“Dada” refers to a girl/woman, and “Husika” means to be involved in the Swahili language.
Hillary Omondi: Husika Dada is an advocacy platform for young women and girls in and out of school in Siaya county, Kenya. We started with a youth parliament, a mixture of male and female youth in the community. However, from experience, it was sometimes a challenge for women and girls to contribute to discussions. We then decided on a platform for young women and girls only, a safe space, to come up with solutions. We are using that platform for other peers in society, transforming our community into pro-women. It adopts the parliamentary structure, where they are speakers, leaders, minutes, honourable members, and security issues responsible/orders in the debates. Membership is voluntary, and the common objective is empowering girls and young women and exploring issues.
In the sessions, the community issues affecting young women and girls are discussed as other topics about economic empowerment. Although problems often cut across, they often are intersectional. The members document evidence about Gender-based Violence, education, and menstrual hygiene, and then they can discuss it and create solutions that work best for them. The solutions can be shared by forums organised by Hillary’s organisation, Siaya Muungano Network, and other partners.
Social responsibility/accountability: In-school sessions are where peer education sessions are being held to get to know what is happening in the schools and what is affecting girls. The vision is a society where women and girls equally participate in decision-making. There are thirty members, and the initiative is also being piloted in two other sub-counties.
Shirleen Otieno: Husika Dada platform is a women-only inclusive platform focusing on disabled women in the community. A monthly session is held so they can learn to create their independent socio-economic systems. We go to a school and have a session with the girls, monitor them for progress, and create a safe space to share the issues they cannot communicate with their parents at home. As an organisation, we provide training opportunities around advocacy and media. We also offer linkages for communities who need access to this—especially providing training for women who present leadership skills, not only in political platforms but also in school boards or other communal spaces where decisions are made.
What are the advocacy results of the initiative?
- Husika Dada creates access; Membership is voluntary, driven by passion but also by inequality factors such as gender-based violence. It gives young women a safe space and builds on the courage and morale of their colleagues. It is open to all, without discrimination of age or status in the community. Women’s voices are the fuel behind Husika Dada.
- Economic empowerment; most of them have small initiatives that put money in women’s pockets. The members of Husika Dada participate in public sessions and memorandums and submit things that work for women and girls in healthcare systems, agriculture systems, community practices and so on. One of the lessons we have learned is that giving space to women and girls is building engagement and creating ideas and solutions/recommendations. The economic empowerment of women is a gift that keeps on giving. Being able to bargain for yourself in different areas of life starts with empowerment. Young women can follow up on government processes, and access to information is lacking, but now, they can track all sorts of things that interest them. There are some indicators of how women access information.
- Women know exactly what they want and how to influence change; once given the space and tools, they can influence and drive change in our communities. Building their capacity increases their scale of impact. For example, the thought: “I have never heard of this political process before, and now that I know of it, I see it in my normal life and want to influence it. I understand exactly what I need to do to drive change” Regarding following up on actions taken, the government requires input from its citizens to create a policy for the next five years. The government has valued our input over the past months, which is a motivating factor for the members of Husika Dada.
Since the inception of Husika Dada, a total of 5 schools have collaborated. This move ensures girls’ voices are included in our recommendations to decision-makers.
Why is this the way to go, and what is your vision?
Hillary Omondi: Creating a safe space for women and girls’ meaningful inclusion and participation has proven to be a powerful tool in amplifying their voices. GGiving women a consistent platform to share, engage and mentor one another breeds an empowered generation of women and girls in our society. This is a model that, if scaled, will have a stronger women’s movement and mentor even more to be impactful change agents in their communities.
Shirleen Otieno: Husika Dada gives women power. Women can transform society in a very creative way if given a chance.