NewsBrief
April 2015 Issue
EDITOR’S NOTE
What is the true impact of education in a girl’s life? Education is arguably one of the most solid ways of empowering girls and women to fight poverty. In this issue, we look at how ActionAid Kenya works with girls to know and pursue their right to education. One
of the hindrances to girl’s education is Violence Against Women and Girls (VAW/G). Sadly, perpetrators of VAW/G include relatives, teachers and fellow pupils which makes girls hesitant to complete their education as they feel unsafe both on their way to
school and as well as in school. You will read how school girls are speaking out against perpetrators of Violence Against Women
and Girls using the knowledge and skills gained from the Girls’ Forums.
Women’s Rights struggles continue to be at the heart of AAK work. Our partnership with Women Living In Poverty and Exclusion,
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA) and the Kenya Parliamentary Human
Rights Association (KEPHRA) has recently contributed to the realizations of two major milestones in the history of Women Rights in
Kenya. This includes the recent passage of the Protection Against Domestic Violence Bill 2015 into an Act of Parliament and the
launching of the National Action Plan (2015-2015) for the Implementation of Kenya Women’s National Charter. This progress is not
yet enough to break the multiple chains of violations against women and girls. AAK will continue to work with organizations of girls,
women living in poverty and exclusion to influence implementation of the above frameworks and deepen engagements around other
essential policy, legislative and institutional reforms at National and County levels.
In solidarity, let’s keep up the struggle.
Kenyatta Maitha,
Head of Policy and Campaigns
UPDATES
Get to know what is happening at our Local Rights Programmes!
Launch of the Shifting Power Project
The Shifting the Power Project brings together 6 leading
Humanitarian Agencies comprising of ActionAid Kenya,
CAFOD, Christian Aid, Oxfam, Concern and Tearfund to
work in 5 disaster-prone countries to strengthen the capacity of local organizations to determine and deliver humanitarian preparedness and response.
The project was launched in Nairobi, Kenya on March 16th
2015.
Women in Taita Taveta Speak Out against Violence against Women and Girls
Members of the Sauti Ya Wanawake (The Voice of Women) Women's Movement in Taita Taveta took to the streets on Friday March
27th, 2015 to protest against rising cases of violence against women and girls that has affected women and girls in the County. They
were raising the alarm that the County Government needs to act
fast against perpetrators of this violence and make the County safe
for all women and girls.
To read more on the above updates, please click on this link to access our Face Book Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/
Actionaid-International-Kenya/111850545542544
GIRLS NOW PERFORMING BETTER IN EXAMS
By Tashrifa Silayi
Education is one of the surest ways of empowering girls and ensuring that they have a chance to fight poverty. For this
reason and also due to cultural practices that undermine the education of girls, Marafa Local Rights Programme (LRP)
has put efforts into supporting the improvement of girl’s academic performance . For a long time, the sub county where
the LRP is located has been one of the poorest performers not only in the county but in the country as a whole. ActionAid supported an academic workshop that targeted students from Garashi, Dagamra and Bungale locations of Garashi
zone. Meet Lilian who shares her experience:
“My name is Lilian Samuel, I am 14 years old and currently in my final year at Garashi Primary School. I am
lucky to have benefited from the academic workshop that was organized by ActionAid this term in my school.
This was the first workshop I have ever attended. Most students including myself were performing poorly in
most subjects as compared to other students in the country and this was clearly brought out by the fact that
our schools were always ranked poorly during the national exams. Most of the students especially girls who
finished their primary education before me did not make it to secondary level education because the poor
grades they got did not qualify them to proceed to the next level of education.
The academic workshop brought together pupils from 11 schools in three centers that were setup at Garashi,
Bate and Singwaya Primary Schools. Teachers from all the 11 schools were picked as facilitators. The teachers
picked were well known for their schools performing exemplarily well in specific subjects. They moved from
center to center giving us tips on how to perform better in different subjects.”
“Since then, my performance has greatly improved and
I look forward performing even better at the end of this
year during my final primary level exams. My average
mean score in all the subjects was 285 marks out of 500
during the opening exams which improved to 293 for
midterm exams and 301 marks by the time we were
closing. This improvement was also experienced by all
my friends. When I grow up I want to be a doctor and
this improvement in my performance is quite an encouragement to get there,” concludes Lilian.
