As Hope Foundation for African Women turned 5 years on 19th December 2018, it was a milestone celebration for the Community Health and Human Rights Promoters (CHHRP). Sharing their five-years-journey’s achievements and challenges of their gender advocacy work to change attitudes, practises and behaviours towards ending Female genital mutilation and gender based violence.
Gladys Nyasuguta, one of the CHHRP’s and a survivor of FGM practise, besides gaining the boldness to share her story, conduct community outreaches, she has also gained the skills to facilitator the trainings. She is able to stand today as a co-facilitator to train men and women on anti-FGM/GBV, “Am so happy today that am standing before you, the esteemed men of our community, among you, my husband being present, for us to talk and discuss about FGM and GBV. I thank all of you for hearing and accepting our call. We thank you for the support you have shown us even though from a distance. But today, you presences here is a confirmation that we are ready to walk together to the path of ending FGM….”
Lydia Moranga “…When we talk of change in behaviour, attitude and practises, it begins with me and you. Myself, I was a cutter, before HFAW reached out to me. Cutting because I need to earn a living and support my family. But since I got trained and become part of CHHRP, I stopped cutting. I realised the effects of my action. And I discovered that I am much better now, through the economic empowerment project of HFAW. I DISCOVERED INNER PEACE KNOWING THAT AM NOT HURTING ANY SINGLE GIRL ANY MORE, INSTEAD, AM PROTECTING THEM FROM THE HURT. Am so happy to see all of you hear (referring to the 25 men being trained), my heart is strengthen. Who said that we will be able to meet all our needs by waiting to cut a little girl’s piece of body? There is nothing of economic gain that we get from cutting our daughters. To our husbands, hear me out! It is total hurt. Let us stop, and stop it!”
Martha Mariaka “Since I was a young lady, I was very shy to stand before my mates and talk. I got married, had my children but still couldn’t even sit down to talk with them. Imagine, how could it be possible to stand before fellow women, men, young people and children to talk about anti-FGM/GBV, sexual reproductive health, human rights and economic empowerment? How? This questioning was overcame by HFAW 5 years ago when I was trained as one of CHHRP. And today, we count at least 20 schools, 15000 students, 4000parents and 250 teachers that we have reached out with ant—FGM/GBV and number of girls that we have directly saved from planned FGM practise against them. Only 3 out of 7 men that were trained accompany us. Today am happy to know that 25 more men will be joining us in this journey…”
Your support dear friends, donors and partners, has made this possible. Has equipped the CHHRP with the knowledge and power they need to continue carrying on this work. With a total of 52 trained and equipped community health and human rights promoters now, the journey still continues.
FGM Zero Tolerance day, February 6th is coming. Join us as CHHRP take to the streets and all corners of the Kisii community to advocate for zero tolerance of FGM.
Thank you so much for you continued support. We continue to appeal for your advice, financial and technical support. Please continue sharing HFAW’s work with your friends and family.
Thank you again for what you have done to promote this cause.
Sincerely and with gratitude
Dear Friends, Colleagues and Supporters,
Leadership positions such as chiefs or sub-chiefs are male dominated in this patriarchal community yet these positions hold significant power at the grassroots level. Women have such a hard time imagining seeking these positions let alone getting into them.
But this year one of the early beneficiaries of HFAW services would change this History. She just got herself into this very competitive position. She is our new sub-chief! This is so great not only because she understands our issues but because she has become an inspiration to all our HFAW women that they too can become anything if they can dream and act.
Jacqueline was among the women who benefited from kivazip loans in 2012/2013which she used the fund to do her own projects of tomato growing, trainings in nutrition and baking and selling of cakes.
On 11th of August, she joins other HFAW Community health and rights promoters this time as a subchief to inspire other women in this church.
“Many years ago, I did not have anything. I took the KIVAZIP loans offered by HFAW which were interest free. With that money, I bought cows. I also went to school and took a course in Food Technology.” Said Jacky.
“I opened a hotel and started baking and selling cakes after finishing my course.” Added Jacky.
“Three months ago, with the help of all my friends who had helped me improve myself, I went through yet another journey and achieved what I set out to do. I was appointed to be a sub chief.” Said Jacqueline.
“In my office, I handle a lot of GBV cases of partner violence…We should be vocal to stop FGM. I am here to represent the needs and concerns of women and girls because I know and understand what we go through.” Added Jacqueline.
“We should all become people with a vision. Men, women and children let us all work together in harmony. That is the only way we will develop. Let us also protect our children against FGM and any other forms of violence, “urged Jacqueline.
