My driving force is making women smile

Grace Mbugua, 39, is the Executive Director of Women’s Empowerment Link (WEL), a non-profit, non-governmental national women rights organisation that prides in empowering women and girls to realise their potential. She spoke to ALLAN OLINGO.

I have always been passionate about women issues. On many occasions, I have seized opportunities that have made a difference in women’s lives. We have made great strides within our organisation and whenever I think about the impact we have had, I get the strength to work even harder.

With the promulgation of the new Constitution, people assumed that women had special seats reserved for them. That’s how we came up with the idea of developing the Kenya Women’s National Charter that would unify the women’s voice despite their status or ethnic affiliation. We formed a consortium with about 30 like-minded women’s rights organisations, dubbed the initiative Mwamko Mpya Uongozi Bora, and conducted forums.

Our plan was that the charter would act as a tool to address the universal issues that affect women and girls of Kenya. As we developed the document, I came to appreciate the potential and strength of the Mwamko Mpya Uongozi Bora members, the technical support of Prof Maria Nzomo, and particularly my staff, who were committed to the process and helped make the National Women Leadership Platform for Action 2012 a success.

Because of what Women’s Empowerment Link (WEL) and the other women organisations put together, women now have a tool to make demands to those who are seeking political positions. We collected information from women and stakeholders from all the 47 counties, so the charter incorporates women’s rights as provided in the Constitution, those that were left out in the Constitution making, and the roles of Government, civil society and other actors in respect to the promotion and the realisation of women’s rights and gender equality.

Agenda setting

The demands by women are stipulated in the 17 articles in the charter, which is about access to services, agenda setting for the next government and accountability to women.

Launching the women’s charter in January this year was the greatest moment of my life. Just watching those women leaders peruse the document and feel proud about it made me happy. This was indeed my biggest achievement as a woman rights crusader.

Besides championing the women’s charter, my organisation also has initiatives that offer holistic support to women by addressing sexual and gender-based violence through strengthening community commitment to end the vice. We also promote the education of girls, increasing access to reproductive health information, the economic empowerment of women and advocating for their political participation. What I would like to see is women and men enjoying equal opportunities. I am not yet done with women, as I believe there is still more to be done.

Interestingly, I started out my career as an accountant at the Kenya Tea Development Agency. I also attempted to run a butchery. Both roles were challenging. However, I believe they taught me lessons that I’ve been able to apply to administer Wel.

Orphaned girls

After a while, I decided to go back to school and pursue a higher diploma in psychological counselling. I then joined the Talent Centre in Kawangware, Nairobi, as a volunteer, and this is where my hunger to work with women and girls began, as I counselled orphaned girls who had been exposed to violence. The more time I spent with the children, the deeper I understood their challenges. Later, I joined a women rights organisation where I worked for five years as a programmes officer. I left the organisation in June 30, 2007 and started Wel on July 1 the same year.

My family was young then but when I stopped earning a salary, my husband, Dominic Kimani, was compelled to give me a monthly stipend. Fortunately, he believed in my cause as he had seen the impact of violence against women. I’m grateful for the support he gave me, which included buying me the first computer to do my work.

Wel’s big break came when United Nations Population Fund gave us financial support to offer psychosocial support to women displaced during the post-election violence. We also got financing from Urgent Action Fund Africa to follow up on the women’s experiences under the Government’s Operation Rudi Nyumbani initiative. This was done in collaboration with the then National Commission on Gender and Development (now the National Gender and Equality Commission).

The smile on the face of the woman that Wel supports, and the difference we make in her life, is my driving force. That is my objective and my source of strength.

The secret to my marriage’s success

I met my husband, Dominic Kimani, in 1996 just as I was about to join a Canadian University. Because I fell in love with him, I put my higher education plans on hold. We started dating a year later (1997) and got married that same year. We didn’t want to waste time (laughs).

To pacify my mother, Dominic promised her that he would ensure I went back to university, and he kept his promise. Six years later (in 2003), after giving birth to my three children — Gabriel Wangai (13), Mercy Makena (11) and Jesse Murathime (nine), I joined Kenya Institute of Psychological Counselling. I then joined the University of Nairobi in 2005 and acquired a degree in Sociology.

With the help of my husband, I established Women’s Empowerment Link (WEL) but in 2009, my husband was posted to Nigeria and I felt I had to join him. It was a trying moment though as WEL was still young. Luckily, the board members came through for the organisation and provided support to the staff. Meanwhile, I worked remotely and gave guidance through Skype. I also managed to come back home every month, thanks to my husband’s generosity as he bought my air-ticket every time.

I lived like this for two years, commuting between Nigeria and Kenya. I believe I made it by the grace of God. My family was also supportive and understanding.

I have been married for the last 15 years and I thank God for giving me a great husband and children. They understand the nature of my work and are supportive. For instance, since the job is demanding, my family has deliberately opted to cut off some activities to balance work and family.

Best friend

As my job is stressful, I ease it off by working out or sharing with my husband, who is not only my closest confidant but also my best friend. Even though he is out of the country (he is now based in Sudan while the rest of the family re-settled in Kenya), we talk tens of times on a daily basis. We share our challenges, achievements, joys and laughter. It’s the secret to our marriage.

We also belong to a group of eight couples called Gwataniro, whose main objective has been to build our marriages and share the challenges of staying together despite the tough terrains we face. It’s a group that I wish every couple would have to support their relationship, especially in dealing with issues that affect marriages such as money, relatives, in-laws, children, and any other external factor.

I was born in Nyeri in 1973 to a large family of eleven children. My father, Josephat Karuri, was a lecturer at the University of Nairobi while my mother was a teacher, so I spent a better part of my childhood at the Kikuyu Campus lecturers’ quarters where my father taught until his demise in 1984.

Tough life

Despite the large family, my mother managed to spread her love and care to all of us and oversee us through education. We moved to our farm in Nanyuki when I was in Class Seven. Life was not as smooth as we felt we had moved from a town to the ‘jungle’.

I did my high school education at Mwenje Mixed Secondary School in Nyahururu and it is here that my leadership and management abilities were built. After the ‘O’ Levels, I joined my mother in managing our farm and it was extremely challenging. I had to manage several farm workers, especially whenever my mother was away. We would wake up at 4am to prepare tea and githeri for the workers then walk three kilometres to the farm carrying the food. We would then join the workers in tilling the land. This built my resilience.

In 1992, my mother and elder siblings ensured I pursued my childhood dream in clothing designs. They sent me to Kenyatta Market in Nairobi to learn tailoring, but after only three months I realised it was no longer my passion. I then joined Kenya Institute of Management for two years to pursue a diploma in Business Management.