Women in Kibra Constituency now have the opportunity to prove their worth by venturing into income generating activities that have long been perceived to be exclusively done by men.
This is courtesy of an initiative driven by an organisation dubbed Timeless Women of Wonder (TWOW) that has seen many women undergo training on informal work like shoe-repair, building and construction, painting, carpentry among other artisanship.
On session currently are a group of 43 women who are undergoing training on building and construction, painting, and nailing. The enthusiastic women on Friday celebrated the end of their first module of learning at AIC church premises in Kibra.
“We have learnt a lot about building, construction and all the work that many people think that only men can do. Actually at the beginning I also thought that this is a tough work, only to realise that I can equally do it,” said Teresia Walegwa, a beneficiary of the training.
The training is aimed at empowering women living in the informal settlements to be self-reliant by embracing informal jobs.
Nyakan Munyaki, the founder of the initiative, applauded the women in Kibra for responding positively by turning up for training since its inception in July this year.
“In the month of July we had a one week interaction with women here in Kibra where we engaged them in realising their potential and transforming their mindset. After that, we came back to offer the real skills starting with building and construction,” said Munyaki.
The second and final module for building and construction is expected to begin soon after which the graduates will be absorbed into various projects already earmarked by the organisation as a way of developing their skills further as they begin to earn a living.