PANDEMIC IMPACTING GIRLS' RIGHTS, FUTURES

Due to the pandemic, Kenya has recently extended school closings until at least January 2021. Extended school closure is widely linked to a rise in Kenyan teen pregnancy.

According to a recent Kenya Demographic and Health survey, county-level teen pregnancies are as high as 40 percent in Narok County and 33 percent in Homa Bay County and consistently up throughout the country.

Related crimes against girls including Gender-Based Violence (GBV), child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) are also reported to be on the rise.

Kenya Works is empowering girls as pandemic shutdowns take a disproportionate toll on their lives and futures.

Kenya Works is rapidly responding to this human rights crisis with a new Girls Mentorship Workshop we are conducting in partnership with community organizations and government gender officials.

This month, we have reached 2,000 people in seven communities with a high incidence of teen pregnancy, crossing the country from east to west, and another two sessions will be held this week. We are focusing on protecting girls’ health, rights and education. We bring communities together around the idea that violating girls’ rights is illegal and immoral while protecting girls’ rights is critical to the long-term prosperity of the entire community.

At these events, we also distribute our Kenya Works reusable sanitary pads and family food staples.

In the words of our program coordinator Caroline Gitau:

“We won’t stop until all girls have the future they dream of.”

We thank our Kenya Works donors for making this work possible and lifting the futures and opportunities for Kenyan girls. Please help us grow the reach of our empowerment workshops with a donation today.

First Lady of Kajiado County Edna Lenku addresses over 350 participants on July 22, 2020, at a Kenya Works Girls Mentorship Workshop.