Social Cohesion, Gender and Ethnic Justice

Despite significant progress in steps to enshrine aspects aimed at improving social cohesion in the Kenyan Constitution of Kenya 2010, structural inequality based on gender, race, class, disability, and ethnicity persists around the country and is compounded and complicated by today’s challenges. Gender-based violence—rooted in patriarchy and laws, policies, and cultural norms aimed at curtailing rights—inflicts deep, lasting physical, psychological, and economic damage. At county level, People of perceived to non-indigenous are disproportionately denied access to job opportunities, policed and incarcerated.

But today’s realities, catalysed by an expanded digital space in the country, have helped fuel vibrant new leaders and movements engaging in innovative advocacy and forging powerful alliances. At the national level, there are efforts underway to reframe narratives to represent the experiences of women and girls around the country. Young people are leading new movements for human rights and for ethnic justice that are challenging xenophobia, standing up for minority ethnic groups, and interrogating the role of local authorities on public safety. Our work is to support the courageous people and organizations at the centre of this fight to achieve lasting political and social change.”

We recognize that race, gender, class, disability, and ethnic identity are deeply connected—often inextricably so—and make sure our efforts are rooted in this understanding. It’s an understanding that informs our commitment to shifting repressive power dynamics and strengthening the rights and influence of those most affected by violence, oppression, and injustice across the country, at grassroots level.

Gender justice and women’s rights

Every day, in our country, women are confronted by discrimination and inequality. They face violence, abuse, and unequal treatment at home, at work and in their wider communities – and are denied opportunities to learn, to earn and to lead.

Women form the majority of those living in poverty. They have fewer resources, less power and less influence compared to men, and can experience further inequality because of their class, ethnicity, and age, as well as religious and other fundamentalism.

Achieving gender justice to tackle poverty

Imagine Africa Foundation(IAF) understands gender justice as the full equality and equity between women and men in all spheres of life, resulting in women jointly, and on an equal basis with men, defining and shaping the policies, structures and decisions that affect their lives and society as a whole. Further improvements in legislation and policy are necessary but not sufficient. We believe that transforming gender and power relations, and the structures, norms and values that underpin them, is critical to ending poverty and challenging inequality. We believe that women taking control and taking collective action are the most important drivers of sustained improvements in women’s rights and are a powerful force to end poverty not only for women and girls, but for others too.

Putting women’s rights at the heart of all we do

Whether we are responding to humanitarian crises, working on long terms projects with communities, or campaigning for lasting change, we tackle the inequality and deep-rooted discrimination that makes and keeps women poor. We work closely with women’s rights organizations as partners and allies in order to address gender inequalities effectively. Our approach is as described below;

1. Supporting women’s access to resources

We support women in their fight to have equal opportunities to secure jobs and fair pay as men and have an equal chance to work their way out of poverty.

2. Raising women’s voices

We support women in their efforts to take part in decision-making at all levels and promote leadership and participation of women.

3. Ending violence against women and girls

We work with like-minded partners across the country to stop violence against women by changing laws and challenging culturally accepted practices that treat women as second-class citizens.

4. Striving for gender equality in emergency response

Throughout all our work when responding to crisis, we design our activities towards meeting the different needs of women and men in a way that promotes equality between them.

We’ve seen the difference that equal job opportunities, equal healthcare and education, equal decision-making power and freedom from violence can make. We’ve seen the difference when women and girls are able to make their own choices and exercise their collective voice, and when institutions address their needs and interests.

Achieving gender justice is not only a matter of basic rights. It’s also a key means of achieving fairer societies and overcoming poverty. And we all have an equal part to play in making it happen.