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Being Bold: Breaking Down Gender Bias in Kenya

ZOE girls prove #GirlsBelongHere on International Day of the Girl.

As the single most discriminated against group in the world, girls are unable to pursue their dream jobs simply because of their age and gender.

ZOE’s empowerment model removes barriers for youth — particularly girls — so that they can acquire the skills needed for employment opportunities. Girls are equipped to challenge social norms and gender stereotypes so they can pursue their dream — even if it is a job that is typically only available to boys.

To begin to remove the barriers, Zoe Empowers starts with the question, “What is your dream?”

Every young person begins ZOE’s empowerment program with a “Dream” exercise which involves the creation of a “Dream Chart.” Using this chart, they share their goals with other orphans and vulnerable children in their group. Then they provide support for each other so that each Zoe Empowers child is encouraged as they seek to achieve their dreams. Within this support system, there are no limits to what the children can achieve as they make the transition to adulthood.

For the many girls who are members of Zoe Empowers working groups, this is usually the first time they are allowed to voice their hope for a future. The boys who are also part of their group listen with respect and commit to helping the girls reach their dreams. Together, they are creating a path for all girls to achieve a sustainable and equitable role in their community — which is the goal of the International Day of the Girl Child as declared by the United Nations.

On this International Day of the Girl, we are recognizing Amrita — a young female in Kenya. Annrita has persevered and continued to pursue employment opportunities despite challenging social norms and gender stereotypes.

Annrita worked as a day laborer, often as a laundress. The work was hard, and the pay was minimal — never enough to support her three younger siblings. With a micro-grant from Zoe Empowers, she started a kiosk business selling small snack items and other useful products. Training in money management enabled her to maximize her profits and save money so that she could attend vocational training for her true passion: motorbike (or bota-bota) mechanics and service. She started selling spare parts and now does repairs as well. She also owns a bota-bota service which provides transportation to others in the community. When she is busy doing repairs, her younger brother contributes to the business by running the taxi service.

Typically a male profession, Annrita and the others in her group do not see any reason for this business to be gender specific. She is currently training another girl in the group to start driving the motorbikes so she can start her own business. Annrita has even adopted another orphaned child, a preteen boy, and is teaching him bota-bota repair skills.

Her working group is proud of what she has accomplished and has voted her as one of the top two successes in the group. She has another year of officially being part of ZOE’s three-year empowerment program, but she has already progressed from being a recipient to being a leader and contributor — empowering others and demonstrating that dreams should not be limited by gender.