty and corruption and lack of development if we do not see a change in leadership and the political culture.

Experience It is true that I do not have as many years of experience in politics and leadership compared to most of the candidates I am running against.

I have been in politics ranging back from the days when I was involved in student politics at the University of Nairobi, to having served as vice-president of the National Youth Parliament, assistant secretary for Youth in Ford Kenya political party and president of the University of Oxford’s Africa Society — about ten years as a whole. But this relative inadequacy does

not hold me back. The way I look at it, there are situations in Kenya that urgently need to be rectified and I do not see the Government giving the priority it should to these issues. Thus rather than complain about all this, I am trying to do something about it by offering myself to lead (which essentially means to serve) and do something about it.

Courage I have refused to despair about Kenya. And even more I have refused to be apathetic about it. I left Kenya in 2009 to go study in Oxford, disillusioned about its future. But I realised that cynicism and despair do not help in any way.

Neither does complaining from the outside and wagging fingers. Mahatma Gandhi said that we must become the change that we want to see and for me this is my way of being part of this change — offering myself as an option for leadership if the country is indeed going to progress.

The way I look at it, my inexperience is not necessarily a bad thing. Because I come to politics with high ideals and have not been steeped in the murk. Also, I come with the belief that leadership is essentially about service and not about serving oneself. My resource base might be small but my vision for Kenya and my belief in how far we can go is great. It is these that I look at rather than what I do not have. Moses in the Bible was giving excuses telling God about his weaknesses, but instead God asked him what he had in his hand. He had only a shepherd’s staff and that changed the course of history of his people.

I suppose none of this would be happening if the political and social situation had not hit me directly. I lost two friends in 2007. One died in the Nakumatt fire of January among 30 other people, all killed despite the fact that

I am committed to Kenya and to being involved in a way that can bring progress. It is said that the only recipe for failure is standing back and not trying. My dream for Kenya is tied to Africa as a whole. I believe that as a country we can only go so far on our own. It is said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. As for me, this is my contribution to taking the collective first step in faith.”

— Kingwa Kamencu, Presidential aspirant

She is young, admirably ambitious and the naysayers have done little to dampen her spirits. Kingwa Kamencu is the youngest presidential aspirant.

— Photo Courtesy

the fire station was a few yards down the street.

Congested traffic meant that the fire engines took too long to get there to put out the fire and when they did arrive they soon ran out of water.

Another friend was killed on State House road, in what a lot of us believe to have been a state assassination. He was part of the Oscar Foundation that was in the middle of compiling proof of extrajudicial killings by the police. A lot of young men disappeared in that crack down and have never been seen again. The police tried to mask this killing by calling it a gang deal gone sour but it is telling that the foreign minister at the time refused assistance from the American FBI to investigate this and the killers have never been brought to book.

Mistakes When the two died we called press conferences and made a lot of noise about it on face book. But after a few weeks, the issues died out, we quickly forgot and got back to business as usual. That is something that happens in Kenya quite a lot; we forget very quickly. And so we go forward not having learned any lessons from our mistakes.

With all this in mind, running a campaign is however not easy. Possibly the biggest challenge is that of resources. But we have been moving on with the help and support of friends, family and well-wishers. We have been lucky to secure a party — the Labour Party of Kenya chaired by veteran politician Professor Julia Ojiambo. The party has complied with the Political Parties Act and I will be their presidential candidate. It is a great honour that she and the party believe in my candidature. I choose to be with the party be-

cause we share similar values and beliefs about what leadership and public service ought to be. Also, the experience of the professor and the party team will very much help where I miss out in experience.

Excitement A lot of young people are excited by my candidature. Among the people that overtly sought me out from the beginning were the student leaders in different universities and colleges. I have also been invited to speak at different colleges and schools and it humbles me when they say I am a person they look up to.

As a young person, I think I bring freshness to the political spectrum; I come with new ideas and ideals that are not often espoused in politics.

As a young woman, I would like to think that the idea I bring in of a new kind of politics of compassion and caring; putting people as the priority is something that I believe in strongly.

It is the kind of discourse that has not been heard in our politics which is otherwise taken for granted as violent, brutal and being only about the seizing of power as an end to itself.

I do not know where it will end up but I am committed to Kenya and to being involved in a way that can bring progress. It is said that the only recipe for failure is standing back and not trying. My dream for Kenya is tied to Africa as a whole. I believe that as a country we can only go so far on our own. We need to move with the rest of the continent if we are to grow and prosper sustainably. It is said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. As for me, this is my contribution to taking the collective first step in faith.

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Special Edition for

International Women’s Day

19

Poverty drives teenagers into prostitution

By Walker Mwandoto

M

wende [not her real name] from Makueni County is only 14 years but told Strength of a Woman she was forced into the illegal profession because her single mother was unable to feed them and take her to school together with her other three siblings.

“Having dropped out of school in Standard Five I have to feed my mother and the other siblings and my options are very limited,” explains Mwende. She adds: “Whatever I earn I send money to my mother. One Saturday evening at Sultan Hamud, I met a truck driver who was coming from Uganda headed for Mombasa. He seduced me and we spent the night at one of the lodgings. In the morning, he told me to go with him to Mombasa and I agreed.

When we reached Mombasa he rented a single room for me at Majengo where I stayed.”

