European Union Funded Grassroots Initiative Against Gender Based Violence

EU-Funded High School Engagement Campaign
Against Gender Based Violence

Gender-Based Violence in Kenya is alarmingly high, with 45% of women aged 15-49 having experienced either physical or sexual violence.

Kisii County faces significant challenges. According to a study by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the prevalence of GBV in Kisii is higher than the national average, with domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of GBV being common.

Through an EU-funded grassroots initiative, Wake na Vijana Initiatives sought to address the prevelance of GBV in Kisii county through an engagement campaign against GBV that targeted four schools in Nyamasibi ward, Kisii county.

Targeting high schools in this region is crucial as it provides a platform to shape young minds and foster a culture of respect and equality.

Project Highlights

Introductory Workshops About GBV, its Forms, Examples, Perpetrators and Impact.

The EU-funded grassroots initiative began with an interactive workshops at St. Luke Ekware, Mogweko, Sasati and Moreremi secondary schools in Nyamasibi, Kisii County. Titled “Gaki Tegerera!” (a Kisii phrase for “please listen”), these workshops were the first of four activities designed to create awareness about GBV. The students actively engaged in discussions about various forms of GBV, sharing their experiences and exploring ways to recognize and prevent abusive behaviors. The workshop provided a safe space for students to express their thoughts and learn about the importance of respectful relationships.

Expert and Survivor Engagement About Impact and Support Services Available

For the second activity, we believed that it was important for the students to have a first hand account from a gender based violence survivor and experts so they could learn about its impact and the resources available to survivors.

Mary, a TV host at Getembe TV shared about her childhood encounter with Gender Based Violence where she was forced to undergo Female Genital Mutilation and her story of triumph as a survivor of domestic violence.

Then, Jairus Kibagendi, a psychologist who is also the Co-Founder and Executive Director of A Million Hugs created awareness about the impact of gender based violence on mental health and psychosocial support resources available to survivors within Kisii county.

There’s a popular saying that “ignorance is not a legal defense.” To ensure that the student community did not fall into that pitfall and to encourage them to create awareness to survivors and perpetrators of GBV within their communities, we invited Cynthia from It Is Well to educate the students about the legal implications of GBV and the legal resources available for survivors locally and nationally.

Peer Advocate Training

To ensure sustainability and continuity of our awareness campaign, we engaged with prospective Gender Based Violence awareness peer advocates from Sasati, Moreremi, Mogwe, and St. Luke Ekware Secondary Schools, through a capacity building session aimed at equipping them with skills that would be essential in their role as peer advocates and educators against Gender-Based Violence.

Through interactive sessions that included individual and group discussions, the students shared their perspectives on crucial attributes of peer educators such as good listening skills, and confidentiality. The students openly discussed some challenges they expected to face in the role and the best way to address them. This capacity building session was an essential component of our EU-funded grassroots initiative against Gender Based Violence as it will ensure sustainability of the initiative through their continued advocacy.

Gender Based Violence Awareness Competition

“… GBV, I stand against it. The use of drugs like alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana are the major causes of conflict in households. When parents fight, the children are the ones who suffer. Conflicts at home cause broken families…”

this is an excerpt of a poem recited by Zeblon and Felix, students at Mogweko secondary school. Watch more in the video above.

It was one of the entries performed at Mogweko Secondary School in March as the third and final part of our EU-funded grassroots initiative against Gender-Based Violence.

For this activity, students participated in a GBV awareness competition where through poetry, drama, dance, art, music and spoken word, they showcased their talent and understanding of GBV, its forms, causes, impact, among others.

All participants in the four schools were awarded with certificates of participation while those who took the top three positions received a variety of awards including backpacks, keyholders, among others.

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