The Pain We Don’t Always See There are things that happen to a girl that she may never find the words to describe. Things that change her life before she is even old enough to understand what is happening to her. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is one of them. In some communities, it is a tradition passed down from generation to generation. For some families, it is considered a necessary step towards becoming a woman, a condition for marriage, or a way of preserving cultural

The Pain We Don’t Always See There are things that happen to a girl that she may never find the words to describe. Things that change her life before she is even old enough to understand what is happening to her. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is one of them. In some communities, it is a tradition passed down from generation to generation. For some families, it is considered a necessary step towards becoming a woman, a condition for marriage, or a way of preserving cultural

Every morning, long before the day really begins, many women in rural Kenya are already awake. There is breakfast to prepare, children to get ready for school, clothes to wash and, in some households, a long walk to collect water. For those of us who are used to turning on a tap, it is difficult to imagine how much time and energy something as simple as water can demand. We rarely think about it. We turn on the shower, wash our hands, make a cup of tea. Water is simply there.

There is a side of Kenya that tourists fall in love with. And another side that many never get to see. Diani Beach is one of those places that stays with you. The white sand, the warm Indian Ocean, the palm trees moving gently in the wind. The colours seem brighter here. Even the rhythm of life feels different. People travel thousands of kilometres to experience this beautiful stretch of Kenya's southern coast. They come to relax, enjoy the sunshine, discover new places and e

For many women experiencing gender-based violence, leaving an abusive relationship is not simply a matter of making a decision. It is also a matter of having somewhere to go, being able to feed their children, paying for transport, finding safe accommodation and, above all, having the means to build a life independently. Economic dependence can become one of the invisible chains that keeps a woman trapped in violence. In Kenya, women continue to face significant economic ineq

When we talk about gender-based violence, we often focus on one question: Why doesn’t she leave? But perhaps we should be asking a different question: What happens to a woman after she leaves? Leaving an abusive relationship can be one of the most difficult decisions a woman will ever make. But walking away from violence does not automatically mean that the difficulties are over. For many women in Kenya, it can be the beginning of another challenge: rebuilding an entire life.

For many women, the road towards independence begins with a very simple question: Who will take care of my child while I work or learn? It may sound like an ordinary problem. For a mother trying to rebuild her life, it can become an enormous barrier. Training opportunities, employment and small business activities can offer women a path towards economic independence. But these opportunities mean very little if a mother cannot attend because she has nowhere safe to leave her c