Page 23 - Aidlink AR 2021

KENYA COUNTRY PROFILE & PROGRAMMES
Continued
Gender Equality
28 schools supported to be
more child-friendly and gender sensitive. In 23 of these public primary schools (11 Kajiado,
12 Turkana), girl and disability- friendly latrines were constructed.
In 2021, Aidlink supported 28 primary schools in Kenya (14 Kajiado, 14 Turkana) to become more child-friendly and gender-sensitive, supporting 15,984 vulnerable children and their families.
Basic water and sanitation facilities are key to enabling children, in particular girls, to attend school. In times of drought, the burden of collecting water often falls on girls. In Turkana, distances to water have risen to up to 30km following four years of prolonged drought. This time away from school, impinges girls’ right
to education and puts them at increased risk of gender-based violence (GBV).
In 23 public primary schools (11 Kajiado,
12 Turkana), girl and disability friendly latrines were constructed. 56 handwashing facilities (28 Kajiado, 28 Turkana) and 16 water tanks
(7 Kajiado, 9 Turkana) were installed in target schools. We are seeing increased enrolment
in target schools (20% Kajiado, 30% Turkana), however higher enrolment rates in lower classes and lack of re-enrolment in higher classes indicate that communities have returned to negative traditional practices such as Female Gentile Mutilation (FGM) and early marriage.
1,120 children, 40 from each of our 28 target schools joined Rights of Child Clubs and were trained on child rights, with a focus on protection and gender equality. This knowledge of child rights enables children to recognise the harmful impact traditional cultural practices such as FGM and early marriage and empowers them to combat these norms.
Aidlink Annual Report 2021 | 21
Latrine in Lorengippi Primary School Kajiado, Kenya. Photo credit GCN