INTRODUCTION

The AEHRE project focuses on achieving tangible results through the development and implementation of community actions led by members of the community, for members of the community, through Community actions. It’s through the community action process that participants identify human rights issues they want to address in their communities, such as reducing barriers to women’s participation in local decision-making. They then decide on the actions they would like to take together to address the issues, such as a rally, a petition, or an information session.

Executive Summary

The four day training aimed at increasing empowerment of women and girls for the advancement of gender equality in their communities, increasing leadership of women and men in community mobilization activities that advance gender equality, enhancing collaboration among women’s organizations and human rights groups to advance human rights in their countries and increasing efforts by women’s organizations to influence duty bearers in fulfilling their human rights obligations related to gender equality.

 This training was conducted by Equitas in partnership with Women’s Empowerment Link (WEL). This initial workshop was to introduce the Advancing Equality through Human Rights Education (AEHRE) project that is a global project being implemented in five Counties in Kenya over period of five years (2019 – 2024). The project will focus mainly on increasing the participation of women and girls in local decision-making structures.

The project targets decision-making structures which were identified in the contextual analysis as directly and significantly affecting women’s lives. The assumption is that an increased participation of women and girls in local decision-making structures will contribute to their empowerment for their empowerment for the advancement of gender equality in their communities.

Organizations and affiliations represented

1. MIDRIFT HUMAN RIGHTS NETWORK
2. CRAWN TRUST
3. URAIA TRUST
4. CARE KENYA
5. LEGAL RESOURCES FOUNDATION TRUST
6. LEONA FOUNDATION
7. KENYA YOUTH EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT SPORTS ASSOCIATION (KYDESA)
8. STRENTHENING PEOPLE’S ENGAGEMENT & ADVOCACY IN KENYA (SPEAK)
9. CENTRE FOR ENHANCING DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE (CEDGG)
10. JIMMIA WOMEN RESCUE CENTRE
11. COUNTY GOVERNMENT OF NAKURU
12. FAMILY HEALTH OPTIONS KENYA
13. MISSIONARIES OF MERCY KENYA
14. BIC AFRICA NETWORK
15. NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

The training was conducted under 5 modules prepared by Equitas and Women Empowerment Link (WEL).

OVERVIEW OF THE TRAINING ACTIVITIES AND DELIVERABLES

The training started off by exploring the workshop overview and creating the foundation for which the project is anchored on stressing the essentiality of a human rights-based approach for advancing equality and the full realization of human rights. In the context of the AEHRE project, the practical implementation of a human rights-based approach (HRBA) requires a clear sense of the interplay between human rights and gender.

The training has a series of workshops that will introduce participants to a human rights-based approach with a gender perspective. It will focus on the core concepts such as human rights principles and the key elements of a human rights-based approach, placing a special emphasis on gender and examining gender relations and power imbalances that reinforce inequalities for women and girls.

During this introduction, a common understanding of these concepts will enable participants to develop more effective and targeted community actions that advance gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment in their communities. The goal and objectives of the full training are as follows:

GOAL

To enable participants to integrate a human rights-based approach with a gender perspective into actions that advance gender equality in their communities.

 OBJECTIVE

2. To explain the concepts of human rights and gender equality
3. To determine strategies for integrating key elements of a human rights-based approach with a gender perspective into actions that advance gender equality in their communities.