Seeking equality for the girl-child

Seeking equality for the girl-child

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Winsley Masese

On her list, sanitary towels, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), early marriages, and gender violence, top the list of what has derailed girls from achieving what they are capable of. This gives the girls a tilted competitive edge when pitted against the boys.

And Mercy Musomi, the Executive Director of Girl Child Network (GCN), cites especially the issue of sanitary pads, which she says many people shy away from addressing.

Musomi says that only two out of every five school-going girls can access sanitary towels, leaving the rest facing challenges.

After the introduction of Free Primary Education (FPE), GCN carried a research to establish whether girls and boys attended school on equal measure. And although there was remarkable improvement in enrolment, she argues that girls hardly stayed in school for long.

"It was for this reason that I conceptualised the idea of distributing these essentials to the needy girls, and in the process winning for myself the title, Mama Sanitary," she explains.

Mostly affected are rural girls who are thus forced to stay at home for about four days before going back to school, during their menstrual flow.

"If asked by their teachers where they were during this period, they are forced to lie because they have no way of explaining," she says.

Musomi, (far right), with girls at Komotobo Church, Kuria West District, who had opted for alternative rites of passage. The Girl Child Network donated sanitary towels and other basic requirements to the girls. At the centre is Florence Annan, a programme officer with the organisation. {Photos: Winsley Masese/Standard}

Those who cannot afford to buy sanitary towels resort to diverse methods, ranging from old pieces of cloth or used blankets to tissue paper or just remaining indoors to contain it. Some from poorer areas like Narok and Kajiado use tree leaves smeared with cow dung thus compromising on their health.

It is estimated that an average girl loses more than a month of every year of school.

"This is the reason behind the poor enrolment of girls in schools, especially those from disadvantaged families."

Musomi understood the importance of school attendance, especially in Kenya where performance in school usually dictates people’s place in society. Equal opportunity was the only way to make sure that the girls are not left behind while the boys soared up. And yet, the problem was out of a biological difference between the genders but still manageable.

Providing the pads and mobilising others to join in was the only way she would ensure girls remained in school throughout the month.

Sanitary towels for all

So far, her organisation has assisted over 385,000 girls to access sanitary towels.

"We also reach to girls who can afford the sanitary towels to share them with those from disadvantaged backgrounds," she says.

Girl Child Network lobbied with other stakeholders to ensure that the Government does something towards solving this problem. Their efforts bore fruit when the Government waived tax on sanitary towels. However, the organisation still wants more done.

"We must remain in the quest until the prices are lowered to prices that are friendly to the girl in marginalised areas. It is the duty of every government to ensure that all her citizens irrespective of gender enjoy basic rights. Part of our campaign has involved teaching the young girls about their rights, which they ought to enjoy," Musomi says.

The Executive Director has been successful at identifying advocacy issues as a powerful voice on girls’ issues in Kenya. She has mobilised material and human resource, lobbied to end gender based violence against women and children and facilitated dialogue and empowerment of the youth with special emphasis on the girl-child.

When recently over 300 girls ran away from their villages in Kuria to avoid forced circumcision, Musomi visited them in the churches in which they sought refuge.

"The decision by the girls to run should not be misconstrued to mean that they defy their parents. These girls are aware of their rights and are saying no to violence meted against them. It does not matter that it is their parents leading them to such torture," she says.

She also made sure to speak about the rights of every woman and girl to make decisions that affect their life.

Musomi addresses the girls from Komotobo Church.

Her visit to the District in December last year was a kind of homecoming. She had previously worked there with the Kenya Alliance for advancement of Children. Back then, she had used clubs in schools to reach out to the youth, where issues affecting them were discussed.

"Those who participated learnt invaluable lessons about their role in the society, if they are given a chance to prove their worth," she recalled.

It was after her stint there that she joined the Girl Child Network in 1995, as the Executive Director, a position she holds to date.

Musomi argues that it is in the interest of everyone that the girl-child is protected. Women, she argues, are the moulders of society and, therefore, they must be nurtured with care.

Community can help

"Girls that are married off early often find it difficult to raise their children. And once the children go to school, they might not be able to assist them with homework if need be. This way, it becomes difficult to break the vicious cycle of poverty."

To assist the girl-child to rise up and stand on her own, because she can, Musomi says communities must shed off some of the cultural practices, which she says have confined many women in a state of hopelessness.

"Girls can achieve much if their self-esteem is boosted by ensuring that they receive equal opportunities. There are no heights a woman cannot attain," she says.

Musomi is a member of Saidia, a community based organisation, which assists the less fortunate in the society. She hopes that the government will one day consider creating centres from which the less fortunate can receive basic amenities.

Musomi attended Kanyakine Primary School, in Meru, where she sat for her CPE in 1972. When she lost her mother, her grandmother, Irene Kianda, stood as a pith encouraging her on.

"My grandmother urged me not to sleep but do something, encouraging me that I had the potential to perform just as good as the boys," she explains.

After her primary school, she was admitted to Kabine Commercial Technical School, where she sat for her Form Four in 1975.

"My father, who never married a second wife after my mother died, took me to Siriba Teachers College," she says.

She taught for a few years after graduation before she enrolled at the United States International University (USIU), for a Diploma in Psychology.

After graduating, she worked at Mwangaza College up to 1989, after which she left to practice as a counsellor.

Musomi now aims at mentoring girls to be leaders from their formative years, ostensibly to make decisions.

"Girls and women can only be said to be truly equal to boys and men if they can decide for themselves," she says.

The mother of four hails Kajiado North MP, Katito Ole Metito and Loitoktok DC, George Otieno, for their relentless fight to eliminating inhibitive cultural practices. She believes that all must be involved for the war against discrimination to succeed.

Musomi has also been involved in similar projects in Somalia, though she admits FGM is a deeply rooted cultural practice among the Muslim community. She hopes they too will stop it with time. And looking back, she says tremendous steps towards eradication of the practice have been made, but says there is a long way to go in ending violence against women and girls.