Garashi Primary School was one of the 11 schools that benefited from the academic workshop that works towards improved exam performance of girls to ensure they are retained and are able to transit to secondary schools. It has a
total of 96 students in class eight doing their final exams this
year. After the workshop, the school’s performance improved from an average mean score of 221 during opening
exams to 239 during district exams for the whole school.
Early 2015 when the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education
results were announced, Garashi Primary School for the
first time was able to take 3 students to national schools
and more than 20 students from the two locations of Garashi and Dagamra got more than 300 marks thanks to the
effort ActionAid and the schools are putting into championing education for girls at the LRP.
Lilian Samuel
Lydia Fights For her Right to Education and Freedom From Violence
By Faith Marwa
In 2011 when Lydia Chacha was a class
eight pupil at Kehancha Primary School,
she was nominated together with 5 other
girls to attend a girls’ camp that was organised by ActionAid Kenya. There she met
other girls from the all over the country and
learnt that it was her right to access education and to live in a safe environment free
from violence. She also learnt how to protect herself from boys and men with violent
intentions. Lydia quickly became well
known by her peers and friends as an advocate for the rights of girls to safety and education because when she went back to
school, she began to teach her friends
about all she had learnt at the camp.
During the 2011 school holidays as Lydia
was on her way to the shops, she met a
primary school teacher who wanted to lure
her into a sexual relationship. Lydia knowing that her focus was education had refused this proposal but the man relentlessly
pursued the matter. She narrates her experience with him on a day when she realized
that he meant to forcefully rape her because of her resistance to his proposals.
Lydia Chacha
“On my way to the shop I saw the man who had wanted to rape me. I knew him since he used to pass near our
home. He was a Primary School teacher of around 28 years. He came towards me and threatened to rape me. I
turned around so as to run away but three other men quickly surrounded me and I could not run. I had been a
member of my scout club in school and we had been taught how to blow our whistles while in danger. I blew
the whistle and since I was near a police camp the police officers came to my rescue. The other three men ran
away but the teacher was caught and sentenced to two years in jail. After the arrest many boys fear me and do not
play around with me because they know that I will stand up for my rights to choose what happens to my body.”
Lydia later joined Nyaroha Secondary School in Kuria and has continued being a role model at the school and by the
time she was in Form 3, she had been elected into leadership positions and she became the Games Captain and the
Deputy Head Girl. She is now working with the school administration to advocate against rampant teenage pregnancy
and abortions that have become a near norm in her school. Lydia passionately believes that girls should focus on their
education and have avenues to seek protection from all sorts of sexual violence, early pregnancy and early marriage as
the constitution stipulates so that they can have a chance to have a better future.
Girl’s Forums Empower Girls To get Justice Against Perpetrators Of Violence
By Rosemary Migiro
Violence against girls in Taita is rampant characterized by defilement and incest which most often than not goes unreported. Action Aid Kishushe Local Rights Programme has been implementing the Safe Schools for Girls Project which
seeks to improve learning outcomes for girls in schools. This is done through creating a more gender friendly school environment by supporting teachers to organize girls and boys clubs in schools which in turn leads to increased enrolment
and retention . Girl’s forums and Boy’s forums are platforms formed in schools with the help of trained patrons for leaners to share Life Skills lessons, concerns, challenges, best practices and lessons learnt among peers.
Alice* a member of the girls club shares her experience of how the girl’s forums have impacted her life;
“My name is Alice. I am in class five in Kimaghachugu Primary school. On 16 th Of March while I was going to the
shop in the evening, I was raped by a boy. I sought help from our school’s Girl’s Forum patron- Teacher Jardin who
took me to Wundanyi to seek medical help. She also accompanied me to the police station to report the incident.
Through ActionAid’s assistance we were able to take the boy to court. I bravely gave my testimony in court and the
boy was found guilty and jailed for 20 years. The boys in my area now fear repeating such an act as they have
seen that when girls speak out, they will face heavy penalties for their crimes of violence against us.
Through the girl’s club, I have learnt that I have a right to freedom from violence and how to report a case of violence if it ever reoccurs. I now share my story with other girls in the forum and in the school so that they can also
learn how to bravely speak up against acts of violence.”
* Name changed to conceal identity
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Produced by the AAK Communications Unit. Design: Christine Muna.
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