Fueling a Ripple Effect: Empowering Kenyan Women

Empowerment Workshop Report for Girls’ Club 2

Dates of Training: 13th to 16th January, 2020

Location and Group Name: Girls’ Club 2

Number of attendees: 34

Total Expenses: 1,062 USD

1.0 INTRODUCTION

This is the report is for the Empowerment Workshop of girls’ Club 2 .These were the second group of the girls who turned up on 15th April, 2019 as daughters of the disenfranchised women of Wuoth Ogik Village of Migori County. This training was conducted on 22nd to 25th April 2019 for a period of four days. We invited all the girls who were booked for the next training and others turned up as well. A total of 34 girls came instead of the 28 we expected. Two of these were those previously trained and they wanted to experience another workshop with their friends as well. Four of these were also daughters of the disenfranchised women who did not manage to make it on day 1. We also allowed them to join us. We ended up having 34 girls in attendance. These girls were equally excited to experience this workshop. They got a platform to air they views and let out their frustrations. The workshop helped them realize their own faults and also educated them on their own rights as young girls. At their tender age, they were able to assess their lives and be self-aware of who they are and that they have the power to create their lives exactly as they want it. They learnt how to envision the life they want and acquired the tools to manifest what they want to create. Each of them left the workshop with at least one vision to work towards. They always blamed their inabilities and failures on other people especially their parents and teachers. They realised that this is being pathological and it only drains energy from them and makes them fail more. They chose to take self-responsibilities and to focus on possibilities and not impossibilities as this invigorates. Their eyes are fixed on their newly crafted visions and they are very happy to have got this intervention this early as it will help them even on making their career choices.

2.0 TARGET GROUP

This training focused on the daughters of the disenfranchised women of Wuoth Ogik Village of Migori County.

3.0 TRAINING OBJECTIVES

These were two-fold: 7. To examine the peculiar reasons for the participants’ disenfranchisement; 8. To take the said participants through the empowerment training model with the aim of helping the overcome their growing edges by envisioning and creating what they most want in life.

4.0 THE PROCESS

This entailed taking the participants over the seven life areas as prescribed by the empowerment methodology. The entire model was packaged as follows: Day 1: Personal Growth Foundation Day 2: Personal power, Emotions and Relationships Day 3: Sexuality and the Body Day 4: Money, work and Spirituality

5.0 CHALLENGES

More girls turned up for the workshop. It was not easy to send them away and so we had to overstretch our budget to accommodate them. These girls were of varied age groups and managing them together was not very easy. We had to draw varied examples that are relevant to all the age groups in order to make all of them comfortable and be able to understand. They also took some time to open up. Though this time round, the other two who had attended the workshop earlier, set the pace and helped them to open up faster than the previous ones. We still had to give some little incentive (a packet of biscuits) to those who talked so as to help the rest also to open up.

6.0 ACHIEVEMENTS

Sustaining 34 young girls, with varied interests though the 4 days of the workshop successfully is a thing worth celebrating. They actually asked for more days to re do the workshop and this made us to promise them one more day the following week for reproductive health session. They went away really looking forward for the next session. This was a great achievement. Each of them left the workshop able to envision what they want in different areas of life. They crafted visions in at least one of the seven areas of their lives and they committed to work towards their visions. We expect to see responsible young girls who are visionary in life. Those who act with purpose. The girls were mobilized to start a girls’ club where they will meet every school holiday to share their progress and challenges. This will be a platform of expression and discussion where girls will discuss matters affecting them in relation to the empowerment workshop they experienced. They will be meeting at COPED offices where they will be attended to by one of the COPED trainers to take them through the session.

7.0 CONCLUSION

The training was successful because it met the objectives that had been set. We thank 100MHL for making this possible for us to achieve this.

8.0 RECOMMENDATIONS

There is need for regular meetings in order to assess the growth and to assist where necessary. This should be done every holiday period, April, August and December school holidays. This will be a platform to assess the progress of the girls and also to handle any challenges expressed. Peer support and consultation is also highly encouraged in order to sustain the application of the knowledge imparted and the skills given. These proposed meetings will provide this platform.