01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

www.amwik.org

Committed to enhancing the status of media women in Kenya

x

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

www.amwik.org

AMWIK marks

December 19, 2008 will be etched in the minds of AMWIK members as a memorable occasion for a long time. This is the day the Association celebrated a colourful Silver Jubilee, a milestone in the organisations growth, writes
Gladys Kemunto

I
01 02

t was an evening like no other. Right from the onset, the mood was already set and members looked forward to a wonderful moment as they sang and danced to the 25th Anniversary of the Association. And so, the members arrived at the Hilton Hotel in style and with the sole intention of having a great ball. So when the event kicked
03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

off under the able Master of Ceremony and member Sandra Ndonye, there was no doubt that members were in the house to have fun. Marking an important milestone in the history of AMWIK saw the participants not only sharing and having fun together but dancing away and shaking a leg with entertainment from the famous Kayamba Fiesta who put everyones mood high as Christmas was just around the corner. Members, friends and partners of AMWIK gathered together to share achievements, aspirations and also get a glimpse of the challenges that they have viewed as opportunities so as to brace themselves for the future. The chief guest, Director of Information Mr. Ezekiel Mutua, congratulated the Association for efficient succession management saying it was rare to find an organisa11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

tion where previous and current leadership enjoyed cordial relations. Mr. Mutua cut the AMWIK cake against a backdrop of ululation from the members. In her speech, AMWIK Chairperson Sylvia Machini recognized and appreciated veteran media women such as Isabel Mbugua, Dr. Waithera Gikonyo, Monica Opole and Grace Kanyua among others who were among the founder members of AMWIK in the 1980s, and who conceived the idea of establishing the organisation. She also recognized the previous and current board members of AMWIK who have steered the organisation to success. Ms Machini mentioned the Associations objectives which have been to: Encourage balanced media coverage of women; highlight their concerns and issues as well as build knowledge and understanding of issues
20

www.amwik.org

AMWIK members shake a leg during the Silver Jubilee Celebrations on December 19, 2009 held at a Nairobi hotel

1
affecting women through the media among others. She said AMWIK has experienced phenomenal growth in the years quoting the current over 380 registered members compared to back in 1983 when there were less than five members. She however noted that despite the many achievements AMWIK has made, the status of women is wanting as majority of the members are still in the lower cadres in the media houses. AMWIK will strive to provide the necessary skills to members to equip them adequately to compete in the job market, Ms Machini said, and

a society in which media embraces and promotes gender equality

reaffirmed AMWIKs commitment to working with all partners openly and constructively to deliver change that is needed for women not only in the media but in Kenya. AMWIK also joined the many voices to appeal to the President not to assent to the Kenya Communication (Amendment) Bill

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

S
18 19 20

2008 but to return it to Parliament for removal of clause 88 saying bad laws adversely affect women and children. AMWIK Executive Director, Ms Jane Thuo, thanked members and especially partners and donors for the support they have rendered to the organisation. She reaffirmed AMWIKs vision of a society in which media embraces and promotes gender equality that will improve the lives of women and children. Noting that AMWIK gives special attention to women groups from marginalized pastoral communities especially from North Eastern province where infrastructural development and access to media is poorest, Ms Thuo expressed concern that women are still subjected to negative cultural practices such as FGM, early marriages, low literacy levels and where women remain largely uninformed. To date, she said AMWIK has trained 61 community groups on radio listening sessions in selected locations within 8 provinces in Kenya with programmes covering gender and governance, child labour, sexual exploitation and abuse of children, gender based violence and civic education.

www.amwik.org

AMWIK successfully implemented and completed a number of programmes for the year 2008.
FK Exchange Programme Every year, since 2002, five media women associations including AMWIK, Ethiopia Media Womens Association {EMWA}, Tanzania Media Women Association (TAMWA}, Zambia Media Women Association {ZAMWA}, Uganda Media Women Association {UMWA} exchange members for a period of ten months to participate in the South South Journalists Exchange programme supported by Fredskorpset (FK) , Norway. The programme has expanded to Asia, bringing on board the College of Journalism and Mass Communication from Nepal. In 2008 AMWIK hosted two exchange participants Josephine Chansa Mayani from Zambia Media Women Association (ZAMWA) and Brenda Zikulabe from Uganda Media Women Association (UMWA). Our own Lilian Mukabana and Mary Ndirangu were hosted at the Tanzania Media Women Association (TAMWA) and Zambia Media Women Association (ZAMWA) respectively. All the 2008 exchange participants have since returned home and the Media Women Associations
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

