Garashi community constructs safe house for SGBV survivors to benefit thousands

 Little girl crying after quarrel with father at home. [Courtesy/GettyImages]

Victims of Gender Based Violence in Magarini Sub County, Kilifi County, have a reason to smile after the Garashi community in partnership with Actionaid Kenya launched a resource and protection centre in the area.

The Garashi Resource and Protection Centre with a safe house of 18 bed capacity will also have various facilities and services including counseling, technical training and referral services.

Speaking during the launch at Garashi area, the Interim Executive Director of Actionaid Kenya Mr Samson Orao said that more than Sh3.8 million has been spent in its construction and that 1300 women from Magarini Sub County will benefit from the centre.

“We sat with the Amkeni women group under a tree some years back and that where the conception of this entire thing, that’s where we discussed that let’s locate it here and the women provided land for the project. And so the resources the community has contributed is way more than the amount of money we can even talk about,” he said.

He added that the organization was winding up its projects  in the area after 13 years of existence and that they had handed over the projects to the Garsahi community.

Marceline Kadii, the chairperson of Sauti ya Wanawake in Magarini, said that they already have 12 Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) survivors, among them four boys of between 6 and 10 years have been booked at the safe house for protection.

“For the start we are going to house 12 survivors with active cases in court among them four young boys and we will expand as resources come. The cases are many and they even include family members of the victims,” she said.

Bibiana Salim, Sauti ya Wanawake from Gongoni, challenged the Kilifi County government to come to the aid of the centre and enable its continuation after the term of ActionAid Kenya lapsed.

“We have been given the centre but we need more support from the County government and other stakeholders so that we can ensure its continuity,” she said.

Kilifi County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Education Mr Felkin Kaingu said that the county will equip the centre and provide staff to make sure that the work started by Actionaid does not fade away adding that cultural practices were the main cause of SGBV in the area.

“We will equip the centre and put tutors here so that the resource centre can be fruitful to the community,” he said.