Areas to Invest in Girls and Young Women to Accelerate Progress

International Women’s Day has recently impacted change, especially in matters of gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.

In this year’s theme, governments and respective stakeholders are called upon to invest in women to accelerate progress in society.

Susan Wairimu, founder of Inspire Teenagers Foundation, affirms that investing in young girls’ physical, social, and mental well-being is paramount since it’s at the stage of adolescence and teenagerhood where habits and behaviors that they engage in impact their life afterward.

“When governments take a keen interest in investing in women from that tender age, it boosts their performance at school and prevents them from risky behaviors such as substance abuse and unsafe sexual practices,” Wairimu says.

In her five years of working with teenagers, Wairimu asserts that young women need psychosocial, academic, economic, and health services support, which form part of their overall well-being, thus impacting social and economic growth as a society in the long run.

In reiteration, Latifah Wangui, an SRHR champion representing girls in Mathare She Leads Alliance, says that academic support has been a hard egg to crack since the quality of schools and education centers is not up to the expected standard.

Giving a case study of Mathare, Wangui points out that the majority of private schools are located in areas prone to a lot of distractions from the environs.

“You find that a school is here, and adjacent to it is someone’s house just close to what seems like a church,” she says.

Wangui advocates for measures to be put in place to ensure that young girls get quality education in a conducive environment.

Additionally, health facilities have been quite an issue in such neighborhoods. Young girls who happen to be visiting such facilities for Sexual reproductive health and rights services and mental health seem to come out without receiving sufficient help they need.

This has led to complications among young girls since there’s little awareness and empowerment programs to sharpen them on what’s right for them and their health. These young women are roundly not included in decision-making tables, which hinders them from having a voice.

When girls young women are included in decision-making spaces, they bring unique perspectives and ideas to the table.

“In environmental discussions such as how climate change is affecting women in rural and urban areas, it’s more practical when women themselves talk on their behalf on the challenges they face,” Hadale Saru founder Jasiri Organization.

Meaningful participation, Saru adds, ensures that the solution is comprehensive and also boosts them towards accelerating growth.

Seemingly, there has been progress towards investing in young women. Sophie Omahe, a gender equality champion, confirms that the government has tailored programs specifically for girls and young women to pursue higher education.

Funds have also been channeled to vocational training centers to enable girls to access hands-on courses and skills without a hustle.

“There have also been procurement opportunities put in place by the government to ensure that at least 30% of contracts go directly to women, such as Uwezo Fund and Women Enterprise Fund,” Omahe says.