INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY March 8^th, 2009

This girl understands isolation….

The community views her as an asset, she has no other future other than end up in a marriage with a fat bellied over aged polygamist, the community expects a lot from her yet it denies her her mortal rights.

She is expected to always be in the kitchen because apparently culture dictates that that’s where she belongs, her education is not important they say because she will get married anyway, she cannot have a say in any decision making at any level, even if its is about her welfare, she has no right to speech in the society, she is supposed to be seen and not be heard, thus our theme, this girl understands isolation..

We took our campaign in Vitengeni, Kilifi district, one of the rural areas where women and mostly the girls are still fighting for space to table their tribulations because they still live in a male domineering society where they suffer physical and psychological violence thus affecting their social and physical development.

The day was graced with traditional dances from Maridadi dancers, plays from Ndambale group, songs and poems all with a message geared towards the welfare and the rights of a girl child. Grace Education Centre moved the crowd with their moving poems on girl child education, HIV/AIDS and girl child protection from gender based violence.

A good number of the residents showed up creating a conducive environment to address the isolations facing a girl child, women and men, the old and the young, the people and their leaders. Fortunate enough, the guest of honor was also an intellectual woman who understands the girl child isolations and strongly supported girl child education.

In her speech, Mrs. Khadija Karim who is the Director of Kenya Ports Authority and the former Provincial Director of Education in Coast Province said she was ready to work hand in hand with the local leaders in promoting education in that constituency.

She encouraged the existing schools to construct Nursery schools which will give many children a good chance of laying a firm foundation for the children. She also encouraged the women leaders from the urban areas to have exchange programmes with the rural women so that they can be empowered on the development projects.

CWID’s Chairperson Betty Sharon also emphasized on girl child education citing that it was the only way girls and women will get the knowledge on how to fight for their rights. She also touched on leadership participation and confirmed that it is evident that the government is still making it hard for women to clinch leadership positions both in parliament and even at the local level.

She discouraged the women from holding back from leadership saying their place has never been in the kitchen because they have been out and about fending for their families and that this is their time to equally share the leadership positions with their male counterparts so that their affairs can also be presented at the decision making table.

She condemned the women and youth development funds stating that the government had put complex regulations attached to the funds making it difficult for the women and youths to access the funds and use it to better their lives, she asked the funds policy makers to redesign the bureaucracies to make it easier for the vulnerable women and youths to get the funds.

CWID’s Chairperson Betty Sharon giving a speech
on girl child education

Other women leaders speakers also touched on equal sharing of responsibilities sighting that men should not leave all the household responsibilities to the women. Leadership participation also emerged as a concern that women need to involve themselves in, they asked for more women in the local authorities. They also encouraged their fellow women to understand and know their rights because only then will they determine when their rights are violated.

Other local women leaders urged their fellow women not to settle for anything less and encouraged them not to go back to when they did not have a say in the society. They asked for quality education facility because they stated that their students in the rural areas are disadvantaged because they do not have access to the improved learning amenities.

Speakers.

Guest of honour- Mrs. Khadija Kassim

Asst. Guest. - Ms. Betty SHARON

Area MP and Assistant Minister of State for Immigration and registrations of persons - Mr. Francis. Baya

CWID’s Director and the area councilor - Mr. Teddy Mwambire

Councilors- Mrs. Grace Mboja, Menza and Elizabeth Ngala

Representatives of the existing women groups.

Available at the campaign was a Volunteering Counseling and Testing- VCT where the Scope group and the area health workers were offering HIV/AIDS test to the community. CWID’s President Ms. Betty Sharon and Communications Officer Lorine Awuor took the lead aiming at setting a platform for the other members to follow suit because people were abit hesitant. Apparently more women with their children than the men showed up at the VCT.

CONCLUSION.

Girl child education took the order of the day, every speaker touched on it as the major solution for eradication of the gender based violence and for socio economic and political development because they say when you educate a girl, you educate the whole community.

“The day will come when men will recognize women as their peers, not only at the fireside but in councils of the nation. Then, and not until then, will there be perfect comradeship, the ideal union between the sexes that shall result in the highest development of the race.”