At least 100 girls in Kisii County are set to benefit from a mentorship programme supported by the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Kisii Branch in partnership with the Office of the Woman Representative.
Speaking during the launch of the programme in Kisii town, KCB Kisii Branch Manager James Maganda said they have partnered with the Office of the Woman Rep to support her flagship projects aimed at empowering the girl child.
Maganda noted the mentorship programme will act as a caution for school-going girls who are likely to undergo Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a common practice during the December holiday break.
“It is the government’s agenda to ensure that by the beginning of next year, the vice is not practiced and that’s why KCB is here to support this noble course and ensure that no girl endures the process,” he said.
The Manager pointed out that the programme will run for an entire week and the girls will receive guidance, mentorship, and coaching from various professionals to enable them to be all-round individuals with knowledge on matters of FGM and academic.
Maganda added the bank would roll out the sponsorship programme for students from vulnerable families who will excel in the just concluded Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams as part of their agenda to support education initiatives in the county.
Kisii County Woman Representative Dorice Aburi decried the high number of teenage pregnancies recorded at the Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital (KTRH) over the years.
“Most of the girls, once they have given birth at the age of 12-18, do not wish to go back home due to fear of stigmatization from the family and community. Instead, they end up in town as sex workers in order to fend for their children,” she lamented.
The Woman Rep lauded KCB bank for the partnership and called on stakeholders to work together to protect the girl child from such vices.
She urged the girls to become ambassadors and share the information they will acquire with their peers and called for more well-wishers to sponsor additional girls to the programme.
By Mercy Osongo
