How PIK training workshops turned me into award winning journalist Page 6
RAPADO on the frontline to reducing GBV cases in Migori Page 7
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE BY PEACE INITIATIVE KENYA (PIK) PROJECT
Nandi girls say no to early/ forced marriages and go back to school Page 14
ISSUE 11 | 2015
In the frontline of war against GBV
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
About Peace Initiative Kenya
P
eace Initiative Kenya (PIK) is a three-year USAID funded project working towards the prevention of and response to gender based violence (GBV) in Kenya. The project aims at supporting prevention of Gender Based Violence and improving the current GBV response framework at the national and county levels.
Editorial Team
The PIK project is implemented by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), together with local partners; Rural Women’s Peace Link (RWPL), Sauti Ya Wanawake – Pwani, Health Care Assistance Kenya (HAK) through GBV helpline 1195, Women’s Empowerment Link, African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP), Rapado, Nyabende Support Programmes, Amjutine Children’s Care and Protection Centre and African Woman and Child Feature Service AWC). The project covers nine counties: Taita Taveta, Kwale, Mombasa, Kisumu, Migori, Kisii, Uasin Gishu, Nandi and Trans Nzoia to improve GBV prevention, as well as increase access and utilization of GBV services through community outreach and other awareness raising efforts. At the national level, the PIK project works closely with the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC), Ministry of Devolution and Planning, specifically the Directorate of Gender, Anti-Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Board and other stakeholders to support the Government in creating an enabling environment for coordination of GBV prevention and service provision. IRC Team Jebiwot Sumbeiywo Joyce Muchena Ruth Oywaya Valine Moraa
Project Objectives: • Strengthen county engagement in preventing and responding to GBV • Increase access and utilization of GBV services through community outreach and other awareness raising efforts Contact Information International Rescue Committee Regent Court, along Argwings Kodhek Road Contact the Chief of Party Phone: +254 726082140 Email: PIK@rescue.org Facebook: GBV Service Providers Africa Woman and Child Feature Service Nairobi Baptist Church Court, Green Lane, off Ngong Road Nairobi Phone: +254 20 2720554, +254 722 209510 Email: info@awcfs.org Website: www.awcfs.org Twitter: @AWCFS Facebook: African Woman & Child
AWC Team
SUB EDITOR:
EXECUTIVE Director:
Joyce Chimbi
Arthur Okwemba
CONTRIBUTORS
Managing Editor:
Isaac Ochieng Valine Moraa Odhiambo Orlale Christine Ogutu
Jane Godia Programme Manager:
Page 3
Putting men on the frontline against GBV- Kisumu county Page 5 Trials and triumphs: A widow on the frontline to rebuilding lives of GBV survivors. Nairobi county Page 6 How PIK training workshops turned me into award winning journalist Page 10 A new lease of life for a beneficiary of PIK empowerment project. Nyeri county Page 13 PIK takes on the FGM fight in Kuria. Kuria county Page 15 PIK partnership turning around Amjutine’s work Kisii county
Edward Nyaanga Robert Kituyi DESIGN & printing:
Vieve Omnimedia
Ruth Omukhango
This production is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
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Project Goal: • To improve national and countylevel gender-based violence (GBV) service delivery systems and policy implementation.
Contents
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE
AFRICAN WOMAN AND CHILD FEATURE
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Bodaboda operators working with Nyabende Support Programme in the implementation of the PIK project to end GBV in Kisumu County. PHOTO: courtesy of nyabende
Putting men on the frontline against GBV By Jane Godia
O
ne of the major worries of any organization campaigning against Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) is the tendency of the society to normalize violence against women.
