By Catherine Kaimenyi | Project Leader
Nairobi, Kenya
December 2014
Dear Friends,
December is a month of celebrations! And visits to families, friends, and homes of less fortunate and other groups are usually common. It is a time to remember those who ‘touched us’ in whatever way and having reflections together. SAWA visited the family of Josephine, who was a beneficiary of the Gender Based Violence training, and who from the training became an advocate of the rights of women in her village in Ntugi, Meru County. Josephine narrated to us how she mobilized the community to recover the only cow of her neighbor, a friend, which had been sold without her consent. And the story goes ….
‘Mama Mercy, a housewife aged 32, lives a few meters from my home. She is a hard working lady who feds for her family composed of four – two children 2 and 4 years, and a husband who runs a second-hand clothes at the nearby market. The husband has been harsh to her and abuses her both physically and mentally. He uses all the proceeds from his business on drinking alcohol and gets home in the evening to demand for food and other provisions from her jobless wife. The family one cow has been the sole source of the wife’s income and food – they consume the milk and sell two liters daily for Kshs.95 (nearly a dollar). On the fateful morning, she woke up in the morning and took the bowl as usual and headed to the cow shed to milk her cow. To a surprise, the cow was not there. The husband had sold it during the night at a throw away price to get money to enjoy during this festive season. In tears, Mama Mercy went to Josephine her neighbor and shared the sad story. Josephine took her to the area Chief to report and within a few hours mobilization was done to help reclaim the cow since the buyer was already identified. In short, Mama Mercy got her cow back – courtesy of Josephine who is a Gender Equity advocate in her community. The man was warned of severe communal consequences if he ever interfered with family property without consulting the wife. Women in this community are thus gaining power and I pride myself for having been able to provide education – that you SAWA for training me”
Such stories are very common where women are demanding to be involved in decision making at the family level. SAWA’s programs recognize this and give priority to sensitization and education to give women a voice particularly at the family level.
With gratitude and best wishes for the new year,
Catherine Kaimenyi
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By Catherine Kaimenyi | Project Leader
By Catherine Kaimenyi | Project Leader
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