Blog Archives
GAD Grant Application Winners!
GAD is proud to announce the winners of the August 2013 application cycle! For this cycle’s theme, centered on tackling gender-based violence in Kenya, selection of the winners was no easy task. You all had creative ideas which made voting very difficult. During voting, the names were removed from the master spreadsheet to reduce bias, and GAD members were provided with each applicant’s project description in order to make an informed decision. The votes were tallied and confirmed independently by Maxximilian Mann and Khalil Jarrett to ensure transparency and accuracy.
For those of you who were not selected during this grant cycle, we encourage all of you to reapply during our next grant cycle! Again, GAD applauds each and every one of you in taking the time to fill out an application. We hope you all continue to do your part in making this world a more inclusive and tolerant society.
Congratulations to the following GAD grant winners!
Caitlin Newcamp – “Camp to End Gender-Based Violence”
Lorianne Mercado – “Let’s Understand One Another”
Brittnee Vagneur – “International Day of the Girl”
Eva Farrell – “Interactive Day of Life Skills for 400 girls”
Iwona Matczuk – “Training of Teachers on Life Skills”
Latham Avery – “Reusable Sanitary Pads”
Anna Hankins – “Camp MAP Workshop”
Thank you for your time.
The GAD Team
Raising Awareness!!
Thank you to all of our followers! We have just begun a new phase in Kenya with our Gender and Development Committee. We are excited you are following our journey. We want to tell you about our favorite GAD component. In the past we have offered quarterly grant rewards for Peace Corps Volunteers currently serving in Kenya. Each round was set for between 50,000 – 60,000 KSH and was awarded to PCVs who wanted to hold action days in their community that support Gender and Development in Kenya. Our last grant cycle enabled 7 PCVs to hold events targeting women and children. The number of people reached was over 1650!! That is a ton of people educated for only $500. Now, we have to raise money for these grants differently as you can read about on our DONATE page or look to in the video posted below. It is our hope that we can continue the grant cycles past September, with your help we know we can make it work! The Peace Corps volunteers who are approved GAD money will write about their event on this blog. So keep following and see what is happening with Gender and Development in Kenya!!
For any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to contact our team:
genderanddevelopmentkenya@gmail.com
Education = Empowerment!!
“According to UNICEF, 1 in 10 school-age African girls, ‘do not attend school during menstruation, or drop out at puberty because of the lack of clean and private sanitation facilities in schools’.”
“In Kenya, 65% of girls 18 years old and younger have dropped out of school.”-ZanaAfrica
As an educated American woman, it is hard to imagine dropping out of school because I have missed so much of it purely due to the fact that I was menstruating. These statistics are overwhelming, but they are completely true, especially in rural areas of poor developing countries, such as my small village here in Chebukaka.
A program that many health (and education) volunteers have undertaken here in Kenya is one of reusable sanitary pads. These easily constructed and inexpensive items are a direct way to decrease the amount of school that a girl misses each month. The reusable sanitary pad costs approximately 0.50 cents to create, which equivocates to about 40-50 Kenyan shillings. However, if the girl would have to purchase the Always brand pads (which is pretty much the only thing available here) it would cost around 80 shillings. This figure multiplied by the 12 months of the year comes about to be 960 Ksh per year. When girls come from families where the average income is 300 shillings per month, as it is in my area, this figure is nearly impossible to come up with. If a girl were to make 2 or even 3 reusable sanitary pads, this would cost her only about 120 shillings, and they could last several months.
Earlier in the year, I applied for a small grant to receive funds for a gender related activity through the volunteer run Gender and Development Committee (GAD) that we have in country. I proposed having a one-day event specifically for girls, which would teach them how to create these sanitary pads, as well as delve into other issues of sanitation and hygiene, and continue with lessons on HIV/AIDS and family planning. I was fortunate enough to receive the grant funds within a very competitive cycle, and at the end of June, I had a Girl’s Health Day at the local primary school, Chebukaka Girl’s Primary School.
The day ran smoothly with the reusable sanitary pads being our first session of the day! I invited volunteers who are in my area to assist me, and it would not have been the great success it was without them. Breezie and Lori took charge on teaching exactly how to make the pad, and myself, Brittnee, Joy and Andrea all came in and helped different groups create their pads.
We also incorporated other activities such as:
*Water Treatment and Handwashing
*HIV/AIDS
*Sexually Transmitted Diseaes
*Family Planning
*Importance of Staying in School
*Future Education/Career Activities
At the end of the day, the students graciously thanked us for being there and teaching, and we were invited to return whenever possible by the administration of the school. The girl’s were then off to play football and enjoy the rest of their Saturday!
I think that the day was a great success and could not have wished it to go any smoother than it had. I am so thankful to the GAD Committee who’s grant gave me the funds to purchase the materials necessary to create the sanitary pads for fifty girls, and to all those who helped me put on the day, ASANTE SANA!
Women should have the same chance at an education and a future as men. By creating a sanitary and inexpensive way to deal with menstruation, hopefully we will have helped at least some girls remain in school.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”- Nelson Mandela
Women’s Health Day!!
One of the best parts of working in the Peace Corps comes when you have a successful action day. Even if it isn’t yours. Jenn, a Public Health Sector Volunteer recently won a GAD grant to hold a Women’s Health Day teaching about HIV/AIDS, Nutrition, Breast Cancer, Environmental Awareness, Modern Cook stoves and how to be better partners (for men). Several volunteers went to her site to help out. Each of us were each assigned a table along with one of Jenn’s Community Health Workers to maintain and educated any person that came by. The tables were set up in a science fair like orientation with a huge lawn in the middle complete with soccer and footballs to attract all the outside kids. After a few hours of playing with only kids church was finally over and then came the crowds! Over 250 people signed in for the action day and that did not include the children. The information tables were consistently stacked with women who had questions about each health topic and the room set up for free HIV testing was in use the entire 5 hours!
This event was funded by our GAD grants cycle. GAD is the Gender and Development committee that I am the Treasurer of. We run quarterly grant cycles where we contribute up to 50,000 KSH (~$625) to currently serving volunteers who apply for small grants to put on these events. The last grant cycle we had 21 applicants applying for 165,260 KSH!!! It was a hard decision !! Jenn was one of the 7 winners and put on this Health Day, that led to over 250 people becoming more educated and getting tested for HIV, for only 9,500 KSH ($118). I would say that is a $100 well spent!
To Donate to GAD in Kenya go to our PCPP Kenya Country Fund (Don’t forget to add an attachment that specifically states the funds should go to the GAD fund in Kenya- otherwise we won’t get it)
Peace Corps Kenya Country Fund
Gender and Development in Peace Corps Kenya 