This is the concern in Kisumu County, one of the nine counties where Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK) project is implementing activities designed to accelerate the campaign to reduce gender based violence. Take action According to a PIK report of 2014 dubbed My Action Counts: An Assessment of Gender Based Violence Responses in Kisumu County of Kenya, the number of SGBV cases in the county is overwhelming. Statistics from Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Hospital Gender Based Violence Recovery Centre indicates that defilement remains the common form of SGBV,
with three to four cases being recorded every day. During school holidays, the report notes, defilement cases increase from seven to ten per day as indicated by records from the Kisumu Central Police Station. Other GBV cases include wife battery and violence meted against women in political campaigns. It is against this background that Nyabende Support Programme, a community based organisation that is an implementing partner in the PIK project, started to engage men to push for a reduction in GBV cases. According to Caren Omanga, chairperson of Nyabende, they decided to initiate a programme working with men as champions in the fight against SGBV as well as response and prevention in Kisumu County. Engagement “Male engagement is about involving our men in the fight
against GBV,” says Omanga. “In the male engagement we have men who are champions. A male champion is a man who in one way or more has assisted in creating awareness, rescue, referral and is sensitive to issues of GBV.” Nyabende decided to engage men because they are key allies in ending violence against women. “Men have been identified as the main perpetrators and by involving them, the future and success of the project looks promising,” says Omanga. In the last quarter, Nyabende Support Programme has been able to train 30 men in each of the seven sub-counties of Kisumu County. “Those who have gone through the trainings include boda boda riders, police officers, local administrators, teachers, religious leaders and sugar cane cutters among others,” explains Omanga. She intones: “We have
trained them on how to prevent and respond in case they come across a GBV survivor.” Nyabende Support Programme picked on these particular groups as they were identified as possible perpetrators. “We believe that if we are able to get well trained male champions among these groups then we could score in prevention and awareness creation on issues of GBV,” she reiterates. The key stakeholders in the male engagement initiative are the police officers, local administrators, religious leaders, boda boda riders, sugar cane cutters and teachers. What Nyabende Support Programme is doing is in line with the PIK policy of involving both men and women in the response and prevention to GBV. However, even though Nyabende prides itself of having male champions, the programme has not been without challenges. Obstacles “We are facing a number of barriers while implementing this programme and these include issues like limited financial resources which then limit time for the trainings,” notes Omanga. According to Omanga, there are also high expectations during and after the trainings, which are sometimes difficult to sustain. She notes that another challenge is lack of follow up trainings. Nevertheless, the organization is seeing successes. “From the trainings, we have at least 50 who we can say are male champions.The reformed perpetrators have also become male champions through this programme,” says Omanga. I n TURN TO PAGE 4>> ISSUE 11 3
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
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Nyando, Nyabende has Hezekiah Othacha, Pastor Job Odindo, Pastor Luke and Bishop Kasuku Kalolo who is also the secretary Luo Council of Elders as male champions. “Nyabende is working closely with these champions. Each has more than one success story they have dealt with. They have demonstrated that they can leave their work when they are called to address a defilement or rape case,” says Omanga. Train and follow up “We have also been able to train and follow up on GBV related cases handled by assistant chiefs of Kaloleni and Kisumu West location, Senior chief Evans Okeyo from East Kano Location, Chief Abara of Wawidhi Location and Assistant chief Tom Mboya of Kakmie Sublocation,” says Omanga. She adds: “The chair of the peace committee in Nyakach who is also vice chair of the Court Users Committee in Nyando joins the team of male champions. “In the Kenya Police Service, we have been able to train the Officer Commanding Station in Ahero and Muhoroni in Nyando as well as Pap Onditi in Nyakach and the Deputy District Criminal Investigations Officer Nyando.” Omanga quips: “The children’s and probation officers and the Principal Magistrate Nyando have made access to justice for GBV survivors a reality.”
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Nancy Gitonga (2nd left) Executive Director African Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP) joins beneficiaries of a women’s empowerment pilot project. PHOTO: george ngesa
Women Survivors on the frontline to combatting GBV By Edward Nyaanga
A
frican Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP)-Kenya has embarked on an ambitious programme that is going to transform survivors of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) into goodwill ambassadors.
According to Nancy Gitonga, Chief Executive Officer AWEP Kenya chapter, survivors of SGBV will traverse the country as ambassadors to enlighten other women in all counties undergoing abuse to unite and speak up against the vice. “Personally I envision a society where there will be no abuse to any one, where a person will be evaluated on merit irrespective of their gender.This will be a society where men and women will be treated equally,” she noted. Gitonga was speaking during the training of 30 women survivors of Gender
Based Violence to empower them with life skills in basketry, weaving, printing as well as soap and yoghurt making. The women who were trained were mainly from the city’s Eastland’s estates. As a strategy of ensuring that they continue living their lives to the fullest, AWEP in partnership with the Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK), a project of International Rescue Committee (IRC) supported USAID, identified the women and organized a series of training sessions for them. The women, who at one time were without hope, have been re-energized and literally given wings to fly. They have been taken through training by professionals in various fields to ensure they know how to print T-shirts as well as make baskets from waste polythene bags. The beautiful baskets, which most members use to carry their personal effects and shopping items, are as durable as any other. On graduation, members
of the women’s groups were advised to register as a business entity to enable that engage in profitable commercial work. Besides the baskets, the women have also been taught the procedure and skills of making yoghurt as well as liquid and bar soap. The women now can make different flavours of yoghurt. “Once they graduate the women will receive loans to start small businesses from a bank,” says Gitonga. Gitonga emphasized the need to protect and empower women so that they can put what they have learnt into practice. She urged the society to rise and defend women from all forms of abuse as women are one of the key interventions in enhancing women empowerment and sustainable development. “Time has come for society to treat women with dignity to ensure they participate in all spheres of development,” said Gitonga.
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Trials and triumphs: A widow on the frontline to rebuilding lives of GBV survivors By Christine Ogutu
T
here is no doubt that the death of a spouse affects the immediate family the most, particularly the wife and children, when the man dies. Besides coping with the loss, they must also find ways to deal with the drastic changes in their daily routine and future plans.