Clad in skimpy outfits, many young girls in Kilifi County wait for these long distance tracks with baited breath.

Prostitution Mwende stayed at Majengo Village with her man for six months before moving to Mtwapa where she was received by an older prostitute from Ukambani known as Kanini who she has been staying with.

Mwende is not alone in this. Since the tourist high season started late last year, Kilifi County has been experiencing an influx of teenage girls in hot spots in Malindi, Kilifi, Watamu and Mtwapa towns.

Their aim is to engage in commercial sex as drought and famine bites in the Coast region and other up-country areas.

Investigations conducted revealed that girls as young as 12 years are seen roaming the streets and along the beaches hunting for tourists particularly at the weekend during the day.

They then shuttle from bar to bar at night looking for men to have sex with them in exchange for money.

In Mtwapa, Kilifi, Watamu and Malindi girls

— Photo: Strength of a Woman Correspondent

hang around the bars from 9.00 pm in the company of older prostitutes who pimp them to men at KSh1, 000 per night for sex which they share equally the following day. The teenage girls are housed by the old prostitutes.

The situation at Mariakani Weighbridge along the Mombasa/Nairobi highway is so sad in that some of the pregnant teenagers continue with the trade as a result of poverty notwithstanding the risk of miscarriage, getting arrested or contracting HIV. Clad in skimpy outfits, the girls who can hardly afford a pair of shoes are seen in bathroom slippers, rubber shoes and sometimes plastic rubber shoes, commonly referred to as ‘sandak’.

The underage girls are increasing in numbers as some flock from the hinterland of Kilifi County, Ukambani and Central Province as the drought situation gets worse. The situation is compounded by the spiralling cost of living.

The towns most notorious with teenage

sex workers are Mazeras, Taru, Macknon Road, Maungu, and Voi along the Mombasa/Nairobi highway where the girls hunt long distance drivers. The other towns are Gongoni, Marereni and Mpeketoni in the North Coast.

After the long hazardous job, these girls retreat to the growing slums in the vicinity where they share single rooms and split the rent so that they can save as much as possible to feed them and send some to their parents or children at home.

Trade According to Rukiya Abubakar, Kenya Red Cross Society Kilifi branch coordinator, girls as young as 12 were roaming local trading centres at night looking for men to have sex with in exchange for money as the famine situation worsened in the drought stricken region.

Abubakar observed that at the Mariakani Weighbridge, girls who have dropped out of

school hang around the bars from 10.00pm to wait for the patrons, majority of whom are long distance drivers waiting for their trucks to be checked on the weight axle load by the officers manning the weighbridge.

“These drivers, because, of the delay by the officers in clearing lorries and trailers stay at the lodges and guest houses with the underage girls having sex with them for between three and four days depending on how soon their vehicles would be cleared,” explains Abubakar. She adds: “These girls are paid as little as KSh500 for the services they have rendered to the drivers.”

She is concerned that the girls clad in skimpy dresses and slippers were increasing in number at the weekends and holidays as the drought situation gets worse and is further complicated by the spiralling cost of living and poverty.

“Some parents allow their daughters to do this trade because they have to fend them and the other siblings,” observes Abubakar.

Young girls forced to sell their bodies in exchange of sanitary towels

G

By Ben Onyango

irls in rural areas have been facing challenges during their monthly periods due to lack of exposure and knowledge on the use of sanitary pads even.

This has seriously contributed to school dropouts, high rates of early pregnancies and early marriages leading them to live in endless poverty.

A group of young girls in Mukuro area in the County of Migori are now urging the government to consider subsidizing sanitary pads and distribute it freely in rural areas instead of concentrating so much on girls leaving in towns.

Engage They added that the girl child in remote areas is denied the use of products such as sanitary towels because their families can’t afford the costs and sometimes it is not available to them in schools which are forcing many girls to engage themselves in relationships with elderly men hence endangering their lives.

Carolyn Atieno a Form two student who dropped out of school after being impregnated by a shopkeeper in Mukuro trading centre who agreed to support her with the pads.

Atieno later on realised her HIV status after giving birth to her first born child, something that has devastated her.

“Am regretting what cheated me to accept the offer from the shopkeeper. My child is now HIV/Aids positive and I have nothing at hand to support myself with. I am appealing to any willing heart to assist me finish my education “said Atieno.

The angry girl said lack of access to sanitary wears is having serious consequences for young poor girls who secretly continue to succumb to cervical cancer due to alternatives they use such as rags, newspapers, dirty mattresses and tissue papers.

The girls said they do hear only on local radio stations that donors and the government have given out thousands of sanitary wears in towns yet a rural poor girl continues suffering.

According to Ms. Helen Waterfield, a missionary from UK who gave over 60 girls free lesson on pads at Saint Peters Abwao primary school, she said Sanitary towels are often out of the reach for many young girls and their families in rural areas given their relatively high prices as this makes them absent themselves from school.

“Inadequate sanitation is a major cause of disease worldwide and improving sanitation is known to have a significant beneficial impact on health both households and across communities “said Waterfield.

She added that rural communities have challenges in dealing with sanitation, majority of them” women and girls” cannot afford sanitary wears to contain the flow during menstruation.

