 A very good social Friday morning to you. You are watching Y2Py4 channel and this is why in the morning, your favorite breakfast show, we do this every day from Monday to Friday between 7 and 10 o'clock in the morning. My name is Hilda Wadidhi and a very happy International Women's Day to you. So now in the spirit of the day and as we commemorate the day, I have some young people with me in studio who are advocates and they are very young, let me just put it like that. Because I remember when I also wanted to become an advocate, I did not think I would be able to do it as early as they have. So a big congratulations to them and it's about time I introduced them to you. The theme of this year's International Women's Day is advancement of gender equality and women empowerment. And the young people are here with us today to let us know what they are doing about this particular movement and why we should even have this conversation in the first place. So please, Karibu Nisana Studio, introduce yourselves and make sure you let us know where you're coming from. Let me start with Georgina. So my name is Georgina Ayuma. I am 19 years old, a girl advocate and a plan international and I'm also a youth advocate. So meaning that I'm advocating for both boys and girls and majorly on girls because I feel that it is time that we as girls stood up for what belongs to us, stood up for our rights, for us to be represented and for us to be seen by other people. Thank you. Okay, I'm Kevin Ochieno. I'm a student at the University of Nairobi taking medical lab. I come from Pondo in the county. I'm a youth advocate. Before I joined the plan, I did some youth stuff with a girl child in Garisa County and in Gori County in Korea. Then later earlier this year with a team, I had a team. It's called Society of Central Saguas Scholars. We did some youth program assisting girls and then I had a plan. I decided to partner with them. So currently we are doing several projects. We are empowering girls deep down in the village. At the same time, we look for young mothers in the village and we empower them. We advise some of them are taking that to school through the aid of the plan international. Okay. Yes. All right. You said? Yeah. I'm Kamara Newton from Rakanidhi County. I'm a youth advocate currently studying at Meru Compass pursuing mass media communication. As I use that forget, in my area where I come from, I have mobilized a lot of young people so that they can earn their living in a good way. This is by ensuring that they are equal and cause that voice without negligence. And in this case, I've also tried to meet with their parents so that they will understand what I'm trying to mean to be achieved by their children. So I've even mentored many parents in Daraka where I come from. Thank you. We have also mentored parents. I like that. Okay. My name is Jacinta Mwendoff from Kilefi County. I just completed my form for last year and especially this time when I'm waiting to join University, the issue and the topic about gender equality and women empowerment, I've actually been trying to go to some schools and actually talk to the girls and show that they know their rights so that they're not, their rights are not followed the right way. And that when they know their rights, illiteracy is really killing them. And when they know their rights, then they're able to know what they want and go for it. So during this time, I've actually since now I'm not with my school life, I'm actually free. I try as much as possible to go to most of the schools and talk to them and try to empower them. I like that. In fact, in the spirit of supporting, somebody here talks about rights and someone else has talked about mothers. And there's some statistics that we have here. We have the Kenya medical practitioners and dentists data reports that reveal that mothers in Kenya are recorded the highest medical negligence cases. So you can imagine when we are in a country where we're trying to achieve universal health care. I'm glad that somebody has talked about young mothers. So before we go into the details of that, let's first talk about how you guys got involved in this. Why did you, why should we have a conversation about girls and boys? Why should we have a conversation about equality? Why is it important to you? Let me start with Georgine. For me, what I would say is that it's for a long time that the girl child has been left behind. When you look at things like leadership in terms of being represented in leadership, the girl child has been left behind. Now let's get out of the urban setting. Let's go back to the rural setting whereby a girl is only seen like a person who's supposed to stay in the kitchen, who's supposed to stay at home and look after the kids, go to the chamber and do all sorts of things in the houses. But the man is seen as someone who's supposed to go work, supposed to be someone who has the voice to talk. When a man talks, a woman should not talk in the rural setting. That is what is happening. So I think it's time that we, as women, we stand up for our rights and even we bring on board other men who believe that the woman or the girl child should be heard and should be seen. Yes. I like that. It should not only be seen but also heard. Yes. And listened to. And listened to. Yes. Okay. Kevin, let's talk about how you found yourself in this line of fashion. What was it that brought you to this particular quality forum? Okay, first of all, it's dated back in 2016 when I was out of school for some time and I went for peer teaching in Garisa. So I happened to be in a school, a girl's school. It's Masa, Yusuf Hajj, girl's secondary school. Yusuf Hajj, girl's? Yeah, Masalani. So I actually, I was a class