One person who has been greatly affected by the death of her spouse is Beatrice Iminza. Since 1990 when her husband died, Iminza has not had an easy life. “My husband died when I was very young. Life became unbearable for me and my four children,” Iminza recalls. “I did not know who to turn to or where to go when all my inlaws turned against me.” “They took all my property and chased me out of my matrimonial home. My children who at that time were too young to understand the situation, found the change difficult.” Strengthened But this violence strengthened her resolve. As every mother’s instinct is to protect her children, Iminza was determined to ensure they did not suffer.This zeal led her to open a salon as a means of earning a livelihood. But income from the salon business was only enough to ensure they had shelter and food. Paying school fees became her biggest challenge. “I began life afresh, my income was so meagre that my children were unable to finish primary education and ascend through
Beatrice Iminza addressing AWEP beneficiaries during their graduation after months of training on entrepreneurship. Photo: valine moraa
to high school and university. “Despite these challenges, my desire was to bring them up to become respectable and law abiding citizens,” Iminza explains. She is happy that despite the challenges, her children turned out well. Through the value of mentorship she bestowed upon her children, they have all grown into productive adults and are now managing their families. From her children, she then moved on to offering mentoring sessions from the salon to young adults who seemed to have lost hope in life after dropping out of school due to lack of fees. Her mentoring sessions provide alternative knowledge platforms to the youth where she instils the importance of hardwork, resilience and determination to ensure they have a bright future. Living in a well knit community where neighbours know each other, Iminza’s inspirational
story and mentorship sessions led a group of six women to approach her and start telling their stories. She could identify with them because she is a Gender Based Violence (GBV) survivor. Support group Based on their experiences as survivors, the women decided to form a GBV support group whose aim was to provide emotional support to fellow women who have gone through similar experiences. This group has now grown and is well known in Makadara area of Nairobi County. It began attracting partners and organizations such as Women’s Empowerment Link (WEL) who later linked them to the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP), both implementing partner organizations of the Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK) project. AWEP mentors survivors of Sexual and Gender Based Violence
(SGBV) in Nairobi informal settlements of Kasarani and Embakasi constituencies with entrepreneurial skills to enable them venture into economic activities to sustain their livelihoods. Beneficiaries Iminza was fortunate to be among 30 women beneficiaries identified by AWEP. They trained for eight months on entrepreneurial and product development skills. Her group nominated her to take part in the training because they view her as a pillar of strength. Having mentored others, she stands out as an enigma of women’s empowerment in the community. The faith which her group bestowed upon her was not in vain. Thanks to the training, Iminza has now expanded her salon and started teaching girls how to bead and weave to enable them become economically empowered and financially independent. “Engaging girls out of school in Makadara in hairdressing and beadwork helps them earn a living and also stay out of crime,” says Iminza. Opportunity Members of her group who did not get the opportunity to attend the AWEP training now have an opportunity to learn from her on the essentials of starting and running small scale businesses. Iminza, who was awarded a State Commendation by the President in 2013 for championing against GBV,remains a pillar of hope and strength in her community. She has shown that there is hope for GBV survivors to rebuild their lives if given an opportunity in realising a brighter future. ISSUE 11 5
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
How PIK training workshops turned me into award winning journalist By Robert Kituyi
W
hen African Woman and Child Feature Service (AWC) invited me to be part of a series of media training worksops on Gender Based Violence (GBV), I did not know what to expect.
I had been trained on GBV before but the link between GBV and peace was a very new area to me. We were made to understand that AWC had partnered with the Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK) Project to help us appreciate this linkage and so our expectations were very high because we were entering unfamiliar territory. My reporting experience before these unique trainings was largely lacking in aspects of how to frame stories that have potential elements of conflict. When the post-election violence in 2007/2008 happened, I was a student. The media had been roundly accused of fueling the violence, and hence when I joined the practice, I was filled with fear, caution and uncertainties on how to take up potentially controversial stories and frame them in a way that advance peace and an inclusive society. Sensitive subjects It is through trainings by AWC and others that helped me to confront my fears and take up controversial and potentially conflict sensitive subjects with ease. In many occasions, particularly in the run-up to the 2013 general election, one particular training by AWC helped me on how to 6 ISSUE 11
Robert Wanjala in a GBV training organized by AWC under the PIK project. photo: george ngesa
frame and package my stories for a peaceful election and society. Similarly, my experience before any training on GBV was wanting in so many fronts. First, it wasn’t easy for me to identify and report such stories. Secondly, wife beating and rape are among few GBV cases that I thought bordered on GBV. Through some of these trainings I am able to understand or identify various forms of GBV. The trainings have also exposed me to various GBV legislations and policies available in the country. I’m now equipped to identify obvious and hidden forms of violence, document, package and disseminate such information with courage and boldness because I have the
necessary skills and knowledge. The icing on the cake was in late 2013 when I won an award for my reporting on peaceful and inclusive society. Thanks to the PIK trainings that empowered me with unique skills to produce an award winning story. Besides winning the award, the skills I acquired during these trainings have helped me deal with several challenges. One of them is the language to use when doing conflict sensitive stories. The second challenge was the ethical dilemma that comes with such sensitive or controversial subjects. Balancing Act Unfortunately it is still a delicate balancing act to observe conflict sensitive principles at the same time
remain objective. Another challenge was how to interview survivors of Gender Based Violence.There is this principle of “intrusion to grief ” which I struggled with. How do you determine that this is the appropriate time to interview survivors of violence such as rape or physical assault? I am better off now when it comes to dealing with challenging issues of GBV. As a result of the trainings, I’m able to overcome some of these issues through looking at the challenge from a point of society unlike before when I approached it from an individual’s perspective. From the tips shared by resource persons at the trainings, I am more observant and analytical to incidences or trends in society. Unlike in the past, I now have documents such us My Action Counts Report and Tusemezane magazines which I often refer to when working on GBV related stories. I also use search engines like Google and read newspapers to gather more information. I further call on the resource persons i have made contact with to guide me on where to get the information I am looking for. The other development as result of the training is the priority given to my articles by the media house and news outlet I write for. A number of stories have been used and sometimes mentioned during our internal editorial meetings as in-depth and well researched. Like many journalists, we hope that AWC and PIK will continue to work with journalists towards attaining zero GBV rates and improve
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
RAPADO on the frontline to reducing GBV cases in Migori
Paul Omole of RAPADO, an implementing partner of PIK project, addressing a community forum in Kuria East in Migori County. PHOTO: RAPADO
By Jane Godia
I
f numbers could talk, then the number of people that Rural Aids Prevention and Development Organisation (RAPADO) have been able to engage with during the past few months can pass as a major success in their own right.
