 wimens employment, kawamakiru rock maiku matiwa mwa kamu mwa kwa maikiru kua maikiru ya kwa wensan kwa wensan kawamakiru wws uwa hoza siga na na wensan waweha wensan wensan wensan wensan katia tuwarizim waweha tawami Huala hibukupu kwenia nusububu na hukusia Morinia nihaya hibukupu Kachinia kwa WTO Kwenia hibukupu kwenia Kukusia sikaku, kuvaa kumari hibukupu hibukupu ya hibukupu hospitality industry are women and when they looked at employment in general only 39 percent of employed people were women but in tourism is 54 percent so there was a need for us to form this grouping to address women issues in the tourism industry because as much as we are 54 percent of the workforce in the tourism and hospitality industry we are only in the lower jobs you find women are employed in in let's say housekeeping jobs receptionist there is a certain like category that is you know reserved for women and yet we have a very professional women who who can take up leadership roles but we are still in a patriarchal society and unfortunately because of that women don't end up in in our industry getting the top jobs if you look at all you know like the big hotels you look at the training institutions it's men who are running these institutions so what we are trying to do is first of all create awareness that we do have professional women in the industry and and also give them that empowerment and motivation and courage to to rise up and and take up those roles but there are just a few things you know that seem to work against women like like going on maternity leave you know you came from a woman who who went on maternity leave i i did as well we all do so i'm not sure at which point it became a bad thing for for women to go on maternity leave but in our industry we have unfortunately seen cases where women are you know they go on maternity leave and come back and your job is gone yeah so so we're there to fight yeah it happens everywhere but we we're here to to sort of uh claim claim our space and and uh encourage women to to also speak up because it's not a bad thing to go on maternity leave uh huh yeah so it's a whole rounded uh it is uh conversation a whole rounded association because in a minute i was thinking when we hear about women yeah tourism yeah we we know hostesses if you know yeah yeah like my layman's thinking is that yeah when you hear women and tourism when you put them in the same sentence me hostesses yeah this receptionist like the hotels and then those ladies that speak next to you and they take you back to the room yeah yeah so so it's a whole it's it's very holistic we have five committees in our association um there's a membership committee which is everybody uh and then we have other committees which we encourage our members to to join we've got the mice committee uh the deals with events and and conferences um we've got the CSR uh committee because uh we're cognizant of the importance of conserving uh flora and fauna um as well as also giving back to to the community so our CSR activities are quite vibrant we have our initiative uh that we started called Turning Tourism Green which is our tree planting initiative that you know to date we've we've planted over 50 000 trees in all the various counties where we are represented so um we do you know conservation projects we have um uh giving back to to society in terms of uh looking after people with the celebro palsy we have um school of the blind where we give uh you know white canes so we have different projects in in CSR that that enable our members to also give back to the community because the community is where we get our members it's also where we get our clients then we have um a very vibrant training and mentorship committee here we train uh and mentor the young practitioners in the institutions you know teaching them soft skills which are not taught in the curriculum we also teach them best practice for you know to prepare them for the job market when they come out of when they graduate from the institution so that one is really really vibrant last year we trained over 500 students in the various institutions we actually have MOUs we've signed with some of the institutions like Kenya Oteli College we've signed with IHTI which is International Hotel and Tourism Institute we've got Amboseli Institute of Hospitality and Technology and University of Enbu who have tourism and hospitality department so we work closely with these and you know we we have training sessions um where we take their students through through some of these skills that are not taught you know in in um in the institutions amazing you've mentioned something to do with flora and fauna what's that um flora and fauna is the the the vegetation you know like you know the greenery and and the animals as well yes because you know when you go when you go on holiday um some of the things you look for are are a good scenery you you go for game drives to to to look at the animals to see animals learn about animals so that's all flora and fauna yeah yes yes yes yeah so how how is the association founded it was founded by a group of women in the in the industry um as I mentioned before you know they saw there was need to get um grouping together to to address the the particular issues that women face in the industry especially in terms of getting employment and and you know creating a favorable work environment for them our needs are very different from men's needs uh some are similar and um you know when we do our trainings we train both men and women but um we we now go beyond that to to to sort of um advocate for the women because uh women's needs are uh are different and and they need to be addressed and they need to be sort of um included in in the HR of any any establishment yeah yeah so how many members do you have we currently have uh just slightly over 200 we are represented in 23 counties uh to date uh and at our AGM this year we're launching our 24th county which is Turkana and we're very excited about that and and it's you know it's a good coincidence that the government is also looking at uh um you know welcoming the world back home to to to