Happy New Year, In this January 2016 Newsletter we begin by
sharing success stories on our work
initiatives and projects across resilience and women rights. The
stories display how AAIK, women, communities, state and non -state
actors have worked together as partners in overcoming various forms
of injustices. Some of these violations include Gender Based
Violence (GBV), exclusion of women in decision making, denial of
land rights to women including access to basic services such as
education, water and health. These human rights denials perpetuate
poverty, exclusion and social vulnerabilities.
The stories of change which you will read in this January Issue
of our Newsletter, has been made possible through our focus around
capacity development among organizations of women and people living
in poverty and exclusion. Some of our approaches to empower our
partners has been through information sharing, community
organizing, mentorship, regular reflections and shared learning,
building networks, enhancing linkages with relevant agencies,
provision of enabling tools of change, sharing of knowledge and
skills around the key thematic areas of our work. In instances
where AAIK has responded to immediate needs, this has been in form
of modelling best practices where lessons have often been shared
with government to inform its programming on policy and practice
particularly around access and accountable delivery of basic
services. The rationale of linking our work to influence policy is
based on our experience in Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) to
development, in which the denial of basic rights is intricately
inter -linked with neo -liberal government
opportunities as a an economic cost rather than a social
investment in advancing human rights. The lack of many just and
equitable policies and legislations and the failure to implement
the few existing enabling frameworks is the major structural cause
of poverty, inequality, exclusion and substantially complicates the
fight against various forms of injustices. For years
-liberal narrative by model-ling best practices with the demand
side and then engage the supply side of govern-ment in show casing
modelled best practices and in championing for policies and laws
that have been proven to promote and protect the rights of women
and people living in
litical space, securing land rights for women in community land
and enhancing ena-bling environment for enhanced access to basic
services including building the resili-ence of communities in
disasters and emergencies. In terms of influencing government
programing around the delivery of basic services, we have
demonstrated how women and people living in poverty and exclusion
can effectively participate and enrich decision making processes,
foster accountability and oversight in service delivery. Even with
limited resources, we have further demonstrated value for money in
delivering high impact results to women and people living in
poverty by mobilising for solutions with those who are directly
impacted by the human rights violations. It is my hope that you
will find this Issue inspiring as you start your new year. Kenyatta
Maitha - Head of Policy and Campaigns
PUBLISHED BY:
ActionAid Kenya
Editorial team
Beth Njeri-Communications
Officer
- Commu-
nications Manager
Kenyatta Maitha-Head of
Policy and Campaign
Design by:
Beth Njeri-Communications
Officer
Contributors
Maryanne Thairu
Fundraising Assisstant
-
improved both socially and economically. We can now afford to
buy
food, access medication in government facilities and save for
our
opportunity to address our challenges, learn new farming
methods, articulate women issues in
the best way, discuss financial challenges as we save the little
we have, leadership roles and