Within the Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK) project, RAPADO, a community based organisation has been working in eight sub-counties of Migori County:Nyatike, Suna East, Kuria West, Uriri, Suna West, Awendo, Kuria East and Rongo. The PIK project is being led by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) with support from USAID. RAPADO is one of three community based organisations implementing the PIK project geared towards a nation free of GBV. The other partners are non-governmental organisations.
Cumulatively the project has directly reached out to over 1,600 people including some 900 females through sensitization forums on GBV prevention and response,” says Paul Omole, Programme Officer, RAPADO. The forms of GBV that are particular to Migori County include Sexual and GenderBased Violence (SGBV) and Female genital Mutilation (FGM). These are evidenced by media reports of defilements and rape, sexual abuse and exploitation, forced early marriages, domestic violence, intimate partner violence and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Kuria and the lower parts of Suna West. However, since the intervention of the PIK project, they have been able to make noticeable impact in the communities where they operate. Before PIK, RAPADO was working around gender
issues but with limited finance. Under the project, RAPADO strives to promote and protect the rights of children at risk of SGBV in and out of schools. Omole notes: “Through the PIK project we were able to introduce these children to GBV prevention and response mechanisms since most of them have witnessed domestic fights that impacts negatively on their education, defilement by neighbours and close relatives, while others have been subjected to FGM and child labour.” Outreach It is not only the children that RAPADO been able to reach. Their community interventions have also managed to reach adults with GBV messaging and services. “Through the PIK support we have been able to reach more people with information on GBV prevention. The project
enabled us to nurture GBV prevention champions who will carry on with sensitizing fellow pupils in school,” elaborates Omole. This in line with the PIK approach that is modelled around building the capacity of GBV stakeholders to respond at the county and grassroots level. Omole notes that through PIK they have also received moral, technical and financial resources. “It is through the PIK project that we have intensified our working relationships with other partners who include Ministry of Health, Department of Social Development as well as the Directorate of Gender and Youth at the county level,” he explains. “Involvement with the county leadership has enabled GBV issues to be considered as an important agenda in many county level engagements.” According to Omole, the partnership developed between RAPADO and the County Government creates an opportunity to ensure GBV issues in the county are responded to adequately through formulation and implementation of policies and legislations that supports the same. One of the successes that RAPADO can talk about during the PIK project’s implementation is when a perpetrator of GBV was arrested during a community awareness forum held at Nyamanga Parish. Arrested and charged “The man was arrested and charged in court for defilement. This was made possible by the area chief and other local leaders who were present at the forum and were able to identify rape and defilement as a form of GBV that is punishable by Kenyan law,” explains Omole. ISSUE 11 7
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Pictorial
Joyce Muchena, Gender Specialist PIK project engages the office of the Kisii Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spouse on GBV service delivery structures.
Arthur Okwemba of AWC addressing PIK partners during a communication strategy development meeting.
Caren Omanga (centre) of PIK project explaining to the Nyando Law Courts Magistrate the Kisumu County GBV assessment report.
GBV stakeholders in a PIK meeting in Kisumu County.
Naima Achieng, Sauti ya Wanawake Pwani Representative, during an awareness creation forum against FGM in Kwale County.
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PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
A procession to mark National Launch of 2015 International Womensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Day in Katito, Kisumu County.
Kisumu County Gender Violence Recovery Centre.
Hassan Vunga ,Children Officer Msambweni, Kwale County explaining to the participants Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Act and punishments which apply when a child is defiled.
