A 3-year program launched to help fight FGM, GBV in Bungoma

A three years program has been launched in Bungoma County to help end female genital mutilation (FGM) and gender-based violence (GBV).

The program focuses on collaboration with cultural leaders and other vulnerable groups to strengthen prevention and response to gender-based violence in Bungoma County.

Speaking to the Star on Friday at Chepkitale in Mt Elgon when she met the community elders, Bungoma County CECM for gender, culture and sports Agnes Naliaka applauded the Ministry of foreign affairs – Finland and the state Department for Gender for choosing Bungoma and sister counties of Kilifi and Samburu to fight FGM and GBV.

“The coordination framework proposed in the program shall strengthen capacities among all duty bearers within the referral pathways, communities and institutions,” she said.

Naliaka said that the program has four roadmaps; collaboration with the Saboat Council of Elders to end FGM and other forms, male engagement with other sub-tribes in Bungoma through the council of elders, engagement of the community champions to eliminate forms of GBV and strengthen duty bearers and institutional capacity to respond to survivors of GBV. 

The CEC added that the program is modelled on the theory of change and focuses its interventions along the social-ecological dimensions.

This, according to the CEC, benefits most GBV-vulnerable communities including people living with disability (PLWD), boda boda riders, community health volunteers, and health workers.

She noted that the CHV’s are now champions in the GBV prevention and response programme.

She said that they have mapped the County into hot-spot zones and adopted a structured and evidenced-based intervention in the red, yellow and green wards remains a prized data-guided intervention.

“The outcome of every intervention is data-guided, I pledge to scale up GBV data-driven interventions in my tenure as the CEC gender and link up with relevant bodies to speed up data sharing and information systems in the county and the national government,” she said.

She added:

“Indeed, by proposing to use the Kiswahili phrase Tutembee Pamoja is a statement of intent to pitch for and draw everyone’s support.”

However, the CEC affirmed that she is eagerly waiting for the day a declaration will be unveiled to end FGM in the region.

“I also look forward to the next KDHS report, where Bungoma County will not be in the lead in the GBV hot spot county recording as high as 62% of women experiencing physical violence in Kenya, adding that this must end alongside increased HIV infections, teenage pregnancy and GBV triple threat.”

In her address, the head of Cooperation Finland, Anu Ala- Rantala said that the organization will continue supporting Bungoma, Kilifi and Samburu’s fight against FGM and GBV.

“In the same way the elders in Samburu helped to inspire the elders in Bungoma on their journey to end FGM, neighbouring counties could also learn from the experience here in Bungoma,” she said.

She added that the Finland government in partnership with the national and county governments departments of gender and affirmative action will help end the FGM.    BY THE STAR