CREAW, Author at CREAW KENYA - Page 20 of 21
While a traditional one stop shop ideally offers these services within the same premises, CREAW intends to replicate that model by networking and coordinating the services in Kibera thereby creating a strong partnership with the concerned institutions to ensure survivors of GBV access the services of the organizations within the partnership.
CREAW is proud of various notable achievements among them the following:
Leadership and Management Award
CREAW had been the best to put in place a good succession plan, proper leadership processes, from the Board, trustees, Executive, Secretariat , Management team and any other functional process, within our organogram, that demonstrated proper leadership and trust, on 14th December 2011.
Overall Financial Management Award
Where it reflected on better systems and processes, put in place within the organization, for governing and regulating financial transactions, transparency and proper accountability mechanisms, on 14th December 2011.
Jury Award
Awarded following the adoption of lessons learnt in the previous award ceremony, and improving our status to a better level, with several accomplishments, on 14th December 2011.
2nd Runners up, in performance
CREAW was handed this award for recognition of the excellent work it has been doing, on 14th December 2011.
Monitoring, Evaluation and Review
CREAW has received the Civil Society of the Year Award (CSOYA) for its Outstanding Monitoring, Evaluation and Review Practices, on 8th August 2008.
Access to Justice Programme
Since inception, CREAW has handled over 16,000 cases for and on behalf of the poor and marginalised women of Kenya in pursuit of legal justice. The said cases entail numerous actions emanating from various violations of women’s human rights including sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) including defilements, women’s property rights, probate and administration (succession and inheritance), matrimonial (custody, maintenance, division of property, separation and divorce), early marriages and female genital mutilation.
CREAW also undertakes strategic impact litigation and at the moment has several cases pending in court among them, sexual harassment in the work place; citizenship rights; property rights among others.
CREAW also offers support services to survivors of SGBV including individual and group therapy support.
Advocacy for Legal and Policy Reform
CREAW, as a member of the Juvenile Justice Network, was amongst organisations that drafted the original Sexual Offences Bill that was presented to the Attorney General, Hon. Amos Wako. Upon the bill being taken over by the Nominated Member of Parliament, Hon. Njoki Ndung’u, as a private members bill, CREAW served as member of the Technical Task Force that completed the final bill that was tabled in Parliament for debate. Thereafter, CREAW hosted the Civil Society Task Force that lobbied and advocated for the bill to be passed into law. Under the said task force, the civil society was able to meet various stakeholders, among them political parties, party leaders, KEWOPA, parliamentary sub-committees. After the bill was passed as an Act of Parliament, CREAW and partners simplified the Act, translated it into Kiswahili and produced 10,000 copies for dissemination. CREAW hopes to equip each pupil (primary and secondary) with a copy of the simplified version.
CREAW has also drafted an Affirmative Action Bill that seeks to entrench the principle of Affirmative Action into our current constitution. If passed into Law, the same would be a strategic intervention on the structural and legal barriers and thus enable women and other marginalised groups access their rights to effective and meaningful participation in decision making positions in the country.
In the run for 2007 general elections, CREAW worked with 25 women candidates for civic positions, out of which five were elected and twonominated. We also worked with eight women parlianmentary aspirants and one woman presidential candidate.
CREAW with other partners also engendered the Political Parties Bill that was subsequently passed into an Act of Parliament and which became operational in July 2008.
CREAW is currently working on several policy and legislative reforms including the New Constitution,and the Great Lakes PACT and Protocols on Peace, Stability and Development especially with regard to the protocol on the Prevention and Suppression of Sexual Violence Against Women and Children.
Research and Publications
Running for Political Office– (In collaboration with AMWIK) – An Absolute Must Read for anybody especially women seeking Public office;
Sexuality: Bold, informative and confronting questions that hitherto remain unanswered on our sexuality.
Bride Price or modern day slavery? Is the purported purchase of one human being by another under the guise of bride price a violation of human rights?
Sexual Offences Bill-2006– Simplified versions in English and Kiswahili!
Adolescents : ( In collaboration with GTZ) – All the frequently asked questions on Adolescent Reproductive Health answered in simple informative and down-to-earth language.
Status of Women: Facts and figures on the status of women in Kenya!
Community Awareness and Education
· In 2001, CREAW received an International Award for Community Awareness and in 2004 received the Mayor’s Achievers Award for its Campaign against rape.
· CREAW continues its empowerment and community awareness programs at various levels of community with women, men and the youth in general through community mobilization, debates and Forums
· On 25th May 2007, CREAW mobilised and brought together over twelve thousand ( 12,000) womenfrom all over the country to mark the African Women’s Day but more importantly to launch the One Million Signature Campaign for Affirmative Action. This was preceded by Provincial Forumsthat brought together thousands of women clamouring for the same said Affirmative action thus declaring year 2007 the year for Affirmative Action.
· Reclaiming the vulnerable Rape Red Spots by identifying the notorious Red Spots and thereafter mobilizing various stakeholders to reclaim the same for the women and rest of society. This program saw numerous spots reclaimed by reigning in the Duty bearers (police), private sector and City Council to provide security, lighting and strategic interventions respectively, thereby reclaiming these spots for the benefit of the users.