Implementing organizations of PIK participated in the Nairobi +30 Conference Expo on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment. PHOTO Valine Moraa
Sasa activists in a debriefing after a door- to -door GBV outreach session in Kaloleni- Kisumu County
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PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
A new lease of life for a beneficiary of PIK empowerment project By Christine Ogutu
N
ot only does domestic violence affect a person’s self-esteem rendering them helpless, it can cause significant instability when the survivor does not have a source of income to sustain their livelihood.
However, this is not to say that there is no light at the end of the tunnel; with the right support and structures, one can come out of the ashes and rise high. One such woman is Elizabeth Wanjiku, a single mother of three, who walked out of an abusive relationship in search of a better life. For 12 years, she lived with her husband, a primary school teacher who gradually became a drunkard to the point that he was unable to work and provide for them. Unemployed Wanjiku, who was unemployed at the time recalls: “He would return home drunk every evening with nothing to feed the family. He would beat and humiliate me in front of the children. The situation was so unbearable that I decided to walk out.” As a single mother, Wanjiku struggled to support her family with the little income she earned from casual work of washing clothes in Mukuru Kwa Njenga slums. Though her daily income was meagre, she did not give up on educating her children and
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Elizabeth Wanjiku, African Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP) beneficiary, at her sweater shop during an interview with Tusemezane magazine. PHOTO: CHRISTINE OGUTU
making their life better. Her life took a turn for the better when she discovered African Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP) through Bidiii, a Gender Based Violence (GBV) support group that she had joined. AWEP, an implementing organization of the Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK) project, empowers survivors of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in Nairobi’s informal settlements of Kasarani and Embakasi constituencies. The idea behind AWEP’s initiative is for SGBV survivors to effectively create and manage business ventures through
economic empowerment. Wanjiku was among 30 SGBV survivors identified by AWEP and trained for eight months on entrepreneurial and product development skills, including creating house mats, carving soap stone, basket weaving, and T-shirts. Other skills they learnt include screen printing, bead work, crocheting as well as making bags, soap and bleach.They have also acquired business start-up skills and management techniques. Beneficiaries After the training, the 30 beneficiaries were divided into six self-help groups, each group consisting of five individuals.
“The programme helped me realize that I could do something with my life rather than just sitting at home.” Elizabeth Wanjiku, a single mother of three,
“The self-help groups have been legally registered and a group bank account opened with all members as signatories,” notes Susan Oyuko, programme officer at AWEP. Oyuko explains: “AWEP provides each beneficiary with a seed capital of KSh20,000 that is deposited into the group account to help them start their own individual businesses.” Each self-help group pools resources together, part of which is the seed capital. The members save and borrow from their group to develop their businesses. Mentorship According to Wanjiku, the AWEP mentorship programme restored her self-esteem. “The programme helped me realize that I could do something with my life rather than just sitting at home,” says Wanjiku. “It gave me an avenue to recognize that I can be among change makers in society.” With the skills and capital at hand, Wanjiku has now partnered with a friend to rent a shop which they use for their business. This opportunity enabled her secure a contract to make sweaters for St Elizabeth Lungalunga School in Embakasi Constituency, Nairobi County. This being her first formal engagement, Wanjiku hopes that her hard work and skill will eventually enable her business to expand. Wanjiku’s determination to succeed in business and build a better life for her children makes her stand out among her peers in the community. She acknowledges the opportunity accorded to her through the project as a second chance in life and feels privileged to have gone through the training, as it has also enabled her to go back to school as a part time student.
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Dina Keter (centre), Principal Got Ne Lel Girls’ School, speaking about the challenges girls in Nandi county face. Photo: georGE NGESA
Nandi Girls on Say No to early/forced marriages and go back to school By Odhiambo Orlale
S
choolgirls in Nandi County like Ann Cheptoo (not her real name) are a worried lot.
They do not feel safe during the day in the villages, at night in their parents’ homes or within the school because of paedophiles who are on the prowl. However, there is hope beckoning. Cheptoo who has literally gone to hell and back
has a story to tell as a student at Got Ne Lel Girls’ in Tinderet Constituency, a model school in the middle of the hills of Nandi County. Cheptoo is one of the 15 girls aged between eight and 22 years who were recently rescued by a local nongovernmental organisation from triple tragedy: facing the circumcisers’knife, being forced into marriage, and dropping out of school. Cheptoo was 14 years
when a man walked into her innocent life and forced her to abandon education at a critical stage when she was just about to sit her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations. Early Marriage Looking back, the soft spoken girl blames it all on ignorance, poverty in her family and desperation which made her accept forced early marriage.
Indeed, according to a recent research done by the Kapsabet Court Users Committee, chaired by Senior ResidentMagistrate, Gladys Adhiambo, cases of incest, rape, teenage pregnancy and early marriages linked to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) are on the rise in the county. This is confirmed by an earlier study conducted by International Rescue Committee (IRC) under the Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK) project indicating that Gender Based Violence, including FGM, was on the rise in Nandi County, and the girl child was not spared. In the first quarter of 2015, 29 cases of defilement were reported to Court Users Committee, seven of which were attempted defilement, five were cases of incest, four of rape and three of attempted rape. However, despite the challenges, schoolgirls like Cheptoo have decided to go against the grain and soldier on with their education, harbouring great hopes of a bright future. Eighteen-year-old Cheptoo is one of the 15 girls who were rescued in Nandi County and helped to go back to the classroom by Rural Women Peace Link, an Eldoretbased non-governmental organisation, which is leading the campaign against GBV in the region.