are currently hosting new ones. This year, AMWIK is currently hosting Abiyot Asrade from EMWA and Sabra Ali Mohammed from TAMWA while AMWIK members, Irene Mwivano and Triza Mwanyika are being hosted by EMWA and TAMWA respectively. The FK Exchange Programme is a Norwegian government development programme. The aim of the programme is to enable participants share experiences and expertise, improve organisational capacity as well as professional performance of the individual participants. The programme also exposes participants to other cultures which they learn and appreciate. The regional media campaign against FGM/C AMWIK, in partnership with the Italian Association for Women in Development (AIDOS) and UNICEF, under the The Regional Medial Taskforce force implemented community radio listening sessions in Garissa and Moyale where the practice of Female Genital Mutilation/Cut (FGM) is rampant (above 90 per cent prevalence compared to the national prevalence of 32 per cent). AMWIK held the final review workshops for Garissa and Moyale Districts in October 2008 where facilitators were awarded certificates.

Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) programme AMWIK successfully finalised the implementation of CSAE programme sponsored by the OAK Foundation. Activities included a journalists workshop aimed at sensitizing journalists on reporting Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, the launch of a regional media code of conduct co-produced by the Media Women Associations, radio spots on CSAE and a newsletter.

Campaign against Child Labour in Kwale The programme which officially ends this month (March 2009) was a result of a knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) survey on child labour conducted by the International Labour Organisation-International Programme on Elimination of Child Labour (ILO-

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

www.amwik.org

IPEC) in four districts where Kwale showed higher levels of sympathy or indifference towards child labour. The programme identifies commercial sex, drug trafficking, and human trafficking for labour as the worst forms of child labour. AMWIK has worked with five groups in Kwale to raise awareness. At the beginning of this year AMWIK identified 236 children, 36 of whom have been supported to join vocational training while some 200 primary school children received school books and uniforms. Holding the local government accountable; The Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK) with support from our partners has embarked on a campaign to create public awareness on issues of local governance. In January this year, AMWIK, in partnership with MS Kenya (Danish Association for International Cooperation) successfully implemented a programme on local democracy holding local government accountable and political empowerment geared at increasing the level of public awareness on issues of local governance and improving community groups participation in decision making at local governance level.

There has been concern that although the media gives a lot of coverage to politics, there is an information gap in reporting on development issues that would help citizens make informed decisions and hold their leadership accountable. Thus the programme is aimed at raising awareness through community radio listening groups in Mumias, Suba, Siaya, Marsabit, Isiolo, Laikipia, Nairobi North and Nairobi West districts. AMWIK is working with a total of 16 existing community groups to fulfil this mandate.

AMWIK also teamed up with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to boost the capacities of journalists and Correspondents in Reporting Corruption at the local authority level with the overall goal of promoting good governance. A workshop was held in Naivasha in February to train journalists on Investigating Corruption at Local Authorities in which 20 rural journalists drawn from Nyanza, Rift Valley and Central and representing different media houses, both electronic and print were trained. The workshop was organised with the un-

derstanding that the media plays a critical role in fighting corruption in the country by investigating and reporting on corruption. The media informs the public about corrupt activities within the government and among public officials, as well as within the private sector. The media provides information with which citizens can hold both public and private institutions to account. Most of the corruption stories highlighted have tended to focus more on the central government which in itself is important as corruption must be tackled from the top. However there has been a gap in spotlighting local governance structures that receive billions of shillings for development projects such as the Local Authorities Transfer Fund (LATF) which received a total of Shs 9.25 billion this financial year 2008/2009. This excludes other funds such as the Fuel and Levies Fund, Local Revenue Fund and the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). The local authorities are supposed to deliver essential services including health, education, transport and communication to mention through the Local Authority Service Delivery Action Plan (LASDAP) that are supposed to benefit the communities. However, most of these essential services remain undelivered and where there is an attempt to do so,