Ms. Helen Waterfield a missionary from UK who gave over 60 girls free lesson on pads at Saint Peters Abwao primary school. She chats with one of the beneficiaries.

— Photo: Ben Onyango

20

Special Edition for

International Women’s Day

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Kiota offers safe haven for girls with unwanted pregnancies

By Faith Muiruri

C

ourage is rightly esteemed as the first of human qualities because it guarantees all others. These are the words of British statesman Winston Churchill, which mirror Dr Jean Kaggia in her relentless campaign against abortion.

“It began in the 1990s, when as a government doctor I watched helplessly as hundreds of young girls flocked the facility due to complications arising from unsafe abortion. Some died while others survived in botched operations,” explains Kaggia. She adds: “One day I dealt with 40 cases and this strongly bothered my conscience as a Christian doctor. I decided that was the last time I had to contend with such cases and vowed to find a lasting solution to protect the girls who were forced into abortion by circumstances beyond their control.”

Speaking during an interview at the annual scientific conference for the Kenya Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society (KOGS), Kaggia was forced to refer to her Bible. Later when she went home, she found herself reading the book of Mark where Mary poured expensive oil on Jesus feet.

“Although people questioned her actions, Jesus told them to leave her alone as she had done her best. I started asking myself, as a Christian doctor, have I done everything possible to make sure people are sensitised on the issue of abortion,” she recounts.

Abortion But one thing was certain, “Abortion had become a subject of contention in the country and many people were pushing for its legalisation, ostensibly to stop the death of innocent girls,” recalls Kaggia. “To drive my campaign, I required a strategy that was culturally and religiously acceptable, affordable, replicable and integrated the community.”

Kaggia started by mobilising doctors who shared in her conviction and together they formed Christian Doctors Fellowship Programme.

“I remembered a story in the Bible in the book of Exodus where the Hebrew children were becoming too many. Pharaoh ordered for the killing of every boy. Infact midwives were directed to kill them at birth. They were to be thrown into River Nile. Moses’ mother obeyed Pharaoh and took the baby to the river but did

not take make baby to be washed away. She built a basket and brought a relative to take care of the child.”

That biblical analogy was to become the adage that inspired the establishment of a rescue centre in Murang’a and they roped in churches into the campaign. “We told the church your girls are being washed by rivers of abortion, suicide and complications and just like Moses mother, you have an obligation to establish a basket for the victims. And to take care of the basket, get people from the family including the church, counsellors and house mothers because they are the only ones who can look after children in their own set up, culture and beliefs.”

Today, Kiambuthia Rescue Kiota (Swahili name for nest) in Mathioya Murang’a County, is a living testimony of the campaign against abortion spearheaded by Kaggi.

She says the rescue centre is fully owned by the community through the church and most parents reconcile with their daughters after they have delivered.

Rejection

Kiambuthia Rescue Kiota (Swahili name for nest) in Mathioya Murang’a County is a living testimony of the campaign against abortion spearheaded by Dr Kaggia.

Inset: A young woman breasfeeding her baby.

She says that under the concept, young pregnant girls are — Photo Courtesy/Strength of a Woman Correspondent brought to the nest (Kiota) which provides a shield from the hostility get killed but if I am jailed I will be alive. This is directed at them by their families and respecthe same thing with abortion. If I tell you do not tive communities. abort because you could actually die during the “The girls are counselled, taught life skills abortion or you could get other complications, and provided with ante natal care and safe dethen I pray for you and go, you will look at me livery. Girls at the home are also engaged in and say if I abort I could get away with it but if beadwork and other income generating activiI am still going to die and I have already been ties such as rabbit and chicken rearing to susrejected, then I have nothing to lose, let me just tain the home. abort,” she explains.

She says that young girls who become pregKaggia says there is nothing like safe or Shelter nant must be equipped with values to reject aborunsafe abortion. She says that the Constitution so that they may become agents of change in The kiota shelters young pregnant girls who tion outlaws abortion. “Abortion is still illegal their respective communities. have been rejected by their families and the socibecause the Constitution (Article 26) clearly According to Kaggia, plans are underway to ety as a whole. stipulates that everybody has right to life and establish similar rescue centres in Kwale, NaivaCurrently the shelter is a safe haven for 18 life starts at conception. It is therefore foolharsha and Moi’s Bridge. girls drawn from as far as Democratic Republic dy for you to say that you have killed that baby She says that abortion is a stop gap measure of Congo brought to the home by UNHCR. The safely. If you are going to kill the baby, the perwhich only encourages the malpractice to thrive home serves girls from Meru, Kisii, Kamba, Kison who makes the decision must do it in such in the society. kuyu Luhya and Luo communities. a way that nobody can challenge their actions “If I come to you hungry and dying and I “Most of these girls have been chased out in court,” she cautions. tell you I want to steal food, you tell me do not of their homes because they are pregnant but Rights steal I will pray for you because if you steal you through the programme they are mentored She further cites Article 22 of the Constitucan be killed or jailed. If you pray for me and go, and inspired to be courageous enough to carry tion which outlines that anybody has a right to I will look back and weigh the options and say their pregnancy to full term instead of opting for sue for another who is not able to sue.

I have nothing to lose if I die from hunger or abortion,” explains Kaggia.