HFAW is proud to be a force of change to women and girls in Nyamira County. We want to have many more Jacquelines in more leadership spaces in our County.
We are most grateful that you, our donors and Supporters who play different roles in making this possible. We had known about kiva zip through networking with one of the friends of HFAW. And with your support we continue to work with these women to help them realize their dreams. Please continue sharing our work to your friends and family. Thank you
Sincerely,
Winnie Rose Sululu
Dear Friends, Colleagues and Supporters,
On 16th October 2017 and 1st May 2018, HFAW embarked on journeys in Nyamira County to empower 30 small scale women farmers on Animal Husbandry and Crop farming training respectively. The trainings included field visits to model farmers in dairy and crop farming namely i.e Mzee Livingstone for dairy rearing visit and Wilkister Anangwe for crop farming model. The participants learnt a lot of good things on best practice in agriculture and promised to implement the same in their farms. Ever since, HFAW has worked worked consistently to ensure that these women and a few men have government and non-government experts on their side to support them do better farming and improve their yield for increased income.
July 5th and 12th 2018, HFAW made a monitoring and evaluation follow up to see how these women were fairing on after the training and recorded the following improvements:
“I used to tie my cow on a post outside during the day and at night the cows used to sleep outside whether there was rain or not. After the animal husbandry training last year, I decided to make a permanent cow shed structure.” Explained Martha, while showing us her new cowshed....... “I also used to throw cow dung by the roadside, but after the animal husbandry training, I allocated a place to pile it and wait for it to 'cook' and when it is ready i apply it as manure on my banana plantation. I have also planted napier grass to prevent soil erosion as I learnt during the crop farming training” Martha added.
Martha also showed us the chicken she begun rearing around her homestead and lots of beans which she is so proud of having.
“Knowledge is important for growth in the homestead,” said Martha happily. “With this kind of change, I won’t see food scarcity in my household.”
“I also improved my cow structure,” said Karen. “I no longer use the bull method of fertilization, I use artificial insemination (AI) as we were taught at Mzee Livingstone’s farm,” stated Karen.
On 12thJuly 2018, HFAW visited Mr. Kennedy and saw the breakthrough he had made with transforming his cow sheds.
“I have built a shed holding a capacity of 12 cows. I have different structures where they eat, sleep and even a milking parlor. The training enabled me to interact with other farmers and enhanced my production skills. I learnt what works and what does not.”Said Kennedy
Lydia who was also a participant in the dairy training commented about what she had done so far.
“I did not know what to do and how to get to feed my cows during the dry season. After the animal husbandry f training, I have been able to make silage.”Said Lydia.
“God bless HFAW, United Methodist Women and all our Global Giving friends and supporters for assisting in this knowledge to reach us,” said Joyce, the HFAW Grassroots Coordinator and a direct beneficiary of HFAW projects.
In order to end structural gender inequalities which encourage the persistence of GBV and FGM/C, HFAW works towards economic empowerment of women. One way of doing this is to bring in other partners such as One Acre Fund who are training women and giving them crop farming skills and Nyamira County Government ministry of livestock and crop which is sharing and following up animal husbandry and crop farming skills. These skills range from sources and use of better breeds, feeds and seeds and other best practices.
The positive transformation is evident in the anticipated increased farm produce, improved livelihoods and most importantly, in the bright smiles on their faces.
Thank you again for your continued support in making the world a brighter place.
With utmost gratitude,
Winnierose N Sululu.
Dear Friends, Colleagues and Supporters,
Like many Kenyan women, Nyamira women are submissive mothers and wives who can bear a lot of burdens and pains that come with life. Many peasant women think that they have no power to change anything and that only men can make decisions that drive the direction of the family and community. This attitude has changed with the women who have undergone the HFAW trainings and popular education and social change communication.
In the video Jane (see link below) is sharing with the GlobalGiving fellow Mike who visited us in April 2017. Jane shares about how she and her fellow community health worker, the groups chairperson, were given work by the County Commissioner and they could not get their payment. Because of the strength and advocacy skills gained “we went to the County Commissioner and asked why we were not paid…he heard our voices and we were paid” Said Jane. In the past these women could not have had the courage to speak up.
These women are the same ones going into schools and churches and advocating against the cut for the girl child. In a recent conversation with Jane during our women leaders training Jane shared how she rescued a girl from the cut. Here is Jane’s positive story.
“I had undergone training with HFAW about the dangers of FGM. I took the message seriously. I went back home and told my neighbors about the dangers of FGM and about the Anti – FGM Law and the consequences of carrying out the cut.