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With support from her school and the organisation Cheptoo is preparing to sit for KCPE this year. In a rare interview at her new school, Cheptoo reveals that she was 14 years when she got pregnant as she was preparing to sit for KCPE examinations. However, that was not to be. Her dreams were shattered when she found herself involved Students of Got Ne Lel Girls’ are excited to be in school in spite of the challenges. in an affair with an older man Photo: georGE NGESA who impregnated her. Due to poverty in her family, with my studies,” says Cheptoo. Cheptoo’s parents quickly Some of the rescued girls, accepted local arrangements, most in puberty stage and kipkaa (compensation in an in primary school, had been out of court settlement) and married off, given birth and payment of bride price in then requested their parents and the form of cattle from the “Teenage pregnancy husbands to go back to school. perpetrator, who paid up to is a big problem avoid the matter being taken According to Cheptoo, here and has led up by the local chief and police she was not keen on having a as an offence under legal to the high school long term relationship with provisions such as the Sexual dropout by girls. In the man but was forced into it Offences Act and Children’s my school, I have by her parents because of the two students who Act. high poverty level in their home, have two children fear of embarrassment and the All these laws have outlawed each, while others Nandi culture which does not marriage to a minor, which is embrace girls who gets pregnant have husbands and defined as anyone below 18 out of wedlock. boyfriends who years. interfere with their Addressing journalists at No regrets Got Ne Lel Girls during a concentration in However, looking back four media tour of the vast county class and studies.” years later, Cheptoo says she has organised under the PIK no regrets as her four-year-old project by International Dina Keter, Principal Got Ne daughter is being taken care of Rescue Committee, African Lel Girls’ by her mother. Her husband has Woman and Child Feature allowed her to resume studies at Cheptoo’s daughter stays Service and Rural Women Got Ne Lel Girls, a boarding with her parents and goes to a Peace Link, Cheptoo said: “I school in Songhor Division. local nursery school near their was in Standard Eight when During the interview, she home. Cheptoo’s husband has I got pregnant and was forced was dressed in her new uniform accepted the new arrangement to abandon my education and as she answered questions and meets her during midterm marry an older man. However, from 20 journalists about her and school holidays. after I delivered and attended a experience in the triple role as a “It was initially very sensitisation forum organised student, mother and wife. challenging for me to balance by Rural Women Peace Link, I Her baby, parents and the three roles, but I thank God decided to ask them to support husband were all at the venue of and the Rural Women Peace me to return to school, which the interview to give her moral Link for giving me the financial they did.” and moral support to continue support. In a separate interview at the
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school, Dina Keter, Principal Got Ne Lel Girls’, confirmed her students’ concerns about the challenges girls are facing in the area singling out the high dropout rate because of early pregnancies. Keter’s efforts have borne fruit thanks to the concerted efforts of working closely with Rural Women Peace Link and local officials of the Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organisation, in promoting girl-child education in the County. Says Keter: “Teenage pregnancy is a big problem here and has led to the high dropout by girls. In my school, I have two students who have two children each, while others have husbands and boyfriends who interfere with their concentration in class and studies.” Rescued from marriage Last year, Keter rescued two schoolgirls who had dropped out after they were forcefully married off.“They were between Standard Four and Seven, it was pathetic,” she observes. Keter raised an alarm which had the chief and police swing into action and arrest the socalled husbands and girls’ parents. “They were charged in court while the girls resumed their studies,” she explains. Elizabeth Rotich, a lawyer based in Eldoret, who is also Keter’s former student, offers pro-bono legal services to GBV survivors. Keter is now appealing to the Ministry of Education to intervene and protect girls from early pregnancies and marriages as well as FGM.
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
PIK takes on the FGM fight in Kuria
Merida Omahe (centre) Chairperson Maendeleo ya Wanawake Kuria Sub-County with some of her group members during an interview with Tusemezane. PhOTO: COURTESY OF RAPADO
By Isaac Ochieng
F
emale Genital Mutilation remains one of the forms of gender based violence working against the empowerment of young girls in many parts of Kenya.