“If you make a decision which contravenes Article 43a where everybody is entitled to the best health care services including reproductive We told the church your girls are health care by for instance terminating a pregbeing washed by rivers of abortion, nancy, then somebody else can decide to sue you on behalf of the child. We must be very careful suicide and complications and just like when interpreting the Constitution so that we do Moses mother, you have an obligation have health workers sued because they did not understand the Constitution,” observes Kaggia. to establish a basket for the victims.

She further underscores the need to come up with a policy on how to deal with pregnant And to take care of the basket, get children. “Currently, there is no policy on what people from the family including the to do with a pregnant child. We need to come up with standards and guidelines on how to church, counsellors and house mothers reduce mortality on this child who is already because they are the only ones who can look after pregnant and may be tempted to abort because after being rejected by their families, they still children in their own set up, culture and beliefs.” cannot be absorbed in Children or remand homes due to the gaps in the law.

— Dr Jean Kaggia, gynaecologist

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Setting an agenda for a peaceful Laikipia

C

By HENRY OWINO

ommunities are often divided along tribal and political lines. This has often led to inter-clan fight where women and children have remained the biggest

Special Edition for

International Women’s Day

21

Learning from the Rwanda experience

casualty.

One young woman is set to change all that.

And she believes that she can only effectively effect the changes from the floor of the august House.

Jane Putunoi believes it is only through her leadership that the communities will endeavour to restore peace for meaningful development.

“I would, therefore, involve all organisations including non-state actors in the county development since everyone has a role to play in development,” says Putunoi. “I will emphasise on partnership, resource mobilisation and equitable of resource for meaningful development.”

Putunoi founded the Centre for Maasai Development (CfMD), a community based NGO in Laikipia North. The organisation is currently on a ground breaking stage in building a girls’ vocational and educational centre in Kimanjo area in Laikipia North.

The centre is meant to rescue girls from retrogressive cultural practices like female genital mutilation (FGM), beading and early marriages among pastoralist communities. She is also the founder of Pedro Arrupe Good Neighbours Girls’ Education Programme (PAGNEP) under the Jesuit Community.

Facilitate Currently, the fund is helping to educate 135 girls in different universities and in tertiary colleges.

Laikipia County is the home of ethnically diverse communities, including the Mukogodo, Maasai, Kikuyu and Meru who lives side by side with the Turkana, Samburu and Pokot. Putunoi’s main agenda is to unite all these peoples in Laikipia County approximated to be 399,227 people.

She is promising to empower women in areas of education, access to trade and economies and healthcare while the youth through microfinance and business entrepreneurship programmes and to the larger community through large scale farming and entrepreneurship for tourism business and entrepreneurship.

My main agenda for the Laikipia County is unity, peace and development.”

— Jane Putonoi, Laikipia County

The high unemployment rate among youth, high rate of school dropout among the youth both sexes, high rate of early marriages and malnutrition leading to stunted growth in children are major concerns affecting the people of Laikipia.

“The current Constitution has opened up many opportunities not only in the political arena but on all spheres of leadership that women must rise up to,” observes Putunoi. She adds: “Women face many challenges, access to key factors of production, lack of training and business opportunities just to mention a few.”

The major task ahead of the young aspirant is on how to strategise in a way that she can effectively mobilise between 90-95 percent voter turnout and emerge winner to implement the party objectives to the people.

In the past eight months, Putunoi has been networking, engaging with women and youth mainly through churches and community forums and meeting key administrators in the county as well as church leaders.

By HENRY OWINO

W

henever countries are mentioned in continent, Rwanda is usually among them, not because of its small size and population but due to the genocide that took place and left the country in complete destruction.

Rwanda’s history is today associated with the death of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus who were killed. Millions were displaced with infrastructure and civil service destroyed. The Country’s social fabric was also wiped out, the whole country brought down in a span of 100 days.

Leonie Abela is the chairperson of Gender Commission Rwanda Diaspora in Kenya and says there is much more than genocide that other countries can learn from Rwanda.

Endeavour Abela is calling upon Kenyan women who would like to be in leadership positions to borrow a leaf from Rwanda scenario and make their endeavours a reality.

Speaking at the Bomas of Kenya where over 1,000 women from all over the country gathered for National Women Leadership Platform for Action 2012 Conference, Abela said during the genocide women were targeted not only because of their ethnicity but

Leonie Abela who is the chairperson of Gender Commission Rwanda Diaspora in Kenya, join Kenyan women leaders where she tipped them on how to achieve affirmative action.

— Photo: Henry Owino

also their gender. Majority of leaders before genocide were male dominated and had no voice. They were referred as weaker sex and could not take up the leadership mantle.

According to Abela, Rwandan women have always been part of the struggle for the liberation of their country since time immemorial. The best example is Umugabekazi Nyirauhi V. Kanjogera of Rwanda (18951896) who became Umugabekazi (Queen Mother) following the death of her husband King Kigeri IV Rwabigi.

Twice, she acted as regent for her son Yuhi V wa Musinga thus 1896-1931 when Rwanda was a Belgian colony at the time. Though it was largely a patriarchal society, women’s role in governance was recognised and respected.

“Anthropologist Christopher Taylor says about Agatha Uwiringimana, as a moderate Hutu, her death owed as much to the fact that she was a woman and a particularly articulate and outspoken one, as it did to the fact that she was a prominent member of the democratic opposition,” Abela quoted.