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

www.amwik.org

services are of substandard quality due to mega-corruption at that level. Because so much focus is given to the central government, corruption at the local authorities level remains hidden. A lot of trainings on reporting corruption have been carried out for journalists and editors based in Nairobi. This implies that correspondents, journalists and editors out of Nairobi have been left out in the capacity building initiatives, which is why we are holding this twoday workshop on investigative journalism to report corruption for correspondents based in Nyanza, Central and North Rift Valley. Membership; A growing number of members continue to benefit from the resource centre. Members are also participating in trainings and workshops as the opportunities arise. Promoting Awareness of Womens Rights through Community Radio Listening; With support from the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) AMWIK is currently implementing this programme that aims to increase awareness on womens human rights in six communities in Kenya. AMWIK is doing this through human rights advocacy interventions, especially targeting marginalized and vulnerable groups that include the

media, youth, victims and persons in minority ethnic tribes. The programme focuses on Isiolo, Wajir, Kwale, Malindi, Kisumu and Naivasha. Peace, Justice, Reconciliation and Human Rights The programme implemented in May 2008 and which ends in June this year is an initiative between the Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK) and the Ford Foundation. It aims at feeding onto current initiatives aimed at bringing healing and reconciliation amongst different communities with special focus on Naivasha, one of the worst hit towns by the post election violence witnessed in Kenya following the 2007 disputed presidential results. The Association is currently using the concept of community radio listening groups to disseminate pre-recorded Swahili information to 10 select community groups from different cultural backgrounds in Naivasha.

commences on 25th of November and ends on 10th December of every year.

FEMNET; AMWIK provided media and communication services for the African Womens Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) for the networks Mens Travelling Conference, one of the major activities organized during the 16 Days of Activism against GBV to sensitise communities against the vice. AMWIK supported the initiative by raising awareness through soliciting airtime from television and radio stations and soliciting for space in the print media for stories on violence and mobilizing media to effectively highlight events taking place during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence. Uraia With the support of Uraia, AMWIK also engaged in media activities to highlight GBV. The initiative included running newspaper supplements and educative radio spots, radio and TV talk shows and publication of stories in various newspapers.

Other initiatives undertaken by AMWIK included doing short term consultancy and media mobilisation work during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence, a global campaign against gender-based violence (GBV) which

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

www.amwik.org

By Abiyot Asrade EMWA

uring the interview for the 2009 FredsKorpset (FK) programme at the Ethiopia Media Women Association (EMWA), the panelists asked me how I would cope with other cultures if I got a chance to participate in the programme. I told them simply that I would try as much as possible to cope with any situation. I reasoned that even if there were cultural differences and language barrier, I would be able to cope as I believe the exchange programme gives me an opportunity to know more about other cultures, experiences and life styles. Generally, my thoughts about Kenya were positive. All the information I had gathered about Kenya from different sources, including the internet, friends who have been here before and EMWA members hosted by AMWIK earlier was good except the caution about robberies, crime and gangsters. Some people in my country also told me that Kenyans are and rough with strangers/foreigners. I am not sure if this is true or not.
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

11 February, 2009: I was in high spirits as I departed from Ethiopia at 14:55 aboard Kenya Airways in the company of my friend Tinsae, also a colleague at EMWA who is now attached to Zambia Media Women Association. The plane landed safely at Jomo kenyata International Airport in the evening. Until that time I had no strange feelings, but as soon as we parted ways with Tinsae who was on transit to Lusaka, fear engulfed me. I wondered: Who would receive me? If there is nobody to receive me what shall I do? Frankly speaking, I was scared because I had never been in a foreign country before and this was my first time. My fear soon disappeared as I emerged with my possessions from the baggage hall to a warm reception by AMWIK staff. I was so pleased and felt relieved. I was then driven to my new house in Hazina, South B where I would be staying with my colleague Sabra from Tanzania Media Women Association (TAMWA). I noticed that the house was big and secured with heavy metal doors and locks. But I dared not visit the estates environment as I had heard about robberies, crime and gangsters in Kenya! One thing that surprised me about Kenya is the easy access to communication facilities. Buying a sim card is easy; you can simply buy it from the shop without any

20

www.amwik.org

appointment! The price is also low compared to my country. In Ethiopia, accessing a sim card is not easy; you make an appointment and wait for your turn, and the price is also higher. After two days assistance from AMWIK staff, I managed to go to the office alone, thanks to my journalistic experience; it is not so much difficult. The buses/matatus presented a big cultural shock for me, because it is very different from my country. Here the drivers are very aggressive; the way they drive, the music in the matatu

you when you are in the matatu. Nairobi roads, even the highways, are not wide enough and traffic lights are limited. Zebra crossings also limited and some invisible.

