Media stakeholders in Kajiado North have been urged to report more on positive stories on policy change in relation to women and girls’ issues in the region
The role of the media in voicing the issues and challenges faced by girls and young women (GYW) was emphasized in a media training convened by the Kenya Alliance for Advancement of Children (KAACR), in Ngong, under She Leads Program implemented in Kajiado County.
Speaking in an interview, the director KAACR, Tim Ekesa stated that the training was essential to touch base on highlighting issues facing girls and young women in the county.
“We believe that the media plays a big role when it comes to community and young people empowerment,” Ekesa reiterated.
“Talking to the media practitioners, we were able to get some of the challenges they are facing on the ground, and also update them on some activities young girls and women have been able to work on,” he said.
He called upon the media to develop an interest on some of the issues on the ground, and commended the media fraternity as a collaborator in women and girls’ issues in the county.
“I see the media as collaborators in the project and I see them identifying their role very clearly, and I’m sure that after this the coverage will be stronger,” Ekesa added.
The training also shed light on the She Leads project, which is an empowerment project for GYW aimed at improving the livelihoods of girls and women through supporting community-led initiatives such as menstrual hygiene education and support and advocacy against harmful practices such as Female Genital Mutilation.
The role of the media was highlighted as an approach to change how community members view girls and young women, to create reliable and consistent streams of publicity, to motivate community members and policy makers to get involved in dealing with the problems of girls and young women.
The KAACR is an umbrella organization that handles children’s rights in Kenya.
By Laura Thuo
