Kenya
Five projects creating fairer chances for women and fighting to end the female genital mutilation.
Our work in Kenya
Our area of operations in the southwest Kenya is one of the poorest in the world. Among the Kisii community, as much as 96 % of women have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM).
Overall, the status of women within the communities is poor and gender-based violence is common. Our main focus in the area is to improve the circumstances of women.
We fight to make communities more equitable, to prevent harmful practices and violence against women and girls (specifically FGM), and to empower women entrepreneurs.
Preventing violence against women and girls
Social and moral norms upholding harmful practices and VAWG must be challenged by trusted people with authority. ISF sensitizes moral duty bearers and encourages them to raise their voice against harmful practices and VAWG (violence against women and girls).
ISF also aspires changes in legal norms to address impunity that is a major factor upholding VAWG. ISF sensitizes judicial duty bearers about VAWG, and supports them to establish and enforce coordination mechanisms, policies, and action plans.
Promoting women’s livelihood
Women often manage their livelihoods in isolation, which prevents them from risk sharing and unlocking the potential of joint investments and contracting, as well as participation in multi-actor development and innovation processes.
ISF supports women to organise in self-help-groups, cooperatives, and other collective business models, and strengthens their capacity to lead and manage these groups. It improves women’s access to training, advisory services and technology, and increases their participation in problem solving forums.
Our key documents
Our projects in Kenya
International Solidarity Foundation (ISF) – Muungano Gender Forum
ISF’s Muungano Gender Forum is a multisectoral platform for discussing women’s rights in Kisii and Nyamira counties. In 2022-25, it has two main components: weekly grassroot dialogues in altogether 11 rural locations and cooperation with Kisii and Nyamira County Governments to coordinate civil society organizations’
efforts to promote women’s rights.
Read more about Muungano Gender Forum from here.
Centre for Community Mobilisation and Empowerment (CECOME) – Shielding women and girls’ rights
The project aims to reduce partner violence and FGM in three sub-locations in Kisii county by mobilizing key moral and judicial
duty bearers, addressing impunity and providing nonviolent alternatives to harmful practices. The community dialogues organized by the Muungano Gender Forum will also complement CECOME project activities.
Manga Health Education African Resource Team (Manga HEART) –Promoting women and girls’ prosperity
The project aims to reduce FGM and partner violence in two sub-locations in Nyamira county by mobilizing key moral and judicial duty bearers, addressing impunity and providing nonviolent alternatives to harmful practices. The community dialogues organized by the Muungano Gender Forum will also complement Manga HEART project activities.
Nyamira North Women Savings and Credit Cooperative (NNWS) – Building capacities of NNWS women farmers for sustainable livelihoods
The project improves NNWS’s operational and commercial capacity and its members’ knowledge, skills and networks in selected value chains. The project builds collaboration with experts and other businesses for value addition of women’s production and improves women’s access to livelihood resources such as land, water, technology and finance. The project also includes activities to reduce violence against women and girls.
Bosinya Women’s Community-based Organization (BWCBO) – Improving BWCBO women farmers’ livelihood resilience
The project strengthens women’s capacity to lead and manage their own business collective, increases women’s access to skills development and innovation processes, and improves women’s access to productive inputs and markets. The project also includes activities to reduce violence against women and girls.