AMWIK lauded for peace programme in Naivasha

Its now over a year since post election violence erupted in Kenya following the 2007 general election. AMWIK has been involved in active efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in Kenya. In May last year, AMWIK, with support from the Ford Foundation implemented a radio listening programme on Peace, Justice and Reconciliation targeting the cosmopolitan population of Naivasha. AMWIKs efforts have been welcomed and are highly valued by the communities living in Naivasha. Says Joseph Kimani: People now see no need to fight. Through efforts by AMWIK we are now accountable for our actions. We now love and tolerate each other. There is no hostility as more and more people are embracing forgiveness and have abandoned revenge missions. They now value dialogue. Wanjiru Ruth, a fruit vendor says: I am happy with the programmes. I come from Maela but I was received well in Karagita, Naivasha after the clashes. Majority of the employed population in Naivasha work is flower farms which were recently hit by redundancies thereby affecting peace in the area. Some of the affected workers said AMWIKs radio listening groups came in handy as through them they have been able to learn peace and tolerance. All the groups say the programmes are very informative/educative. Some of them have started income generating activities like rearing of chicken and fishing. Some have bought pieces of land on which they plan to develop collectively.
19 20

Treatment of journalists
One disheartening experience I had was when I attended a major meeting in Nairobi on 17th February 2009. The one thing I observed was that the organizers did not treat journalists properly; even they refused to give them materials that were given to the participants, including publications. It is very different in my country where

In Ethiopia, accessing a sim card is not easy; you make an appointment and wait for your turn
Oh! The drivers drive very fast, they dont wait until the passengers get seated to drive on. More surprising is that passengers do not complain about it. I realise that in most cases, one cannot ask the volume of music to be minimised. The matatu conductors do not accept this. The only option one has is to leave the matatu. The operators assume that this is one way of getting passengers. Another observation is that there is a limit to the number of passengers on public service transport. In the matatu, if you dont get a seat, you leave and using seat belts is expected of
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

journalists are respected. I believe journalists are committed to their profession. AMWIK runs many programmes, like the campaign against Gender Based Violence, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Child Labour, the campaign on making local authorities accountable, promoting awareness of womens human rights and the media women exchange programme among others. I hope during my ten months stay here I will get a chance to participate in the programmes. That will be a good opportunity for me to get exposure and above all it will enable me to improve my journalistic skills.

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

www.amwik.org

We at Governance Forum are very proud of all our colleagues who attended the Women MPs Media Training Workshop. They added real value to the workshop and showed yet again the stuff of which AMWIK is made. The women MPs have told me they benefited very much from your inputs. Keep it up! Thank you all. Cheers, Wanjiku Mbugua

Kudos AMWIK!

I hope that my presence as a member shall continue to be felt.

And thank you very much for the information; it is good to know how things work at AMWIK. Kind Regards, Joyce Chimbi

May we all be guided by the vision and work towards the common good. Pamela Mburia

Congratulatory messages on celebrating 25 years

Thanks for the updates. Im challenged how members are contributing to our organisation. Hope to participate more in future Hannah Kihiu Wambui

Im truly grateful for the motivating sentiments and for the information shared.
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

My best wishes to you all for a year full of Gods abundant blessings.

Dear Friends, This is to congratulate you for the good work AMWIK has done for the last 25 years. As you celebrate 25 years of existence I celebrate your 25 years of experience. This makes it 50 years of experience and existence combined. As you may know, you have touched our lives in many ways. MEGEN and FEMNET celebrate you. Kennedy Otina Men to Men (FEMNET)

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

www.amwik.org

A Dream Come True!

always prayed that one day I would get a chance to travel out of my home country for the purpose of training or working. The FK exchange programme has made my dream come true! It was on the 7th January this year when I received the news that I was one of the two TAMWA members selected to participate in the exchange programme, my host country being Kenya. From that day on, my mind raced with thoughts about the Kenya. As soon as I confirmed my flight details to Nairobi, I thought: How would I live and cope with Kenyans? This is because many Tanzanians believe that Kenyans act like Europeans as they are

Sabra Ali Mohammed - TA MWA

more advanced compared to Tanzania. Also, I thought about the weather in Kenya: Can I Cope with the cold conditions? I pondered, having heard from friends that it is very cold here. Initially I had bad impressions about Kenya; I used to think that Kenya, especially Nairobi was the peak area for crimes such as robbery. Again, this made me hesitate on coming to Kenya, and I even told my husband about it. But he laughed and asked me: Who forced you to join this programme? My self! I answered. Then he asked me another question: Dont you want to work in Kenya? I answered: It was my choice and even the TAMWA Executive Director, Ananilea Nkya asked me during the interview to choose which country I preferred between Ethiopia and Kenya and I chose Kenya. By the way, it was not really a total refusal, but just fear. I vividly recall the day when my housemate Abiyot and I lost our way in the city centre after a matatu dropped us outside the bus station, the only area with we were familiar with. I had this attitude about Kenyans that they were not good to strangers and so I did not ask for assistance. But this attitude made us to spend more than an hour trying to locate the bus station, in vain. Finally we decided to go to a nearby shop for assistance. The shop owner, a woman was very kind to us but explained that she couldnt leave the shop unattended to. She however asked us to watch out for her as she went to look for someone else to direct us to the bus station. She came with a watchman, this I could tell from the uniform he was wearing. However the watchman needed payment of 100
19 20

