PROJECTS | Kenya (WEAEP) | Women's Education
for Empowerment and Child Survival

A recent survey found that 4.2 million adults in Kenya are illiterate and that women make up the majority of this group. Within the Kakamega and Butere districts of Western Province, just half of all women are literate. In addition to limited access to resources for women, low female literacy has resulted in high rates of malnutrition and infant mortality among vulnerable children. Infant and child mortality rates of 184/1000 are extremely high, especially when compared to the national average of 120/1000. It is also estimated that 24% of children in the area are affected by malnutrition. Women are often the ones responsible for providing food, healthcare and schooling for the family, yet they have little control over resources. Low levels of literacy serve to reinforce their relatively low position in society.

WEECS aims to support 750 illiterate women and 3,700 children in Kakamega and Butere each year. WEAEP has established 30 REFLECT (Regenerated Freirean Literacy through Empowering Community Techniques) literacy centres in the area. Groups of women attend weekly meetings at the centres, during which they receive literacy training from Community Resource Facilitators and have the opportunity to discuss issues affecting their rights such as child protection, child health and mortality, and HIV/AIDS. The women are provided with child health education, growth monitoring for their children, access to healthcare services, and nutritional advice, including nutritional supplements for severely underweight children.