Eve Sisters to get bigger

By Njoki Karuoya

This year’s calendar of activities for the Eve Sisters have come to an end. On Saturday, Esther

It was fun galore as Gichugu MP Martha Karua hosted women to a divas high tea in an effort to urge them to ‘jitokeze’ next year and chose the best leaders for Kenya. [Photos: AGNES RUBE/STANDARD]

Mwende of Radio Maisha’s Staarabika programme delivered donations to poor women (the Kambi Moto group) living in Korogocho slums in Nairobi, to help them get by, at least for a few weeks.

Next year, we plan to do more of these charitable activities to strengthen women’s roles, especially in taking care of their families. So every time you declutter your house, your wardrobe and your kitchen, think of the Eve Sisters and Radio Maisha’s Staarabika show and we shall let you know how we shall collect and, if you desire, how you can be part of the team delivering the food and clothes to the needy.

Divas tea

Last Saturday, we joined more than 500 women at the Nairobi Club for what was dubbed the ‘Divas High Tea’. Led by Gichugu MP Martha Karua, the women dressed in their finest, chatted and danced the afternoon away. High profile and professional women mixed well with female students. There was talk of growth and development for women, especially with the gains captured in the new Constitution. All the speakers urged women to take advantage of the increased spaces created by the Constitution and to present themselves for elections come next year.

Present themselves

There are various positions up for grabs, from the presidency to governor to senator to parliamentary among others, and women can only increase their numbers at all levels if they present themselves in large numbers. Just because one woman is vying for one seat in a particular area should not mean that other women cannot compete against her. And we should not allow the myth that ‘women are their own worst enemies’ to influence our decisions.

Women should be allowed to ‘fight’ each other the same way men do — including throwing chairs if need be. Throwing chairs, stones, blows and other things is despicable behaviour all round, irrespective of whether the stones/blows/chair throwers are men, women, girls or boys. So when women get physical, it is the act that should be looked down upon, not the gender.

So what are the plans for Eve Sisters next year? Besides showing you just how great The Standard Group is (from the newspapers and magazines to KTN, Radio Maisha and PDS), we shall continue to reach out to women and girls and empower them with knowledge of their rights, and guide them to choose the best leaders for this country, especially those with a track record of protecting and enhancing women’s rights.

Eve Sisters is about learning and improving ourselves with information and knowledge, and I have learnt a lot from all the sessions we have hosted, thanks to the powerful men and women who have given their time to the women and girls.

I plan to continue learning and strengthening myself, and I want to do it with you. So watch out for us next year — we are growing bigger.