Women and Girls Empowerment Programs

Alice Visionary Foundation Project’s main objective for women and girls is to educate and empower them to become agents of change in their communities. This is done by focusing on education needs, safety needs, skills transfer and psychosocial support activities through community counseling, Gender Based Violence Education and prevention programs.

The Women and Girls Empowerment Program ensures that participating women and girls realize, enjoy, and capitalize on their full potential and that of their families. AVFP operates within Kisumu County with their office in Amilo village, North East Kano location in Muhoroni Sub-County.

Groups Savings and Loan Program

This is a community-managed, micro-finance project that builds the capacity of the community to work in small groups to mobilize savings and to access loans from personal savings, with no external funding. This allows for increased women’s economic empowerment thus improving the health status of women, their families and enhancing the families’ living standards. It also involves educating women on selection, planning and management of Income Generating Activities (IGAs) to enable them to select suitable IGAs, plan for the execution of IGAs, and manage their businesses. The program started in 2014 and was initially supported by donations from WomenStrong International and AVFP USA.

Activities:

Trainings on Group Savings and Loan (GS&L) Model
Training on Selection, Planning and the Management of income generating activities (IGAs)
Linking savings groups to formal financial institutions

Achievements:

489 individuals in the urban and 125 individuals in the rural have been trained and are currently active in the GS&L methodology, and are now financially included – i.e. have increased access to financial services.
405 participants in urban and 85 women participants in the rural are investing in IGAs and therefore have stabilized and diversified income sources.
Enhanced “consumption smoothing” (women now have increased economic stability and are able to pay expenses such as bills, food, clothing, healthcare, and school fees).
Enhanced acquisition of household assets.
Ability to make Improvements of their homes.
Enhanced financial decision-making abilities.
18 groups in the urban and 8 groups in the rural are accessing saving products.
Approximately 239 participants have opened and are running individual bank accounts.

Gender Based Violence Training

AVFP seeks to increase awareness on Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases. About 252 GS&L members have been trained on GBV issues ranging from forms of GBV to consequences of GBV and referral sources.

After the trainings, a local referral system was established to support GBV survivors known as GBV Community Action Group (CAG) which consists of 46 members.

The members of the GBV CAG have been trained on the provisions of Psychosocial Care and Support (PSS). They are currently handling, reporting, and supporting GBV survivors within their communities.

Girls Empowerment Clubs

AVFP Empowerment Clubs

AVFP reaches the community through the schools by forming Girls’ and Boys’ Empowerment Clubs within the schools. AVFP currently works with Minyange, Amilo, Ogwodo and Nyakoko primary schools in Kabar East, Kabar Central and Sidho East 1 Sub-location in Muhoroni sub-County in which there are 140 AVFP Empowerment club members consisting of 120 girls and 20 boys. The club members of ages between 10 to 17 years, (class/grade 4 to 7), are recruited through their class teachers and trained on Life Skills and Human Rights by facilitators in their own schools. The children are also mentored into young leadership roles through the AVFP Empowerment clubs. Upon graduation the girls are then transitioned into the Teens’ Clubs.

This program has affected over 600 girls whereby more children report having increased self-esteem. More children also demonstrate improved confidence and leadership skills, therefore more are in leadership positions within the schools. In addition, girls are also reporting better overall exam scores.

The school Board of Management (BOM), parents, and teachers in schools where AVFP works are provided with Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting training in order to ensure safety for the children. Over a period of 3 years, 124 adults (including teachers, parents and community leaders) have been trained in methods of non-violent communication and discipline with children in an effort to increase general knowledge about children’s Human Rights. Through this there are reduced cases of physical violence and corporal punishments reported within the schools and community

AVFP Teen Clubs

The Teens Club consists of about 264 members with ages ranging from 13 to 19 years old. The Teens are categorized into two groups depending on their ages: 13 to 15 years are 150 in number, and 16 to 19 year olds are 114 in number. They undergo various trainings such as Life Skills and Career Counselling.

AVFP Teens Club members meet during school holidays (due to most of them being in boarding schools) and are expected to support each other by speaking up in matters affecting their lives, such as reproductive health issues and become great leaders. To build girls leadership capabilities, girls with leadership skills are led through a mentorship program.

Currently ten teens have been identified and have been trained on mentorship so that they can become leaders to other teens. In 2018, the Teens Club members will be trained on Human Rights whereby they will be able to learn about prevention, protection, and where to seek support or report cases of violations to the Community Counsellor for further support.