teacher at the same time I was head of some subjects. So I decided to follow up these girls. Their performance sometimes were not good. Then some of them came and told me, you know, teacher, we as girls, we are in a society where we are just seen as we are supposed to be married off after we have reached our adolescence. Oh, so they were not motivated to do it because they were told they were just married? They were not motivated to study. Some of them would tell me, me, I'm just studying to get my day or my something. Then I go back. The best some of them could do was to tell you they want to join the forces. So I saw this and my contract, they are ended. They started to travel back home. Then on the way, I met a government, I was in Korea and sometimes in Korea. So I met this deputy county commissioner. And then within these programs, we decided to hunt for the FGM. So through the help, through the help of the county, the office of the deputy county commissioner, we decided to stall down some FGM culprits. Yeah, I was like I acted like a snitch. So oh, so you have not a snitch, a spy, a proper spy to make sure that these things don't happen. So after that, that also ended. Then now I get back home where we formed a group and this group consisted of university and college students. So we wanted the girls and the boys to reach the level we had reached. Yes. So this group, we did some mentorship programs. We did some, we did some, we decided to collect these together. The girls and boys together. And at least we decided, like, you know, when you are when you are studying in Nairobi and you are a university student, you go back home, people look up to you. So when they tell you, let's do this, let's do this, some of them will definitely listen to you. So we used this platform and look for our other fellow students from other universities that reside within our community. So here came Plan International. Since we had no finance, we were just students. So they came in and now they could assist us with the materials, the transport. Now we have so many schools. All right, all right. So we decided to reach so many schools. They even organized for action. All right, we have to, we have to, it's just a little bit short because you need to fix a technical hitch with your microphone. But in the meantime, we can hear from Newton as well. Why did you join this movement and what was it that captivated you so much that you thought we should have a conversation about men and women when it comes to equality? First of all, let me say to be here, it's not my will, it's God's will. God's will, hallelujah. So for me to be here, I first of all faced a lot of challenges in my life. When I was informed to, I nearly dropped out of school. Why? Just due to lack of school fee. So on my way, I met with Plan International. They just paid my school fee. Wow. That was miraculously. So after there, I decided because they have paid the school fees for me, I must also do it. Teach for 30 is a fair game. If you are helped, help someone. Okay, I like that. If you are helped, help someone. So after there, I just, you know, I'm a person who likes to socialize with very many people. As you know through socialization, you really understand the challenges and the problems or the norms that other people are facing. So as a person of interest, I just interacted with very many people, especially youth. I heard that they have a lot of fear in their heart, such that they are saying some works are meant for men. These works include mechanics and wiring. They say that this one belongs to men. And in my case, where I come from, again I see that there is a lot of female genital mutilation. This one motivated me a lot so that I can encourage these girls that they can be equal to boys. This work that we are saying that is meant for men, they can also do them on their own. They are living. This female genital mutilation whereby a girl, when she is mutilated, she drops out of school because she becomes an adult and you see that she mess up with life. So I just mentored them and tell them that they can also achieve more in this life. So that's why I was motivated in this work of being a young ambassador. I would like to, when let me first go to Jojina first, then let's talk to Jojina, then I'll ask you the question I really want to ask. Okay, so Jojina, let's go. Yes, so this actually started when I was in primary school, that was in the year 2015, I was still in class 8. So we had to give the speech for our people from the children's assembly in my county, so they needed me to join the children's assembly. You remember the children's assembly? Yes, I was. I'm proud of you. Thank you. So I had to give a speech for them to confirm my confidence that I can really express myself in public. I can now speak in front of so many people and you see girls in my school were so much afraid and they were like, will you really do it? Are you going to do that? Are you sure you'll do it? And I said, since I was the one chosen by the head teacher, I'll make sure I will not let him down. So I had to go there and actually I made it, went to the children's assembly and then time came when I had to buy for the clerk seat and I lost because I was unable to campaign for myself. Why were you unable to campaign for yourself? Who was your, what do you call it? Your running mate? Yes, your running mate or your rival? What was it? Was it a boy or was it a discrimination? What was happening? What I remember was a girl but she came out so strongly more than I was. I just admired her courage and the way she could campaign for herself and where I was and I could not, you know, do that. But I said it's not yet over. They have to be a reason for me to be