She said during the struggle for the second liberation, women contributed in various forms and their efforts record speaks for itself. For this reason, today there is 56 per cent

Rwandese women wish all Kenyan women vying for various seats countrywide best of luck.

Those who make it at the top, should never ever ignore the electorate at the bottom because they are the actual employers.”

— Leonie Abela

women representation in the Rwandan parliament something that many countries in Africa admire. This makes Rwanda the country with the highest number of women in parliament all over the world.

According to Abela this did not just happen, it was a combination of several factors including historical factors both positive and negative which women had to go through to rise into leadership posts.

According to 2011 estimates, the population of Rwanda stands at 11,370, 425. Out these, 42.9 percent are young people aged from zero to 14 years with the male counting for 2,454,924 and female 2,418,504.

The middle class people are aged between 15-64 years old with a total percentage of 54.7 percent male taking 3,097,956 and female 3,123,910.

Those 65 years and above account for 2.4 of the total population with men being 110,218 and women 164,913.

Participation “Some of the factors contributing to women’s equal participation in leadership is the Country’s new Constitution promulgated in 2003,” observes Abela. She adds: “The Constitution asserts that representation of women is a fundamental principle and commits to a state governed by the rule of law, a pluralistic democratic government, equality of all Rwandans and between women and men reflected by ensuring that women are granted at least 30 percent of posts in decision making organs.”

Abela urged Kenyan women that there is a need for them to be conversant with the contents and provisions of the Constitution as a whole entity.

Citing some of the provisions in Rwanda current constitution, Abela noted that the quota system and innovative electoral systems continued on page 23

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Strength of a

Special Edition for

Woman

International Women’s Day

March, 2012

There is a career in film production

By Waikwa Maina

C

hoosing the right career path is often a challenge that many people face, especially when they are still young and not grounded. However, there are certain careers that have been given a male face, but the few women who have managed to breakthrough, have given it success that knows no bound.

It is all about determination and knowing how to do it right. One such woman has made it in the theatre industry, and she tells of what she did to get it right. Her story is one that will inspire many girls and they may just be connected to the field of producing movies.

Investment “By most accounts, investing in theatre is high on the risk scale but there are opportunities to make a respectable return on your investment, and there are always the perks, observes Eunice Wangechi, Managing Director Kollywood Movies. She adds: “Investing in theatre productions is not for the fainthearted. It’s a feast or famine kind of business.”

According to Wangechi one needs to love the gamble and have fun to be able to survive here. “You must be prepared to learn, invest more, spend a lot on research and then go for the success, never be prepared to lose,” she warns.

Listening to Wangechi, one forms the opinion that domestic wrangles and immoral behaviour are her business and that these issues that form storylines of her productions are what have made her what she is in society today.

But no. Wangechi is a former accountant with Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA), who made a career out of counselling through movies, and her business empire is growing by the day.

“My critics thought that I was crazy to think of investing in such a venture in the rural areas, but then, I knew there was a potential,” she explains.

Target “My target clients were the community in the rural areas, after all, who doesn’t come in a rural area anyway, if we have Nollywood and Hollywood, why not Kollywood?” she poses.

Wangechi’s dream is to make Kollywood a success story just like Nollywood and Hollywood are, and nothing can stop her, not after the miles she has travelled and a backup of about 50 actors.

Wangechi has her own success story about investing in a variety of shows that many seasoned investors passed on.

When she left the KTDA, she decided to make a career out of the counselling, but like with many other professional counsellors, Wangechi was not earning any meaningful gains from this career. This was mainly due to lack of relevant forums and exposure.

Driven by the urge to succeed, she decided to go the extra mile and do the same thing but in a different way, and that’s how Kollywood Kenya Movies was born.

“It really depends on the show, what the demand is, what the interest is from target viewers and relevance of themes to the audience,” she explains.

As she ventured into the now blossoming empire, her vision was to develop her talent and that of young and old people who had never had the opportunity.

Unity Homes in Central Province were breaking and marriage counsellors were making fruitless efforts to save the families, but they were using the traditional counselling methods.

This energised her as she realised that people needed information but in a different way and that’s how she ventured into producing counselling movies.

“I come up with a theme, and then do the play and it has become an effective way to edu-

Some of the productions under Eunice Wangechi belt.

— Photo Waikwa Maina

cate and entertain as I earn a living. More than 50 actors have so far benefitted from the project,” she adds.

Her most popular movies include My Sweet Husband, Not My Will, and a Lived Lie. In 2008, she did a book on counselling Homes Breaking, Try This At Home which sold like hot cake. That book was a big motivation to Wangechi and that is how she realised that there was good business in counselling, that’s how she got into the movie world.

In December 2009, she made her first movie that was a success and due to demand, she had more copies reproduced in January 2010 and then volume two of the same film.

“I lacked a platform of my own though I was confident I had some potential in me. I knew there was so much in me that could be used by people to better their lives,” explains Wangechi.

“I also wanted to nurture both the young and old with acting talents.”

Progress Today, Wangechi has no regrets having left KTDA a company she had served for over ten years as an accountant, she felt her calling was in communicating with people.

Her dream is to transform Kollywood Kenya Movies into an internationally recognised and respected film industry.

