Women who have been empowered have been asked to come out strongly and mentor young girls to rise above and achieve greater heights in society.
Speaking in West FM studio during the Usemi wa Kina Mama show on Wednesday, Lilian Nandutu Otsiulah who is a Psychological and Girl child Advocacy says it’s high time women who have been empowered came out and aid the young generation girls realize their importance in the society and fight for what belongs to them.
Asked if women have voices in society; Lilian says despite the challenges women face in society a greater percentage has managed to rise while few still have no clue of their rights and still live under claws of men.
She also said in Bungoma, six women from six wards have been nominated or voted as MCAs, a great sign that women’s voices have started rising above expectations.
Concerning matters that hinder women rising in the society, Lilian says poverty has been the greatest hindrance in women rising, most having the fear of trying for fear of failing in different capacities.
She also says some families where girls and boys are priorities are given to educating boys leaving the girls to work as house helps while assuming the boys will help them in future.
She also talks of early marriages that have affected many girls who have no option when men look down upon them for failing to cater for their needs.
Mrs. Otsiulah also says menstrual cycles have affected most girls who fail to attend classes because they fear they might mess and get stigmatized by the young boys in school. She also noted that few girls -65 percent- manage sanitary pads in society while 25 percent fail and use rags that put them at risk of contracting diseases.
Gender based violence also being a hindrance to women voices to be heard, sexual harassment at work or some sexually used before being promoted.
As a wife to Khasoko ward MCA Benjamin Otsiulah, she says she has managed to help women from her ward through chamas, table banking and conducting mentorship programmes to the young girls just to encourage them that they can make it in the society.
She has also boosted the young women kitties, encouraged them to join chamas that make jiko’s and goes an extra mile to offer advice on how to go about every step in life.
She says she also started a project of distributing sanitary towels to schools after realizing the hard situations the girls go through during their menstrual flow.
She however cites that members have had challenges in applying trade loans for lack of knowledge and also for fear of the unknown.
From the challenges she has had to go an extra mile to hold girls mentorship programmes awareness like on every 11th of October where the day is celebrated she goes to schools or churches to mentor them.
She also talks of women and young girls being at high risk of contracting diseases when using the rags during their monthly periods and having to go an extra mile to sensitize them because parents who are unable to provide the towels prefer to buy food for the family than the sanitary towels.
Farming being the backbone of our economy, Lilian urges women to participate fully in Agri Business saying that this will be the only solution to poverty and struggles of life because when they partake in farming of vegetables, fruits, maize and other crops that mature early they will get money that can boost them.
She has also encouraged women to rear chicken as mothers at home should not miss such, rear turkeys, keep cows for milk and rear goats and sheep to stop the notion of depending on men.
She says as a woman she should be able to cater for some needs without the intervention of the man.
She was also quick to condemn the male chauvinism saying sometimes the men for fear of other people letting the wife know they do will bar them from interactions with friends or society; some men will hinder women from working and become housewives while they can’t provide 100 percent.
As leaders, she urges them to support women, help them apply for group certificates that will enable them secure tenders, and also indulge in progressive activities.
She also asks the Government to advocate for women leadership, consider women in advertised jobs by considering their applications and equal payment.
She however advises women to support fellow women and know their rights towards medication, right to vote and protection.
She however encourages parents to exercise equality in education of their children both girls and boys.
