INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL CHILD – Kenya
On 11th October, 2015, 300 beneficiaries of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd converged at Kanyueri High School in Embu County to celebrate the international day of the girl child. The event was marked by a procession from the school to the nearby shopping centre creating awareness on specific issues affecting the girl child in Embu (Kenya). During the procession there were ten stations each station was represented by a particular issues and participants posed for prayer and explanation on that particular issue. The issues were Female Genital Mutilation, Abortion, Poverty, Sexual Abuse of children, Gender Inequality, Drug and Substance Abuse, Child Labour, Early Marriages, Teenage Pregnancies and Alcohol among others. From the ten issues they voted for FGM, Abortion, Poverty, Sexual abuse of children and Drug abuse as the priority to be addressed.
After the procession there were speeches by different people including Srs.Jane and Flora the organisers of the day. Speakers emphasised on issues identified as the main challenges facing the girl child in Kenya. This was further followed by presentations by the girls and the women which were in form of poems and songs.
One of the girls presented a very beautiful and touching poem on challenges facing the girl child. The day ended by the girls voting for the priority issues to be addressed; this are FGM, Sexual Abuse of Children, Poverty, Abortion and Drug Abuse.
The girls voting on the various issues and asking community government and global leaders to take action.