Turkana to Kenya so um the semi arid and arid areas have not really gotten the the attention they need in terms of what they have to offer um in tourism and and yet you know they have a lot to offer apart from some really remarkable places um in in in those areas they have cultures that we all need to be aware of and and and enjoy so so part of our objective of opening and launching Turkana is is to open the space uh to the tourism industry and show the world that there is something else to see in Turkana and in other semi arid areas and as as well as you know help them grow um you know in terms of facilities for for tourists they are still growing there is there is room for for for more facilities to be put up but the locals also have an opportunity to join the tourism industry they have an opportunity to learn skills that can now open them up to other counties and to the rest of the world so especially the girl child because we look after the women we we would like to give them the the courage and and empower them to reach out and and um you know get these skills so that they can also now get out there and bring back income to their community yeah nice that's that's wonderful so you have a conference coming up yes we do tell me about i'm excited to hear about yeah we actually also very excited about it it's our first conference as as a count um it's going to be on 31st of uh january this month and um we're looking at various topics uh to discuss but the main objectives for the conference are first and foremost to um to bring up our the profile of our association and create awareness that we are there in the tourism space and the other objective is to fundraise for some of our projects the topics we are discussing are sort of touching on these projects that we have like climate change and how it affects women in the tourism industry i don't know if you've you've seen there's been like a rise in in um uh you know um loss of jobs because of climate change um there is a lot of damage of destruction of natural resources because of extreme weather conditions and you know women in in um in in the traditional role are the ones who like you know go to the farms and you know from the farms that's what now feeds the the hotels the you know um the the hospitality establishments we've also got women going to fetch water so when we have extreme climate conditions women have to walk long distances um you know just to fetch that water which also puts them in danger in terms of you know being attacked in them you know on the way or you know getting tired and you still have to come back and do your household chores so so women are affected by climate change in very many ways um there's also been loss of jobs because of you know the extreme um weather conditions and where there is loss of jobs there is stress so you know in the domestic section you find um because of that stress then there's gender based violence um so women end up um sort of vulnerable to to the harsh realities of climate change we're also going to discuss safety and security of women especially women traveling alone women um women tend to travel alone uh a lot more often than men it's very hard at you who know any man who goes on holiday alone no have you heard of no have you ever heard of any but you've heard of women yes yes women go they travel alone uh it's part of their wellness it's part of uh you know adventure and they have the money you know now women are um they are empowered and and they have the money and and they they they like good things so so we are looking at um having a discussion around the safety of women because sometimes women get attacked in hotels if you're alone uh you somebody knocks the door and then you know so we are looking at having discussions around um ways of securing um the safety of women who travel alone um so that's going to be a very uh interactive uh discussion and um as we mentioned earlier we we are now seeing um unfortunate incidents of women being being uh you know murdered in in air bnbs which falls under hospitality so so we are hoping that the policy makers and the security forces will will come up with something permanent um and effective to to assure the the the safety of everybody because everybody um should be uh you know assured of their safety we are also going to discuss the role of women in decision making um so we've got you know decision making starts from home um i'm a mother uh so you know right from home the the decision maker in terms of how the home is going to be run is a woman and um so we're looking at you know when we escalate that to the corporate section or we escalate to the social uh scenario how are women empowered in decision making positions um are they given are they um empowered to to to to get to those positions without having to fight extra hard you know because for for most women who who have gotten to leadership positions it's always been a fight it's always been you know i i had to do extra more you know way more really yeah you really have to prove but you don't have to prove yourself we all go to the same schools as the men so so um we're trying to create a you know a discussion around sort of equalizing the playing ground the the the the the market the job markets so that um you know women shouldn't feel like it's it's a favor to to be given or to to get certain positions but it's they're right because you know they are qualified um we have women in in our association that um uh you know we we've got a pool of uh of different age groups from from youth to the more mature women and it gives us um a good feel of um the various things that affect women in the different age groups and and we also get shared shared knowledge you know so so these women are are um professional in their own rights and they have gone to various events as speakers as trainers so they are qualified and there are other women out there that are very qualified to to hold leadership positions and to make decisions and um so so our our view is that um the the diversity in in in terms of gender is not um it's it's not a privilege it's it's actually a catalyst for success