Amala Changemaker Foundation Programme Graduates launch initiative to address gender inequalities in Kakuma camp

Sep 14

A group of female graduates from the UWC-Amala Changemaker Foundation Programme have used their entrepreneurial skills that they developed on the programme to launch an initiative to address gender inequalities in Kakuma camp. Siham, one of the Amala graduates, began developing this idea as part of her Social Entrepreneurship course final project on the programme. After completing her studies with Amala she teamed up with her classmates, Marwa, Anyiel & Zezo, and two other friends Nawal & Najma, all aged 14-18 to help launch the initiative; the Sinnan Project.

The Sinnan Project addresses the various causes of gender inequalities in Kakuma, such as early marriage & pregnanices, girls access to education, poor awareness & enforcement of womens rights, and sexual harrassment & gender-based violence. With a mission for more women and girls to gain dignity and space in their communities, the Sinnan Project works to combat gender inequalities through mentorship sessions, social media platforms where women and girls can share and discuss experiences, and distribution of menstrual health kits to girls.

We sat down with Siham to discuss the incredible work that the Sinnan Project plans to do for girls in Kakuma and her experiences on the Amala programme.

“As young girls, we understand and experience the effect of gender inequalities in our daily life. We are teaming up to address the issue to create a better future for ourselves and our sisters and brothers in our communities.”

How did you find out about Amala and the Changemaker Foundation Programme?

I found out about the Amala Changemaker Foundation Programme from a girl who was my neighbour. She told me that she saw the promotion that former Amala students were doing in her school in the morning hours. At that time I used to go to school in the afternoons. So when I got home that day I searched for "Amala " on Facebook . Through my research I got the link for the application so I started applying!

Did you always want to start a project to address gender inequalities in the camp? Or was this something that you became interested in while studying on the programme?

Before joining Amala ,I had a small thought that something needed to be changed in the way my community thinks about girls. But I didn't know how I could start or learn the skills needed for me to change something in my community. And I even lacked the thought of " before you change anything from others first you need to change yourself." So I learned about sustainable projects in Amala and that was when I found this idea in a small corner of my mind. So yes, I had this idea before but it wouldn't have been an idea without the knowledge I got from Amala.

How did you and your group decide on your project focus?

First I was doing this project alone even after I graduated from the program . At that time I was doing a group project with Amala students which was about "quality education ." Then in the process of prototyping , I found out that most of the team were not serious about it. So that was when I decided to start my own project and try my best to implement it . So when my facilitators from Amala heard that , they encouraged me to build a team because what a team can do effectively, an individual can't do on their own. I started sharing my ideas with my classmates and luckily I got three girls from Amala and two girls from my community. Nawal is my classmate in school and she is currently applying for Amala’s 3rd cohort of the High School Diploma . And Najma is my neighbour who told me about Amala and she was the reason I found out about Amala. The rest are from Amala , Anyiel, Marwa and Zezo. Because of our school time and our daily chores we couldn't have time together. I want to repeat the prototype again so that we all get the message. Then we will plan our project to run from September if we get funds.

We are all girls in this team. As the saying goes; "a woman can understand a woman" which is why we wanted to team up to understand others.

How did you find going out and doing research and prototyping in your community? What did you learn? Any challenges?

In that [prototyping] process I learned that girls are not the victims but they are being made to be the victims . It is how the environment they live works, talks and acts . Whenever they want to do something for themselves ,they are met with abusive action. Whenever they want to talk and give a point they get an abusive response. That is why they become the victims in that situation. A challenge that I met was ignorant and mocking. Nobody believes that a 16 years old girl can have an idea to help her younger and elder sisters. Some were asking me who I work for, was I feminist? But then I would just give a polite answer.

Have you started the mentorship sessions with girls & their parents yet? Can you share anything you have learned from these sessions?

We have not started the project because my team members are adapting to the project. For them to be familiar with it, I decided to repeat the prototype with them this month. So that we can start our solutions sessions next month. We are planning to have two sessions: the mentorship session which will be once in a month, and another session about motivation for girls which will be twice a month. We are also planning to distribute menstrual kits to the girls who attend these meetings, but that will only happen if we get funds. Hopefully it will happen, and we are in the process of creating an online platform to help with this. So that's how we planned our project so far.

What is your hope or dream for this project? What will it look like in 5-10 years time?

I hope this project will change something about how the community thinks about girls. I hope girls will be able to speak up and fight for their rights in every possible way. And I hope that girls' dignity will be preserved. I also wish to get a chance to participate with global leaders on how they can solve this problem globally.

What are your own personal goals for the future?

My personal goals are to make my mother very proud of me and the happiest woman. The other goal is to please Allah / God and seek his help whenever I'm in need. I want to be a successful person in my education and career.

How did you find the Changemaker Foundation Programme in general? Did it help you learn new skills and experiences? Would you recommend it to a friend, if so why?

Amala’s Changemaker Foundation Programme was the best programme I have ever participated in. It helped me learn a lot of skills which can help me in my lifetime. Yes I will recommend it to my friends because before I joined Amala , I was a home girl and I never thought that in 6 months my life will change that way. It taught me how to use my confidence and my strength. It even taught me how I can help others who are in need .It also taught me how to stand up for the right things and how to communicate positively, among many other things. Although I faced many challenges in the process of being an Amala student, nothing comes without price. I enjoyed being in the programme and I made a lot of friends from different backgrounds and nationalities. I now believe that all human beings are family.