By JAMES OMORO
Homa-Bay, Kenya: Hundreds of jobless women and youth from Mbita in Homa Bay County are set to benefit from a Sh10m Japanese sponsored Economic Empowerment Centre aimed at addressing rampant school dropout rates and poverty in the area. The centre targets women and the youth.
They will benefit from entrepreneurial skills to enable them fight poverty, HIV and Aids and early marriages that have adversely affected girls’ education in the sub county.
Japanese Ambassador Tatsuhi Terada, Homa Bay Governor Cyprian Awiti and Deputy President Wiliam Ruto’s wife Rachel, presided over the ground breaking ceremony for the training complex last Thursday amid calls to county governments to prioritise women and youth friendly development projects.
FISHING INDUSTRY
The Mbita project, implemented by Development Knowledge Link Africa (Devlink), a local NGO, will provide entrepreneurial training for poor women many of who have faced sexual abuse as they struggled for survival in the male-dominated fishing industry.
Some of the women to be trained on various craft courses have been victims of the sex-for-fish practice in which women fishmongers are forced into unprotected sex by some fishermen before they could be given fish to sell in the markets.
The project will provide 38 sewing machines for training and will also train women on weaving, pottery and other craft courses.
“The project will promote entrepreneurship, empower women with skills and confidence for improved income and micro-investment for those in the fishing industry,” said Devlink Chief Executive Esther Soti.
REUSABLE TOWELS
She added: “The project will also promote the right to education for the girl child by providing basic needs like reusable sanitary towels and undergarments to restore confidence to those from poor families.”
Mr Awiti praised the Japanese government for supporting the project, saying Mbita was hard hit by girl-child problems , high school drop out rate and HIV & AIDS prevalence because of the its proximity to the fishing beaches along lake Victoria.
He said his government would ensure projects seeking to uplift the living standards of women and the youth were given high budgetary allocations.
“We are a women- and youth-friendly county. We have gone beyond the one-third constitutional requirement on gender parity by appointing more women to senior positions,” said Mr Awiti.
The governor asked the Japanese government and Mrs Ruto to help replicate the project to other sub counties in Homa Bay.
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MULTIPLE FACTORS
Mrs Ruto promised to seek more funds through her office to roll out more women empowerment projects in Homa Bay county.
“ I am touched by the needs of women here and I will definitely return,” said Mrs Ruto.
She said she will seek scholarships to help needy girls in Homa Bay county complete their education. This was after Mr Awiti informed her and Mr Terada that only 5 per cent of girls proceed to university due to a multiplicity of factors.