Hope Foundation for African Women (HFAW)

Mission: Hope Foundation for African Women (HFAW) is a nonpartisan not for profit national grassroots organization committed to women and girls empowerment, their sexual and reproductive health and human rights as well as elimination of gender disparities in all our communities. We work for the empowerment of grassroots women and girls through income generating activities and education about their rights. We address gender inequalities through raising awareness, trainings, motivating, inspiring and mentoring the women and organizations we work with. Our identity statement: We have firm believe in the power of ordinary people to change their situation and seek to unveil it Guiding Princ... read more Mission: Hope Foundation for African Women (HFAW) is a nonpartisan not for profit national grassroots organization committed to women and girls empowerment, their sexual and reproductive health and human rights as well as elimination of gender disparities in all our communities. We work for the empowerment of grassroots women and girls through income generating activities and education about their rights. We address gender inequalities through raising awareness, trainings, motivating, inspiring and mentoring the women and organizations we work with. Our identity statement: We have firm believe in the power of ordinary people to change their situation and seek to unveil it Guiding Principle: To promote gender equality and equity for all Core Strategies: HFAW has adopted the strategies in addressing gender inequalities. We work with grassroots women and women's organizations to facilitate women's empowerment. We do this through various means: Engaging them in economic growth through individual and group projects Providing skills to address sexual and reproductive health knowledge and services Involving them in innovative strategies to total eradication of female genital mutilation (FGM) Supporting them to question gender based violence and use whatever formal or informal means available to them to end this vice in their community We mentor women with self-advocacy skills and motivate them to be leaders in their families and communities Educate women on their rights as guaranteed in the 2010 constitution We build the capacity of women to promoters of health, safe environment and other rights Our Core Values -To fight against marginalization of individuals -To be professional, confidential and respectful -Commitment to women's empowerment and seek respectful teamwork with individuals and groups and to uphold every person's human dignity and to do our work with utmost integrity, honesty, transparency and accountability -We have passion, calm and logic in our work to eliminate gender disparities Our History: HFAW was started in August 2011 by Dr. Grace B. Mose Okong'o and Mrs. Hellen Njoroge as a response to debates in our country that suggest that Kenya's women are not ready or willing to take up political leadership positions to fill the one third constitutional mandate. Currently only a few seats in the National Assembly are occupied by women, we have not met the 1/3 mandate. HFAW leaders see the problem as originating from our extreme patriarchal society which discriminates against women. Advancing women's participation in leadership has to start with addressing the whole spectrum of inequalities at the grassroots. We must address economic and educational inequalities. Women have to be economically empowered and educated about their constitutional and women's human rights. HFAW leaders are engaging women in civic education, women's rights, violence against women, reproductive health and services, and total eradication of FGM.We have started with two marginalized communities of Kisii and Maasai where FGM practice is universal with nearly 97% girls undergoing it. This practice is so detrimental physically but also mentally as it socializes women to accept their poverty and low status position in their families, communities and nation. The overall goal of this project is to improve economic and health of poor and vulnerable women,and advance human rights of Kenyan women and families through education, leadership training and the development of community health teams. One of our current objective is to adopt popular education model as implemented by EPES Foundation in South America to train 30 health and human rights promoters to work in rural villages in Nyamira. We will use the model to eradicate FGM in these communities; advance reproductive health, economic prosperity and human rights. Ultimately these women will lead much higher quality life and participate in their families and nation as full human beings.