International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. We observed this day by creating awareness on our social media platforms about the importance of ensuring that everyone gets equal opportunity regardless of their gender.
We conducted community conversation sessions in the areas around Korando Education Center where we shared the importance of not being involved in gender stereotyping. Most of the people have been socialized to believe that a woman’s place is in the kitchen and at home doing house chores; through our discussions we outlined the importance of giving everyone an equal opportunity to education, work and leisure. The key message we passed was that an empowered woman equals an empowered society.
The activities organized to celebrate women in Kisumu, Kenya, included a 4 days conference that brought together 200 women representing different social classes and from various parts of the country to discuss issues that were preventing them from enjoying their rights fully. The aim of the conference was to discuss various emerging trends across the country and in the world and how they were affecting the well-being of women and their families.
During the conference we discussed in great details issues regarding consent, since gender-based violence is one of the major issues that are facing not only women but the society as a whole. Each of the participants explained what they understood what consent is and how It has affected their lives in different ways. During the discussions we came up with important topics of male involvement to ensure that the issues of Gender equality are discussed not only from a single perspective but it becomes a collective responsibility for both men and women to ensure that all basic human rights are realized.
The event brought together all the Non-governmental organizations working to address issues facing children, youth and women in Kisumu County. Government stakeholders including His excellency the Governor of Kisumu County also attended the conference and pledged his support to all efforts that promote the welfare of children and women within Kisumu.