One of the most affected areas is Kuria in Migori County, where girls aged between 10 to 17 years are often victims of the practice. As a result of the cut, the young girls are forced into early marriage, a situation that disrupts their education and any hope of realizing their dreams. This is the reason why Rural Aids Prevention and Development Organisation (RAPADO), a community
based organisation in Migori County is rolling out a campaign against the practice in Kuria East Sub-county. RAPADO is a partner of the Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK) Project. RAPADO is working with Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organisation and Gokeharaka Central, and South (GOCESO), a local women’s group, to respond to and prevent violence against women and girls in the county. Merida Omalie, Chairperson of Maendeleo ya Wanawake Kuria East Subcounty, explains that most of the girls are tricked into undergoing the cut and getting married to childless women or
Our group rescues these girls and puts them under the care of members. We nurture them and build their self-esteem using examples of women who are successful in life but never went through the knife.” Merida Omalie, Chairperson of Maendeleo ya Wanawake Kuria East Sub-county,
couples often without informed consent. “Young girls are deceived with tales that ‘the cut’ automatically makes them mature women locally known as Omuiseke,”explains Omalie. “But it is so traumatizing for those who do not go through the practice forcing them to seek refuge elsewhere.They are later criticised by the community including peers who call them names such as Omusagane (meaning the uncircumcised).” Forced marriages According to Omalie, many young girls are forced into early marriages with elderly men or taken by elderly women to be their partners. “Our group rescues these girls and puts them under the care of members. We nurture them and build their self-esteem using examples of women who have been successful in life but never went through the knife,” explains Omalie. Kubira Village in Kuria East Sub-county has been highlighted as a hotspot for barren elderly women who take young girls as brides. “The woman pays dowry, mostly in the form of cattle, to the girls’ parents,” explains Omalie. “This is also practiced by elderly couples who do not have children.” Once a girl has been identified and dowry paid to her parents, she is taken to the new home.The elderly woman or couple then embark on searching for a suitable man who can sire “grandchildren” for them. “At this point the girl is denied the right to choose her partner. The man chosen is required to prove his worth to the elderly woman,” Omalie reveals. ISSUE 11 13
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
She adds: “If he is not up to the task, he is chased out of the homestead and another husband picked for the girl. She can end up having multiple husbands not to mention children borne of different men.” Prejudice Omalie says victims of this prejudice are mostly school dropouts or underage girls with early and unwanted pregnancies. She explains that at times girls are usually chosen at tender age of five years and dowry is paid in bits as she grows until she matures to be a suitable bride. Omalie is disappointed by the fact that the community readily accepts FGM and it is widely celebrated. “Red flags are usually hanged around houses and girls are disguised as boys,” she explains. But in recent times, this has not been happening. “Since we enforce laws prohibiting FGM, they fear us and rarely publicize their activities openly the way they used to do before.” RAPADO has not given up though; working closely with Omalie, they are gradually raising awareness among women in the Kuria East Subcounty. The group is well known
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A community forum in Mabera in Kuria. Photo: courtesy of rapado
for educating women on their rights. They have also taken further steps to rescue the young girls who are forcefully taken to undergo FGM and get married. Their efforts are bearing fruit as the number of cases being reported in Kubintu Village has greatly reduced. Case in point is Maria Boke, in her 30s and a survivor of the retrogressive cultural practices. Aged 10 years, Boke lost her father. She was then forced into taking the responsibility of being the head of the household as her mother was also very sick. But when her relatives
attempted to marry her off at the age of 15, she escaped to Kericho town. There, life was equally hard and she was forced to come back home. Pressure Back at home, she got pregnant, and without means to support her child, she bowed down to pressure from relatives and was married off to an elderly woman who promised dowry to her mother. While in her new home, she was forcefully married to the woman’s brother-in-law. Boke had two children
with the man after which they separated. She re-married nine years later but the second marriage fell apart. It was after that she got in touch with GOCESO, which has helped transform her. “Their help gave me support and now I can stand on my own feet,” explains Boke. While the group can boast of success stories such as Boke’s, they feel that the county government has done very little to help the girl child and protect them from a cultural practice that continue to inhibit their progress in life.
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
the impact of PIK support in their work in relation to sexual and Gender Based Violence has been immense. “We have been enabled to reach a wider audience through the support we receive from PIK and have created a better working relationship with other GBV service providers and government departments,” Opanga explains.
Community awareness forum under the leadership of AMJUTINE in Bonchari Sub county Kisii County. Photo: courtesy of amjutine
PIK partnership turning around Amjutine’s work By Jane Godia
W
inning the war against Gender Based Violence (GBV) is a not an easy task, especially if a person or an organization tries to confront it on its own. This is a lesson the Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK) project under the leadership of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has come to appreciate.
