THE GREATNESS OF A PEOPLE

Consolata Lominyo is the Chairperson Isiolo Voice of Women network, a women-led organization right at the heart of Isiolo County advocating for the rights of women and girls and against gender-based violence

“Women’s rights are human rights.” She said. “Female Genital Mutilation/Cut (FGM/C) will only end only if we respect women and allow them to speak for themselves. This is why Isiolo Voice of Women Network exists.”

With the support of ActionAid Kenya, a consortium partner of The Girl Generation-Support to the Africa-led Movement to End FGM/C (TGG_ALM), what began as a Village Saving Loan Association (VSLA) slowly grew into a movement. More groups continued to be formed as more women became interested in the idea and couldn’t be accommodated in the full groups.

TGG-ALM is underpinned by the evidence that social movements must be built from the ground up. Grassroots organisations are in the best position to understand the dynamics of change around FGM/C decision-making, identify key influencers and how best to mitigate against the backlash to change.

Isiolo County is chiefly occupied by nomadic communities and women are tasked to take care of their families as men graze the livestock. The VSLAs provide an avenue for women to generate income. Women are able to channel their savings where they can earn interest, to enable them to buy cattle. VSLA continue to allow women to harness their power and drive sustainable economic growth amongst themselves. The associations provide a voice to women and enable them to air their views and contribute to their affairs; something the community didn’t provide.

JOINING FORCES

“Out of the 24 VSLAs, we felt a need to be under one umbrella; and that is how the Isiolo Voice of Women Network was formed. With the support of Action Aid Kenya, the women have been empowered to know their rights and have been involved in training programs on reproductive health and the effects of FGM/C on their health.”Said Consolata.

“Isiolo Voice of Women Network has a representative from every village out of the 4 wards we are currently in operation. This enables us to penetrate the hard-to-reach areas of Isiolo County. This network has seen an acceleration and and spread of Anti-FGM/C messages amongst the communities.”Added Consolata.

“We continue to create awareness on the effects of FGM/C in our community by bringing different stakeholders as we continue to speak in one voice. We also conduct school mentorship forums for girls and boys and give girls dignity kits. The training we received from Action Aid Kenya opened our minds to understanding case management and referral pathways. We are very vocal about what we stand for.” Consolata emphasises.

Engaging community-led organisations is one of the key pathways to ending FGM/C. We believe that communities play a central role as change agents to shift gender norms associated with the practice of FGM/C.