Students from local and international universities seek attachment and working opportunities with her firm. Despite the success she has realised so far, Wangechi feels she still has a long way to go. She feels guilty anytime she turns away students or jobseekers.

“Anytime they come calling or send me en-

quiries through my email and I am unable to meet their expectations I feel so bad. It means I have failed potential talent and that’s why I am working extra hard to ensure that Kollywood Kenya becomes a fully-fledged movie industry. I am confident the dream will be achieved in two years time,” she assures.

Difficulties One of her major challenges has been getting serious actors. “It’s like being in a desert, many people do not understand what you do, no one to share ideas with or mentor you, and having to rely on what we know,” she observes.

Her latest movie is a documentary on environmental issues done with the support of Nyeri Water and Sewerage Company (NYEWASCO) as well as Fisheries and Forest departments, Water Resource Management, Association of Chania Water Resource Management, and Tetu Water and Sewerage Company (TEAWASCO).

The success in her movie industry is due to the fact that her films reflect a true picture in most current marriages, the painful and bitter truths.

Others reflect on the current lifestyle for the youth, peer pressure and other relevant issues in the community continue to face.

Kollywood also undertakes and ventures into other diverse issues like politics, private ceremonies and functions such as weddings and family gatherings.

“Our client gives us an account of what

I come up with a theme, and then do the play and it has become an effective way to educate and entertain as I earn a living. More than 50 actors have so far benefitted from the project.”

— Eunice Wangechi, Managing Director Kollywood Movies

they will be doing and what the occasion is all about. We then come up with a relevant theme depending on the nature of the event and develop the theme into a movie,” explains Wangechi.

She advises that the trick of success in this type of business is for those who are looking into dipping their toes into theatre investment for the first time to first find the right people — audience and actors — as well as do a lot of research on the type of movies they would like to make.

Exploitation “Anybody you call is going to want your money and try to persuade you that their show is a sure fire hit, and so you have to do some digging about reputation and integrity and longevity,” notes Wangechi. She adds: “I would advise people with a genuine interest in the subject to pick production in their home city, let them have the courage to take part in the opening night and all of the other perks that go along with being a theatre investor.”

Though her films are yet to appear on the Kenyan television screens, Wangechi is optimistic that that’s where Kollywood is headed and beyond.

“We are at an advanced stage to appear on the screens and when we do, rest assured that it will be in a big way. We already have fans and that’s why it’s important to start from a scratch and build on yourself, earn a name in your village before you start moving outdoors,” advices Wangechi.

Just to prove how prospective her Kollywood Investment is, Wangechi says she is doing no more books, but will concentrate on growing and developing films.

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Maria Kiwanuka:

Special Edition for

International Women’s Day

23

A silver lining in the sky of achievers

By Carol Namagembe

E

ach year, International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 around the world. Countries use this day to recognise women’s achievements regardless of age, ethnic, cultural, economic or political differences.

Since 1911, the day has assumed a global dimension for women globally.

In a statement the UN Women noted: The IWD is the time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.

Women in Uganda are progressively making breakthroughs in fields long considered outside their traditional roles. Uganda has had female Vice President — the first one in the continent, Speaker of Parliament and Cabinet ministers among other executives. The country continues to see an increased number of girls enrolling for education to completion at all levels.

This year, the IWD theme is Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures. We believe there is untapped potential in the young girls. By involving them in the different developments, we ensure that the chain of excellence in the advancement of women’s rights and promotion of gender equality is growing and continuing through generations.

Inspiration The call is for each of us to involve and inspire as many young girls as we can. The Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE) is celebrating the Ugandan woman and is profiling women who have made an impact in the lives of others with a hope of inspiring especially the young women to aspire to achieve more in life.

One such woman is Maria Kiwanuka, Uganda’s Minister for Finance, Planning and Economic Development.

Kiwanuka is one of Uganda’s women with outstanding achievements in the business field.

“She can’t be counted as a villain; Maria Kiwanuka’s enthusiasm for work, crave for accuracy and belief in success has seen her ascend to almost the highest and most influential office in government — Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. Her zeal did not just start a few months ago, it started way back while managing her radio station. It is in Radio One newsroom that one can truly understand the character of Maria Kiwanuka. As aggressive

as one can imagine, she would summon editors and managers to her office to discuss what makes news and how well they can brand Radio One”. —The Observer.

Kiwanuka’s appointment as Uganda’s Minister for Finance, Planning and Economic Development in May 2011 caught many by surprise. Different sections of society including women, business community and politicians all commended her appointment considering her repute in the business sector. Her appointment was unique in that she is not a politician as many who occupy ministerial positions in this country, but rather a technical person bringing her rich experience from the business world into a Ministry that controls the country’s cash inflow and outflow.

Interest She has a keen interest in gender issues particularly the girl-child. Working closely with the government of Buganda, Kiwanuka has been very supportive through the Nnabagereka Foundation in contributing towards proper growth and development to the girl-child, through teaching them morals and life skills in an annual programme dubbed ‘Ekisaakate’.

Kiwanuka has worked well with the Royal Highness the Nnabagereka to support the Makerere University Female Scholarship Foundation.

The initiative which was established at Makerere University in 2001 funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York aimed at supporting girls from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds to access university education, thereby contributing to the increased female enrolment at the university.

