Centre for Community Mobilisation and Empowerment (CECOME)

CECOME’s primary focus is on preventing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), as well as promoting young women’s leadership in the Kisii community.

The project aims to reduce partner violence and FGM in Kisii County by mobilizing key moral and judicial duty bearers, addressing impunity and providing nonviolent alternatives to harmful practices. Communication activities such as IEC materials, social media posts, radio and TV programs, blogs, press releases and opinion articles complement and contribute to the project’s Annex 1: ISF project descriptions 2024 overall success. The project also includes activities to strengthen CECOME’s knowledge and skills in promoting women’s livelihood resilience, utilizing expertise from ISF local livelihood partners.

Muungano Gender Forum (see above) will complement the project through grassroots dialogues organized in the CECOME target communities, through improved county-level coordination of CSO efforts to mitigate violence against women and girls, and by supporting the implementation of Kisii Costed Action Plan to end FGM.

The main development processes in 2024 are as follows:

• 15 local administrators, including paralegals, village elders, Mijikumi leaders, and chiefs, will receive training and skills on partner violence and FGM. Bi-monthly outreaches will be conducted to create a platform for conversations between the local administrators and community members for issues affecting them. In addition, there will be sporting events and follow-up sessions to increase the community’s trust in the local administrators. trained healthcare professionals organize open barazas to educate community members about the harmful effects of partner violence and FGM. The project will collaborate with the Children’s Department to strengthen the Area Advisory Council, and reporting and follow-up mechanisms for cases of FGM, partner violence and other forms of violence.
• CECOME is committed to providing bi-annual refresher trainings for religious leaders on partner violence and FGM. There will be monthly church outreach sessions targeting specific religious groups and quarterly feedback and follow-up sessions with the trained groups. In addition, interchurch exchange sessions with other churches will be organized, and the sensitized religious leaders will be engaged in communication activities such as podcasts and radio talk shows.
• The project will offer refresher training for peer club leaders and Alternative Rite of Passage (ARP) facilitators who conduct regular club sessions, monthly reporting, and feedback sessions. The project team meets with selected teachers twice a year to help them support the peer leaders. 60 pupils from the 9 schools who are not in the peer influencers clubs will be sensitized. The project also includes school sensitization workshops, joint parent-child dialogues, ARP workshops, graduation ceremonies, and parenting skills sessions. Moreover, International Human Rights days are marked, and ARP follow-up sessions held. In addition, there are radio talk shows, bulk messaging, safe space forums, and programs to coach boys to men.
• To raise awareness of gender-based violence, CECOME will work in conjunction with the County, the Anti-FGM Board, and other stakeholders through gender sector working groups, networking outings, and meetings of the Area Advisory Council. For instance, appropriate International UN Days, such as FGM Day, International Day of the Girl Child, International Women’s Day, 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, and International Day of the Rural Women, will be observed.