New Faces New Voices (NFNV) Kenya partners with Stichting Women Win on virtual Knowledge Exchange forums. Under the theme Cross-Sector Partnerships in East Africa to Advance Women’s Economic Resilience. The program involves five knowledge exchange sessions on Women’s Health, Access to Markets, Corporate, Governance, and Finance. The first two sessions held on 1st and 8th July respectively focused on managing Gender-Based Violence and Market Exchange interventions through digital platforms. The knowledge exchange sessions recommend practical and actionable interventions to promote a holistic approach to economic resilience. This will happen through cross-sector partnerships that address the negative consequences on women’s economic rights in the workplace, policy development, and advocacy due to COVID-19.
The first session focused on Good Governance in Health Care. It highlighted missing links in Healthcare Response in Management of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), which is essential to sensitize the gaps in the management of GBV cases. Practical recommendations and actionable interventions were provided to promote a holistic approach to managing GBV cases within the existing healthcare ecosystem, during and post-pandemic.
The second session looked at Market Exchange interventions through digital platforms. It explored the experiences of COVID-19 on women in entrepreneurship and the digital space. Specific recommendations were suggested that may offer solutions towards developing and increasing resilience for women entrepreneurs focusing on e-commerce.
Kayana founder Patricia Okelo.
The session highlighted the challenges women entrepreneurs face when it comes to the use of digital platforms to grow their businesses including self-limitation due to risk aversion and fear of technology; lack of resources and role models and lack of trust.
Additionally, it focused on gender advantages inherent in the use of digital platforms including its reliance on visual and creative content that taps into women’s natural inclination, its dependence on reliability, consistency, patience and attention to detail that come more naturally to women.
Covid-19 brought about gender constraints for businesses. E commerce played a powerful role for my business as customers are online. They do their research online before coming to your store. Being online provided my business with data on your customer needs. ~ Wandia Gichuru.
Recommendations for women’s increased participation and success in the use of digital platforms included: the use of partnerships due to the complementary role it can play in initiating or scaling the use of digital platforms; paying attention to the ‘WHAT’ a business is selling online even as it leverages digital platforms to enhance the ‘HOW’; paying particular attention to the content, and user experience which are critical to success; building trust through effective due diligence for partnerships and integrity for customer retention; and overcoming self-limitation through the adoption of a ‘Just Do It’ attitude.
WomenWork Co-founder; Asha Mweru.
The event’s goal – the advancement of women’s economic and social empowerment through digital platforms – aligns with the Trust’s goal 2 and affirms the Trust’s networks as platforms for change
Kenya University Teaching referral and Research Hospital; Collaborative Centre for Gender and Development CCGD and Vunja Kimya Foundation.
Kenya Association of Manufacturers, Kayana, Women Work, Vivo Woman, GMT are among the knowledge partners who have been involved in the discussions so far.
This article was compiled by Makena Mworia and Jane Muia.
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