So, just who is Maria Kiwanuka?

Maria Kiwanuka is a Ugandan economist, businesswoman. On account of being a Cabinet Minister she is an ex-officio member of the Ugandan Parliament. Prior to her current position, she was the Managing Director of Radio One and Radio Two in which her family owns majority shareholding. She also served as a non-executive board member on the Board of Directors of the Aga Khan Foundation (East Africa), the Nabagereka Development Trust, Nkumba University, Uganda Development Bank and Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited. She has also served as a member to the Presidential Economic Commission and Presidential Investors Roundtable.

Kiwanuka attended Gayaza High School, a prestigious all-girls boarding school. She joined Makerere University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce. She later pursued further education at the London

Maria Kiwanuka who has many titles under her belt. She is a Ugandan economist, businesswoman and on account of being a Cabinet Minister she is an ex-officio member of the Ugandan Parliament.

— Photo: Courtesy

School of Business in the United Kingdom, graduating with a Masters in Business Administration. (MBA).

Kiwanuka was the first woman to run a radio station in Uganda. She started Radio One back in the 1990s when Uganda had only three FM Radios — Radio Sanyu, Capital FM and CBS FM. With the support of her husband Mohan Kiwanuka, they set up Radio One Studios in Kampala. The FM Radio today boasts of 80 percent broadcast coverage nationwide. She is reported to have relentlessly pursued a unique quality and brand for the radio station. When the station started its operation in 1997, it was the only one of its kind. Many FM stations have come on the market but none match its style.

On inception, Radio One was the first FM station to play music off computer, when many played it off CDs. It introduced a talk show ‘Spectrum’ which is one of the highly valued radio talk shows in the country. Radio One is the first FM Radio to incorporate online video into its programming to enable listeners view and follow the Talks show online. The Radio’s

attention to detail has made Radio One and later Akaboozi ku Bbiri (Radio Two) one of the main players in a now crowded market.

Kiwanuka’s success in the radio market draws a lot from her family’s support as well as her extraordinary abilities. It is reported that the mother of two teenage boys is a stickler for high standards and works as hard as it takes to get a job done; taking in long hours at times.

Privileged The Ministry of Finance, is therefore, privileged to have an expert with great experience in economics, business, banking and finance. The fact that she is hands on always plays to advantage. However, the challenge that lies ahead for Kiwanuka as a Finance Minister is to see the economy stabilise.

Women also hope for increased financing on gender issues and support to the Ugandan women and girls will be more than doubled.

The writer works as a Communication officer with Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE)

Learning from the Rwanda experience

continued from page 21

which ensure women make up at least 30 percent of all governmental bodies and the parliament is adhered to the letter.

Lower house requires 30 percent women representation (80 members) and 53 directly elected by a proportional representation (Proportional Representation System), 24 women deputies elected by women from each province and the capital Kigali.

Two elected by National Youth Council and another two by Association of Women Movements, women Parliamentarians, the Ministry of Gen-

der and Family Promotion working in a coordinated effort to ensure the principle of gender equality remains the cornerstone of the constitution.

The establishment of women councils at grassroots level throughout the Country is constituted by a mobilised force that is enlightened on matters of women’s rights and issues. In addition, the women’s movement and civil society undertake awareness creation, unity and reconciliation to form a very strong constituency of women voters.

Changing roles of women, assuming roles of head of household in the af-

termath of the genocide, 70 per cent of the female population were in support and commitment for leadership of the country and promised to walk the talk.

“Increased participation of women in politics is necessary for improved social, economic and political conditions of their families and the entire country,” said Abela quoting President Paul Kagame.

Promotion Security and protection and against gender based violence which promotes self-confidence among women, including the ones in the

Diaspora, is key in nation building.

A conducive leadership environment that puts in place and support mechanisms needed for achieving gender parity at all levels is also another key to development.

Quality and not quantity of women in leadership (performance contract) working on reviewing and passing new legislations such as promotion of the girl child, land ownership and inheritance among many other duties.

According to Abela, challenges will be there as most women are inexperienced as legislators or sena-

tors but not as leaders. “The hurdle lies in one learning to balance public life, duty mandate and family obligations,” she notes.

On the perceived status differences between those seats gained through competition with men and those reserved for women, Abela argues the authorisation is equivalent.

“Rwandese women wish all Kenyan women vying for various seats countrywide best of luck. Those who make it at the top, should ever never ignore the electorate at the bottom because they are the actual employers,” reiterated Abela.

Special Edition for

24

International Women’s Day

Strength of a

Woman

March, 2012

Dilemma of daughters who are HIV positive

By ARTHUR OKWEMBA

W

hen Simon’s wife died four years ago from an HIV related opportunistic infections he struggled to ensure, one person, their now 15-year-old daughter, did not know the cause of death.

Simon and his wife had kept the secret about the virus they passed to their daughter, Natasha, more than 13-years-ago. The sickness and the death the mother brought Natasha close to establishing her HIV status.

So fearful was the couple about Natasha knowing her HIV status that when she fell sick, one of them took her to hospital to ensure they managed the information she heard. To stave-off opportunistic infections, they have kept her on immune boosters and a very good diet. So far, she has not started taking ARVs.

