Women Empowerment and Leadership
The initiative Women Voice and Leadership Project Kenya will be implemented over a five-year period by CARE and its implementation partners in Kenya. This initiative aims to contribute to gender equality and the increased enjoyment of human rights by women and girls in Kenya by improving the governance, management, programming, and sustainability of local women rights organizations (WRO), enhancing their ability to deliver quality services, and increasing the effectiveness of Kenyan women rights platforms. The objectives of this project directly feed into Global Affairs Canada Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) and its overall Women Voice and Leadership program, complimenting other projects by demonstrating and documenting good practice in WRO convening and accompaniment, by building intergenerational alliances within the women rights movement in Kenya, by incorporating aspects of feminist monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL), and by showcasing innovative and sustainable methods of supporting and reviving WROs at a particular phase of a social movement.
The initiative has been designed to be implemented under the leadership of WRO themselves, offering space for them to determine key priorities, selection processes, results, and will remain flexible to the needs of the Kenyan women rights movement. While key results will be contingent on the needs and priorities of Kenyan WRO as they arise throughout the project duration, it is estimated that 120 national and sub-national WROs throughout Kenya will benefit from funding, capacity building and network support provided by Kenyan implementing partners with extensive networks and members. In addition, 230 women/girl leaders will participate in intergenerational fora. The project will offer the following:
1. Multi-year Funding: Uraia Trust and CREAW will provide multi-year grants to approximately 25 local WROs each (total of 50) to implement their own programming through calls for proposals.
2. Fast Responsive Funding: Depending on need and demand, it is anticipated that an estimated 70 WROs will received grants via UAF Africa to respond nimbly to urgent women rights issues or unforeseen events where strategic action is needed quickly.
3. Institutional Capacity Building: Uraia Trust and CREAW will support the implementation of this pillar with their respective 25 multi-year grantees each.
4. Network and Alliance Building: Under the coordination of CRAWN Trust, over 230 women will participate in an annual inter-generational women and girls rights forum, with the aim of consolidating the women movement at the national, county, and grassroots level. CRAWN Trust will also provide spaces for WROs to identify and revive existing networks, create alliances, partnerships and coordination platforms at national, county and sub-county levels to champion various issues of gender equality and women empowerment.
5. Support to the partners: Recognizing that the 4 implementing partners Uraia Trust, CREAW, UAF Africa, and CRAWN Trust may have different gaps in their capacity that they wish to work on, the project will also support them with capacity assessments, organisational development planning, capacity building, accompaniment, facilitation, mentorship, and organisational development/capacity support.