About us
WA-WA is an organization founded in 2019 and based in Homa Bay County in Kenya. WA-WA started as a Community Based Organization and later transformed into a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). WA-WA Kenya is a Swahili abbreviation meaning Wanawake Wavuvi or fisher folk. At WA-WA, we believe that fish farming, fishing, and boat making are not a preserve for males, but for everyone in the society. To achieve this, the organization conducts various professional training on fishing, fish farming, boat building, and weaving biodegradable fishing nets and any other. The organization’s aim is to support, promote and empower fisher folk women, youth and children affected by socio-economic injustices around Lake Victoria region that leads to high poverty index.
WA-WA Kenya endeavors to economically support and promote Human rights for this vulnerable population along the lake in order to achieve an equal and just society. WA-WA has combined financial and technical assistance for rural women with empowerment and training programs. As a model of operation, WA-WA KENYA has encouraged village women to organize themselves specifically within fisher communities into groups, which has created cohesiveness within members of the groups. Instead of struggling alone, now these women can work together to solve problems.
The Organization works in collaboration with affiliated local groups and other organizations through partnership in order to strengthen household economic approach and raise awareness on sexual and gender-based violence issues also to embrace leadership and governance among women and young people. Currently, WA-WA Kenya has pilot programmes in Rachuonyo North, Dhiwa, Mbita and Rangwe sub-counties of Homa Bay County.
In 2019, WA-WA Kenya engaged three women groups in Rachuonyo North, and with women from Homa Bay town Sub counties on the challenges faced in fish farming. The outcome from this engagement has continued to inform the organization’s development and helped in the establishment of many initiatives. These include rural fish farming, 100 for 100 KUKU project, Do It Yourself Initiative, Fashion and Design, Furniture Making and Soap and detergent making among other initiatives.
We note also that WA-WA has established a framework for sustainable growth and community development; held fundraising activities to increase engagement and women economic empowerment for women (crowdfunding together with TWC), and formed a youth parliament through a project called power to youth funded by Amref Health Africa.
Our Values
Collaboration: We are a grassroots women network, trust building & relationships facility advancing women’s rights, establishing linkages, and cooperation crucial for a progressive change.
Creativity: We continually work and think innovatively to respond to women’s needs, whether we are tackling complex community issues or common ones to address women’s economic challenges.
Solidarity: We agree to work together as a team towards women’s interventions and firmly stand with and by our constituents in addressing inequality.
Integrity and Honesty: We uphold ourselves to the highest standards of honesty and uprightness and pledge to do the right things even when no one is watching.
Transformative: We are determined to make real, lasting improvements in women’s lives by working to transform the root causes of gender inequality and holding governments and decision makers accountable.
TO OUR EMPLOYEES
Integrity & Ethics
Integrity and ethics translate into doing the right thing,in an honest,fair, and responsible way. Building your entire foundation of honesty and integrity goes a long way into building a strong , trusting relationship with its employees, stakeholders, and beneficiaries.
A truthful conduct on everyone’s part can create a strong,credible reputation on the organization, which is beneficial for everyone’s interests.
TO OUR BENEFICIARIES
Excellence in Service
Beneficiaries deserve our greatest respect. In our commitment from Harm to Home there is zero tolerance for any exploitation or abuse. We do not ask favours or money.
We do not treat those we serve in humiliating, degrading or harmful ways, such as shouting, insulting or any physical abuse. We do not engage in sexual relations with our beneficiaries.
Accountability
We strive to completely account for our work and impact. We take in a deep sense of responsibility in being able to create the right difference in the lives of our beneficiaries and employees.