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

www.amwik.org

Kenya shillings, which we agreed to pay because we had no other other option. Then he took us up to the bus station. Once here, I cursed myself for harbouring ill feelings about Kenyans. After spending a week in Nairobi I realised that the city is just a nice place to live. What I like to do now is to behave like Kenyans so that the experiences in Kenya remain the greatest in my life. I now realise that Nairobi is a wonderful city and Kenyan people are very nice too. I have to admit that Im now really very happy to be here, it is a very good experience and really enjoy my exchange programme. Im having a very good time here and I am sure I will benefit a lot from AMWIK. I think this year will be the better of my life! On my first day at AMWIK, I met the Executive Director and staff who are very friendly and helpful. Here I noticed that in Kenya Journalists are committed to their work. Even AMWIK members who frequently visit the office demonstrate high commitment to their work. This is a lesson to me and my fellow staff in TAMWA. Working at AMWIK is like working at TAMWA.

Im really proud of being part of AMWIK staff. I prepared my self to be competent in all tasks I will be given. Im sure that AMWIK is a great place to study, because AMWIK staff is very active and competent. They can modernize me a lot, so I like my stay in Kenya. Im already incorporated in to the system through the tasks Im now handling. I expect to meet challenges but I know that this is a means to success. There is no short cut in development! Preparations Even as I shook with fear as I prepared to come to Kenya, I knew that I had some strength which would add value to my stay here; English and Swahili are the official languages spoken here and this therefore would not present a challenge to me as they are used in our country too. Although I am poor in English, I can communicate. I knew before that Kenya has a beautiful capital city, Nairobi, one among the best in Africa and this is a place where I longed to stay. When I arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi at 4:45pm on the 10th of February, my first challenge was the cold

that hit me upon landing. I was so scared of staying for ten months here. Strangely I felt homesick on my first day on Kenyan soil. It is true that its difficult to cope in a foreign country. However, there is only a slight variation in culture between Kenya and Tanzania which are both from East Africa. Even in my state of confusion, I could not help admiring the beauty of Nairobi. I like the kind of buildings here. The city is big and lovely. What surprised me though is that Kenyan people are always in a hurry or are busy all the time. This I experienced on my first day at work, and I asked my self: Are they busy for what? Then I thought: May be there is something running for it? Soon I realised that this is their way of walking; they are very sharp. To me this was a challenge as in Zanzibar people walk so slowly. Now being in Kenya Ive to cope with the situation! The heavy traffic jam, especially at peak hours (morning and evening) is a new thing to me. I have never seen this kind of traffic jam, even in Dar es Salaam, Tanzanias capital city there is a jam, but for Nairobi, it

I have never seen this kind of traffic jam

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

www.amwik.org

is too much! Now Ive become accustomed to it. Another thing I have noticed about Kenyans is that they do not have a habit of exchanging greetings, whether on the streets or as neighbours, especially if they are not acquainted with you. This makes me uncomfortable since in Tanzania we are used to greeting each other, whether one knows the other or not. I have also observed that the price of food in Kenya is a bit cheaper compared to Tanzania. Im yet to visit many parts of Nairobi, half London as we call it back home. In Kenya there are so many sights to discover I need more time to see all of them. It is so hard to explain my life in Kenya in a few words; I just want to say that Im lucky to stay here for ten months. Im sure that these ten months will help me to improve my English and my understanding of the media.

New Members join the Secretariat

AMWIK made new appointments late last year of Lilian Juma to the position of Programmes Officer and Moses Masawa to the position of Finance and Administration Officer. Lilian has experience of several years in Journalism work (News writing and Editing), having worked a writer in different media houses as writer and editor. Prior to joining AMWIK she worked as a Sub Editor of the People Dailya newspaper. She has also served as Editor of the Financial Post and Assistant News Editor of Kenya Times Newspaper. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Nairobi, Diploma in Journalism from the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC) and Diploma in Online Research, Communication and Publishing from Stockholm University (Sweden). Moses has over ten years working experience in Accountancy, Finance and Auditing Prior to joining AMWIK, he worked as a payroll accountant with Group 4 Securicor, Audit Assistant with Mulji & Associates, finance & Administration Officer with Husseini Glass Kenya Ltd and Modern Reliance Industries Ltd as the Chief Accountant. He is a Certified Public Accountant, CPA K, from Strathmore University and pursuing a degree course.