My neighbors were aware of the same and knew how serious I am in ending FGM. And some of them have stopped cutting girls. Many people in my neighborhood know that I will take action of I hear of anyone trying to cut a girl. We went through schools with anti-FGM messaging with the other community health and rights workers and we could see that the girls and boys were listening but we did not have a clear sense of how children behaved when someone wanted to cut them by force. It was not long before one of the girls came running to my house at night and explained that she is just about to be cut.
I stepped up and told the girl to stay put in my house. She had to stay in my house for a while as she was afraid to go back home. Through HFAW, I had learnt that in such a situation, one is not supposed to take the parents straight to the police. We have to educate first and then take action when they disregard. So I arranged a meeting with the parents and the school headmaster at the girl’s school. I then educated the parents about the Anti FGM Law and the consequences of carrying out the cut. I told them that this was a warning and that if they tried again, they would face the consequences with the relevant authorities. I took care of the girl the best way I could and now she is in Laboso Secondary School after her completed her grade eight. This girl has not been threatened with the cut from her parents.
It is an understatement when we say that you are changing lives. It is a big deal for a woman to gain her voice and stand up for what she believes in. None of these is possible without your support. Many of them have shared with us about how they demand to be paid back when husbands borrow their money. That the program has changed gender relations at their homes is priceless. We invite you to continue sharing information with your friends and family about HFAW and its empowering work that is transforming lives. These women could not do what they do in their community without continuous capacity building.
Are you still searching for a perfect gift for Mothers' Day Next Month? We invite you to make this perfect gift which is...Your Donation to honor these mothers!
Thank you for supporting this cause.
Sincerely and with gratitude,
Grace Mose-Okong’o
Links:
Dear Friends, Colleagues and Supporters,
FGM/C’s persistence can be explained by the solid structural inequalities facing rural women. The feminization of poverty due to inability for women to develop their own social-economic independence coupled with the stringent direct and indirect socialization that indoctrinates women to believe that they must be dependent on men gives them absolutely no options. We believe that an anti-FGM agenda that does not address structural gender inequalities is doomed to fail. HFAW’s finance and entrepreneurship trainings and provision of affordable credits to women is aimed at addressing these inequalities as a powerful step towards ending FGM.
Finance literacy workshops do help women to begin economic generating activities beyond the merry go rounds they used to engage in. Access to affordable loans helps them to boost their businesses. This report gives examples of how HFAW makes contact with rural women in sometimes hard to reach villages where women have to sit under trees to learn and listen to how they can access our services. Most of the original women such as Rael do have income generation businesses while others are now just hearing about our services. This report documents little bit of their voices.
Before access to HFAW Fund loans Kerubo used to sell beans and millet at Gesima, the local market near her home. When she heard about HFAW Fund, she and four other women joined to form ‘Riverside” women group. In this group, they saved and she qualified to get a loan of $204, so far the highest among the loans HFAW has given. Commenting on how the loan has helped her she said “The loan has boosted my business, I am now able to go to visit large town markets. Every Tuesday and Friday, I take cereals to Kericho market and on Saturdays, I sell at Mulot market. I have also been able to get a tender to supply the cereals to a nearby school since I can now afford to deliver more foodthan before tot his school.”
Mong’ina and Damaris also members of the “Riverside” group used to sell tomatoes and vegetables at the local market. When they got a loan of $192, they are now able to not only sell their goods at a larger market in Keroka but have also diversified their sales to selling mitumba (second hand clothes).
The second group that was visited was “Nyagokeria”. Ndege, a member of the group testified that her income has increased since she got a loan from HFAW Fund “ I am now able to buy more “Mang’ereto” (tea leaves) from farmers than I used to do before. My supply of the tea leaves to the tea factory has increased and that means more income for me.’ Rael is pleased to share knowledge of how she sends cereals to big towns. “This Fund means a lot to me.” Says Rael who owns a cereal shop and a small restaurant at Amakara shopping center.
“These women are hardworking and determined and I admire their zeal.” Said HFAW field Officer, Ruth Nyakundi. HFAW however has a certain level of concern that many women are on the waiting list for loans because our small fund can only cater for a small number of women.
Finance workshops and acess to credits project was financed by International Methodist Women and a small portion from global giving. Our partner and friends, we recognise with thanks that the continued positive changes in womens access to loans and finance literacy workshops could not happen without your hand in it as well us that from our donors such as Methodist women. Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely, and with Gratitude
Teresiah Gitau
HFAW Project Manager
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
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