We continually endeavor to meet the expectations of our donors and partners
Our Key Project Areas
Household Economic Strengthening
Since 2019, WA-WA Kenya has been working by
inspiring and supporting local women initiatives and groups, with an emphasis on establishing long-term solutions. HES and Nutrition program has contributed towards the realization of food and income security at households in all WA-WA’s operation areas. WA-WA focuses on 5 priority areas which include: Support of women farmers with farm inputs, Agricultural information and advisory services, fashion and design, soap and detergent making, furniture making, Agricultural processing, Market access and value addition to agricultural products. WA-WA KENYA works with women organized in groups made up of elderly grandmothers, women with disabilities and those infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. WA-WA KENYA works with children especially those in
schools to ensure that students have what to eat while at school to feed the child efforts where food gardens are set up. There has been a steady shift from subsistence farming to large-scale farming among 70% of the beneficiaries, which has significantly led to increased food security and household incomes among the rural households. In order to boost up household incomes WA-WA KENYA has extended soft loans to the women through the revolving scheme and the
women have been able to diversify their incomes by investing in other income generating activities.
Governance and Leadership
Since 2019, WA-WA has been collaborating with local and international agencies to undertake awareness on the rights of community members using the right based approach. The aim is to eliminate domestic violence against rural women and children in schools among other challenges that women and children experience. This program also incorporates other socio-economic issues including engaging the local leaders to respond to issues that negatively affect women and children’s engagement in participating in decision making and actively participating in the initiatives towards their development. In schools, WAWA forms school clubs to create awareness on children rights in schools. In so doing, WA-WA adopts different methodologies including sensitization of the community about women and children rights and abuse using drama shows involving both the schoolchildren, students and the community. In addition, WA-WA KENYA uses sports rallies and IEC materials to disseminate information, workshops, community meetings and aid training. Through this program, WA-WA women have significantly shown progress by taking part in decision making at community level but also taking active leadership roles. Currently, these women are a voice for the other women
in advocating and lobbying for improved social and economic services.
Health and Nutrition
OVC programs aim to improve children’s and families’ access to health and nutritional services through:
- A child-focused, family-centered approach to health and nutrition through ECD and school-based programs
- Effective integration with existing or planned child-focused community-and home-based activities, including PMTCT, treatment, and child survival
- Reducing access barriers to health services through HES and social protection schemes, such as health insurance opportunities
- Establishing linkages and referral systems between community-and clinic-based programs.
Reproductive health and HIV and AIDS
In this program, WA-WA KENYA focuses on women,
men and children related reproductive issues. HIV/AIDS and poor sexual and reproductive health issues are because of ignorance, lack of access to information, poverty, gender inequality and social marginalization of the most vulnerable populations, integrating HIV/AIDS services into sexual and reproductive health and rights is one of the steps WA-WA KENYA is taking. WA-WA KENYA works with schools and health centers to increase access to information, lobbying and
advocacy for services at health centers and prevention of HIV/AIDS awareness programs.
Water, Hygiene and Sanitation improvement
The Hygiene, Water and Sanitation program aims at promoting a clean safe environment fit for habitation among the rural communities by increasing access to safe water and by enhancing improved hygiene and sanitation practices and
behaviors. To execute this program, WA-WA KENYA works with community structures including Village Health Teams, Community Health Educators, Water User committee, teachers, school health clubs, School Management committees and District health officers to promote hygiene education in communities and schools. WA-WA KENYA works with households and schools through hygiene training, construction and protection of communal water sources, install rainwater harvesting tanks and water jars at schools and at households’ level, improvement of sanitation facilities and menstrual hygiene management for the girl child at school and in
communities. WA-WA KENYA has been able to acquire materials and knowledge to facilitate her work in hygiene promotion.
Environmental Protection and Conservation
Due to the poor land use and management of the environment, crop production has continued to go down. There is therefore a growing need to improve the environment and promote proper usage of land (soils) for sustainable agriculture. Since women livelihoods in Kenya is mostly determined by the climate, WA-WA KENYA works at enhancing environmental protection and management, WA-WA KENYA supports women households to plant trees around their plots of land and home compounds and establish woodlots. Trees act as water catchments, provide firewood and add nutrients to the soil. WAWA KENYA supports women groups to establish nursery beds in model women homes from where women transplant the tree seedlings into their own plots of land.