Child.org and SI Canterbury Club put together a
proposal for the SIGBI Federation Project 2016-2019. Shortlisted to the final three out of seventeen,
the three projects were invited to present at the SIGBI conference in Glasgow.
A vote followed and the Meru Women’s
Garden Project was selected as the SIGBI Federation Project for 2016-2019.
A collaboration between Child.org, Soroptimist International
of Great Britain and Ireland and the women of Meru, the Project will run for
three years, with SIGBI Clubs joining forces to raise funds in support of some the
poorest women-led households in Kenya.
Patricia Gatherum, SIGBI
Federation Project Liaison explains: “SIGBI members were looking for a Federation project that ticked the Educate, Enable and Empower boxes. The Meru
Women’s Garden Project does just that and more. It will leave a Legacy by
creating change that lasts. The project will Educate women to produce food
efficiently. Enable them to generate their own income; and it will Empower them
by giving them a voice in their own community.”
With a population of 136,000, the Meru District is in
Tigania East. 90% of the population live in rural areas, with HIV/AIDs prevalent
in the region. Entirely focused on providing opportunities to women and girls
who may never otherwise be given the chance to earn an income, the Project seeks
to give them status within their community, and fully embraces the three key
areas at the heart of SIGBI’s Programme Focus Goals – Educate, Empower and Enable. Improved food production and
education will support women and girls to transform their own lives and the
lives of others, through a process of cascade learning and mentoring, inevitably
reducing poverty, improving health and increasing rates of employment.
The Meru Women’s Garden Project will be run on the ground by
Community Initiative for Rural Development (CIFORD), and overseen by Child.org.
CIFORD is inspirationally led by Margaret Ikiara, a member of SI Meru. With 27
years of experience in husbandry, agricultural economics, teaching and
community development, Margaret is dedicated to improving the lives of women in
her home region of Meru.
Educating women and increasing skills regarding efficient,
organic methods for food production is the aim of the project. In order to
raise the standard of living above the poverty line, reducing extreme hunger,
women will be given the tools to become self-sufficient through sustainable
gardens at home.
The transformational project will focus on increasing girls’
attendance and achievement in secondary school. By creating breakfast clubs and
sustainable food gardens, the girls will not go hungry and will therefore be better
able to learn. Empowering through education, engaging women and girls with
leadership skills to take on training and mentoring roles will help them find a
voice within their community, gain the respect of elders and others, achieving
equal representation, and be in a position to take on more prominent roles.
By enabling women as heads of household to create their own
employment through growing and selling their crops, or as tutors and mentors, it
is hoped that the project will significantly reduce extreme poverty by enabling
and promoting income generating activities. Patricia concludes: “The project will be overseen on site by the
Meru Soroptimists in partnership with the charity Child.org, who will work
ceaselessly to fulfil its objectives. Together
we are transforming the prospects of women and girls in the Meru community”.
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