The Project has been expanding it network and building partnerships as it confronts gender violence in key counties where the incidence of violence against women and children is high. The organizations that PIK has established recent partnerships with are Nyabende Support Programme, Rural Aids Prevention and Development Organisation (RAPADO) and Amjutine
Children Care and Protection Centre. Based in Kisii, Amjutine, which joined the PIK project in June 2015, exists to protect children from sexual and gender based violence. Kisii is one the counties where gender based violence has been reported to be high. According to the PIK report My Action Counts: An Assessment of Gender Based Violence Responses in Nine Counties of Kenya, an average of three to four cases of GBV are presented every week at Ogembo Law Courts in Kisii County. The report also notes that at one of the sub-county hospitals — Nduru Level Four Hospital — 60 per cent of all GBV cases are of sexual assault in nature. It is these numbers that Amjutine through the PIK project is struggling to bring down through community
sensitization. Amjutine has been creating GBV awareness within the county through community outreach and engagement with national and county government officials on GBV responsiveness. “We have been working with other GBV service providers to ensure effective service delivery to survivors and perpetrators,” says Christine Opanga, Programme Coordinator at Amjutine. Collaboration Opanga notes: “Through the PIK intervention, we have enhanced collaboration between government departments in charge of GBV response and prevention with the community and other players in this field for effective referral systems and GBV eradication.” According to Opanga,
Broadened “The technical support we have received from the PIK partners and sponsors has improved and broadened our conception of matters related to GBV.” The PIK project aims at improving national and county-level GBV service delivery systems and policy implementation. The project strives to strengthen county engagement in preventing and responding to GBV as well as increase access and utilization of GBV services through community outreach and awareness creation. Within the few months that Amjutine has been involved in the PIK Project, they are already seeing the impact of their work. “We have managed to win the support of chiefs and other administrative officers in combating GBV in our communities,” says Opanga. “We have strengthened our working relationships with the Kenya Police Service and those in the health sector as well as the Judiciary.” However, since Amjutine is a small organisation working at the community level, it has also experienced a few challenges with the implementation of this project. One of the biggest barriers to its work is lack of a GBV unit within the police service especially in Kisii County. ISSUE 11 15
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
PIK supports Nandi County develop Strategic Plan to address GBV By Valine Moraa
N
andi County, situated in the Rift Valley region is Kenya’s athletics hub and commonly identified with the tagline ‘home of champions’.
It is home to world’s celebrated athletes, including world record breakers such as Julius Yego, Pamela Jelimo, Janet Jepkosgei and the legendary athlete Kipchoge Keino. The county is also renowned for its dairy and tea farming and is endowed with a beautiful topography that consists of the scenic Nandi Hills. However, despite its accolades, a report by International Rescue Committee under the Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK) project titled My Action Counts: An Assessment of Gender Based Violence (GBV) Responses in Nandi County, reveals that the county also has a high prevalence of Gender Based Violence. According to the report, cases that are mostly reported at the Kapsabet Law Courts range from defilement of children leading to early and forced marriages, rape and wife battering as well as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). This reality has prompted various actions to address the problem. However, to address some of the issues in this county, the government has made a notable stride in the development of a Strategic Plan on Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Gender Mainstreaming. The three-year plan provides an operational framework and targets tackling the problem from the roots. The Strategic
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Nandi County Director of Gender and Youth Alex Oyuga with participants during a workshop to develop the GBV and Gender mainstreaming Strategic Plan. PHOTO: valine moraa
Plan elaborates structures and chains of responsibilities as well as programmatic areas and activities for achieving the expected results. Guidance The Strategic Plan also provides guidance on how to ensure gender responsiveness in policies, programmes, processes and activities towards gender equality and advancement of women for sustainable development of the county. According to Nandi County Director of Youth and Gender Alex Oyuga, the Strategic Plan was developed through a participatory coordinated process headed by the Department of Youth and Gender and emanated from consultative meetings held with the Nandi County Gender Technical Working Group that has representatives from diverse stakeholders addressing GBV issues within the county. “The need for a participatory approach in the development of the Strategic Plan was essential
so as to assess GBV and gender equality issues for incorporation in the Strategic Plan,” Oyuga explains. Oyuga notes that the Strategic Plan also serves as a tool for efficient coordination of gender response programmes implemented within the county. Advocacy “The Strategic Plan provides a framework for tracking government/donor policies and budgets on GBV related programmes and is a strong advocacy and resource mobilization tool for effective GBV programme delivery in the county,” Oyuga reiterates. “The Strategic Plan aims at achieving gender equality, particularly in legislation, participation, representation, empowerment and distribution of resources,” says Oyuga. He explains: “Both men, women, boys and girls are expected to benefit from the programmes which are aimed at achieving better social welfare for all.”
Rural Women Peace Link (RWPL), a partner of the Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK) project, has been working with various stakeholders in Nandi and undertaking dialogue as well as community diagnosis around Gender Based Violence which has served as a catalyst for both improved coordination as well as the development of this Strategic Plan. The organisation has given both technical and partial financial support to the process of developing the Strategic Plan from the beginning. Goodwill and Support “Since commencing partnerships with stakeholders in Nandi County, RWPL has continued to enjoy both goodwill and support in addressing Gender Based Violence in the community,” says Fred Yego, Programme Officer at RWPL. He notes: “Currently, the issue of Gender Based Violence is addressed openly and we are gradually witnessing various initiatives that indicate positive impact of our interventions in this once conservative area.” PIK project documentations on GBV issues in Nandi County, such as; My Action Counts: An Assessment of Gender Based Violence (GBV) Responses in Nandi County, Tusemezane Magazine (which is a monthly publication documenting on GBV issues in the nine counties where PIK project implements), and a video documentary dubbed The Story of Nandi County served as reference material during the development of the Nandi County Strategic Plan on GBV and gender mainstreaming.