here because I never actually dreamed for myself to be in that place. And then an opportunity came for planning. They needed two girls from my county to actually be Nairobi. We had some votes because we had to adopt the SDGs to replace the millennium calls. So I actually got the opportunity, myself and some girl in Bondo. So we went and the experience was just nice. And that actually it building my confidence more and more and more. It really built my confidence and from there I've actually, I just thank God for that opportunity and I thank Plan International because it has just been a journey. Not so smooth, a tough one but still we thank God. Ah, congratulations and a big thank you to Plan International. It appears you're making a change for the young people in this country. So let's talk about some of the in fact, I think I want to start the boys for this question because I know the ladies will have a lot to say, but I'd like to hear from the boys first. Kevin, let's talk to you, Kidogo. When you decided you want to pursue this issue of women, when you identified that those girls had no hope and what have you and you decided to then come as pie, you know, to go the extra mile to make sure that this thing is sorted. What kind of backlash did you get from your fellow men and from the society in general? What roadblocks did you meet? Did you face any discrimination and what was it? Apparently, I never faced any. But the question people come about, why you talk of ladies, you talk of women and then you're a man. Yes, I just want to know how you respond to this question. I respond in this way. I would tell them, you as a man, you have sisters, you were born of a mother, you have daughters and actually when you look at, actually when you look at in a family setup, those who contribute much in assisting the parents generally are the ladies. So I would tell them and ask them to look it in that perspective and they get the answer automatically. I like your attitude. If you just study the situation here, you'll get the answer automatically. What kind of backlash did you get from your colleagues or from other men or just generally from the society when you decided you wanted to take women on? Okay, let me say that challenges are always there and in fact when challenges are there, they just motivate you. So in my head, where it comes from, I was motivated by one thing that goes when you educate a woman, you have the society. But when you educate a boy, you help an individual. So I was motivated by this factor because by this thing because I know that the boys or the men are pursuing a lot to achieve in life, but you see the girls here have a lot of fear that they cannot enjoy the work that the men can do. So in my case, where I come from, there is this issue that is the greatest backlash that is female genital mutilation. As you know, I try to fight with it, but I met a challenge whereby when you are trying to fight against it, and in fact you are going to that affected area, the person or the performer of FGM, sometimes you cannot get them, even if you report to the police. They are using a demonic power so that they can come just like a ghost such that you cannot see them. So this one is the greatest factor that I done me. Okay. So in your fight against FGM, you are finding it very difficult to get culprits? Yeah, because there is a lot of witch doctor there. Witchcraft? Yeah, witchcraft. That is the one that they are using so that you cannot be able to get them. So you see to fight against such a thing, it becomes a very hard task. Yeah. Again, in security purposes, you see that some girls let me say that they are traveling 14 kilometers in the morning from their home to school. You see the way they are passing across, it's a very big bush. But now you see that I try to mobilize and at least talk to the government so that they can put security lights in those places through clarion calls that I made. But there was no effective support that they just mean to me. So also that one is a greater challenge. Another challenge that I met across trying to ensure that there is no gender bias is that some parents do not want to believe in me. They are just filled up with a lot of culture in their minds such that when you try to say that let's get the FGM, they will say no. In Daraka, that is whereby we are trying to conserve our culture. So you're also facing the issue of the culture is already there and also even when it comes to FGM, there's also the issue of those girls that actually want to do it because they think it's a right of passage. I can imagine that might be a struggle here. And also from the government, you see they don't have effective support. Effective support from the government. So that's an issue. Jacinta, let's talk. What are some of the challenges that you faced or you can say that you're continuing to face in your fight towards gender equality? One of my biggest challenges is lack of support from the closest people I know. Be friends and especially parents. Because maybe what you talk about, you're not in terms with them. They kind of don't agree to it. They still think that why are you doing this? Do you really have to do this? You've got to do something with your life, not actually fighting for this equality for girls. And when you lack that support from the closest people you know that you expect them to support you in whatever you're doing, it becomes difficult for you to move on. So you'll not go ahead and seek support from strangers. It has to start from the closest people actually with you. And again, is the support from actually our fellow girls. Sometimes they don't. It's hard for them to understand what you're doing. You try to explain to them, but it's