· CREAW successfully implemented the National Civic Education Program and Gender and Governance programs in four out of the seven Provinces in Kenya.
Youth Mentorship and School Outreach
Under a partnership with the Nairobi University Law Faculty, CREAW initiated its Youth and schools outreach programs that have seen extremely powerful debates and conversations on sensitive human rights programs and interventions. This has further led to a Youth mentorship program and out reach in schools with our University students as role models as well as educators on selected topics.
Internships
CREAW’s internship program has continued to offer Law students as well as other young people the opportunity to develop and test their theoretical skills in programmatic work especially in the criminal justice system. Every three months and in collaboration with the University of Nairobi Law Faculty, CREAW hosts six interns who not only get vast exposure and experience in programs, but also challenge some of their theoretical skills thus getting better insights understanding, lessons and learning’s.
Networking and Collaboration
CREAW continues to network with progressive and dynamic networks and organisations that have a shared vision. In this regard, CREAW belongs to several National and Regional Networks thus creating synergy and facilitating information exchange, joint programs of Action on women human rights, as well as joint advocacy programs to push agenda. Some of these Networks include the National Civil Society Congress, The GBV Prevention Network; Mifumi Bride-Price Network; Women Direct; Fathers and Sons against Gender Based Violence among others.
Partnerships:
CREAW now has built strong and dependable partnerships with various development partners that has seen the organisation strengthen its programs and out reach for the benefit of its constituents. These include amongst others, the joint funders of the Gender and Governance (GGP) and the National Civic Education Program (NCEP) basket funds; Canadian International Development Aid – Gender Equity Support Project (CIDA- GESP), Royal Netherlands Embassy, the Ford Foundation, Spanish Embassy, UNIFEM, Sigrid Rausing Trust, Christian Aid, and German Technical Cooperation(GTZ).
Overall Objective: To educate the public and create sensitivity to women’s rights
The Public Awareness Programme is comprised of three initiatives:
1. Community Awareness. We work to transform the Kenyan society into a community of people who respect, defend and actualize women’s rights. Focusing on women’s rights at the community level, CREAW is engaged on issues such as the Truth Justice and REconciliation process, land reforms, sexual and gender-based violence, use of the Community Development Fund and others. We’re helping communities develop capacities to analyse their socio-political situations and respond to them from a human rights platform.
2. Media Engagement. We use various forms of media to create awareness of women’s rights among individuals and communities.
3. Civic Education. At a national level, we aim to change people’s attitudes, values, perspectives and understanding of democratic governance and encourage informed participation.
The projects under public awareness include:
Special Election Initiative
This is a one year project implemented in Meru, Nakuru,Kisii , Nyeri and Nairobi Counties for and mainly seeks to strategically position women to seek accountability in the fulfillment of national commitments to gender equality as enshrined in the Constitution. The Rationale for implementing in these above areas stems from the legacy of patriarchy that has continuously limited or altogether stifled women’s participation in political processes and ascension into representative spaces
CREAW’s approach to this project is to amplify women’s voices and strengthen their effective participation in decision making processes .CREAW intends to contribute to the women’s rights movement by adding new voices to democratic processes that will position women in spaces they have not traditionally been a part of . CREAW will employ a multi pronged strategy that includes skills building for women political leaders from the 5 counties to enable them understand the dynamics and opportunities in the Constitution, devolved system of government, build their capacity to identify human rights concerns of community members and enable them to articulate communities concerns in decision making spaces in the community. This will inevitably claim a space for women in the 2012 elections and ultimately translate to their meaningful political participation that will see more women elevated to elective positions.
CREAW shall work with the women political leaders to identify through a baseline the special interests of women, men and youth groups and thereafter craft clear specific messages to resonate with interests of these groups. This could result in design of communication messages touching on social, economic, and health-related work and would mean raising awareness of how citizen needs and initiatives may be addressed and enhanced by gaining access to County government resources.
Promoting women human rights and paving the way for women’s participation in 2012 general elections
This is a three years project with thematic focus on mitigation of sexual violence and increasing political participation for women in 2012 general elections. The project aims to: mitigate sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) in Kibera, Nairobi, by strengthening support systems and services delivery and increasing women political participation at the local and national level, in order to include socio economic and political agendas of women in decision-making arenas
Leadership and Opportunities for Women
The programme is targets women in a range of decision-making structures including governance structures at local and national levels as well councils, peace and security committees and community development committees which make decisions about local level development or about issues to raise with governance structures. The programme will enable the women in these bodies to access training, mentoring, information and support to assume leadership positions and to effectively contribute to policy and practice which eliminate poverty. The programme will enhance their role in ensuring the rights and needs of female constituents are addressed and push institutions to be more accountable. In order to make sure the voices of these constituents are heard, the programme will work with female constituents in a number of target communities in each country, to facilitate their access to the women leaders and communicate their priorities to them. The programme will raise awareness on the role and achievements of women leaders through working closely with the media in each country and lobby and campaign for increased representation of women at all levels of decision making structures.
