In pursuit of equity, change only starts with you

Friday was the International Women's Day. It was a moment of deep reflection and stark reminder that Kenya must confront the harsh reality of violence, child marriage and early pregnancies that threaten well-being of women and girls.

It's important to continuously highlight 'empowerment' and 'breaking the cycle' yet we must not allow these terms and declarations to be mere say and devoid of impact.

Is this harsh reality the future the society accepts for women and girls? It is time for action. Girls must be safe at home, at school and in our communities, to secure their future - and that of our nation.

Women are the backbone of our society. We must change mindsets, policies and norms in favour of their protection. Unicef reports that half of Kenya's young population experiences some form of violence, but only a fraction of them report it. Change is in our hands, not international players.

In Kenya, we can make a difference by spreading the 'empowerment' and 'breaking the cycle' targets. The United Nations designated the year 2024's theme as 'Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress' with a focus on addressing economic disempowerment, while the campaign theme for this year was 'Inspire Inclusion.' It highlights the significance of diversity and empowerment across all sectors of society.

We must make these happen. Firstly, empowered communities have the agency to solve the education crisis. Protection starts with access to quality education. It builds young leaders, and individuals with the belief that they can become entrepreneurs, teachers, artists, and parents who raise strong children.

For girls, education provides hope, instead of having their dreams of continuing school diminish - because of poverty, pregnancy, or violence. Each year of secondary school reduces a girl's likelihood of marrying before 18, and educated women are more than twice as likely to send their own children to school. Now that is when we can truly start speaking about 'breaking the cycle'.

There are many barriers to education but where bursaries are provided to cover school fees and cost of uniforms and books, more children remain in school and improve their grades. But, bursaries are hard to come by, with more than 2.5 million children out of school across the country.

That's why the first solution is to nurture our girls to become leaders who inspire and challenge their communities to cover the cost of bursaries and tackle the education crisis. At Shining Hope for Communities (Shofco), we are witnessing this with the 1.5 million members of the Shofco Urban Network (SUN). Women are standing up for rights of others, and with this type of action, we are determined to see the community eliminate poverty-driven school dropouts in primary and secondary schools.

Secondly, let's think holistically, unlike our Western counterparts, because life is more than one thing. Even with a bursary covering school fees, a girl's education can be jeopardised. Contaminated water she fetches for her family can make her ill, while lack of sanitary pads can restrict her movement with dignity. Gender-based violence can further traumatise her, leading her to drop out. Through social groups, we can collectively advocate safe water, and sanitary services and find innovative ways to strengthen systems that protect children.

Finally, boys and men should be gender champions in communities. Violence and lack of access to services are not solely women's issues, they are shared challenges and something boys and men often have to confront in the shadows.

We cannot nurture strong women, without nurturing the whole community to support one another. Young men and women alike have a powerful role to play as gender champions, sending a message of shared humanity and challenging ingrained behaviours in favour of a stronger, more resilient community.

Let's celebrate collective power, not individual or gender power because when we stand together and call for better forms of protection, we will transform Kenya.

The writer is the founder and CEO of Shofco and a member of USAid Advisory Board. X @KennedyOdede