In the wake of climate change, girls and young women are exposed to various forms of gender-based violence. These include, and are not limited to, sexual harassment, rape, drooping out of school, period poverty. As girls go far distances in search of water during drought, walk in the neighborhood in search of fuel wood, or wake up quite early walking long distances to get to school before sunrise, they encounter violence from men who loiter around or others who lure them into sex in return for money or with the promise of fetching water for them using motorbikes. Because the girls are desperate, they succumb to the desires of these ill-intentioned men. Many end up with teenage pregnancies and drop out of school. As much as the Government policy allows teen age mothers to continue with education and even take their exams even when they are almost due and in hospital for maternity, these girls opt not to continue because of shame.
In Kericho and Kisumu counties where FPFK runs resilience livelihoods program, land ownership is a preserve of the men. Men are still superior when it comes to what happens to and how the land is used. In many families if a man does not apportion his wife land for say vegetable farming, she has to comply. The trees and livestock belong entirely to the men, but it is the woman who takes care of them. During drought, the woman is not only tasked with finding water for domestic use but also for the livestock. When the men come home in the evening all they want to hear is that the animals had water. If not, they resort to violence. This brings a strain to the women daily lives leading to depression and other health issues. The girls being mentored by their mothers to be responsible women and as future wives bear the brunt of their mothers’ pain. The question being, why didn’t you help your mother in seeking for these resources.? As they seek for these resources they are also exposed to danger in case they trespass into other people’s farms. Leading to community conflicts.
Esther Sigilai, at a SANLUM training in Soin said” Thank you so much Resilience Project for training us in this, but some of us especially me will not be allowed in whatsoever way to practice. All my husband understands is sugarcane farming. He does not allow me to have a mere kitchen garden. Anytime we need anything we go to his shop and he measures for us. For instance, everyday when am making tea I go to the shop with a cup so that he gives us sugar.
Women Nyaberi preparing land to plant after a learning session in SANLUM
Hepsy Rono of Sigowett showed us her kitchen garden during a random visit in August
In instances like Esther’s, as long as she has no source of income, and is fully dependent on her husband, she is not able to exercise any rights. And the sordid part of it is that her daughters read from the same script and assume such is life for the girl child.
Breaking through these gender roles is hard because there are cultural norms, structures and systems whose custodians and gate keepers are die hard at letting go.
In the project we have been empowering women to know their right to land ownership and sexual reproductive health rights. The constitution allows women and girls to own and inherit land. We encourage men to give their wives and girls farming space. This is a boost to the household food basket and leads to food security and also becomes an income stream when the surplus is sold.
Slowly we are seeing women talking of having kitchen gardens and even planting trees in their matrimonial land because the men have started seeing the benefits in letting them work the farms without too many restrictions. Women are beginning to make incomes from fruit trees such as paw paws in their gardens thus meeting their basic necessities and those of their children without necessarily depending on the men. In schools we have also experienced girls school retention because they have responsibilities. When they miss school, their plots are neglected. So
In the Lake region, floods have tremendous negative impact on girls. Early/teenage pregnancies and STIs because of poverty. Girls have needs. Their needs need to be met. They need sanitary kits, they need panties. They need good education. But poverty deters them from accessing these rights. They therefore resort to the easy means of falling into the trap of casual men and boda boda guys in exchange for money for sanitary kits and food. Before they know it, they are either pregnant or they have contracted an STI and even HIV. As much as all public schools are given sanitary towels for children of grade five to junior high, with each pupil being entitled to 8 packs a year, many of them do not get these kits. And if they do it is not sufficient. There still great need to strengthen the process and even reach out to the lowers grades because some start their periods quite early. When one girl gets the pads and she have sisters who don’t have she is forced to share. Or resort to using rags and miss out on school.
During floods families are evacuated to higher grounds FOR SAFETY. They are exposed to sexual/economic/psychological harassment and abuse. They also miss out on school. These circumstances render the girls helpless.
FPFK Nyando flood response project, has been influential since June in empowering the community against gender violence with a great focus on protecting the girl child. In the course of it, they also distributed dignity kits. This was a boost to the girls to what they get from their parents and the school. In one of the schools the Principal expressed his sorrow at having realised that four girls had fallen pregnant at that tender age. The girls told of stories of their colleagues being lured to early sexual escapades to meet their basic needs. So as a team we talked of their sexual health rights and shared ways of protecting themselves from being prey.
In many of these areas, the ablution facilities are wanting, some having been washed away by floods. The girls have no privacy when they want to change when they are in their periods. This is one of the reasons the Nyando project has built some blocks to for the girls during days like these.
Lilian (Nyando Flood Response PO), Grace, Victor and Brian distributing dignity kits to girls in schools
In empowering the girls at different ages to understand their right to education, right to property ownership, right to health especially sexual reproductive health, right to be heard and to firmly say no to that which harms them, we in more than one way unite for peace. Peace cannot prevail where natural resources are depleted! Peace can never be when another defiles or beguiles another’s daughter! When there is no peace in the family, children cannot enjoy peace. And may end up without an education. It is our prerogative and mandate to protect the rights of the girls for a peaceful today and tomorrow. FPFK realizes the significance of recognizing and empowering, the girl, the young woman, and the older woman to uphold their rights. LOVE, TRUST and INTEGRITY are some of our values. Out of love come the daily desire to see and bring out the best in all of the girls. Where there is no integrity, the girl cannot trust. And without trust there cannot be peace.
Sanitation block built for girls at Nyamasawo primary school primary school
Miruka Primary school girls celebrate receipt of dignity kits.
LETS ALL STRIVE TO UNITE FOR PEACE FOR THE GIRL!!!