Have you something to tell us? A story to share? A joke or a recipe? Email your stories in by June, for the next edition of Connection. You can also drop them at the secretariat. For any enquiries, please contact Lilian through info@amwik.org
08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

www.amwik.org

Fare well
Kenya
04 05 06 07 08 09 01 02 03 10 11 12 13 14 15

By Chansa Mayani (2008 FK participant)

Written in December 2008

A very good friend of mine told me that she does not like farewell parties, or saying goodbye to people. For me, that meant not calling her to say goodbye, let alone, ask her to escort me to the airport. My response was, are you mad? What kind of a friend are you? It is your face I want to see the last time as I exit Kenya (as immigration officers would say). I thought my friend was insane by refusing to see me off, but now I realise that saying goodbye is the most difficult thing to do. Some people just never know what to say or whether to cry or not. Though Im glad to be going back home, it pains me to leave behind the family that God has blessed me with, the 10 months I have been in Kenya. The sadness I felt when I had to leave my family behind when I left Lusaka on that February morning, for Nairobi; is exactly what Im feeling when I think of leaving my family of friends in Kenya. Yes 2008 has been the most trying period of my life, that I sometimes wish I

16

17

18

19

20

www.amwik.org

could turn back the hands of time, and start the year all over again; but of course without all the negative and sad moments. I guess I would never be able to do that. But I can say, as difficult as the year has been, it has been a time of recollection and individual growth. It is amazing how you all of a sudden realise you have so much strength in you that you never knew existed. Losing my husband, my best friend and father of my child was the most trying period of my life, yet I thank God that I had to go through it. Motivational writer, Morris Venden says, there is a peace that cometh after sorrow, of hope surrendered, not hope fulfilled, peace that looks not on tomorrow

of people are these who can just wake up one day and start hacking each other to death? How would they receive me, a foreigner? Being here these past months has however, taught me a lot about Kenyans and I have grown to appreciate and accept what could have caused them to sink so low; if I may say. Though Im still judgemental about the roughness of Nairobi people in particular, I have learnt to be patient and tolerant. In the first few months of being in Nairobi, I would get so irritated about, how people just push you out of their way without even saying excuse me, or how someone would just step

me as an individual, but my career as well. I have learnt so much that will enhance my journalism career. I have always believed in the phrase that life is a learning process. This is even truer, for a journalist. Im a jack of all trades, and there is always something worth learning whatever the circumstances. Being at the Association of Media Women in Kenya has enriched my passion for womens rights and development issues. I know that even as I go back to my newsroom, I will be writing stories from an informed point of view and Kenya will always and surely be my area of comparison.

Fare well
Kenya
but on the tempest. A peace that does not find peace of successes, but of conflicts endured. A life subdued, from will and passion free. That is exactly how I feel after my experience. Of course this peace does not come immediately. It took time for me to come to terms with my sorrow. I often asked God why he allowed such a bad thing to happen to me. Now, God has made me understand why. Being around good friends also helped me to resist the temptation of slipping into a depression. Well enough of the preaching. I came to Nairobi at a time when Kenya was just coming out of the post election violence. I was thus not as enthusiastic about my journey, I was actually unsure of what to expect. I asked myself, what kind

It is your face I want to see last as I exit Kenya

on you and go on like nothing has happened. I can now confidently say, I have learnt to be tolerant and more sensitive to other peoples cultures, and thats thanks to the Exchange Programme. My culture and socialisation is different from Kenyans, and so who am I to judge them? After all, these are the same people who I have grown to love as my own my family. It is these same people that I today, feel so sad to say bye to. Yes not everything has been rosy; but who was there when I needed a shoulder to cry on? A Kenyan sister or brother. Who was there when I had my handbag stolen? Of course, one of the members of my Kenyan family. The opportunity of being on the Fredskorpset (FK) Exchange programme has not only strengthened I truly hope to use my position as deputy News Editor, in my newsroom, to ensure that women and childrens voices are heard more. Discrimination against women is everywhere, and unless we journalists start bringing out their issues, none of their demands for equal opportunities will be taken seriously by any of our governments. This vigour and passion over womens rights has been my most prized virtue I have acquired from my time in Nairobi. Well, I guess now I truly have to say good bye. Bye to the entire AMWIK membership, especially to those of you that have greatly touched my heart and been there even if it is just to hold my hand and cry or laugh with me. Asante sana na karibuni nchi ya Zambia. Mimi ni dada yenu!
20

