Gender Equality and Women Empowernment
We advocate for gender equality and women’s empowerment as one of our pillars. This principle encompasses the pursuit of a society where all individuals, regardless of gender, are afforded equal rights, opportunities, and access to resources and decision-making processes. It involves actively challenging and addressing systemic discrimination, biases, and inequalities that women and girls encounter in areas such as education, employment, healthcare, politics, and social norms.
The initiatives that we have carried out under Gender Equality and Women Empowerment pillar have been;
The Safe and Friendly Cities for All (SAFCA) Initiative
The Safe and Friendly Cities for All (SAFCA) Initiative was a pilot project on urban safety that was implemented in 8 cities worldwide, including Nairobi City. The project was carried out in partnership with UNICEF, UN Habitat, and UN Women, with the objective of seeking support and spearheading partnerships with municipal leaders and local community organizations. The project focused on various aspects of urban planning, management, budgeting, and responsive governance structures to ensure the empowerment and safety of women, youth, and children.
In partnership with Action Aid Kenya and funded under DFID, AYT Mukuru implemented a project in the informal settlements of Nairobi, which was titled 'Increasing safety, mobility, access to justice, and improving gender-responsive public spaces for vulnerable women and girls living in cities'. The project aimed to organize women and girls to collectively challenge Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in public spaces. It also sought to demand state accountability and action for gender-responsive policies and public services.
She Can Project
Young Women in Governance
In partnership with UN Women, AYT implemented the 'Young Women in Governance' (YWIG) project. The project aimed to actively involve young women in governance and development matters. YWIG was piloted in Nairobi, Kiambu, and Machakos Counties.
The program's goal is to prioritize women's economic empowerment (WEE) nationally by translating and packaging evidence on WEE into clear policy requests. This will be accomplished through the mobilization of local advocacy organizations that will champion policy change in Kenya. The program also aims to create and sustain coalitions among advocacy organizations that work on WEE by linking them to research and supporting the conversion of evidence into policy action. Moreover, the program will evaluate the impact of these endeavors.