hard for you to join in the fight and actually to move on with you. So yeah. I like the fact that you mentioned that that's a very big problem and that's also the issue. That's also something else that men feel like that's our problem as ladies because even us we tend to misbehave sometimes and it comes to support. However, let's talk to Georgina. Let's hear. And when it came to your experience with the ladies and what have you, it's gender equality. We have to balance even the boys. So since the boys have been gracious enough to talk about the challenges that the girls are facing, just enter your next video so you better prepare for this one. What do you think are some of the challenges that the boy child is facing that you can do something about? Challenges that the boy child is facing. Let me see. You have to think about it. Yes, you don't have to think about some things because you've never thought about them. But I think one thing that my friend told me some time back when we're arguing about gender equality. He told me that when you go to these nomadic families, the boys do not go to school because all the time they may be taking care of the cattle and you know taking care of the sheep and the cows and the goats. So they don't get a chance to go to school. And I saw that maybe he had a point there because we are forgetting that in some communities some things really happen to these boys. But then that does not mean that I have joined the boys in saying that we should not empower the girls. I'm still on we should not we should empower the girls because you know when you empower a girl you're not making her superior than the men. We just want to have a level playing ground for both men and women. So for me if someone tells me that you're empowering the girl you're making her more superior than the boys. I just tell that person that if you empower me we will help each other in solving issues that affect our community. If you empower me we will create solutions for this country. I will not be superior than you but you will be playing on the same level ground. Level playing field. But what I've heard from you as a challenge for boy child is also education that's our most of them also not getting enough access to education. And I think Newton you've also talked about your personal challenge. But Jacinta let's go to you. Now that we are advocating for gender equality where has the boy child been left out? What are some of the gaps that you see when it comes to the boys? One of the gaps that I see in the boy child especially with my brother is sometime back when now my sister used to call when she's in school and she's like I don't have pocket money and when my bro calls it's like he's a man you can sort himself. For the girl child he she has to be sorted out fast and I think that's very wrong. It's something that should be like these are children. All of them are the boy the girl they are children. So you don't need to say like the girl needs a lot of security and while for the boy he doesn't need much security. He can actually go to the marketplace and stay for whatever time something bad could happen to him. He's also a child so we've got to protect both. And what as we are saying we're trying to create a level playing ground for all of us. So it's something that should be taken care of. I like the fact that you said that yeah from what I've gotten from is that it starts at home also when we start doing when we start dividing we have biasness towards girls towards boys then people grow up with this mentality that we are different and we cannot be the same. So I think the biggest gap is that we are educating the girl on why we should empower her and we are not educating the boys on why we should empower the girl. So the boy child is left behind to just have a very funny mental picture of empowering the girl. So I think as we are also empowering the girls the boys should also be educated on the importance of empowering the girl child. I like that. That's why you see that we have somehow concentrated in a equality in ensuring that the girls have been equal to boys and we have failed to realize that even the boys want maximum concentration. So that's why you see that in the streets most of the people that you see that they have dropped out of schools taking blues and several drugs you see they are boys. This is because we have tried to concentrate to girls' match and then we have forgotten that even the boys want also that care. In my case I met a boy who was kidnapped by an old woman and she was diagnosed with the gonorrhea that she received, he had received from the man, from the woman. So now you can see that if the government or the local administration or the Kenyan people are concentrating to ensure that there is gender equality there cannot be such cases of boys being kidnapped or there cannot be rapist issues like that one because they will concentrate to both of them. So even the boys means attention a lot. The boys need attention. But I really appreciate plan international because they're bringing boys on board on issues to live with girl empowerment so that for example right now we have Newton and Kevin they're on board they're talking about why girls are being empowered why should we should empower them. So plan international has really done a lot in bringing on board boys to discuss about girls issues. Kevin let's talk what are the gaps that you think the boys are facing what are some of the gaps that I like the fact that he's talked about the big the biggest incidents we have of drug use among young boys. Would you have anything to comment when it comes to that? Okay for example where I come from you find that the major economic activity we have is fishing. So