Overall Objective: To promote women’s rights and create systemic changes through engaging in legislative and policy advocacy
For CREAW’s work to lead to the realization of its vision, it must be buttressed by relevant and current information on emerging trends, strategies, case studies and new knowledge in the aread of our work. CREAW strives to be the leading women’s rights organization in respect to the development and use of cutting-edge and innovative advocacy strategies. We utilise the information from our research to develop these strategies and then we document and disseminate that information to the public and other key stakeholders.
CREAW engages in legislative and policy-level advocacy at the national, regional and international levels to promote women’s rights and to bring about systemic changes in society that expand the space for women to realize their rights.
The programme promotes women’s rights and create systemic changes through engaging in legislative and policy advocacy at the regional, national and international levels. CREAW strategically advocates for change while engaging our partners to lobby alongside us. Research buttresses our work by revealing relevant current information and guiding us on emerging trends, strategies, case studies and innovative platforms. Key components of the programme include:Security Sector Reforms
CREAW’s work with the Police Reform Implementation Committee through the Usalama Forum is mainly geared towards transforming the police system in Kenya into one that is professional, efficient, effective, service oriented and accountable to its citizens.
Reform in the Education Sector.
CREAW is working with various government agencies, including the Teachers Service Commission, Ministry of Education and Civil Society to advocate for policy systems and structures and promote a safe learning environment for children.
CREAW’s work with the Police Reform Implementation Committee through the Usalama Forum is mainly geared towards transforming the police system in Kenya into one that is professional, efficient, effective, service oriented and accountable to its citizens.
Reform in the Education Sector.
CREAW is working with various government agencies, including the Teachers Service Commission, Ministry of Education and Civil Society to advocate for policy systems and structures and promote a safe learning environment for children.
Overall Objective: To increase access to justice and legal education for all women in Kenya
Access to Justice is a two-pronged programme aiming to enhance women’s rights through accessing them justice at both group and individual levels.
1. Public Interest Litigation (PIL). This aims to prompt judicial pronouncements to clarify or declare women’s right on certain strategic issues affecting women as a group or a group of women. PIL is also effective in reviewing administrative or state actions or omissions. It is an effective tool for expanding and promoting women’s rights in the respective area, and it’s also a strategic advocacy and public awareness tool especially when accompanied with media coverage and commentary. CREAW plans to strengthen its public litigation capacity in order to make it the predominant elemnt of this programme.
2. Legal Aid. We are also working to provide direct legal representation, advice and referrals to poor women who are survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
The projects under Access to Justice are:
CREAW GBV Response
CREAW’s project goal in the GBV project is to contribute to the reduction of instances of GBV in Kibera, Kamukunji, Makadara and Dagoretti districts through community sensitization and provision of legal aid. To achieve this goal, CREAW works with community structures such as paralegals to train already established community groups in the target areas on GBV and the SOA (2006). Groups trained will be expected to disseminate the information to other community members, which will contribute to behavior and attitude change in the long run. Through this grant, CREAW will work in Kibera to train more organized groups like youth groups, community health workers, religious leaders and self-help groups. The main activities will entail sensitization on gender based violence (GBV) and SOA (2006) to the targeted groups. CREAW will also mark important calendar events such as the Day of the African Child with the aim of raising awareness of the community on GBV, children’s rights and HIV. In addition, CREAW will offer legal aid to survivors of violence and legal advice to the community in relation to GBV issues.
CREAW’s major expected achievements out of this project will include raised levels of awareness among organized community groups and increased access to justice and other GBV support services by survivors. It is anticipated that project activities will lead to increased reporting of GBV cases and increased respect for women and girls as equal human beings as men and boys.
Please contact us with your questions, support, comments or suggestions
The Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW)
P.O. Box 11964-00100 GPO
Nairobi, Kenya
Email:info (at) creaw.org
Secretariat
Chalbi Drive Hse No 55, Lavington, off Isaac Gathanju Rd
Tel: +254-20-2378271
Cell: +254 720357664
Kibera Satellite Office
Kibera Drive, DO’s Compound
Kibera, Nairobi
Tel: +254 20 2505903
Connect with us through Social Media
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Earlier this year 16-year-old ‘Liz’ was reportedly attacked and raped by six men in western Kenya, before being dumped, bleeding and unconscious, in a deep sewage ditch.
Liz suffered a broken back and suffered serious internal injuries from the rape. The three men accused of gang-raping her were ordered by police to cut grass as punishment.
We have been exploring methods of communicating messages about gender based violence. With the help of Kueneza Arts, we’ve been painting murals with simple pictorial messaging in five locations in Kibera.
Soweto village in Kibera, Nairobi, is a region beset by poverty and malnutrition. On Saturday 23 Nov CREAW will facilitate discussions on gender based violence during activities with Arigatou International and Chemichemi Ya Uzima Clinic. At this event at Soweto Baptists Primary School, parents will hear about positive parenting and birth registration, while their children will receive medical treatments. We welcome Fred Nyabera, who directs the Inter-Faith Initiative to End Child Poverty.