so the more we include women in decision making um the more successful the organization will be the the more successful our country will be the more successful the world will be so yeah those are the conversations we are trying to bring another very exciting topic that we're going to have on that day is um about a technology and innovation in the fields of persons with disability um we have persons with disability who travel on holiday we have persons in disability with disability who work in the tourism and hospitality space um and we're trying to to have that conversation that they too have a right to to um you know be employed uh if if you have somebody who has a particular disability it doesn't mean they cannot do a certain job there there are many jobs if if you have somebody who is confined to a wheelchair they can be a receptionist they can be a cashier they can be you know maybe even work in the in the bar mixologist because they they have other abilities that um they should be allowed to to to utilize we have people with disability persons with disability who travel as tourists and when they travel there's a lot of money that we're not taking into account because when they travel they travel with some with you know other people to accompany them and and that's revenue that we could be earning as a country but because our facilities are not accessible for them then they will skip kenya and then choose a country where the infrastructure is more favorable yeah and persons with disability um are not just um people either who have um uh loss of sight or hearing or or mobility we have um old people who need assistance to to move around we have injured people who also need assistance to move around and they need the infrastructure um to to feel safe in in a facility we have children um you know these doors like your door here with a very um strong suction if if a six year old child goes to the restroom the washrooms and and the door has the suction and it's it's a strong one the the child can easily get caught up in that door you know because it's not conducive for them some places have uh different restrooms for for children which is which is commendable but we need to bring those kinds of conversations and awareness so that facilities know that it's their responsibility to take up care of everybody um in in their various um abilities we have um uh uh people with autism uh you know that's that's also uh um falling under PWDs and some of them depending on their spectrum are able to travel on their own but they have difficulties or challenges around communicating um their needs so so we're looking at having discussions around how do we accommodate um and train our our employees in in the tourism and hospitality industry to be able to to to to cater for these specific needs because it's still revenue that is coming and then it's also a space for for um people to be employed you know whether they have one ability or another and then there is there is a ramps you know there's a time there's a time everybody in kenya all the buildings yeah that one is everybody was told you must have a ramp you must have a ramp and they go and put ramps without understanding that you can have a really steep ramp that and then you know if somebody is on their own with a wheelchair they will struggle to go up or down that ramp or even if they are being pushed if it's very steep you land up toppling over each other so so these are the kinds of um uh you know sensitivities we would like to to to to bring to people's awareness um in terms of facilities uh in terms of training um so that everybody feels that that they are also entitled and welcome to enjoy the tourism and hospitality um facilities that's a whole broad yeah yeah you know i think for us especially i'm not talking about media people in the media but just generally like for common one and she yeah generally me when i hear tourism my mind goes to whatchadetemombasa then we go to mara sea world animals come back that's tourism for me but now when you discuss it really there's a whole wide spectrum around me so much yeah here sit for your tourism in i think we need an education like an educative class your generation knows mombasa you know the mara you know dubai you know zanziba those are the things and it ends there yeah yeah but there's a lot there's there's sports tourism there's health tourism there's gastronomy which is about food like you know the coast western kenya the you know every every culture has has um their their cultural foods that that also need to be enjoyed by other people they they have different ways even when you have um uh similar cultures they have different ways of of cooking of of presenting their foods so there's a lot more to to tourism you've mentioned culture and then i remember i don't know if this falls under your category but i just remember the other day um i was having a discussion two things one i was having a discussion with someone who runs a tourism agency he was here and i was was was asking him are we selling kenya as a travel destination to the world what exactly are we doing you know wide and then two other conversation that has come to my mind as we were having this as we you mentioned culture was there is a conversation that was dominating spaces towards the end of last year where they were talking about i'm glad you mentioned to kana as one of the countries you're putting on board so there's that part where people were like does kenya only have one heritage like culture to showcase masai peke ake you know yeah there are so many there are so many cultures and even within like if we look at one tribe you might find the tribe has fragments that that have a different you know culture in terms of speech like amakamba so if you know kambas from from makweni have a different way of speaking compared to machakos and kitui so you know when we look at culture it's um it's really diverse and and uh i know that the ministry and you know our strategic partners like ktb have have been really pushing in terms of looking at you know tourism beyond the masais beyond mombasa so it's work there's work that's