Over the year?s women have been faced with a lot of challenges such as women?s right to sexual and reproductive health, the right to be free from gender-based violence, and equal rights for women and men to access and control land-based rights, furthermore women have had limited access to acquiring the requisite skills and knowledge, being hired, paid or even doing business.
Scenario in the coast of Kenya women in these community have long discriminated due heavy cultural and religious believes. Women were never exposed to education, leadership and business activities. Fishing in the Coast of Kenya is a male dominated industry from fishing itself down to management. There has been heavy campaign to empower women in these communities through skill building, leadership and entrepreneurship skills.
Women in Coastal Kenya have done fish business for a long time, but their livelihood has never improved. They are still poor, still marginalized and are deprived of their human rights to socio ?economic development. Furthermore, the work condition of the women is not decent.
The project intends to empower women in development of skills and capacity to manage their daily business activities and value to their products. The project theory of women?s empowerment is refined through research, programming and partnership with others ? identifies three critical factors:
? Women?s own knowledge, skills and aspirations in fishing production
? The environments and structures that influence or dictate the choices women can make
? The relationships through which women negotiate their lives
Through Indian Ocean Water Body (IOWB) community-based organization will implement the project in four (4) Beach Management Units (BMUs) in Mkwiro, Shimoni, Vanga and Jimbo to increase the capacity of women in these communities. Training on fishing quality control (handling), value addition and entrepreneurship development. IOWB intend to ask financial support from the Global Environment Facility Small Grant Programme (GEF SGP) to implement the project to better improve the life of the women in these communities.