gender democracy

On July 25th, 2024, the Heinrich Böll Foundation in partnership with the Young Women's Leadership Institute (YWLI) hosted a pivotal Gender Forum at the Heinrich Böll Foundation's Nairobi office to raise raising awareness about femicide in Kenya

On May 17, 2024, INEND celebrated the groundbreaking of their Forever Home in Shanzu, Mombasa. This new center symbolizes a brighter, more inclusive future for the LGBTQ community. As long-serving partners at Heinrich Boell Foundation, Nairobi, we were honoured to be part of this great milestone

A few weeks ago, we organized the inaugural Gender Forum to coincide with International Women's Month. In collaboration with Aduda Hera, a talented actress, producer, and filmmaker, we screened the poignant short film "Shee." This film delves into the intricacies of love, trust, and communication within a same-sex relationship. Aduda, the creative force behind the film, shared her motivations and insights into sparking meaningful conversations beyond mere storytelling.

“Feminism in Pictures” is the result of a collaboration with seven incredible feminist illustrators from Brazil, Iran, India, Georgia, Pakistan, Turkiye, and Kenya for the Global Feminist Pitch 2023. These graphic novels are evidence of the continuing streams of feminist resistance and resilience in diverse global contexts.

Only 24% representation in national politics, less than 10% as student body presidents. Badili Africa, in collaboration with Heinrich Boll Foundation, tackles this gap, focusing on sexual harassment's role in hindering female leadership. Their partnership with JKUAT aims to revamp sexual harassment policies, shedding light on gaps and proposing solutions. From dissecting SGBV terminology to addressing emerging e-violence, they navigate complexities, emphasizing consent's paramount role. The call to action includes holistic awareness campaigns, annual training, gender desks, investigation committees, and supporting victims in creating safe spaces.

Kabarak University and Heinrich Boell Foundation published a book dubbed “Decentralisation and inclusion in Kenya: From pre-colonial times to the first decade of devolution”. The publication is a result of a research that evaluated the first era of devolution (2012 – 2022). The critical focus on devolution and its impact on minority groups.

The consequences of patriarchy ripple  through all levels and corners of society. We are aware of the consequences and unaware of others. Patriarchy is defined as a social or political system that has chosen to identify men as superior to women. This enables an unjust system that promotes violence against the latter gender in all spaces, be it at home, the workplace, streets, online or even inside religions. Patriarchy serves men with toxic entitlement towards women. 

Social justice is getting more complex as injustices keep emerging and the world develops. This is in comparison to the 19th century, during the civil revolution where social justice only aimed to create more egalitarian societies and capitalised exploitation of human labour.

Domestic workers enter the sphere of private lives of others, where they perform essential care work in conditions that are mostly unregulated and hidden from public view. In the process, they tend to face inhumane treatment. The disturbing part is that this abuse is normalised and accepted by a society that sympathises with the ‘discomfort of  wealthy and middle-class people who experience ‘intruding witnesses’ in their homes.