being done and it takes the whole of you know the whole tourism industry to sort of rally around these these topics and and and try and and get people it's taking time also because like you say everybody wants to go to the coast everybody wants to go to the mara and the mara for maybe the younger generation they think it's boring so they all want to go to the coast and have their parties there and you know but if we if we open up the other counties um like now we are represented in 23 counties where our aim is to open up um the tourism industry to to these counties to see because everybody in in the people in that county know best what their attractions are they know best which are their little hidden gems you know so the minute we we start opening up the the the counties they also now take ownership of selling their county they take ownership of employing from their communities we're working with ecotourism which is also um one of our partners to to reach into the communities and and source you know employment from there source sort to to sort source staff from the communities because they are the ones who know best where they are hidden gems are those are the ones now we want to bring out to the world amazing so how successful have you been in empowering women we believe we have been successful we are still trying to raise our profile which is part of the reason we are having um the conference because we've been there since 2011 but um there are not very many people who know about us yet so the conference is going to help us to raise our profile um you know educate people of the benefits of joining especially people in the tourism and hospitality space so yeah we believe we've uh for us to get to 23 counties and the 24th coming up we think uh you know one percent uh you know better than the other yeah yeah it's a milestone yes yes yes what are some of the challenges you've experienced the challenges um include you know the the patriarchal um mentality which is a mindset that we are working um hard with our male counterparts as well because you know we can just work as women alone we need the men to also um understand the the value that women bring to the table so um that that is a bit of um a challenge for us uh another challenge is funds because we are non-profit um everything we do is is voluntary so and these are people who are also employed elsewhere so um the funds for us to to to run our projects um is also a challenge but we are working on that with um with the conference and by God's grace we'll be able to get enough at least to start one good project and then you know next year another step another step yeah keep moving keep moving absolutely we bring this conversation to a close yes time moves very fast yes yes we bring this conversation to a close tell us something else we would want to know about kout um what else would you like to know about kout kout kout is um we believe in in um empowering women in the community uh we have a program uh service excellence so every time we have our AGM every year we go to a different county not just to see the attractions of that county but also to honor and and and appreciate the women who have made an impact in the community so today we have um awarded um over 12 women um in in the various counties who have done something in in mostly in conservation and um but also in empowering women in their own space and we also um award we give cash awards to the best female student in the um institutions the hospitality institutions um so we go for their graduations and we award the best female student yeah amazing amazing now on our personal note let me bring it home okay very personal personal note sure this is where I love ending these conversations at as a woman what can you leave the house without I cannot my phone five things okay I forgot to tell you five my phone uh uh my ID so I have a little pack with all my cards so I can't leave the house without that of course the house keys um how many are those three three um my specs this is a vast net country without specs um what and my hair my hair has to be done by on the road are you a cheetah or a tortoise on the road I um it depends I'm not a tortoise I've never been a tortoise I can be a cheetah I can be I can be depending on you know the situation if there's an emergency I will drive on two wheels so but most of the time I'm safe uh are you a hills person or a flat I have always been a hills person but now with age but I wish I wore them I should have carried them just just to pose I love I love hills I love love love love hills so thank you so much for your time thank you thank you very much for having us when we can find uh when you can find your yes yes thank you um so you can find us on uh we're very active on LinkedIn and Facebook uh that's uh kout kawt at um sorry let me start with our website www.cout.org.ke um on LinkedIn it's uh Kenya Association of Women in Tourism or KAWT and the same with Facebook we are also on Instagram as KAWT so yeah but we are more active with on on LinkedIn and Facebook I forgot to ask you how does one become a member you just need to log into our website we have a membership um page you need to be in the tourism and hospitality sector and we're actually reaching out to the youth which is one of our committees as well because they are the ones to take you know the association to the next level and you know into the future and the youth subscription fees are you know 2000 so it's it's we're actually looking at recruiting more youth to join and then we can mentor them and then they will be able to now socially be confident enough to take it up all right thank you so much thank you very much thank you thank you for coming thank you for having us getting us you know and welcome to the industry Maki Kali talking to us about tourism women in the tourism space I hope you've been educated I hope you've been educated please let's be educated because the LAO tourism is a whole wide spectrum and we've been having that conversation on women in tourism women empowerment and stereotypes that surround women in these spaces that is the strength of a woman