Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
The activities.
1. Mobilization of stakeholders; government administration, local
leaders, communities/wider population, school and other institutions.
2. Preparation of presentations by school and peer educators.
3. Production of advertisements and printed materials (T- shirts,
posters, pamphlets, invitation card).
4. Stakeholders planning meeting.
5. Presentation of plays, songs, and poems on FGM.
6. Speeches by leaders and elders on culture in relation to FGM.
7. Production of IEC materials on culture and FGM.
8. Presentation of a paper on culture and FGM.
leaders, communities/wider population, school and other institutions.
2. Preparation of presentations by school and peer educators.
3. Production of advertisements and printed materials (T- shirts,
posters, pamphlets, invitation card).
4. Stakeholders planning meeting.
5. Presentation of plays, songs, and poems on FGM.
6. Speeches by leaders and elders on culture in relation to FGM.
7. Production of IEC materials on culture and FGM.
8. Presentation of a paper on culture and FGM.
Objectives
1. To provide an opportunity for leaders to lead the way in denouncing
and affirming their views on contentious issues like FGM.
2. To facilitate an amble time for the development agencies and
advocacy groups to announce their programs, disseminate
information, and provide services as regards FGM and HIV/AIDS.
3. To provide a platform for the young people and victims of FGM and
early marriages, and other practices to publicity announce how
cultural practices affected their lives.
4. To identify, and promote cultural practices that are strength to the
socio-economic well being of the community.
5. To pursue ways of strengthening and preserving cultural aspects
those are asset or strength to the community’s socio-economic
welfare and development agenda.
and affirming their views on contentious issues like FGM.
2. To facilitate an amble time for the development agencies and
advocacy groups to announce their programs, disseminate
information, and provide services as regards FGM and HIV/AIDS.
3. To provide a platform for the young people and victims of FGM and
early marriages, and other practices to publicity announce how
cultural practices affected their lives.
4. To identify, and promote cultural practices that are strength to the
socio-economic well being of the community.
5. To pursue ways of strengthening and preserving cultural aspects
those are asset or strength to the community’s socio-economic
welfare and development agenda.
Statement of the problem
The major shortcoming of the FGM eradication efforts in Samburu
is the silence that characterizes the grassroots efforts. The partners
involved in the campaign have not strongly and out rightly
condemned FGM since their efforts doesn’t involve publicly
denouncing the practice. The government administrators and other
leaders have also assumed a similar silent mode and are not taking
action against the rampant FGM cases all over the District.
As a result their efforts, apart from being uncoordinated have not
produced role models, or provided a safe haven for victims of
FGM. The FGM campaign have not also culminated into an open
forum which brings the whole community and enable them to
assume a collective responsibility of this practice and reflect on
how to deal with it.
FGM eradication efforts have been put in place and are actually
ongoing in Samburu for almost a decade now, since the early
1990s. However, more comprehensive anti – FGM activities and
programs started over the last five years.
A number of players from both the government and non
governmental organizations are carrying out the campaign in the
district. These include a source of local and national NGOs
supported by international organizations including the UN
agencies. Key among these organizations is the Maendeleo ya
wanawake organization, the Christian children’s fund, Samburu
Aid in Africa (SAIDIA), arid lands project, among others. The
ministry of health in the district is also a key stakeholder as the
government department that is charged with the responsibility to
formulate policy guidelines although it has had very little
contribution in terms of implementation of policy issues and
activities.
However, with the long list of actors in the anti – FGM campaign
in the district a more progressive outcome has not been achieved
over the years. In fact the numerous initiatives that were put in
place have interestingly not generated tangible results and
outcomes from its campaigns and programs that were implemented
for over a decade ago.
is the silence that characterizes the grassroots efforts. The partners
involved in the campaign have not strongly and out rightly
condemned FGM since their efforts doesn’t involve publicly
denouncing the practice. The government administrators and other
leaders have also assumed a similar silent mode and are not taking
action against the rampant FGM cases all over the District.
As a result their efforts, apart from being uncoordinated have not
produced role models, or provided a safe haven for victims of
FGM. The FGM campaign have not also culminated into an open
forum which brings the whole community and enable them to
assume a collective responsibility of this practice and reflect on
how to deal with it.
FGM eradication efforts have been put in place and are actually
ongoing in Samburu for almost a decade now, since the early
1990s. However, more comprehensive anti – FGM activities and
programs started over the last five years.
A number of players from both the government and non
governmental organizations are carrying out the campaign in the
district. These include a source of local and national NGOs
supported by international organizations including the UN
agencies. Key among these organizations is the Maendeleo ya
wanawake organization, the Christian children’s fund, Samburu
Aid in Africa (SAIDIA), arid lands project, among others. The
ministry of health in the district is also a key stakeholder as the
government department that is charged with the responsibility to
formulate policy guidelines although it has had very little
contribution in terms of implementation of policy issues and
activities.
However, with the long list of actors in the anti – FGM campaign
in the district a more progressive outcome has not been achieved
over the years. In fact the numerous initiatives that were put in
place have interestingly not generated tangible results and
outcomes from its campaigns and programs that were implemented
for over a decade ago.
Samburu integrated program (SIP)
Samburu district in Northern Kenya is home to a pastoralist
population of 154,000 Samburu, Turkana, Somali ethnic groups.
Samburu form 90% of the population and they keep goats, sheep,
cattle sand camels.
The district is one of the most marginalized in the country with
83% of the population living below the national poverty line. Basic
services on health, education and others are scarce or are totally
lacking in some parts of the district. SIP is a grass root NGO
organization in 2000 that was initiated by the people from Nyiro
and Baragoi division in order to empower and enable the
pastoralist community to identify, address and overcome their
problems with dignity.
The project has supported two primary schools to have access to
clean water, put up class rooms, and initiate income generating
projects. HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is 15.8% and SIP has carried
out community education and the project has successfully
intervened on the male circumcision rite of passage by ensuring
that the community adapts the use of one knife per a boy because
of the risk of transmitting HIV/AIDS. In addressing the high levels
of poverty and pursuing its sustainable development agenda in
samburu SIP draws its operation framework from three key
thematic areas of intervention; namely, emergency response and
poverty reduction, capacity building and development, and health,
water and sanitation.
Guided by the above areas of need in Samburu District SIP has
based its intervention on a strategy to empower the community’s
social institutions and households to overcome their own problems
and improve the standards of living.
population of 154,000 Samburu, Turkana, Somali ethnic groups.
Samburu form 90% of the population and they keep goats, sheep,
cattle sand camels.
The district is one of the most marginalized in the country with
83% of the population living below the national poverty line. Basic
services on health, education and others are scarce or are totally
lacking in some parts of the district. SIP is a grass root NGO
organization in 2000 that was initiated by the people from Nyiro
and Baragoi division in order to empower and enable the
pastoralist community to identify, address and overcome their
problems with dignity.
The project has supported two primary schools to have access to
clean water, put up class rooms, and initiate income generating
projects. HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is 15.8% and SIP has carried
out community education and the project has successfully
intervened on the male circumcision rite of passage by ensuring
that the community adapts the use of one knife per a boy because
of the risk of transmitting HIV/AIDS. In addressing the high levels
of poverty and pursuing its sustainable development agenda in
samburu SIP draws its operation framework from three key
thematic areas of intervention; namely, emergency response and
poverty reduction, capacity building and development, and health,
water and sanitation.
Guided by the above areas of need in Samburu District SIP has
based its intervention on a strategy to empower the community’s
social institutions and households to overcome their own problems
and improve the standards of living.
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