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

www.amwik.org

Participants listen keenly during a past anti-FGM campaign in Kajiado

Monitoring radio listening in Isiolo

AMWIK ED Ms Jane Thuo hands over a radio to a youth group in Moyale

09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

www.amwik.org

Yet another milestone as AMWIK launches

By Abiyot Asrade and Lilian Juma

Resource Centre

e all have dreamssome come true, some fail. For AMWIK, big dreams indeed come true! One such dream has been to create a resource centre to serve as a convergence zone for our members to have unlimited access to the internet and keep abreast with latest developments in their journalism careers. The resource centre also serves as a library where members can access various publications and conduct research in specific media related fields to improve their knowledge and skills which are crucial in their career development. That dream indeed came to fruition on September 13, 2008 when AMWIK installed a Media Resource Centre, comprising a library and 12 internet connected computers donated by German Radio and Television. Yet, March 27, 2009 will remain etched in the minds of the many AMWIK members who turned up at our offices in Westlands to witness the official launch of the resource centre and AMWIKs new look website presided by the AMWIK Executive Director, Ms Jane Thuo. Flanked by AMWIK chairperson, Sylvia Machini, Jane recognized and appreciated the role of each of the 300plus membership and board who have tirelessly worked to ensure AMWIKs star keeps shining. Such efforts include resource mobilization and pooling of members skills to give visibility to womens concerns. Ms Thuo urged members to speak with one voice and avoid antagonisms that can derail our future objectives. It is good to speak with one voice, share our achievements, aspirations and even challenges which we should view as great opportunities for the future, she said. The ED stressed that women journalists have so much talent and so much to share, thus joining together to empower ourselves was important for our future success.
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

www.amwik.org

Ms Thuo enumerated the activities being undertaken by AMWIK, among them the programme on the Elimination of Child Labour in Kwale, the programme on promotion of abandonement of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Eastern and North Eastern provinces, the Human Rights Awareness programme, capacity building programmess for journalists and the regional women journalists exchange programme among others To the members delight, Ms Thuo also elaborated on the successful negotiation between AMWIK and Fredskorpset, Gimlekollen School of Journalism and Communication and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) for a new exchange programme, the South-North Exchange programme which gives an opportunity an AMWIK member to be based in Norway for a year while Norway will also send a representative to work at the AMWIK Secretariat. Ms Thuo further noted that AMWIK has experienced phenomenal growth over the years, quoting the current 380 registered members compared to less than five members in 1983. Meanwhile, Ms Machini appealed to AMWIK members to turn up in large numbers at the Annual General Meeting scheduled to take place 18th April 2009 starting 10.00 am at the Meridian court hotel.

My Experience At EASSI 2008 Young Womens Leadership Programme

By Redemtor Atieno

he year 2008 was an exciting year for me. For starters, I did not know what the year would bring after a terrible 2007 with the post election violence in Kenya after the disputed December 2007 general elections in the country. It started on a sad note for me like for many other Kenyans -hopes were dwindled, dreams shattered, lives lost and everyones spirit dampened. But all was not lost for me when I got a call from the Eastern African sub Regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women (EASSI) telling me that my application for the 2008 Young Women Leadership Programme was successful. I was one of the fortunate four young women to be selected for mentoring and coaching programme by EASSI. EASSI was
Redemtor receiving a certificate at the end of the programme
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

formed in 1996 as a mechanism that would facilitate networking within the Eastern African sub Region (Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somali, Tanzania, and Uganda) to build on the gains made following the Beijing 4thWorld Conference on Women. EASSI prioritizes on the 12 critical areas of concern for women identified in the Beijing and the African Platforms for Action. I would say AMWIK introduced me to gender issues but EASSI made me a perfect champion and advocate of women and children. Other than just giving me an opportunity to be part of the womens movement in Eastern Africa, the EASSI internship programme broadened my gender eyes and has made me look at issues with a gender lens. I experienced a nine-month long fulfilling and educative internship programme (April to December 2008) at the regional womens rights organisation based in Kampala, Uganda. The womens rights organisation developed and enhanced my skills in leadership, lobbying and advocacy. I also learned about programme management, report writing and analysis, research and documentation, information management, developing resourceful data bases, website maintenance and resource centre man20