if in that at class three a boy will definitely start going to the lake yeah some of them by the time this boy reaches primary seven or eight is a qualified fisherman and then for the girls okay they will always remain at home doing the course but let's say for example now when we have two people they have they have done their exams and now they are going to school yes yes so here okay it was way back then we would take the boys the boy the boy to school but nowadays you find that they would they would tell the boy the boy child to maybe if it's clever it I would be here and then the girl to continue oh yes and now that the aspect of equality is not there and then when we come to punishment you know money and the children they may see and parents are here to take control and the community would ask you to the sentiments will be even if there were two of them the same the same mistake or the girl was the one who has done the mistake they will just say the son of so and so the son of so and so has done this and then they will be forgetting that there is a girl picture there's a character there's a girl in this picture so the punishment will will be will be trust on the boy child so there's an unfair punishment issue when it comes to gender also unfair punishment I like the fact that you mentioned unfair punishment let me run straight back to the ladies ladies there's a match there's a match today that is protesting a femicide femicide in case you don't know is the killing of women and girls especially when it's done by a man and we've been seeing a lot of cases like this in the past few in the past few months in the media we've lost so many women even young women for that matter and I just wanted to understand from you these women most of them were seen as the villain you see like they were villainized yet they were too when some of these crimes were happening I'd like to hear your opinion on how women are are painted by the society when something goes wrong um when something like that happens they try to pick on the woman yes rather than the the person who did it yes so it looks like um it's it's the woman who was wrong on the whole idea and they don't even take time to understand how this situation actually started yes but they pick on her and they don't blame the other person so I think it's kind and fair to her because even before you start to judge someone you should actually understand the situation what brought up to this yes what actually what really happens but our society is even you've heard in most cases if something if um sorry to use this example but if a man cheats on the on the wife it's not that bad to the society yes but when the woman cheats on the husband yes it's really horrible yes you're actually given all sorts of names you know a prostitute whatever yes but I think it's high time we start to understand these situations before actually we start to judge them to to to just throw whatever whatever harsh words you know all those things so it's unfair it's so unfair okay okay let me see that though we are saying that sometimes the women are being killed you see that um so you cannot tell me that we are apparent that way we are playing international is introducing the youths to mentor the rest to start from the grassroots when the child is born he is mentored on the principles and the discipline that he is supposed to fall so that he cannot meet himself entering such a deep in bits of problems or struggles in life that's what I'm saying as our parents you need to have a lot of mentorship sessions with your child both of them both of them both of them okay great all right kevin quickly quickly we'd like to hear your your comment when it comes to the current deaths and the unfair punishment or repetition of punishment oh wait in fact you don't brought it up let me let me start with you um I just like to give an example if a lady dressed in a very short in a very short skirt and then she goes out there and by mistake she's defiled maybe she's under it by mistake there's no mistake anyway she is defiled unfortunately she is defiled people will say why was she in a short dress what time was it where was she going so the sentence to come up with so many things to cover up for a mistake of someone a mistake that someone has does so in my own opinion I would say that before you judge someone before you say anything before you start asking so many questions understand the dynamics of that situation understand what happened understand the rights if I am defiled I am defiled there's no um there's nothing that can be compromised there my dressing where I am going what time is it it will still remain that I am defiled so the society should really be keen on whatever they're saying whenever something happens who they point their fingers to and let them be knowledgeable I don't know if they give them this knowledge but I hope and pray that one day in future the use of this country will stand up and tell the society what things are right and what things are wrong yes and how to be fair and how to be sure okay because it's about time we wind up this segment plan international thank you guys so much for coming to studio and from what I've understood is don't only raise your girls to be good women also raise your sons so that even these girls can have good men around when that time when that time comes indio anyway thank you so much I hope you enjoy your social Friday please don't go anywhere it's international women's day we've had the young people here the young men and women a big congratulations to the boys who are standing with the girls when it comes to this particular fight so please do not go anywhere my name is Hilda Wadidie social Friday continues shortly