Therapy “Her CD4 count is good as well as the viral load level. My prayer is she does not slip downwards from where she is now,” says Simon who has been on antiretroviral therapy for the past six years.

Having successfully shielded the girl from this truth, Simon is now faced with another dilemma: his daughter has started developing strong interest in boys.

“So far I have managed very well, the biggest problem I am experiencing now is to tell Natasha that she is HIV positive and needs to abstain from or engage in safe sex,” says Simon.

What worries him most is Natasha being sexually active, and maybe having an intimate partner that she has not disclosed to him.

This means if Simon fails to reveal to Natasha about her HIV status, then she is going to unknowingly infect her partners or get infected with possibly another virus of a different strain.

The possibility of this happening is more real, if documented evidence is anything to go by.

The 2008-2009 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey found that 22 percent of the young men

are twice as likely to engage in sexual intercourse before the age 15 than young women.

And by age 18, 47 per cent women and 58 per cent men have had sexual intercourse. Natasha maybe one of those young women engaging in sex before or by the age 18.

More worrying, the report notes, many young Kenyans reported engaging in unprotected sex the first time they had sex. Of those interviewed, only 24 per cent women and 26 per cent men had used a condom when they had their first sexual experience.

Reality It is this reality that is pushing Simon to find appropriate time and place to reveal to his daughter about her HIV status. “I do not want any other person to do it. Let the counsellor come into the picture after I have first talked to her,” says Simon.

His biggest fear is the daughter will hate him for not telling her about this condition if it is disclosed to her by someone else. “She needs to understand why I and the mother took this long to tell her.”

HIV experts warn that if the revelation is not done well, it can be devastating to the young person.

“The first thing they see is that their world has come to an end, and may even commit suicide.

Such disclosure should, therefore, be handled very careful and in gradual calculated manner,” says Surendra Patel, an adjunct Professor at the College of Biological and Physical Sciences, University of Nairobi.

Simon is facing a difficult situation that other parents with children who were born with HIV are going through especially when they hit the adolescent stage. Disclosing to the children, who have for long been kept in the dark about their status, is frightening.

Matters are becoming complicated as these young people become adolescents and start experiencing changes that make them attracted to the opposite sex. They want to fall in love and some start having sex, which maybe unprotected.

According to Patel, who was among the first doctors to handle HIV patients in the early 1980s, some of the most difficult cases he has to deal with are those of HIV positive teenage girls and boys, who have started dating.

Responsibility “They want to live and enjoy life like other teenagers and you have to ensure they do it in a more responsible manner. This is the most difficult part.”

Violet, who works at a government hospital in Nairobi, says she had to pray for strength to be able to disclose to her HIV positive 14-year-old

The first thing they see is that their world has come to an end, and may even commit suicide. Such disclosure should, therefore, be handled very careful and in gradual calculated manner.”

— Surendra Patel, an adjunct Professor at the College of Biological and Physical Sciences, University of Nairobi

daughter about her status.

“It was not easy at all because I was trying to tell her that she has to take extra care than other young people when it came having relationships.”

After several visits to a professional counsellor, they disclosed to her. “We started telling her of my status first and explained how I got infected. On the third visit, we disclosed to her that the virus was passed from me to her.”

Violet recalls how daughter was affected for two days, but got composed later. “Since then, she is very responsible especially with issue to do with relationships. Most of the time we share a lot like sisters, and so far so good,” says Violet, smiling.

She suggests that parents with HIV positive children should be taught on how to disclose to them about their status, especially when they enter the adolescent stage.

But even those young people who know their HIV status are not finding it easier either.

“My friends have female partners and they always wonder why I am not getting intimate.

Little do they know that my HIV status is the cause,” says Frank, 17.

Frank fears that no young woman would want to fall in love with him if he discloses he is HIV positive. “I fear I will be deeply devastated if she rejects me. So I am avoiding falling in love.”

Decision When he decides to fall in love, Frank has resolved that he will do so with someone who is also HIV positive. Like Frank, other HIV positive young people are facing serious challenges especially when it comes to having relationships and starting a family.

However, with advancement in technology issues of raising a family are not of huge concern.

They are assured of delivering an HIV negative baby and raising a family.

Support groups of young people living with HIV have also been formed to help them deal with these problems. In these groups, young people are educated about dangers of risky behaviour and drug use. They are also sensitised on matter of relationship.

Executive Director: Rosemary Okello Editorial Director: Arthur Okwemba Managing Editor: Jane Godia Sub-Editors: Duncan Mboya, Joyce Chimbi, Florence Sipalla and Mercy Mumo Strength of a Woman is a publication of African Woman and Child Feature Service E-mail: info@awcfs.org www.awcfs.org

Contributors: Rachel Kagoiya, Henry Kahara, Henry Owino, Odhiambo Orlale, Sarah Forde, Ruth Omukhango, Macharia Mwangi, Mercy Nangekhe, Ekuwam Adou, Ben Oroko, Benson Mwanga, Kingwa Kamencu, Faith Muiruri, Walker Mwandoto, Ben Onyango, Waikwa Maina, Carol Namagembe.

Design & layout: Noel Lumbama (Noel Creative Media Ltd)

This paper is produced by AWC in partnership with COVAW, YWLI and Caucus for Women’s Leadership and supported by Open Society.