Local Leaders: Ruth from GCCWG, Kenya
"Equipping girls and women ... with skills that empower them to be financially independent ... was at the core of our formation. Seeing it become a reality makes us very proud."
Ruth Njihia is Director at Egmont Partner Girl Child Counselling Women's Group (GCCWG) in Uasin Gishu County in western Kenya.
After losing her sister to AIDS, Ruth was determined to help other young mothers. With 11 other women who had been similarly affected, Ruth started GCCWG with the aim of promoting HIV awareness and poverty reduction in their community.
What is GCCWG's mission?
To empower communities, especially girls and young people, on HIV prevention, and support those living with HIV to live healthy lives, through HIV education and economic empowerment.
How has Egmont’s support since 2015 changed GCCWG’s approach and impact?
Before Egmont's support, we had limited resources and were only able to reach out to our primary target (poor girls and young women) with HIV/AIDS prevention and care interventions. Although this approach achieved some positive impacts, it left unaddressed gaps which hindered us making a sustainable difference to HIV prevention and care.
Egmont support enabled us to improve our approach and address whose gaps. We are now reaching more sections of the community, including men and boys, and have expanded our work to new locations.
Through this approach, we have trained over 200 key people from other local organisations that we work with to ensure they continue to reach women and girls especially, ensuring the sustainability of our work.
Through them, over 10,000 people in our local communities have been reached with HIV education and more than 22,000 have been provided with HIV testing and counselling services. In addition, over 200 women have participated in vocational training, strengthening their economic independence and reducing their vulnerability to poverty-driven exploitation.
What achievements are you most proud of?
Equipping young girls and women from poor backgrounds with skills that empower them to work and be financially independent, reducing their risk of engaging in risky relationships to earn income, was at the core of our formation. Seeing it become a reality makes us very proud.
We are also proud to be a source of accurate HIV/AIDS prevention and care information in our community, overcoming deep rooted misinformation.
What are your hopes for the future?
We would like to see GCCWG grow to be an organisation that has the capacity to empower marginalised rural communities, especially women, girls and children, in the entire Uasin Gishu County.
We hope to see girls and women from poor backgrounds in our community transform into a vibrant and resilient group whose health flourishes, who have a good education, earn a decent income and have access to resources and mentorship to build their futures.