1. Introduction
Since time immemorial, gender has been a big issue. Yet the role gender plays toward a sustained economy of any nation is undeniably crucial. For example, contributions of women to the development of most countries have failed to be recognized in a manner likely to prompt governments to consider investing more in development initiatives geared to empowering women. Had this been done, benefits would encompass everyone, now and in the future.
At the international level, specific human rights instruments have emerged to try and address the issue of women, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women 1979 and its Optional Protocol, the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women 1993, and the follow-up ‘Beijing Platform Plus 5’ Special Session of the General Assembly. Women’s rights continue to be advocated at this level to ensure that this very important issue stays on the agenda with a view to urge governments to mainstream gender equity in important development areas like constitution, legislature, institutions and policy regimes.
Like most African countries, Kenya continues to lag behind in this area of reform. For example, gender relations in Kenya show that discrimination against women and inequitable practices are prevalent at various levels of the society. And, unfortunately, they are largely embodied in the legal system and administrative structures of the government. Discrimination against women is also securely anchored in the customs and traditional practices of various communities across the country. One of the areas in which gender imbalance is quite common is the area of resource allocation and management. And although women account for over seventy percent of the productive land-based labor force in Kenya, land relations in particular are based on laws, customs, and practices that are aimed at marginalizing and disempowering women. Against this backdrop of utter marginalization of women in a developing country such as Kenya, what would be the most plausible approach toward ensuring an empowered generation of women for enhancing a sustainable growth in both our economy and social life?
2. The ‘Girl effect’ Education Fund: Promoting Girls’ Education through Table Banking Services Concept
Although Solidarity House CBO does not have the resources to break the vicious cycle of illiteracy especially among women and girls in Kenya, the organization continues to gradually promote education under its current program of table banking services as a gradual, sure way of winning the battle against poverty in the country. For example, “education booster fund,” one of the products of table banking services, has seen many of our clients raise enough money for paying their children’s school fees every year. The fund grows by 50%.
While this is a positive note in promoting education among the vulnerable groups in Kenya, the emphasis the girl child education deserves in order to accelerate the fight against poverty is far from being realized. A more holistic approach to successfully fight poverty would therefore be to promote the girl child education through the table banking services which is currently one of the major activities that seeks to economically empower women and youth. Solidarity House CBO is in the process of implementing a special education program for girls under the “education booster fund” scheme. Through its network of self-help groups, the organization will introduce a “girl-effect education fund” in its table banking services concept, which will operate as explained above. However, the fund will come from donors to specifically promote education for female children of the group members. Through partnership with the donor community the “girl-effect education” scheme for poverty eradication can become a dream come true. Every year, when the fund produces a 50% growth, numerous girls are bound to benefit from this scheme for a lengthy period of time because the money given as donation stays ‘alive’ and only what it produces goes away to the beneficiary each time.
Channeling education-related funds through such a scheme is not only effective in promoting education but is also secure as there have been many incidents of education funds being misappropriated even at the government level. In other words, the funds will be squarely in the hands of the ‘owners’. It is believed that once the effect is experienced among the beneficiaries in real and practical terms, it will be a matter of time before the same can be rolled out to the group members with a view to encouraging them to consider enrolling in adult education programs as well.
3. Advocacy
Working with girls is not hard, because what one needs to do is, according to the Nike Foundation’s Girl effect, Your Move program, “just aim for this one goal: catching her at the right time”-when a girl becomes an adolescence. And any work setting can accommodate this campaign, including schools of Higher learning as no one is required to begin a new program for girls but fit the same into the work we are doing.
Besides promoting education among girls through the “girl effect education” investment, the advocacy initiative will encourage people at various levels of work to participate in the “girl effect” campaign to keep girls, and the world, on a positive path.
At this moment of transition, we can ensure that the girl’s window of opportunity is not slam shut forever by ensuring that she:
1. does not drop out of school;
2. does not get married;
3. does not become pregnant; and
4. does not get exposed to HIV
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