Leaders In West Pokot Sensitize Communities On How To Protect The Vulnerable During An Electioneering Period

WEST POKOT, Kenya, March, 18 – When communities are threatened by cattle rustling or political power struggles, the women and children often suffer the most, losing their homes, loved ones, and even their dignity.

As the political season heats up and the situation in the rift valley becomes a security concern, institutions and individuals have joined forces to educate adults on how to best protect the most vulnerable in the community.

The church in West Pokot County has launched a campaign against those who prey on the vulnerable members of the community.

With regular gatherings becoming the norm, the adults in the room can begin to translate the numbers they have been given about how much harm has been done to young children in a community that has also seen dark times due to bandit raids and the fight for pasture and water with neighbouring communities.

“We are working together to ensure that the teach the youth how to protect themselves from being used or even abused, during elections, it is children that suffer since their parents go to attend political events and leave them alone,” said Bishop Harun Kwambai, outreach Revival Ministries.

As the children stay at home for the long holiday, the hilly area in Kasei will see much more engagement between organizations and the community here. Residents claim that many bad things happen when away from school for long periods.

“For young girls things are particularly difficult we undergo FMG, Forced or early marriages and even early pregnancies,” said Magdalene Cherotich Parpelo, resident West Pokot.

Life for many young people comes to a halt as they transition into a different sphere of life in a culture where FGM is still part and parcel of cultural acts.

“After FGM, young girls are then married off, these are some of the challenges young girls go through during election periods,” said Parpelo.

However, the government’s representative here says that some beliefs and attitudes must change.

“Even if our girl become pregnant it is not the end of learning, when they give birth and breast feed after si months they leave their chid with their mothers and go back to school. Luckily we have day schools,so the learner can go back and forth between home and school,”said Asst. Chief Joseph Loriso.

“The main aim also help strengthen young people, and especially those who are in high school and also primary to really understand their rights and also to be able to advocate against any form of violation against children,”

The community sensitization programme, dubbed Channels of Hope Child Protection, aims to raise awareness in a community already plagued by insecurity and cultural practices that are sometimes harmful to children…..

“After the challenges we encountered during the 2017 elections, we educated people that they can vote and they are well educated on how to handle the siststion,” said Loriso.

The community has been urged to be more vigilant as the political season heats up, with many parents involved in political activities, leaving their children unsupervised…

“Channels of hope is a learning programme under world vision, they dress issues we face in the community,especially issues of gender and child protection,” said bishop Kwambai.

“During this time of elections there are many violations against children and so it is very important to build teh capacity of various communities to understand the importance of fighting against any forms of violence. What are are doing is supporting churches to acquire skills and knowledge on how to protect children,” said Moses Chepkonga, officer world vision.

The initiative seeks to bring adults together in as many villages as possible across the vast rift valley and other parts of the country, with organizations like religious institutions and administrative officials championing children’s rights, whom this initiative seeks to protect.