President Uhuru Kenyatta was the chief guest at the recently held MYWO annual general meeting, where UNFPA partnered with the organization to sensitize over 760 delegates on the 17 commitments made by Kenya during the ICPD+25 Nairobi Summit last year. “I am happy to note that Maendeleo Ya Wanawake is working in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the First Lady's Beyond Zero initiative on matters of maternal healthcare at the grassroot level. huge boost for our Big Four Pillar of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), “ said President Kenyatta.
President Kenyatta lauded Maendeleo Ya Wanawake as pioneers in the fight against Female Genital Mutilation, being the first organization to roll-out alternative rites of passage that protected girls from FGM. “Your efforts as an organization and other like-minded organizations, made it easier for the Government of Kenya to enact the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act (2007) and established the Anti-FGM Board,” added President Kenyatta.
The women of MYWO remain critical partners in advocating for the delivery of Kenya’s ICPD25 commitments, particularly on the elimination of FGM by 2022, the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence, and the elimination of preventable maternal and newborn mortality. UNFPA Kenya representative Dr Ademola Olajide called on the women of MYWO to work towards changing the national narrative around gender equality and in particular, the attitudes and values of men and boys in regards to the respect of the rights of women and girls. “As we strive to build back better and move towards the ICPD25 commitments, the programs that the government has put in place and the empowerment initiatives of the MYWO will be catalyzed when we are able to create a core group of bys and men who perceive women and girls as equal partners in society and equal partners in nation building,” said Dr Olajide.
Delegates congregated at various Kenya School of Government campuses in Nairobi, Baringo, Mombasa and Embu joined a virtual plenary session on the ICPD25 commitments, led by UNFPA Gender advisor Caroline Murgor. The session featured an in-depth look at the 17 Kenya ICPD25 commitments and the role of women in advocating for the mainstreaming of the commitments at the county level. “Maendeleo Ya Wanawake has an established network at the grassroot level that can form strong surveillance systems to protect women and girls in communities across the country from FGM,” said Murgor.
With a better understating of the country’s ICPD25 commitments, the women return to their constituencies as active champions and agents of change in advocating for better health and development outcomes for women and girls in Kenya.