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

www.amwik.org

agement among others. The young womens internship programme provided me with an opportunity for learning, interacting and traveling. I experienced a multicultural environment; I networked widely with other partner women organisation and attended numerous educational, empowerment and capacity building sessions available. The programme also gave me a chance to interact with three other young women from Tanzania, Eritrea and Somali whom we shared a house with for the nine months. We also had a chance to bring our own perspectives into the work of EASSI and to shape the internship programme through our various creative projects and researches that we undertook. The programme also shaped our approach to feminism issues at regional and global level that impact on women. At the end of the internship programme, as part of the expectation of the programme, I did a research on Media and Gender Injustice a case study of the Monitor and Red Pepper newspapers in Uganda.
About EASSI

EASSI is a twelve year old sub-regional support initiative for the advancement of women that boasts of having a hand in the implementation of Government commitments to women and girls advancement. The founding principle of EASSI was to stimulate activism at national, regional and international levels and to make concrete and meaningful change for women of the sub-region. The Young Women Leadership Program targets women from the ages of 18 to 35 from any of the eight countries of the sub-region, Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda. EASSI works on policy advocacy on governments to foster womens empowerment and gender equality.
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13

AMWIK donates text books, school uniform in Kwale

By Lilian Juma

The sight of children in tattered school uniforms and dusty bare feet are commonplace in Kwale district. The district is also grappling with a high drop out rate in both primary and secondary schools. Not only do the children trek long distances to and from school; many are also facing hunger and starvation. Because of poverty, majority are vulnerable to all forms of child labour, including child sexual abuse
14 15 16 17 18 19 20

and exploitation. In March 2009, AMWIK in collaboration with the international labour Organisation- International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (ILO-IPEC) and with the assistance of community groups, local leaders including councillors, chiefs and school administrations identified 200 children from 17 primary schools in the larger Kwale district who were given direct support in

www.amwik.org

form of textbooks, stationery and school uniforms. The primary schools include Ganja, Kilole, Zingira, Makongeni, Mwambunga, Madago, Mwangaza, Golini, Kichanze, Kwale, Ziwani, Magutu, Mwaroni, Makigwena, Mwalingulu, Kirundi and Mwaginda. The gesture is geared towards encouraging enrolment, retention and transition rate of both boys and girls in school and consequently withdrawing them from child labour. In addition, 36 children aged between 14 to 17 years were also identified who had completed class eight or dropped out of schools and were working as domestic workers, beach boys, sex workers and hawking and have been sponsored for vocational training at Ukunda polytechnic, while others are doing apprenticeship in areas of their choice such as hair dressing, computer science and tailoring. AMWIK believes that the vocational skills would give them better coping mechanisms. The gesture by AMWIK/ILO will act as a mechanism to directly involve communities at grassroots in the fight against child labour and also serve as a basis to encourage higher primary school enrolment. Also this provides an opportunity for the poor and
Editorial tEam

vulnerable pupils to further their studies as opposed to working so as to earn a living. AMWIK Executive Director Jane Thuo explains that community groups, among them Tiwi Community Development Group, Lamukhani community based organisation, Igiza Ziwani Group, Arise and Watch Teens Watch Centre and Clean Heart community based organisation made up of upto 300 members consist-

miraa farming, AMWIK chose Kwale District as a focal point that was in dire need of awareness on child labour. AMWIK implemented the Time Bound Programme (TBP) in Kwale in April 2008 aimed at building the knowledge base and strengthening the capacity of the media and partners to highlight the worst forms of child labour and lobby for multi-sectoral approaches to-

The gesture will act as a mechanism to directly involve communities in the fight against child labour
ing of men, women and youth are helping the association to monitor the progress of the beneficiaries. AMWIK has been involved in media campaigns against child labour in Kenya for the last five years with the aim of eliminating the worst forms of child labour in the country. Apart from AMWIKs previous work in areas such Kiambu with commercial agriculture; Kisumu with children involved in fishing and Meru with children involved in
graPHiC dESigNEr J J Y WritErS gladys Kemunto

wards the elimination of child labour. Similarly it sought to document and disseminate information so as to raise the publics awareness of the negative consequences of the worst forms of child labour. To date communities in Kwale have been learning more on child labour through community radio listening sessions which have been running amongst five community groups in the region.

EXECUtiVE dirECtor Jane thuo Editor lilian Juma

Chansa Mayani Abiyot Asrade Sabra Ali Mohammed Redemtor Atieno

To join AMWIK call 4441226 Tel/Fax 4441227 or write to info@amwik.org

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

www.amwik.org